Power Automate Flows That Silently Fail And How to Catch Them Early

Introduction 

Power Automate is a powerful automation tool. But sometimes, it behaves in a confusing way. 

A flow may smile, report “Succeeded”, and quietly do not do the thing you need.  

No errors. No alerts. Just an automation–shaped hole where your business logic should be. 

These are called silent failures, and they are some of the most dangerous problems in low-code automation.  

In this blog, we will understand: 

• What silent failures are 
• Why they happen 
• How to detect and prevent them

What is a Silent Failure? 

A silent failure happens when: 

• The flow run status is Succeeded. 
• No error message is shown 
• But the expected outcome never happens. 

For example: 

• A condition evaluates incorrectly and skips critical steps 
• An action runs but affects zero records 
• An API call returns an empty response without error 
• A loop runs zero times without warning. 

Power automate assumes you meant to do that.  

You did not. 

Common Causes of Silent Failures

1. Conditions That Evaluate the “Wrong” Way 

Conditions are the most common cause of silent failures. 

Common mistakes: 

• Comparing a string with a number 
• Checking for null instead of an empty string 
• Assuming “Yes” equals true 
• Case sensitivity issues 

Because of this, the flow goes into the wrong branch and skips important actions. 

2. Empty Arrays and Zero-Iteration Loops 

Actions like: 

• Get items 
• List rows  
• Get emails  

Can return zero records without any error. 

If you use Apply to each, the loop simply does not run. 

No errors. No warnings. 

3. Actions That Succeed but Do Nothing 

Some connectors report success even when nothing changes. 

Example: 

• Updating an item with the ID is wrong. 
• Deleting a record that doesn’t exist 
• Sending an email with an empty “To” field resolved at runtime. 

The action succeeds, but the result is missing. 

4. Misconfigured Run After Settings 

Run after is powerful but risky. 

If you configure: 

• Run after has failed 
• Run after is skipped 

But forget: 

• Run after has timed out 

Then your error handling logic may never run. 

5. Expressions That Return Null Silently 

Expressions fail quietly when: 

• A property does not exist 
• JSON paths are wrong 
• Dynamic content is missing 

Power Automate does not throw an error. It simply continues. 

How to Catch Silent Failures 

1. Validate Data Before Processing 

Before doing anything important, verify assumptions. 

Examples: 

• Check array length is greater than zero 
• Confirm required fields are not empty 
• Validate IDs and key exist 
• Use Conditions like: 

  Length(body(‘Get_items’)?[‘value’])>0 

If the condition fails, terminate the flow intentionally. 

2. Use Terminate Actions Strategically 

The Terminate action is very useful. 

Use it to: 

• Stop the flow when preconditions are not met 
• Mark runs as Failed or Cancelled intentionally 
• Surface logic error early 

A failed flow is easier to identify than a silent one. 

3. Log What You Expect, Not Just What You Get 

Use: 

• Compose 
• Append to string variable 

Log details such as: 

• Number of records retrieved 
• Which condition branch was executed 
• Important variable values 

Examples: 

• Retrieved 0 items from SharePoint 
• Condition evaluated to false 

This makes troubleshooting easier. 

4. Build a Dedicated Error Handling Scope 

Wrap critical actions inside scopes: 

• Main logic 
• Error handler 

Configure Error Handler to run after: 

• Has failed 
• Has timed out 
• Is skipped 

Inside Error Handler: 

• Send an email or Teams notification 
• Log the run ID 
• Capture error details 
  

5. Verify Output After Important Actions 

After key actions, verify results: 

• After Update item, check returned ID 
• After Create record, confirm required fields exist 
• After Send email, verify Message ID is not null 

If verification fails, terminate the flow. 

6. Add “This Should Never Happen” Branches 

In conditions: 

• Add an else branch for unexpected values 
• Treat unknown states as errors, not defaults 

Silence helps bug hide. Logging exposes them. 

