Supported Workflow Types in Microsoft Flow

Microsoft Flow is a workflow automation engine that consists of a design environment, where users can create individual workflow routines known as flows, and an Azure-hosted execution engine that is based on Azure Logic Apps. The service is integrated into Office 365 and Dynamics 365, and it can be added to stand-alone applications. The Flow design environment supports four types of workflows, each with its own specific benefits and administrative concerns.

Automated flows are workflows that are activated by an event or trigger. For example, a flow could be awakened whenever an e-mail arrives in a customer service mailbox in Exchange Online, where it is added to an incident tracking system.

Instant flows are executed on-demand when a button is clicked in an application that supports it. Applications such as SharePoint Online, Dynamics 365, PowerApps, and Excel Online (in preview) support instant flows and can provide the current application context to the flow. For example, a user could click a button in Excel Online, which performs some action with the data contained in the current Excel table.