If you've been using Power Automate, you might have come across the term "parent flows" or "child flows." These concepts are super useful for organizing and managing your automation processes efficiently. In this blog post, I'll break down what parent flows and child flows are, why you should use them, and how to get started with them. Let's dive in!

What are Parent Flows and Child Flows?

Parent flows

Parent flows refer to the primary flow that calls another flow within Power Automate. Think of it as a larger process that includes smaller, specific tasks handled by other flows. This helps keep your main flow clean and focused while separating complex tasks into manageable pieces.

Child flows

Child flows are a type of flow where a primary flow (the "parent") initiates another flow (the "child") to handle a specific task. The parent flow can then continue its process or wait for the child flow to complete and return results. This approach is excellent for reusing common tasks across multiple flows.

Why use Parent and Child flows?

Break down complex processes into simpler, reusable components.
Easier to update and manage smaller, focused flows.
Use the same child flow in multiple parent flows, saving time and effort.
Efficiently manage and scale your automation processes.

Setting up Parent and Child Flows

Note: Both parent and child flows must be created within a solution.

Solutions are containers for grouping related flows, which simplifies management and deployment.

Step 1: Create your Child flow

Go to Power Automate: Open Power Automate and create a new flow.
Define Trigger and Actions: Set the trigger for your child flow.

Add the necessary actions to perform the task.
Add Response Action: If your child flow needs to return data to the parent flow, include a "Response" action at the end.

Step 2: Create Your Parent Flow

New Flow in Power Automate: Create another new flow that will act as your parent flow.
Add Actions: Define the trigger and initial actions for the parent flow.

Invoke Child Flow: Use the "Run a Child Flow" action to call your child flow. Pass any required inputs to the child flow.

Step 3: Handle Child Flow Responses

Configure Response Handling: If your child flow returns data, set up the parent flow to handle this data. This might involve adding conditional logic or further actions based on the child flow's output.
Test Your Flows: Run your parent flow and ensure that it correctly calls and interacts with the child flow.

Common Errors and Troubleshooting

When working with parent and child flows, you may encounter several common errors. Here's how to recognize and troubleshoot them:

Error: Multiple response actions

'The schema definition for action with status code '200' is invalid. The schema definitions for actions with the same status code is missing.'

Issue: Having more than one response action in your child flow with different schemas.
Solution: Ensure that all PowerApps response actions in the child flow have the same schema or consolidate them into a single response action.

Error: Inactive Child Flow

Issue: The child flow is inactive or has been deleted.
Solution: Verify that the child flow is active and exists. Reactivate or recreate the child flow if necessary.

Error: Incorrect "Connections used"

Issue: The "Run only users" > "Connections used" is incorrect (Provided by the user run-only user), preventing the parent flow from executing the child flow.

Solution: Check the "Run only users" settings in the child flow and update the "Connections used".

Best Practices for Parent and Child Flows

Clear Naming Conventions: Use descriptive names for your flows to easily identify their purpose.
Documentation: Document the functionality of each flow, especially if it's used in multiple parent flows.
Error Handling: Implement error handling in both parent and child flows to manage and log issues effectively.
Regular Maintenance: Periodically review and update your flows to incorporate new features and improvements.

Conclusion

Parent and child flows in Power Automate can significantly improve the efficiency and manageability of your automation processes. By breaking down complex tasks into smaller, reusable components, you can create more modular, maintainable, and scalable flows. Try them out and see how they can upgrade your workflows!

Using Parent and Child Flows for better workflow management