Compare two SharePoint lists and calculate travel expense

[Anonymous]

I am looking forward to your support in order to solve a problem with Power Automate from Microsoft. My level in Power Automate is beginner.

I would like to solve a problem by configuring a flow in Power Automate, rather than using SharePoint formulas for calculated columns:

1. SharePoint List "A" includes several different columns to calculate travel expenses. First let's assume the choice column "Breakfast" is set to the value "Yes" (only yes and no are possible options)
2. The flow needs to check now, which country appears in the single line of text column "Destination" in the SharePoint List "A"
3. Once the country has been checked, e.g. France, it needs to check now a different SharePoint list, called "B" (same SharePoint site).
4. SharePoint List "B" includes three columns. The first one is the generic ID column, called „ID“, the second one includes all available destinations (232) called „Available Destinations“ and the third one („Reimbursement rate“) the corresponding reimbursement rate, the traveller is entitled to, e.g. ID 34, Destination: France, reimbursement rate: 60
   
   5. The flow needs to check SharePoint list "B", find the same destination it has detected in SharePoint list "A" - in this case "France" - and check the corresponding reimbursement rate, in this case 60.
   
   6. Now the flow needs to take the number 60, multiply by 0,2 and the result needs to appear in SharePoint list "A" in a column called "Breakfast deduction" (which type?).
   
   Please let me know, whether this is possible. If yes, would you be so kind and describe how to configure the flow step by step. If you need more information, do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you!

[Rhiassuring]

Hello, 

It's possible!  First question though - where did the 0.2 come from? Is that different depending on the type of deduction, or no?  

Also, so I understand the pretense - this means that the submission for Breakfast in France is entitled to up to 60 (dollars) reimbursement, right? But does this then mean that truly you're only reimbursing for 20% of the value? 

To me, it would make more sense if the "Reimbursement Rate" was 20%, and the Breakfast submission was for $60, and you were calculating 20% of Breakfast ... but maybe I am totally off base.

[Anonymous]

Hi!

Thanks for your quick reply. As for the 20% or 0,2 (as I am configuring this process in a german sharepoint online environment or power automate environment, I need to use comma for example), it goes like this:

I have a list of around 230 destinations worldwide (e.g. the U.S. includes around 12 destinations, such as L.A., N.Y. etc.). Now, in this list (available as Excel and SharePoint list) I have a destination column and three more number columns, which show the "reimbursement rate" (not sure, whether this is the right term anyway) depending on the length of the stay per day. One column says 24 hours, the secon 11 hours to 23 hours 59 minutes and the third says up to 11 hours. However, for this case, we can forget about the second and third column, as we do not need it. We need to look at the first number column only.

So, the list has the destination column, the ID column and the "Reimbursement rate" column. The reimbursement rate column includes the reimbursement rate one gets per day, when travelling to a specific destination. As we have around 230 destinations, EACH destination has a different reimbursement rate (e.g. if you stay in N.Y. you might receive one Euro more per day, than if you stay in Miami).

Finally, I want to deduct from this rate each time 20%, if the traveller has ticked "Yes" in the breakfast column (choice column). There are two more columns, "lunch" and "dinner". if these columns are checked with "Yes" I need to deduct 40% for each column. E.g. the destination is "France - Paris". In day one I have checked Breakfast yes, lunch no, and dinner yes. Than I will deduct 20% from 60 Euro AND 40% from 60 Euro. In the end I will receive 24 Euro for day one. If I check all three columns with yes, I will receive nothing for day one.

I hope this helps to clarify the process. So far, I have implemented this process mainly with sharepoint formulas, but due to technical restrictions (maximum 277 columns in a sharepoint list and maximum of 48 calculated columns in a sharepoint list and maximum of 19 nested IF (in german WENN) functions per calculated column, etc.) I am considering a solution with power automate.

[Rhiassuring]

Ahhh, I see. 

I was thinking of it in terms of an expense process, but it looks like you're more of a .. travelling company, maybe? I'm super curious about the scenario here hahah.

Anyway, I get it.  Let's start with the first question, which was only about getting the reimbursement rate for one item.

I'm Canadian so I'll use the format of 0.2, so my system doesn't implode.

One thing that will be important is the type of column you are using for Destination. Is it a simple choice field? Is it managed metadata? Is it free text? Is it a look-up? 

Right now I'm going to pretend it's a choice field / single line of text, for the same of this example. (But, I'd recommend using Managed Metadata.)

The same is true of your "Yes / No" column. Are you using the checkbox (default yes / no column), or are you using a choice column with yes or no in it? In this example, I'll use the default yn column.

I've set up my list of Reimbursement Rates like this (I've renamed my "Title" column to "Destination")

And my submission list will look like this:

So.. let's build the flow. 

Step 1... "When a new item is created", aimed at List A ("Expense Submissions")

Step 2...  "Get Items" from ApprovalMatrix filtering on the Destination. That'll look like this:

Step 3.. MATH.  We're going to do 2 operations in this...

A) Multiply the output from the Reimbursement Rate by 0.2. I'm using a Compose action, with the following expression:

mul(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']?[0]?['ReimbursementRate'],0.2)

 

I am doing that because since we are using a "Get Items" (we have to use it unless we always know the ID), Power Automate isn't smart enough to know we only have one item, so it wants to Apply to Each. So if you KNOW you'll only ever have one result, you can take it right out - using that format. The [0] is telling it "just give me the one value I know you're holding.)

 

So really, it's mul(ReimburesmentRate,0.2).

 

B) Subtract the multiplication output from the reimbursement rate itself. I am just folding the expression around the previous one:

 

sub(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']?[0]?['ReimbursementRate'],mul(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']?[0]?['ReimbursementRate'],0.2))

 

 I added the grey to show the old expression in there as well. This is just the most efficient way to do it, with both of them in the same action, but you could split them into 2 composes. Anyway. We're just saying "Take that original number you got from the Approval Matrix, and subtract the output of the multiplication from it."

Step 4.. for now, with this one value, is to update the associated item with the calculation. That looks like this: 

Notice that I emptied out the Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner values so they don't get overridden.  I used the "ID" and "Title" from the Dynamic Content in the original trigger. The "Outputs" is just from the Compose right before this, since it holds the value.

BUT... I now know this isnt your real, full need. We need to do the 20%, 40%, Nothing scenario. I'll do that in the next post so there's a clear delineation. 

[Rhiassuring · Accepted solution]

So I think for the 20, 40, 40 situation, I'd start this way:

We're going to populate that with our total percentage based on the number / types of meals.

There's probably a billion ways to do this, but since you only have 3 possible outcomes, I'm going to do it this way:

I am using an "If" expression inside of "Increment Variable" actions to say "hey, if this is a "Yes", then increment it. If it's not, then, don't."

Finally I've just updated our Compose (in the last post) to use - instead of 0.2 - the variable we've created, numMeals.

Let's run some tests here...

That looks right to me....

[Anonymous]

Thank you!!

I will test it on my side and get back to as soon as possible. And no, we are not a travel company. We simply have lots of employees traveling around the world and quite complicated rules to follow, concerning travel expenses and reimbursement.