# Automation

When working with data in a collaborative environment, it is necessary to notify team members and stakeholders about changes to the data. Additionally, it is important to propagate these updates to related and dependent tables to maintain data consistency and integrity.

PowerTable can automate these types of repetitive workflows by integrating with necessary applications based on defined actions and conditions.

You can create automated workflows that execute one or more predefined actions in response to specific triggers. Choose when your automation should run by defining triggers, and then add one or more actions with required customizations to define what happens next—all without the need for coding.

## 1. Understanding automation workflows

An automation workflow consists of a **trigger** and **one or more actions** that follow it.

<figure><img src="/files/Yg1EQlOwlLorc2dvh40O" alt="" width="375"><figcaption><p>Automation flow</p></figcaption></figure>

Triggers can be any event, such as data updates, row insertion or deletion, a configured time schedule, a form submission, or a click of a button.

<figure><img src="/files/dWLkOu1PkwTss4I8D6xB" alt="" width="375"><figcaption><p>Triggers </p></figcaption></figure>

The actions that you can define include:

* Sending real-time notifications to the stakeholders about the data changes across different channels (email, Microsoft Teams message, webhooks) to keep them informed.&#x20;
* Cascading the data changes across all related and dependent tables consistently.

<figure><img src="/files/5i9SPS30TWhDNoLaNrkp" alt="" width="305"><figcaption><p>Actions</p></figcaption></figure>

PowerTable can automate such repetitive workflows by executing these predefined actions based on triggers (events or data changes).

## 2. Setting up a Workflow

Setting up an automation workflow involves the following steps:

1. **Create an Automation Workflow:** Create a new automation workflow to configure the trigger and action(s).
2. **Define the Trigger:** Configure the events or data changes that will trigger your workflow. E.g., a new record is created in the table, an existing record is updated or deleted, etc. You can also add one or more conditions to the trigger event to make it more specific.
3. **Choose Actions:** Select the actions you want to perform in response to the event. E.g., create a new row in another table, send an email or Microsoft Teams notification, post the update through webhooks, etc.

When an event occurs, PowerTable can automatically:

* **Send Notifications**: Trigger email or MS Teams notifications to keep stakeholders informed.
* **Trigger Webhooks**: Integrate with external systems by sending real-time data updates.
* **Perform Cascaded Updates**: Apply changes across related records to maintain data consistency.

The upcoming sections in the guide provide an overview of how to configure and manage automated workflows in your environment.


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