Azure Logic Apps: Overview, 7 Use Cases & Real-life Examples

Azure Logic Apps, a cloud-based service within Microsoft’s Azure platform, provides a powerful way to design, develop, and deploy scalable solutions for business-to-business (B2B):

• app integration
• data integration
• system integration

Logic Apps allow users to automate, orchestrate, and simplify their business processes, collaborating across various system components. However, as Azure Logic Apps offer various services, users may get confused about which one to use and when. We delve into the functionalities and benefits of Microsoft Azure Logic Apps..

Azure Logic Apps overview

Azure Logic Apps is a key component of Azure’s cloud computing offerings, designed to assist users in building integrated, scalable solutions without needing to manage hosting or runtime environments. The service offers pre-built templates and workflows, thus enabling you to connect your business-critical apps and services, automate tasks, and streamline processes; it is an integration platform as a service (iPaaS).

At its core, Azure Logic Apps uses a logic workflow definition with actions and triggers defined using JSON. Triggers initiate the workflow and can be based on specific conditions, while actions are the steps executed following the trigger event.

What are the key components of Logic Apps?

Workflows: The core element of Logic Apps, workflows define a series of steps that Logic Apps execute. These workflows automate tasks, orchestrate processes, and integrate systems across multiple services. There are two types of workflows:

• Consumption-based workflows: Pay only for what you use.
• Standard workflows: Run in a single-tenant environment for better control.

Triggers: Every workflow begins with a trigger, which specifies the event that initiates the workflow. A trigger could be a specific condition like an incoming email, a change in a database, or a timer-based event.

Actions: Once a workflow is triggered, a series of actions are executed. Actions define the specific tasks or steps within a workflow, such as sending an email, updating a database, or calling an API.

Connectors: Logic Apps use connectors to interact with external services or systems. Microsoft provides a wide range of pre-built connectors for services like Office 365, Salesforce, SQL, Azure services, and many others. Custom connectors can also be created if needed.

See top Alternatives to Azure Scheduler.

Benefits of Azure Logic Apps

Scalability and Flexibility

Logic Apps allow businesses to scale up or down according to their needs. The platform is highly flexible and can adjust according to workloads, helping users optimize costs and resources. There’s no need to provision or manage servers or infrastructure, as Azure handles these details.

Integration and Connectivity

Azure Logic Apps comes equipped with many connectors for various services, including both Microsoft and non-Microsoft offerings. This wide array of connectors allows for seamless integration of services like SQL Server, Office 365, Salesforce, and many others, thus enabling users to create workflows that align with their business needs.

Rapid Development and Deployment

Azure Logic Apps can help businesses reduce the time it takes to develop and deploy applications. The service’s user-friendly interface and pre-built templates are one of the Azure functions, making the development of workflows a quicker, more streamlined process.

Enterprise-Grade Security

Azure Logic Apps provides enterprise-grade security and compliance, with features like Azure Virtual Network connectivity, integration service environments, and managed identities. The service also complies with various global, industry-specific, and regional standards.

Working with Azure Logic Apps

Designing a Logic App

Creating a Logic App is straightforward. You can start by selecting a trigger – an event that initiates the workflow. The service provides many pre-built triggers or allows you to create custom ones. Once the trigger is set, you can define actions to be performed once the trigger condition is met.

Deployment

Azure Logic Apps can be deployed through the Azure portal, Visual Studio, Azure CLI, or PowerShell as part of the logic apps workflow. This array of deployment options provides flexibility and enables continuous integration and deployment pipelines.

Monitoring

Azure Logic Apps provides built-in monitoring and diagnostics tools that offer comprehensive, real-time visibility into the execution, success, and failure of your workflows. You can track the status and performance of your Logic Apps with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and App Insights.

Top 7 Use Cases

1- Order Processing

Azure Logic Apps can automate the processing of orders from multiple sources, whether it’s a retail application, website, or B2B platform. For instance, once an order is placed, a Logic App can be triggered to validate the order, check inventory, send the order for fulfillment, and notify the customer.

Real-life example:

One of India’s largest fashion retailers, Myntra, used Azure services, including Logic Apps, to streamline order management and improve customer service efficiency. The integration helped automate order processing, inventory checks, and fulfillment, ultimately enhancing their customer experience. ¹

2- SaaS Product Integration

Many businesses use a variety of Software as a Service (SaaS) products. Azure Logic Apps can facilitate seamless data exchange between these services, reducing the need for manual data entry or transfer. For example, when a new lead is captured in a marketing automation platform like HubSpot, a Logic App could automatically create a corresponding record in a CRM system like Salesforce.

