The RPA CLI command-line tool can be used to extract Desktop flow definitions, actions, run logs and more.
- You will need a highly privileged Dataverse environment user account (ie user with Sys Admin role or similar) in order to extract desktop flow and session information environment(s) wide.
- If you have access to the Automation Starter Kit limited private preview program, and planning to use the AutoCoE target option, make sure you have solution version 0_0_1_4 or higher installed.
Latest build includes a new action diff function (action usage counts, missing and new actions only)
- Download the latest release
- Unzip RPACLI_v[X].[X]_win-x[XX].zip archive
- Open a command prompt and navigate to the previously extracted folder
- Run one of the commands below
- If you've chosen CSV as output target you can navigate to the Reporting folder and open either the Desktop Flow Action Analysis without Runs.pbit or Desktop Flow Action Analysis with Runs.pbit Power BI template. Once it opens you're asked to provide the Reporting folder and here simply enter the same folder path where the Power BI template is located. If you have chosen AutoCoE. The minimum solution version installed must be 0_0_1_4.
- Clone this repo with
git clone https://github.com/rpapostolis/rpa-cli.git - Open in VS 2022 (or VS Code with additional launch settings steps)
- Build and run (with desired launchSetting config)
.\RPACLI.exe --help
Description:
_____ _____ _____ _ _____
| __ \| __ \ /\ / ____| | |_ _|
| |__) | |__) / \ | | | | | |
| _ /| ___/ /\ \ | | | | | |
| | \ \| | / ____ \ | |____| |____ _| |_
|_| \_\_| /_/ \_\ \_____|______|_____|
The RPA CLI command tool can be used to extract Desktop flow definitions, actions,
run logs and more.
Author:
Apostolis Papaioannou
Disclaimer:
This command-line tool is unsupported, experimental, NOT an official Microsoft product
and is provided 'as is' without support and warranty of any kind, either express or
implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a
particular purpose, and non-infringement. In no event shall the authors or copyright
holders be liable for any claims, damages or other liabilities, whether in contract, tort
or otherwise, arising out of, arising out of or in connection with the Software or the
use or other dealings with the Software.
Usage:
RPACLI [command] [options]
Options:
--version Show version information
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
Commands:
get-actions This command scans all Desktop flows that the specified user has
access to in an environment and extracts core Desktop flow metadata
together with detailed action usage telemetry.
With the new PAD action-based DLP preview feature, administrators and
CoE teams can now define which action modules and individual actions
can be used as part of Desktop flows created with Power Automate for
Desktop. In the case of policy violations (ie VBScript was allowed
but is now being restricted by DLP policy), the platform notifies the
maker that this action is not allowed anymore, hence the flow will be
suspended.
This is a great governance improvement and fits perfectly with other
DLP features across cloud flows and Power Apps. To minimize the
potential impact on already deployed bots, you can use this new CLI
tool to extract Desktop flow metadata along with action usage
telemetry. The results can then be visualized in Power BI Desktop,
where proactive impact analysis can be performed on planned DLP
changes.
get-desktop-runs This command retrieves flow runs for a specific Desktop flow and
timeframe.
clone-desktop-flows This command clones copies of Desktop flows from a template Desktop
flow.
diff-desktop-flows This command detects differences between two Desktop flows and shows
an action usage diff in VS Code.
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions --help
Description:
This command scans all desktop flows that the specified user has access to in an environment and
extracts core desktop flow metadata together with detailed action usage telemetry.
With the new PAD action-based DLP preview feature, administrators and CoE teams can now define
which action modules and individual actions can be used as part of desktop flows created with
Power Automate for Desktop. In the case of policy violations (ie VBScript was allowed but is now
being restricted by DLP policy), the platform notifies the maker that this action is not allowed
anymore, hence saving the flow is not possible.
This is a great governance improvement and fits perfectly with other DLP features across cloud
flows and Power Apps. To minimize the potential impact on already deployed bots, you can use this
new CLI tool to extract desktop flow metadata along with action usage telemetry. The results can
then be visualized in Power BI Desktop, where proactive impact analysis can be performed on
planned DLP changes.
Usage:
RPACLI get-actions [options]
Options:
-u, --username <username> (REQUIRED) Username of a highly privileged account under
which the process will run.
