Using Logic Apps to move files from Azure Files to SharePoint Online

I came across an interesting scenario the other day. Somebody had a scenario where people create files on a File Share, and those files need to be moved to SharePoint. Files aren\’t dropped often, we are talking order of 10\’s of files per day. Since the workflow they use to drop files on the file share cannot be changed, I figured Logic Apps could be used to move these files.

Logic Apps are a no-code / low code serverless offering from Microsoft. I like to explain them a drag and drop workflow designer. There\’s over 200 connectors in Logic Apps, that can connect to all sorts of things, from Office 365, to Salesforce to a bunch of Azure services.

And that\’s what I aim to demonstrate in this post. We will create an Azure File share, and then use a Logic App to move new files arriving on the file share to SharePoint online. Let\’s start with creating the Azure Files.

Creating a new Azure Files share

For this exercise, I\’ll create a new storage account and a new file share on that Storage account. To create a storage account, look for storage in the Azure search bar:

Then use the add button to create a new one.

Then, provide the details to create your new account. For this exercize, we won\’t be configuring the advanced settings, so once you\’re ready, hit the Create button.

It will take about a minute for the storage account to be created. Once it is ready, click on the \”Go to resource\” button to open the storage account.

Once there, click on File share to create a new file share.

In the file share view, git the \”+File Share\” button te create a new one.

Give the File share a name, and hit create.

This concludes the Azure File share creation process. Next up, we will create a Logic App.

Using a Logic App to move data

To start creating your Logic app, look for Logic Apps in the Azure search bar.

Hit the plus button to create a new one.

Then, provide it with the details it requires (basically a resource group and a name).

Once you provided those details, hit the create button. Once the resource is created, hit the Go to resource button to enter the Logic App designer.

The Logic App designer comes with a number of pre-built triggers and templates. You can certainly start with those pre-built templates, but I like to start with a Blank Logic app for this workflow.