Real-life example:

The financial services company Manulife integrated Azure Logic Apps to automate workflows between various SaaS products. They used it to connect systems like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, enabling smoother customer service and sales operations.

As part of its cloud migration strategy, Manulife has been transitioning its applications from traditional on-premises data centers to Azure, with a focus on modernizing these applications for optimal cloud performance. A critical element of this effort is the Valuation System Transformation (VST) project, which involves moving its key valuation system to the cloud. ²

3- Data Integration

Azure Logic Apps can consolidate data from various sources, transform it, and send it to a central data repository. For instance, data collected from IoT devices can be processed and sent to a data warehouse for analysis.

Real-life example:

BMW’s MyBMW app, used by 20 million customers to stay connected with their vehicles, faced scalability challenges, prompting the company to adopt Microsoft Azure for global scalability. This transition allowed BMW to manage 300 million daily data requests while maintaining high performance across the globe. ³

The app has seen substantial growth, reaching 13 million active users and 24 million downloads across 92 countries. Azure now handles 450 million daily requests and processes 3.2TB of data, while GitHub Actions facilitates development with 100,000 daily builds.

By utilizing Azure services like API Management, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for microservices, Azure Cosmos DB for data storage, and Power BI for analytics, BMW has improved customer experiences and empowered engineers to enhance operational efficiency and product quality.

4- Enterprise Workflow Automation

Azure Logic Apps can help automate repetitive tasks and orchestrate complex workflows in an enterprise environment. For example, an approval workflow for document reviews can be created where, upon a document’s submission, a Logic App is triggered that sends the document to the approvers and waits for their response. Once all approvals are collected, the Logic App can then move the document to an ‘Approved’ folder and notify the document owner.

Read our article(s) to learn about workload automation and enterprise job scheduling software.

Real-life example:

Parexel integrated Azure Databricks into its system to unify data from various sources into a single data lake. This consolidation eliminated the need for manual tracking, established consistent terminology, provided a reliable data source, and enhanced data governance and analytics. As a result, the streamlined process saved approximately three hours per week for each employee. ⁴

5- Real-Time Analytics

With the help of Logic Apps, real-time analytics and response become possible. Consider a scenario in which social media posts are being monitored. When a specific event or trend is detected, a Logic App can trigger an alert or act, such as sending a report, initiating a marketing campaign, or notifying relevant stakeholders.

Real-life example:

Hitachi Solutions experienced challenges in efficiently managing resource allocation and project planning, leading to difficulties in tracking employee hours and utilization. The company recognized the need for a more unified and streamlined approach to data management.

To address this, Hitachi Solutions implemented Microsoft Fabric to enhance Power BI and streamline its data management, resulting in improved data sharing, governance, and real-time insights. By automating manual processes, the company significantly boosted efficiency and optimized resource planning and management.

The adoption of Microsoft Fabric led to substantial time savings, improved operational efficiency, enhanced real-time insights for data-driven decision-making, and better overall resource management and project planning. This transformation set a new standard for the company’s digital transformation efforts. ⁵

6- Hybrid Integration Scenarios

In many businesses, legacy systems still hold essential data or perform crucial tasks. Azure Logic Apps can securely connect to these on-premises systems, ensuring they aren’t left out of your modern workflows.

7- Scheduled Tasks

Azure Logic Apps can be used to schedule tasks that need to be done periodically. For example, a Logic App could be used to perform clean-up operations on a database at the end of the month or to send out newsletters to subscribers. Before 2019, users may know this service as Azure Scheduler, as Azure Logic Apps replaced it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Further reading(s) and lists

• Top Batch Scheduling Software and vendor benchmarking
• IT automation software and vendor benchmarking
• Top 30+ Workload Automation Tools
• Top Enterprise Job Scheduler Software

References

• 1. Microsoft “Myntra accelerates its digital transformation journey with Microsoft Cloud”
• 2. Microsoft “Customer Sucess Story – Manulife”
• 3. Microsoft “Customer Sucess Story – BMW”
• 4. Microsoft “Customer Sucess Story – Paraxel”
• 5. Microsoft “Customer Sucess Story – Hitachi”