Best Practice Tips: 

Think of Power Automate as a very literal assistant 

It will: 

• Do exactly what you tell it 
• Assume success unless told otherwise 
• Avoid raising errors unless forced 

Your job is to: 

• Question assumptions 
• Validate results 
• Make failures visible 
  

Final Thought 

Silent failures are not Power Automate bugs.  

They are missing conversations between you and your flow. 

Make your flows:

• Chatty 
• Opinions. 
• Loud when something goes wrong 

Green checkmarks feel good, but the truth is better. 

A noisy failure is better than a silent success. 

SharePoint Online News Filtering: How to Filter News Posts in Communication sites

Introduction: 

One of the most effective methods to hand out updates, announcements, blogs, and stories throughout your company is through the News feature in present-day SharePoint Online. However, a lot of people only display kinds of news, like 

• Post a blog. 
  
• Updates particular to a department 
  
• News about Projects 
  
• Announcements 

This is when it gets helpful to filter the News web part section. 

We will guide you through the process of using page characteristics to filter SharePoint News, specifically the Page Category field. This method is fully supported by Microsoft.  

Why Use SharePoint Online to Filter News? 

You benefit from filtering: 

• Show off only relevant News posts. 
  
• Organize content by categories. 
  
• Create sections for your blog. 
  
• Maintain a cleanup communication site. 
  
• Improve information discoverability. 

You may filter News on any page by using information like Page Category. 

 

Requirements 

A communication site for SharePoint  

• Modify the site’s permissions. 
  
• A few news articles have already been made. 
  
• The ability to change the Site Page Library. 

 

Step 1: Establish a Page Category Column in the Site Pages Library 

1. Navigate to your Communication Site. 
2. Select Site contents. 
3. Access Site Pages, hover over it to see visible ellipses, then click on it to see “Setting.” 
    
   
   
4. Click on the creating column and pick a choice type. 
5. Label the column as “Page Category.” 
6. Add choice values such as: 

   1. Blog 
   2. Project Report 
   3. Status Report 
   4. General News 
   5. General Page 
   6. Announcement 
   7. News 

7. If you want to set the default value, set it; otherwise, leave it blank. 
    
   
   
8. Click on the “OK” button to add column. 

Important: this column should be established within the Site Pages library – not within any other list or library. 

 

Step 2: Categorize Your News Posts using Page category 

Every News post needs to have a category assigned for filtering purposes. 

1. Open any News Post. 
   
2. Select Page details (located at the top-right). 
   
3. Scroll down to page category. 
   
4. Pick a value (for instance, blog). 
   
5. Publish or republish the page or automatically save the changes, so wait for it.  

 

 

Step 3: Incorporate the News web part into your page. 

Navigate to the page where you wish to show filtered News. 

1. Select Edit. 
   
2. Click on the plus sign. 
   
3. Looking for News. 
   
4. Integrate the News web part. 
   
5. Choose your preferred format (tiles, list, carousel, etc.).  

Note: If you have already been on your communication site, then skip the few steps. 

 

Step 4: Apply Filters to the News Web Part Based on Page Category. 

1. Modify your page. 
2. Highlight the News web part. 
3. Select the Edit web part option (pencil symbol). 
   
   
   
4. Scroll down to Filter. 
5. Pick Page properties. 
   
   
   
6. In the Property name section, choose: Page category. 
    
   
   
7. In the value input field, type or select: Blog. 
    
   
   
8. Implement changes. 
9. Publish the page. 

Now, the News web part will exclusively show entries labeled as “blogs.” 

 

Step 5: Create a Blog Section Utilizing News Filtering (optional). 

You can establish a specific blog page by using this filtered News web part. 

Example Configuration:  

• Page category = Blog 

The news web part was adjusted to display solely blog entries. 
 

Unique banner, design, and navigation links. 

This provides a comprehensive blog experience within SharePoint Online. 

 

Step 6: Utilize the Page Category Column Across Various Sites: 

After establishing the Page Category column on one site, you are not required to set it up again on new sites. SharePoint enables the reuse of the column across different communication sites. This ensures uniformity in metadata and filters, eliminating the need to recreate the column from the beginning on each site. 

