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Case study · bathroom faucets

Power Automate and SharePoint: image data pipeline for bathroom faucets

For a manufacturer of bathroom faucets, I set up SharePoint as the central repository for product and lifestyle images and connected it to the website with Power Automate. 18 flows read image properties, transfer files via FTP to several web servers, generate JSON import files, and control image editing via Planner tasks.

Discuss a similar projectAll case studies
  • 08/2021 - 10/2022
  • more than 50 employees
  • Implementation
Industry
Manufacturer of bathroom faucets
Company size
more than 50 employees
Scope
international sales
Period
08/2021 - 10/2022
My role
Design, architecture, and implementation
Type
Implementation

18

Power Automate flows in a versioned export

470+

actions in the flows

3

FTP target systems kept in sync automatically

4.600+

image records in one JSON import file for the website

780

item numbers in the same import file

2

resolutions per image (72 and 300 dpi)

01The situation

Where the project started.

The website needed product images and lifestyle images of the faucets in two resolutions (72 and 300 dpi). The files were stored on several web servers, and the website needed structured information for each image, such as item number, category, series, color, sort order, and visibility.

The goal was a central, permission-controlled storage location in Microsoft 365 from which images and metadata reach the website without manual work. New images were to appear as a task for image editing, and changes or deletions were also to be applied to the web servers automatically.

Goals

  • SharePoint as the central storage for product and lifestyle images with consistent metadata
  • Automatically transfer new and changed images to all web servers and remove deleted images from them
  • Capture technical image properties such as resolution, color space, and dimensions automatically
  • Generate a complete JSON import file for the website every day
  • Manage image editing per item as a traceable task
  • Report transfer errors immediately by email

02Solution

What I designed and built.

SharePoint for centralized image and document storage

I set up a dedicated SharePoint site with picture libraries for product and lifestyle images. Each file carries metadata that later flows directly into the website import. I controlled access via a permission model with separate security groups per library.

  • Metadata per image: item number, category, series, color, resolution, width, height, quality, color space, sort order, and display on the website
  • Security groups per library with the Full Control, Contribute, and Read permission levels
  • Additional libraries for technical documents per item such as drawings, instructions, CAD files, and videos, initially with demo automation

Event-driven synchronization with the web servers

One flow each for product and lifestyle images responds to new or changed files. It uses the change history to determine whether an image is new or was updated, transfers it via FTP to three target systems, and stores it there in the folder for 72 or 300 dpi depending on the resolution. For an update, the old file is deleted first and then transferred again.

  • A separate deletion flow per library that also removes deleted images from all web servers
  • A connection check for each FTP server before every transfer
  • Separate handling of HTTP 404 so that files that are already missing do not cause the run to fail
  • Around 100 actions in each of the two main flows

Automatic image analysis

On upload, the flow reads technical properties via the Cloudmersive image API and writes them into the file properties in SharePoint. This means nobody has to maintain resolution or color space by hand, and the image is automatically stored in the correct resolution folder on the web server.

  • Values determined: resolution, color depth, color space, compression level, and image hash
  • Two connections with different API plans; the values from one plan fill in missing values from the other
  • A short wait before the query to stay within API limits
  • File size formatted and item series added via a lookup in a list

JSON import files for the website in batches

A scheduled flow starts the generation of the import files every night at 2 a.m. Because the libraries contain several thousand images, a second flow processes the files in batches: it reads the items sorted by ID starting from the last processed ID, writes a partial file, and then calls itself via HTTP with the new start ID. A third flow merges the partial files into one complete file, deletes the partial files, and transfers the result to the web servers.

  • One JSON object per image with item number, usage, category, series, file name, path, dimensions, quality, resolution, color space, color, sort order, and visibility
  • Storage path set automatically to the 72- or 300-dpi folder depending on the resolution
  • A copy of each import file also stored in a SharePoint document library
  • Error message by email if a run fails or is canceled

Managing image editing via Planner

For item management, I connected a SharePoint list to two flows. When a task is requested for an item, the first flow checks whether it already exists in Planner and otherwise creates a task with a due date and checklist. It then notifies the team in Microsoft Teams. When the task is completed in Planner, the second flow copies the attached image files into the libraries and sets their properties.

  • Checklist items as needed: create the image in 72 or 300 dpi, upload it, and complete the task
  • Duplicate tasks are avoided by comparing task titles
  • Writing the processing status back to the SharePoint list

Helper flows for operations and monitoring

For day-to-day operations, I added small, manually started flows that can rebuild or clean up log lists and export the contents of a picture library to Excel.

  • Re-create or clear log lists per library
  • Export of all image properties to an Excel table
  • Versioned backup of all flows as export packages

03In detail

Apps, processes, and data at a glance.

Names and content are described in neutral terms - I never name clients.

