Troubleshoot Power Automate Flow Failures
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit. Flow run log: Action: Send an email (V2) Status: Failed Error: 'The mail server could not be reached. Check your connection and try again.' Trigger: When an item is created (SharePoint) Scope: SendNotification
You review a failed flow run with the log shown. The flow is supposed to send an email when a SharePoint item is created. What is the most likely issue?
Quick Answer
The key clue in this scenario is exactly where in the flow run the failure occurred: the SharePoint trigger fired successfully, which confirms the item-created event was detected and the flow started as expected, so the problem has to live further downstream in the 'Send an email' action itself. When a flow's trigger step succeeds but a later action fails, that tells you the automation logic and the triggering condition are fine, and the fault is isolated to whatever that specific action depends on, in this case the email connector's connection to its mail server. Something like an incorrect SMTP server address, wrong port, invalid authentication, or an unreachable server would all produce this same pattern of a successful trigger followed by a failed downstream action. This is a useful general troubleshooting habit for any multi-step flow: always check which step in the run history actually shows the failure icon before assuming the whole flow or its trigger is broken, because the failing step tells you exactly which connector or configuration to investigate first. On the exam, when a question describes a flow log with a successful trigger and a failed downstream action, treat that action's connector configuration and connectivity as the prime suspect rather than the trigger, the flow's overall logic, or unrelated permissions issues.
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume a failed flow run always means the trigger didn't fire, but the log clearly shows the trigger succeeded and the failure is in an action, so the issue is with the downstream connector configuration.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The email connector is not properly configured or the SMTP server is down
The flow log shows a failure in the 'Send an email' action, not the trigger. Since the trigger (SharePoint 'When an item is created') successfully initiated the flow, the issue lies with the email connector. The most likely cause is that the email connector (e.g., Office 365 Outlook, SMTP) is misconfigured—such as incorrect SMTP server, port, authentication, or the SMTP server being unreachable—preventing the email from being sent.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The SharePoint trigger did not fire
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The log shows the trigger fired and action ran.
- ✓
The email connector is not properly configured or the SMTP server is down
Why this is correct
Correct. The error indicates a connectivity issue with the mail server.
- ✗
The scope 'SendNotification' failed due to a missing variable
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The error is about mail server, not variables.
- ✗
The SharePoint list permissions are incorrect
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The trigger succeeded, so permissions are fine.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This PL-900 question is part of Courseiva's 904-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on PL-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A user reports that a scheduled flow runs but does not send notifications as expected. The flow is set to run every hour. Which action should the user take first to diagnose the issue?
easy- ✓ A.Check the flow run history for errors.
- B.Recreate the flow from scratch.
- C.Verify that notifications are enabled in the user's profile.
- D.Adjust the flow schedule to run more frequently.
Why A: The first step to diagnose why a scheduled flow runs but does not send notifications is to check the flow run history. The run history provides details about each run, including success, failure, and any error messages, which can indicate why notifications are not being sent. Option B (recreating the flow) is premature without understanding the root cause. Option C (verifying notifications in the user's profile) may be relevant but should come after checking run history. Option D (adjusting the schedule) does not address the issue since the flow runs already.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. A flow is triggered when an email with 'Invoice' in the subject arrives, and it saves the first attachment to a SharePoint document library. However, the flow fails with an error 'InvalidTemplate'. What is the most likely cause?
hard- A.The SharePoint folder path is incorrect.
- B.The trigger is not set to include attachments.
- ✓ C.An email with 'Invoice' in the subject arrives without an attachment.
- D.The file name is taken from the email subject instead of the attachment.
Why C: The flow fails with 'InvalidTemplate' because the trigger is set to include attachments, but if an email with 'Invoice' in the subject arrives without an attachment, the expression that accesses the first attachment (e.g., triggerOutputs()?['attachments']?[0]) fails since the attachments array is empty. This is the most likely cause. Option A is incorrect because an invalid SharePoint folder path would produce a different error. Option B is incorrect because the trigger already includes attachments. Option D is incorrect because using the email subject for the file name would not cause an 'InvalidTemplate' error.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PL-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PL-900 exam.