-t, --target <AutoCoE|CSV> (REQUIRED) The output target the extrated Desktop flow
action stats should be stored in. Available
media types are CSV and AutoCoE (automation CoE
starter kit). If you select AutoCoE, then the
extracted action stats will be stored in
'Automation CoE Main' tables called
autocoe_DesktopFlowDefinition and
autocoe_DesktopFlowDLPImpactProfile. [default:
CSV]
-s, --sourceenvironmentinstanceurl The source environment instance url from which
<sourceenvironmentinstanceurl> (REQUIRED) you want to extract Desktop flows from ie
https://mysourceorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-er, --exportruns Do you want to export desktop flow sessions as
well? Please note that the processing time
takes significantly longer if you're enabling
this option. [default: False]
-b, --batchsize <batchsize> The number of desktop flows to be processed per
data page. [default: 10]
-c, --continue Do you want to continue where the process has
stopped during the previous run? [default:
False]
-te, --targetenvironmentinstanceurl The target environment instance url of the
<targetenvironmentinstanceurl> environment in which you want store the
extracted Desktop flow telemetry in ie
https://mytargetorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-ti, --targetenvironmentid <targetenvironmentid> The target environment Id of the environment in
which you want store the extracted Desktop flow
telemetry in ie
7a74e5d3-7ff3-4bc4-b7bb-37b1428c9a1aa.
-f, --fgcolor Foreground color of text displayed on the
<Black|Blue|Cyan|DarkBlue|DarkCyan|DarkGray|Dark console. [default: Cyan]
Green|DarkMagenta|DarkRed|DarkYellow|Gray|Green|
Magenta|Red|White|Yellow>
-x, --light-mode Background color of text displayed on the
console: default is black, light mode is white.
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
.\RPACLI get-desktop-runs
Description:
This command retrieves flow runs for a specific desktop flow and timeframe.
Usage:
RPACLI get-desktop-runs [options]
Options:
-u, --username <username> (REQUIRED) Username of a highly privileged account
under which the process will run.
-s, --sourceenvironmentinstanceurl The source environment instance url from
<sourceenvironmentinstanceurl> (REQUIRED) which you want to extract Desktop flows
from ie
https://mysourceorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-d, --desktopflowid <desktopflowid> The desktop flow id which you wish to
(REQUIRED) process data for.
-t, --timeframe <timeframe> (REQUIRED) The timeframe in days for which the run
logs should be retrieved. 0 = All history
[default: 0]
-e, --export (REQUIRED) A flag that indicates if the flow sessions
should be exported to CSV. [default: False]
-f, --fgcolor Foreground color of text displayed on the
<Black|Blue|Cyan|DarkBlue|DarkCyan|DarkGray| console. [default: Cyan]
DarkGreen|DarkMagenta|DarkRed|DarkYellow|Gra
y|Green|Magenta|Red|White|Yellow>
-x, --light-mode Background color of text displayed on the
console: default is black, light mode is
white.
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
.\RPACLI clone-desktop-flows
Description:
This command clones copies of Desktop flows from a template desktop flow.
Usage:
RPACLI clone-desktop-flows [options]
Options:
-u, --username <username> (REQUIRED) Username of a highly privileged account under
which the process will run.
-s, --sourceenvironmentinstanceurl The source environment instance url from which
<sourceenvironmentinstanceurl> (REQUIRED) you want to extract Desktop flows from ie
https://mysourceorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-d, --desktopflowid <desktopflowid> (REQUIRED) The desktop flow id which you wish to process
data for.
-c, --count <count> (REQUIRED) The number of desktop flow copies to generate
[default: 0]
-b, --batchsize <batchsize> The number of desktop flows to be processed per
data page. [default: 10]
-f, --fgcolor Foreground color of text displayed on the
<Black|Blue|Cyan|DarkBlue|DarkCyan|DarkGray|Dark console. [default: Cyan]
Green|DarkMagenta|DarkRed|DarkYellow|Gray|Green|
Magenta|Red|White|Yellow>
-x, --light-mode Background color of text displayed on the
console: default is black, light mode is white.
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
.\RPACLI.exe diff-desktop-flows --help
Description:
This command detects differences between two Desktop flows and shows an action usage diff
in VS Code.
Usage:
RPACLI diff-desktop-flows [options]
Options:
-u, --username <username> (REQUIRED) Username of a highly privileged account
under which the process will run.
