Forum Discussion
EXCEL FORMULA INTEGRITY VALIDATION USING POWER AUTOMATE
OVERVIEW
I built a Power Automate workflow to validate Excel financial models and alert errors in real-time. Excel Agent Mode can miss formula dependencies and reconciliation checks. This workflow ensures formula integrity and sends real-time email alerts when issues are detected.
FLOW LOGIC
- Trigger – Starts when an Excel file in OneDrive is modified
- List Rows – Retrieves validation table
- Filter Array – Keeps rows where Status = "Error"
- Initialize Variable – Prepares summary string
- Apply to Each – Adds each failed check
- Condition – Sends email if errors exist
- Send Email – Include bold red highlights for errors
SAMPLE EMAIL ALERT
A validation error was found in your financial model.
Net Income Flow-through: Error (11/04/2025 03:30)
Test Error Trigger: Error (11/04/2025 03:30)
Please review the Excel model and correct the issues.
USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
- Upload your Excel file to OneDrive with the validation table
- Update the Power Automate flow to point to the correct file and table
- Ensure the Filter Array step checks Status = "Error"
- Save and test the flow; errors trigger email alerts
- Optional: Customize the email template for formatting or recipients
WHY THIS MATTERS
- Excel Agent Mode may miss formula linkage or integrity issues
- Dependent relationships may be misinterpreted
- Workbooks may be modified without validation records
This workflow ensures:
- Formula integrity is maintained
- Errors trigger real-time alerts
- Audit trails are preserved
REFERENCE
Microsoft Support: Agent Mode FAQ
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/frequently-asked-questions-about-agent-mode-in-excel-frontier-1cfd906d-40b4-46be-8e2d-65b893e28a02
GITHUB REPOSITORY
For full workflow and files:
https://github.com/olufemiolamoyegun/excel-formula-integrity-validation
2 Replies
How does this scale with workbooks on auto-save? Then each edit would trigger the flow, would it not?
Hello JKPieterse
You’re correct with AutoSave enabled in Office 365, every small edit to a workbook is saved to OneDrive/SharePoint almost immediately. Because the Power Automate trigger is “When a file is modified,” each AutoSave event can indeed fire the flow.That doesn’t make the design wrong, but it does mean you need to add a way to control trigger frequency so the solution scales. Microsoft’s documentation confirms that flows tied to Excel in OneDrive/SharePoint will run whenever the workbook is modified, which includes AutoSave saves
Microsoft Documentation: Use flows with ExcelA few practical approaches:
- Debounce with Delay: Add a short delay (e.g., 3–5 minutes) after the trigger so multiple AutoSave events collapse into one validation run.
- Scope the trigger: Point the trigger at the validation table or worksheet rather than the whole workbook, so cosmetic edits don’t fire the flow.
- Batch notifications: Collect all errors during the delay window and send a single digest email instead of multiple alerts.
- Checkpoint validation: Run validation at key points (end of day, before distribution) rather than every keystroke, if real‑time alerts aren’t strictly necessary.
So yes, AutoSave will cause multiple triggers, but with debounce or batching logic you can keep the workflow efficient and avoid alert storms while still preserving the integrity checks.