Cloud flows (selection)

  • Image created or changed (one flow each for product and lifestyle images)Trigger: new or changed file in the picture libraryIdentify the type of change, analyze the image, set metadata, transfer it to three FTP targets in the appropriate resolution folder, and report errors by email
  • Image deleted (one flow each for product and lifestyle images)Trigger: deleted file in the picture libraryUpdate the log entry and remove the file from all web servers in both resolutions
  • Start JSON generation (one flow each for product and lifestyle images)Trigger: schedule, daily at 2 a.m.Starts the generation of JSON in batches via an HTTP call
  • Generate partial JSON files (one flow each for product and lifestyle images)Trigger: HTTP request with start ID and file counterReads a batch of images starting from the start ID, writes a partial file, and calls itself again until the end
  • Merge JSON files (one flow each for product and lifestyle images)Trigger: HTTP requestMerge partial files, save the complete file in SharePoint, and transfer it to the web servers
  • Item created or changedTrigger: new or changed item in item managementCreate a Planner task with a checklist, avoid duplicates, and send a Teams message
  • Task completedTrigger: completed Planner taskCopy image files into the libraries and set their properties
  • Re-create or clean up the log (per library)Trigger: manualBuild the log list from the library contents or clear it
  • Export image inventory to Excel (per library)Trigger: manualWrite all image properties as rows into an Excel table

Data model7

  • Product imagesSharePoint picture libraryProduct photos with item and image metadata
  • Lifestyle imagesSharePoint picture libraryImages of products in use and atmospheric images, with the same metadata
  • Item managementSharePoint listItems, editing needs, and links to Planner tasks
  • Item seriesSharePoint listLookup values for series assignment
  • Image logsSharePoint listOne entry per image with transfer status, per library
  • JSON storageSharePoint document libraryPartial and complete files of the website import
  • Technical documentsSharePoint document libraryDrawings, instructions, CAD files, and videos per item

Integrations5

  • FTP transfer to three target systems of the website
  • JSON import file for the website
  • Cloudmersive image API for analyzing image properties
  • Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Teams
  • Excel Online for inventory exports

04Tricky parts

Challenges and how I solved them.

Processing thousands of images without timeouts

Instead of loading all items in one run, the flow reads batches starting from a start ID in ascending order and calls itself again via HTTP with the next start ID. At the end, partial files are merged into one import file.

Keeping multiple web servers in sync

Every change is mirrored to three FTP targets. Before transfer, the flow checks the connection. When updating a file, it first deletes the old one and handles an HTTP 404 response for a missing destination file without canceling the run.

Automatic collection of image properties

Resolution, color space, color depth, compression, and hash come from an image analysis API. The resolution automatically determines the target folder for 72 or 300 dpi and the path in the import file.

Image editing as a task instead of an informal request

Planner tasks with a checklist are created automatically from item management, and completing the task triggers the storage of the finished images.

05Approach

Step by step to the result.

  1. 1

    Storage and permissions

    Setting up the SharePoint site with picture libraries, metadata, and security groups per library.

  2. 2

    Product image automation

    Flows for creation, change, and deletion, image analysis, and FTP transfer, initially for product images.

  3. 3

    Extension to lifestyle images

    The same logic for lifestyle images, plus generation of JSON in batches for the website.

  4. 4

    Item management

    Integration of Planner and Teams for managing image editing.

  5. 5

    Coordinating website integration

    Joint review of how the website displays the images, corrections to the import file, and expansion with libraries for technical documents.

06Result

What works differently today.

  • Images are maintained in SharePoint and transferred to, changed on, or removed from the web servers without manual uploads.
  • The website receives a complete JSON import file every day; the export from October 2022 contained more than 4,600 image records for 780 item numbers.
  • Planner tasks provide a traceable link between image editing and image storage.
  • All 18 flows are available as versioned export packages.

Technologies

  • Microsoft Power Automate (cloud flows)
  • Microsoft SharePoint Online (picture libraries, document libraries, and lists)
  • Microsoft Planner
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Office 365 Outlook
  • Excel Online (Business)
  • FTP connector
  • Cloudmersive Convert API (image analysis)
  • HTTP triggers between flows
  • JSON

Demonstrated skills

  • Power Automate for bulk data with batch processing and HTTP self-calls
  • SharePoint information architecture with metadata and a permission model
  • File integration via FTP with error handling
  • Integrating external REST APIs into Power Automate
  • Process management with Planner and Teams
  • JSON interfaces for websites

07Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions

How do product images get from SharePoint to a website automatically?
A Power Automate flow responds to new or changed files in a SharePoint library and transfers them to the web server via FTP or an API. The image metadata can also be provided as a JSON file that the content management system imports. This way, SharePoint remains the only place where images are maintained.
How does Power Automate process very large SharePoint libraries?
A proven approach is batch processing: the flow reads only a limited number of items starting from a specific ID, saves the intermediate result, and then calls itself with the next start ID. At the end, the partial results are merged. This keeps individual runs short and below the platform limits.
Can Power Automate read image properties such as resolution or color space?
Not with built-in features, but via connectors to image analysis services. These return, for example, resolution, color space, color depth, and compression, which the flow writes into the file properties and uses for further decisions such as the target folder.

08More case studies

More projects in detail.

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