-source1, --file1sourceenvironment The source environment instance url of the
<file1sourceenvironment> (REQUIRED) first Desktop flow you want compare with the
second one ie
https://mysourceorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-source2, --file2sourceenvironment The source environment instance url of the
<file2sourceenvironment> second Desktop flow you want compare with
the first one ie
https://mysourceorg.crm.dynamics.com .
-s, --sameenvironment A flag that indicates if the Desktop flows
to be compared are from the same Dataverse
envrionment. [default: True]
-flowid1, --desktopflowid1 <desktopflowid1> The first Desktop flow id that you want to
(REQUIRED) compare the second one with.
-flowid2, --desktopflowid2 <desktopflowid2> The second Desktop flow id that you want to
(REQUIRED) compare the first one with.
-f, --fgcolor Foreground color of text displayed on the
<Black|Blue|Cyan|DarkBlue|DarkCyan|DarkGray| console. [default: Cyan]
DarkGreen|DarkMagenta|DarkRed|DarkYellow|Gra
y|Green|Magenta|Red|White|Yellow>
-x, --light-mode Background color of text displayed on the
console: default is black, light mode is
white.
-?, -h, --help Show help and usage information
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -b 10 -t CSV -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -er true -c true
Using default options, export without runs (flow sessions)
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com
Export with runs (flow sessions)
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -er true
Adding -c continues from where the export left off. Desktop flow Ids are stored inside the generated file _processingLog.txt. Using -c will only export Desktop flows that are new (not written to the _processingLog.txt).
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -c true
Use -b to change the batch size. The more Desktop flows to export the longer the processing.
Important For exporting large amounts of Desktop flows, stay around the default batch size (10).
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -c true -b 15
Example usage: Bootstrapping or updating Desktop Flow metadata and action statistics in the Automation CoE Starter Kit
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -b 10 -t AutoCoE -s https://[myorgurl].crm.dynamics.com -te https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -ti 7a74e5d3-7ff3-4bc4-b7bb-37b1428c5d4a -er true -c true
.\RPACLI.exe get-actions --username myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com --sourceenvironmentinstanceurl https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com/ --target AutoCoE --targetenvironmentinstanceurl https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com/ --targetenvironmentid 7a74e5d3-7ff3-4bc4-b7bb-37b1428c5d4a --exportruns true -c true
.\RPACLI.exe get-desktop-runs -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -e true -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -d 17eb9a9c-3198-4a99-ac99-da5ea0da2cda -t 21
.\RPACLI.exe clone-desktop-flows -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com -s https://[myorg].crm[region].dynamics.com -d 39069fe2-e299-4cf9-99c3-999aeafcf999 -c 100 -b 10
Example usage: Compare two Desktop flows from two different environments and show their diffs in VS Code
.\RPACLI.exe diff-desktop-flows -u myname@mytenant.onmicrosoft.com diff-desktop-flows -u apostolis@pasandbox.onmicrosoft.com -s false -source1 https://[myorg1].crm[region].dynamics.com -source2 https://[myorg2].crm[region].dynamics.com -flowid1 999de370-110e-40c6-a276-bd83e89bc07b -flowid2 da736383-3c2e-45b7-81ef-4f131a8e404b
Following nuget packages are used, please check their individual license terms:
CsvHelper
- Nuget package https://www.nuget.org/packages/CsvHelper/
- Project https://joshclose.github.io/CsvHelper/
Microsoft.PowerPlatform.Dataverse.Client
- Nuget https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.PowerPlatform.Dataverse.Client/
- Project https://github.com/microsoft/PowerPlatform-DataverseServiceClient/
System.CommandLine
- Nuget https://www.nuget.org/packages/System.CommandLine/
- Project https://github.com/dotnet/command-line-api
Newtonsoft
- Nuget package https://www.nuget.org/packages/Newtonsoft.Json/
- Project https://www.newtonsoft.com/json
The modules.json file that is part of the solution lists Power Automate for Desktop actions that were available in the product at the time of this repo's release. However, it is important to note that these actions may change at any time without prior notice and thus affect RPA CLI functionality. There is currently no intention to update this repo on a regular basis, so use is at your own risk. Please make sure you’ve also noted the Disclaimer below.
This project's base code is licensed under the MIT license.
This command-line tool is unsupported, experimental, NOT an official Microsoft product and is provided 'as is' without support and warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. In no event shall the authors or copyright holders be liable for any claims, damages or other liabilities, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, arising out of, arising out of or in connection with the Software or the use or other dealings with the Software.