How to Integrate Tableau Dashboards with Power Apps, Power Automate & Real-Time Email Alerts

Many organisations use Tableau for powerful data visualisation but struggle with data entry — relying on spreadsheets or disconnected forms. In this guide, we walk through a complete end-to-end solution that uses Power Apps as a front-end data entry interface, Power Automate to process and store submissions into a database, Tableau to visualise data in real time, and automated email notifications on every new entry.

Architecture Overview

Here is the high-level data flow for this integration:

Step 1: Build the Power Apps Data Entry Form

Design the Form

Add input controls for each data field your organisation needs to capture. A typical setup might include:

• Text inputs — for names, descriptions, reference numbers
• Dropdown menus — for categories, departments, status values
• Date pickers — for dates, deadlines, reporting periods
• Number inputs — for quantities, costs, KPI values

Add a Submit Button

Add a button labelled "Submit" and set its OnSelect property to call a Power Automate flow:

// Power Apps Submit Button - OnSelect
Set(varSubmitting, true);

// Call the Power Automate flow
TableauDataFlow.Run(
    TextInput_Name.Text,
    Dropdown_Category.Selected.Value,
    DatePicker_Date.SelectedDate,
    NumberInput_Value.Text,
    TextInput_Notes.Text
);

// Reset form and confirm
Reset(TextInput_Name);
Reset(Dropdown_Category);
Reset(DatePicker_Date);
Reset(NumberInput_Value);
Reset(TextInput_Notes);
Set(varSubmitting, false);
Notify("Data submitted successfully!", NotificationType.Success);

Step 2: Create the Power Automate Flow

Flow Design

1. Trigger: "Power Apps (V2)" — this creates input parameters for each field from your form.
2. Action 1 — Insert Row: Use the "SQL Server — Insert Row" or "Dataverse — Add a new row" connector to write the submitted data into your database table.
3. Action 2 — Send Email: Use the "Office 365 Outlook — Send an email (V2)" action to notify stakeholders.

Database Insert Configuration

If using SQL Server, configure the Insert Row action:

Server:    your-server.database.windows.net
Database:  HibbaReportingDB
Table:     dbo.DataEntries

Column Mapping:
  EntryName     →  triggerBody()['text']
  Category      →  triggerBody()['text_1']
  EntryDate     →  triggerBody()['date']
  Value         →  triggerBody()['number']
  Notes         →  triggerBody()['text_2']
  SubmittedAt   →  utcNow()
  SubmittedBy   →  triggerBody()['user_email']

If using Dataverse, select your table and map the columns directly from the dynamic content panel.

Email Notification Configuration

Configure the email action to notify the relevant team:

To:       reporting-team@hibbalimited.com
Subject:  New Data Entry Submitted - @{triggerBody()['text']}
Body:
  A new data entry has been submitted:

  Name:      @{triggerBody()['text']}
  Category:  @{triggerBody()['text_1']}
  Date:      @{triggerBody()['date']}
  Value:     @{triggerBody()['number']}
  Notes:     @{triggerBody()['text_2']}

  Submitted at: @{utcNow()}

  View the live dashboard:
  https://your-tableau-server/views/LiveDashboard

Step 3: Set Up the Database

SQL Table Schema

CREATE TABLE dbo.DataEntries (
    Id            INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
    EntryName     NVARCHAR(255)   NOT NULL,
    Category      NVARCHAR(100),
    EntryDate     DATE,
    Value         DECIMAL(18,2),
    Notes         NVARCHAR(MAX),
    SubmittedAt   DATETIME2       DEFAULT GETUTCDATE(),
    SubmittedBy   NVARCHAR(255)
);

For Dataverse, create a custom table in the Power Platform admin centre with matching columns. Dataverse offers built-in security, auditing, and row-level access control out of the box.

Step 4: Connect Tableau to the Database

Connecting Tableau

1. Open Tableau Desktop and select Microsoft SQL Server (or your data source) from the Connect pane.
2. Enter your server address, database name, and authentication credentials.
3. Select the dbo.DataEntries table.
4. Important: Choose "Live" connection instead of "Extract" — this ensures real-time data.

Building the Dashboard

Create visualisations that update automatically as new data flows in:

• Bar chart — Total value by category
• Line chart — Submissions over time (daily/weekly trends)
• KPI cards — Total entries, average value, latest submission time
• Data table — Recent entries with all details
• Filters — By date range, category, and submitted by

Publishing to Tableau Server / Tableau Cloud

Publish the workbook to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud so your team can access it from a browser. Set the data source to refresh on a schedule (e.g., every 5 minutes) or keep the live connection for truly real-time updates.

Embedding in Power Apps (Optional)

You can embed the Tableau dashboard directly inside Power Apps using a HTML Text control or an iframe, giving users a single interface for both data entry and visualisation:

// In Power Apps - HTML Text control
"<iframe src='https://your-tableau-server/views/LiveDashboard?:embed=y&:toolbar=no'
  width='100%' height='600' frameborder='0'></iframe>"

Step 5: Test the End-to-End Flow

1. Submit a test record in Power Apps.
2. Check Power Automate run history — confirm the flow succeeded.
3. Verify the database — query the table to see the new row.
4. Refresh the Tableau dashboard — the new data should appear.
5. Check email — confirm the notification was received with correct details.

"This integration gives organisations a single, seamless pipeline: users enter data in a clean mobile-friendly form, it's instantly stored, visualised on a live dashboard, and stakeholders are notified — all without a single spreadsheet."

Summary

By combining Power Apps, Power Automate, a SQL/Dataverse database, and Tableau, you create a modern, automated data pipeline that:

• Provides a clean, mobile-friendly front-end for data entry
• Automates data storage to a centralised database
• Delivers real-time dashboard visualisation in Tableau
• Sends automated email notifications on every submission
• Eliminates manual processes, spreadsheets, and data silos

At Hibba Limited, we have implemented this architecture for clients across energy, healthcare, and financial services — helping them move from disconnected spreadsheets to integrated, real-time reporting in weeks, not months.