Instruction for Reusing the column 

1. Create a site column. 
   
2. Access site settings on the source site. 
   
3. Select site columns. 
   
4. Click create. 
   
5. Label the column (e.g., Blog, Announcement). 
   
6. Once saved, this column will be available for reuse. 
   
7. Integrate the Site column into other sites. 
   
8. Navigate to site contents in the target site. 
   
9. Open site pages. 
   
10. Click add column – From existing site columns. 
    
11. Choose the Page Category column from the site column section. 

Now you can utilize this column for categorizing and filtering News entries on multiple sites. 

Note: When adding the column to a new site, it will inherit the options you established in the original site. 

SharePoint 2025 in Review: How AI-Powered Collaboration, Automation, and Security Are Shaping Modern Teams in 2026

Introduction

• The year 2025 marked a major implementation phase for Microsoft SharePoint. During this period, Microsoft rolled out AI-powered collaboration tools, low-code automation capabilities, and significant security enhancements across the platform.
• As we move into 2026, these features are no longer new announcements or early experiments. They are actively being used by organizations to streamline daily work, improve content discovery, automate business processes, and strengthen security posture.
• This article looks back at the key SharePoint features implemented in 2025 and explains how they are delivering real value for modern teams in 2026.

Why SharePoint Matters in 2025

• AI That Works Like a Personal Assistant 

• In 2025, SharePoint now comes with built-in AI that can summarize long documents, fill in missing details, and offer helpful suggestions right when you need them. It’s like having a digital helper always ready at your side.  

• By 2026, this AI has become part of everyday workflows. Teams rely on it to reduce time spent reading long documents and to quickly understand context across sites and libraries. 

• Beautiful, Flexible Page Designs

• Say goodbye to boring intranet pages. With new tools like the Hero carousel and Editorial Cards, you can create pages that look modern, visually appealing, and easy to navigate.  

• In 2026, these designs are widely adopted, helping teams communicate more clearly, highlight important content, and improve overall user engagement across internal portals.

• Smarter Automation—No Coding Needed

• You can now automate everyday tasks—like approvals, notifications, or content publishing—without writing a single line of code. Tools like Power Automate and Copilot Studio handle the heavy lifting for you. 

• By 2026, many routine tasks now run automatically, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work instead of manual coordination.

• Stronger Security for Today’s Threats

• New updates arriving in 25H1 and 25H2 bring improved encryption, stronger malware scanning, and advanced AI-powered document analysis. Your data stays protected from evolving cyber threats. 

• Better Integration Across Microsoft 365

• SharePoint works more smoothly than ever with Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and Viva. Switching between apps during your workday feels effortless.

Key Features of SharePoint 2025

• Modern Team Sites

• Cleaner, smarter design layouts that adjust to your needs and make teamwork more intuitive.

• AI-Powered Document Management

• SharePoint can now generate summaries and automatically fill in important document details, helping you avoid information overload.

• Simple Workflow Automation

• From approvals to e-signatures, repetitive tasks can now run on autopilot.

• Custom Integrations

• For organizations that need extra customization, SharePoint offers powerful integration options through the Graph API and SPFx.

• Enhanced Security & Compliance

• With TLS 1.3 encryption, deeper malware scanning, and Document Intelligence, your data stays safe and compliant with modern standards.

Best Practices for Modern SharePoint Users

• Manage permissions carefully to ensure the right people have access to the right content.
• Use AI tagging to organize documents quickly and consistently.
• Take advantage of new web parts to design pages that support your team’s goals.
• Automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on more important work.
• Upgrade to SharePoint 25H1/25H2 to benefit from the latest security improvements.
• Prepare for feature retirements like “Shared with Us” and “My Feed” to avoid disruptions later.

Security Enhancements in SharePoint 25H1 & 25H2

1. TLS 1.3 Encryption

• Think of this as a secure tunnel that protects your data whenever it travels between SharePoint servers. TLS 1.3 makes that tunnel even stronger and harder for attackers to break into.

