What is a trigger in Power Automate?

Every flow starts with a trigger. It determines when the flow runs and is often where problems arise.

Event-based

The flow runs when something happens — a record is created, an email arrives, or a form is submitted. It responds immediately and only consumes resources when there is actually something to do. This is usually the right choice.

Scheduled

The flow runs at scheduled times. Suitable for summaries, cleanup, and reports. The downside is that something may remain pending for up to a full interval before it is processed.

The most common mistake

Trigger too broad. A flow that starts whenever a record is changed will also run when someone corrects a typo. Use filters so that the flow only starts when it is actually relevant—otherwise, you will end up with thousands of runs that do nothing.