Temporarily store MS form response in SharePoint list

[wlinb]

Hi all,

I created a 4 flows with 4 MS form attached to it. I would like the response from all 4 forms to be captured in 1 single SharePoint list item. Is there a way for me to store the response temporarily somewhere before it is recorded in the SharePoint List? 

I want to make sure that the response collected from 4 MS forms are in the correct series (A-->B-->C-->D).

Appreciates if anyone can help.

Thank you!

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb,

To accomplish your requirement, you can follow these steps:

1. Create a temporary SharePoint List: Set up a temporary SharePoint List to store the form responses. This list will serve as a staging area.
2. Configure flows for each form: Set up individual flows for each MS Form to capture the responses. When a response is received, create a new item in the temporary SharePoint List with the relevant details from the response.
3. Implement sorting logic in the temporary SharePoint List: Add a column to the temporary SharePoint List to track the sorting logic. You can use a numbering system or any other mechanism to determine the correct sequence for the responses.
4. Trigger the flow from the temporary SharePoint List: Create a flow that triggers on each item creation in the temporary SharePoint List. Within this flow, check if responses from all four forms exist. You can use conditional statements or other logic to verify the presence of all responses.
5. Create new items in the final SharePoint List: once all the 4 responses are collected sort and save in final SharePoint List

Regards,

S-Venkadesh

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Thank you for your suggestion. I have a few questions:

1. Can you give an example to explain further on step 3 implement sorting logic? Is it to add a number column? How do I get this column fill in?

2. How do I combine the 4 temporary SharePoint list into 1 final one?

3. There might be multiple respondents at the same time for the MS form, how can I make sure that the 4 respondents' response are captured in the correctly?

e.g. user A--> user B--> user C-->user D

       user W --> user X --> user Y--> user Z

If both users A and W fill in form 1 at the same time, how do I make sure the final SharePoint list captures the responses in 1 item for the correct users?

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb,

Certainly! Please provide some samples of the input that you want to collect from Forms and the final expected output in the SharePoint List. This will help me better understand your requirements and tailor the solution accordingly.

Regards,

Venkadesh

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Thank you for your help.

Below are some sample column and inputs for each form. All the responses are captured in 1 single SharePoint list item. 

	Form 1	form 1	Form 1	Form 1	Form 1	form 2	form 2	form 2	form 3	form 4
	Name	user ID	job position	hire date	supervisor username	discliamer by supervisor	supervisor comments	manager username	manager comments	director reccomendation
item 1	Alan	123	engineer	7/4/2023	jmie	yes	good	klio	good	yes
item2	Benny	456	reporter	6/4/2023	csed	yes	good	sjfds	good	yes
item3	Candy	789	teacher	5/4/2023	lnms	yes	average	dkls	average	no

SharePoint list columns

Name

user ID

job position

hire date

supervisor username

disclaimer by supervisor

supervisor comments

manager username

manager comments

director recommendation

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb,

I have created two forms, two flows, and one SharePoint (SP) list for demonstration purposes.

Form 1: ManyToOneForm001 This form is used to submit data for the following fields:

• Name
• User ID
• Job position
• Hire date
• Supervisor username

Form 2: ManyToOneForm002 This form is used to submit data for the following fields:

• User ID (included in this form to identify related record)
• Disclaimer by supervisor
• Supervisor comments
• Manager username
• Manager comments
• Director recommendation

Flow 1: ManyToOneFlow001 This flow reads the data from Form 1 and checks if the User ID exists. If it exists (meaning Form 2 has already been submitted), the flow updates the item; otherwise, it creates a new item in the SP list.

Flow 2: ManyToOneFlow002 This flow reads the data from Form 2 and checks if the User ID exists. If it exists (meaning Form 1 has already been submitted), the flow updates the item; otherwise, it creates a new item in the SP list.

Please refer to the pictures below for more details:

Please consider giving it a thumbs up!

Click "Accept as Solution", if your problem has been resolved.

Regards,

S.Venkadesh

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh 

Thank you so much for the detailed solution. 

But for my scenario, there isn't a common field in any of the 4 forms. The user ID only exists in form 1.

I guess this method might not be working for such scenario? 

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb,

A logical approach to link data received from multiple forms is to establish a unique identifier or key field. If the UserId cannot serve as the key field, alternative options can be considered. Some possible logic for generating the key field could include:
1. Submitting User/Department/Timestamp
2. All Data Submitted on a Specific Day
3. etc.
We can help you more on this, if you can come-up with some logic based on your business scenario.

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Thank you for the advice.

If I have a common field for 2 consecutive forms only, does this method still work?

meaning:

form 1 and form 2 --> has common username field

form 2 and form 3 --> has common username field

form 3 and form 4 --> has common username field

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb,

The current solution requires all forms to have a common field for linking records.

lets take a scenario, Form-4 submitted first and then Form-1. In this case, Form-1 can't find the related record.

An alternative approach could involve implementing a scheduled job that runs periodically to find and link related records based on the following logic:

form 1 and form 2 --> has common username field

form 2 and form 3 --> has common username field

form 3 and form 4 --> has common username field

It relies on the scheduled job to periodically search for and establish the connections between submitted records.

Consider evaluating your specific requirements and exploring alternative solutions that allow for real-time linking of records between forms.

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

May I know what did you put in the "compose item count"?

I'll try out this method.

Thank you

[Anonymous]

Hi @wlinb ,

Formula to use in 'Compose items count' is  length(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thank you for your response.

Do you know what is in the "compose item ID"? 

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Can you help to provide the inputs for "compose item ID"? 

Thank you very much!

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb , 

Formula to use in 'Compose Item ID' action is outputs('Get_items')?['body/value'][0]['ID']

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Thank you. 

I tried your method and it manage to update the responses from other forms in the same row in SP list.

However, the condition always set to "if no". When I try to submit a new Form 1, it did not create a new item but updates (overrides) the responses from the previous row. Do you know what can modify to the conditions for it to create a new row? 

[S-Venkadesh]

Hi @wlinb ,

In my demonstration, the action name is "Get items." So, I constructed the formula as length(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value'].

Please verify the action name in your flow that is used to get items from the target list. Based on that, construct the formula.

In case your formula is correct, then apply the formula in compose action and verify the output. Based on that, adjust the condition.

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @S-Venkadesh ,

Initially when I use "get items" and input the filter query, I receive this error: The expression is not valid. Creating query failed.

I have this field in the SP list, not sure what went wrong.

I tried to use filter query instead but it doesn't update the response in the same SP item.

[Anonymous]

Hi @wlinb,

Could you please provide some details about the "M3's Username" column in the list? This information will help us assist you in fixing the filter query for the "Get Items" action.

Is the column a Person field? If it is, you can refer to this post for guidance on how to write a filter query in Power Automate for a Person or Group column: link to post.

If the column is not a Person field, please explain more about the field, including the type of column, internal name, and display name.

I hope this information is helpful. If it is, please consider giving a thumbs up.

Best regards,

Venkadesh Sundaramurthy

[wlinb]

Hi @Anonymous ,

It's a single line text field. Display name of the column is just "M3's Username". Internal name is M3sUnername. 

I guess there is a typo when I first created the column and now it's different  from the display name.