2. AMSI Malware Scanning

• AMSI acts like a security guard for your SharePoint environment. It scans files and internet traffic for threats before SharePoint even processes them.

3. Document Intelligence

• This AI feature reads documents for you and highlights key points. Instead of digging through pages, you get a quick, clear summary—saving time and boosting understanding.

Conclusion

• The features implemented throughout SharePoint 2025 have proven their value in real-world use. As organizations continue through 2026, SharePoint stands as a mature, intelligent platform that supports collaboration, automation and security at scale. 
• With AI embedded into everyday experiences, streamlined workflows, and enterprise-grade  protection, SharePoint is no longer just a content repository. It is a foundational platform for the modern digital workplace.

🚫 Fixing SPFx Build Error: “UglifyJs Unexpected Token” When Running gulp bundle --ship

Introduction : 

While packaging your SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solution using the production command: 

gulp bundle --ship

You may encounter a frustrating error message like: 

Error - [webpack] 'dist': form-web-part.js from UglifyJs

Unexpected token: name (CoreFeature) [form-web-part.js:10532,6]

This usually indicates that UglifyJS, the default minifier in SPFx, stumbled upon ES6+ syntax (e.g., class, let, const) that it does not understand. 

In this post, I will guide you through a clean and effective workaround using terser-webpack-plugin, a modern minifier that fully supports ES6+. 

Why This Error Occurs : 

• Root Cause: UglifyJS does not support modern JavaScript (ES6+). 
  
• Impact: Webpack fails during the minification process, stopping the bundle process for production. 
  
• Trigger: Usage of ES6+ syntax like class, const, etc., in your SPFx web part code. 

Solution: Swap UglifyJS with Terser : 

To resolve this, we will: 

1. Add Terser and Webpack merge dependencies. 
2. Update gulpfile.js to override the default SPFx Webpack configuration. 
3. Clean and rebuild your project. 

Step-by-Step Fix : 

Step 1: Install Compatible Dependencies : 

Update your package.json to include: 

"terser-webpack-plugin-legacy": "1.2.3",

"webpack-merge": "4.2.1"

Then run the following commands in your terminal: 

npm install terser-webpack-plugin --save-dev

npm install terser-webpack-plugin-legacy --save-dev

npm install webpack-merge@4.2.1 --save-dev

Optional (if Babel is needed for ES6+ transpilation): 

npm install @babel/core @babel/preset-env babel-loader --save-dev

Step 2: Update gulpfile.js :

Modify your gulpfile.js as shown below: 

'use strict';

 

const gulp = require('gulp');

const build = require('@microsoft/sp-build-web');

const merge = require('webpack-merge');

const TerserPlugin = require('terser-webpack-plugin-legacy');

 

build.addSuppression(`Warning - [sass] The local CSS class 'ms-Grid' is not camelCase and will not be type-safe.`);

build.initialize(gulp);

 

build.configureWebpack.setConfig({

 additionalConfiguration: function (config) {

   config.plugins = config.plugins.filter(plugin => !(plugin.options && plugin.options.mangle));

 

   return merge(config, {

     optimization: {

       minimize: true,

       minimizer: [new TerserPlugin()]

     }

   });

 }

});

This code replaces UglifyJS with Terser during the bundle phase. 

Step 3: Clean & Rebuild the Project : 

Run the following commands in sequence: 

gulp clean

gulp build --ship

gulp bundle --ship

Your project should now build successfully, free of any “unexpected token” errors from UglifyJS. 

Optional: Babel Setup (Only If Needed) : 

If your project uses newer JavaScript features not supported in your target environments, consider setting up Babel. However, for the UglifyJS error alone, swapping in Terser is typically enough. 

Conclusion : 

• If you are getting the "UglifyJs Unexpected Token" error while bundling your SPFx project, it is because the default minifier does not support modern JavaScript. By switching to it terser-webpack-plugin, you can fix the issue and bundle your project without errors. Just follow the steps to update your packages and gulpfile, and you will be good to go!
• If you run into any issues while implementing this solution, feel free to drop a comment. I will be happy to help.