Is Power Automate Cloud an option for my type of automation (Web Scrape, Write to Excel, Copy file)?

[JoshuaBa]

I exclusively use Power Automate Desktop, and I have a flow that looks at a list of webpages (pulled from an excel file), scrapes certain details, and puts them back into the same excel file under the appropriate headers. It repeats this process every 10 minutes, and on every repeat, it saves the old file elsewhere and creates a new file to start fresh from. 

I have been able to do a scheduled flow utilizing Power Automate cloud, however I must remain logged in to be done, which unfortunately is a deal breaker due to IT policy.

I'd like to see if I can run my flow while the computer is locked, which from what I understand, is an option with Power Automate Cloud.

I am a bit confused on the differences between the two, but can anyone advise if Power Automate Cloud is an appropriate method for my type of flow where I need to scrape details from the web, write to Excel, and make copies of files?

[AlexEncodian]

@JoshuaBa 

Power Automate is more programmatic...it cannot control screen elements. 

Its not great for web scraping. The main question is whether the website is publicly accessible and if so, is the data in an HTML table?

If the data on a publicly accessible website is in a table, you can use Encodian's Utility - Parse HTML Table action to scrape the website. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXUi7V40iUU

[Resolutions]

It sounds like your current flow involves web scraping and Excel manipulation, which can indeed be achieved using Power Automate Cloud. However, if you need the flow to run while your computer is locked, you'll likely need to use Power Automate Cloud as Power Automate Desktop typically requires an active session.

Power Automate Cloud allows for scheduled flows and can run even when your computer is locked, provided the credentials and permissions are set up correctly. You can set up triggers to start your flow at specific intervals, such as every 10 minutes, and perform actions like web scraping, Excel manipulation, and file management.

I'd recommend exploring Power Automate Cloud for your needs, ensuring it meets your security and IT policy requirements. You may need to adjust your flow slightly to accommodate the transition from Power Automate Desktop to Power Automate Cloud, but the functionalities you described are feasible in the cloud environment.

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