This is a paid bot, and its usage will be counted toward your plan's credit limit. For more information about credit usage, refer to this article.
General
Use the Pre-fill dropdown fields from Microsoft 365 Excel bot to automatically fill in dropdowns in your WorkFlow documents with data from Excel spreadsheets.
Use case: You need to build an expense approval process in your company. This allows employees to submit a form whenever they need to request a budget. To make completion easier for employees and to keep order in operations documentation, use the Pre-fill from Microsoft 365 Excel bot. It exports relevant information from Excel spreadsheets and pre-fills WorkFlow documents with it.
How to set up
To add the bot:
1. In the step settings, select Add bot.
2. Choose Bot and search for the Pre-fill from Microsoft 365 Excel bot.
3. Click on the bot to install it.
Trigger
A trigger is an event that causes the bot to start working. The moment of the bot's activation depends on its placement in the flow:
If the bot is added after a step or any other element, it will run once that element finishes its job.
If within the step, the bot will run based on the trigger you specify. Choose the trigger type most relevant to your case:
According to this, select the bot's trigger type that will be most relevant to your case:
Trigger type | Description |
Step started | The bot activates when you start the workflow |
Document opened | The bot activates when signers start filling out the documents or switch between them. |
Field changed | Use for cases where a response or action is needed immediately after a user enters or updates information in the specific field. Select the document and the field that the bot should pay attention to complete the setup. |
Document completed | The bot activates once the signer completes a document you specify in the trigger settings. |
Next, select the trigger document from the dropdown (1). This option activates when you add more than one document in your workflow. Click Continue (2) to proceed to the next section.
Connection settings
In Source, connect the bot to your Microsoft account by clicking the Connect button. You’ll be redirected to the Microsoft login screen. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be directed back to WorkFlow.
Use the three dots connection menu to disconnect the current account or connect to a different one anytime.
Next, indicate the file from which to pre-fill data. Click Find file to open your Excel folders.
Browse for the desired file. Use the search bar (1) to make the search easier and click Select (2) to confirm your choice.
After selecting the spreadsheet, select the sheet from the dropdown (1). Click Continue to proceed (2).
Mapping
In Data mapping, connect your record fields to document fields by clicking Map fields.
The Drag data to document fields modal window will open. Drag and drop the record field onto the document field.
Names of the mapped fields are written on the canvas so the users can understand where the data will go. Use the search bar to quickly find the field you need.
In our example, we map the ‘Department’ column to the same dropdown in the document.
The mapped record fields will be marked with an icon on the side panel. To cancel mapping:
Hover over the connected field name and click on the Unmap icon.
Hover over the needed field on the document page and click the Unmap icon.
Click Unmap all to unmap all fields at once.
Once you’ve finished mapping, click Done (4).
After finishing the mapping, click Continue.
Lookup
In this bot, the Find record section is optional. If you need to export a complete list from the Excel column to the dropdown without filtering, skip this section.
Use the lookup to pick and pre-fill specific values from the spreadsheet. For example, your company has several offices in different cities. When an employee enters a city in the form, the dropdown is supposed to show only departments related to that city.
Set the process of how the bot will find the needed record. First, select the Excel column name.
Second, indicate the value that must match the selected column name. It can be either a document field value or the recipient data.
When selecting recipient data, indicate what kind of data has to be the identifier: email, first name, or last name.
When choosing a document field, indicate the document this field belongs to and then select the field.
Add as many lookups as you need by clicking Add match (1) and repeating the process. Click Continue (2) to proceed.
Note: When setting a lookup, pay attention to the Trigger you choose. For example, when your lookup requires specific data from a recipient, the trigger must be Field value changes to make the bot work correctly.
Testing
In the Test section, simulate the bot's performance by clicking Test. If you skipped the lookup section, click Test to run the test.
If you have a lookup, you’ll have to input data matching search criteria for pre-filling. In our example, it’s any value from the indicated column. Enter it in the field as shown below. A success message confirms proper configuration. Any errors will be displayed as an error message.
Note: The Test section allows you to test your bot and ensure that it’s set correctly. After you publish your workflow, the Test section will no longer be available. The bot will then work according to its scenario or using the lookup set in the Find record section.
Conditions
Set conditions to control when the bot activates, tailoring it to your specific needs for more efficient automation. For detailed guidance, refer to this article.
Advanced settings
This section allows you to choose how the process proceeds in case the bot fails:
Select Proceed to allow the workflow to move to the next signer and automation if the bot isn't crucial.
Select Stop if the bot is critical; this prevents the next signer from receiving documents if data wasn't pre-filled from the source of your choice.