This guide explains how to automatically move data from your Nexus scheduled reports into a centralised cloud folder (OneDrive or SharePoint). Once the data is landing in a folder automatically, you can use powerful tools like Power Query or Power BI to ingest the data without worrying about Excel formatting or manual file management.

The Concept: "Drop-Zone" Automation

Instead of manually downloading emailed spreadsheets, we recommend using Power Automate to act as a courier. The flow works like this:

1. Nexus sends a scheduled report to your inbox.

2. Power Automate detects the email and "detaches" the Excel file.

3. The File is saved into a specific OneDrive or SharePoint folder.

4. Your System (Power BI, Excel Power Query, or SQL) watches that folder and pulls the data in automatically.

1. Setting Up Your Nexus Scheduled Reports

To ensure the automation works reliably, configure your Nexus reports with a consistent naming convention:

• Report Selection: Choose your report (Alarms, Usage, User Status, or Activity).

• Filtering: Set your parameters to ensure the data is relevant.

• Scheduling: Set a frequency (up to 3 times daily, weekly, or monthly).

Admin Note: Ensure the "Name" of the scheduled report is unique. This helps Power Automate distinguish between different reports you create.

Pro Tip: For the easiest automation, we recommend creating a dedicated mailbox or alias (or a shared mailbox) specifically for Nexus scheduled report emails.

See other Scheduled Reports Artciles for more information:

• How to schedule a report for your account

• How to schedule a report for your team

• Best Practice: Scheduling Reports on Nexus for Managers

2. Step-by-Step: Saving Reports to a Cloud Folder

Step A: Create your "Drop-Zone"

Before starting the automation, create a folder in SharePoint or OneDrive specifically for this report (e.g., /Nexus_Reports/Usage_Data/).

Step B: Build the Power Automate Flow

1. Trigger: Use "When a new email arrives".

   • Filter by the Nexus sender address [noreply@peoplesafe.co.uk].

   • Filter by the Subject Filter (e.g., "Usage Report").

2. Action: Get Attachment: Add the step to retrieve the Excel file from the email.

3. Action: Create File: Select your SharePoint or OneDrive destination.

   • File Name: Use the "Attachment Name" from the email.

   • File Content: Use the "Attachment Content."

Step C: Handling Multiple Files

Because Power Automate saves the file with the report name (which usually includes a timestamp), your folder will begin to act as a historical archive of all reports sent by Nexus.

3. Data Extraction using Power Query

The primary advantage of saving files to a folder—rather than reading the email directly—is the ability to use Power Query.

• No "Table" Required: Unlike standard automation connectors, Power Query can read "Raw" Excel sheets. It does not require the data to be formatted as an official Excel Table.

• Combine Files: You can point Power Query at your folder, and it will automatically "stack" every Nexus report in that folder into one single, master dataset.

• Scalability: As you receive more reports over months or years, your downstream reports will refresh and update automatically without any manual intervention.

Summary

• Reliability: Avoids errors related to Excel "Tables" or locked files.

• Audit Trail: You keep a permanent record of all reports in your cloud storage.

• Flexibility: Once the data is in SharePoint, any BI tool or database can easily "grab" it.

Troubleshooting & FAQs: Permissions and Access

Setting up the automation is only half the battle; ensuring the right systems and people can talk to each other is the other half. Here are the most common questions regarding folder permissions and access.

Which account should "own" the Power Automate flow?

Q: Should I use my personal account or a service account? 

A: We recommend using a Service Account or a Shared Mailbox (e.g., nexus-reports@yourcompany.com). If the flow is created under an individual’s account and that person leaves the company or changes their password, the automation will stop working.

Why is my flow failing to save files to SharePoint?

Q: Power Automate says "Access Denied" when trying to save the Nexus attachment. 

A: Ensure the account running the flow has "Member" or "Edit" permissions for the specific SharePoint site and folder. If you are using a Shared Mailbox, the account must also have "Full Access" or "Send As" permissions for that mailbox to "read" the incoming emails.

Who can see the extracted data in the folder?

Q: If the flow saves a file, can everyone in my team see it? 

A: Only if they have access to the destination folder. Power Automate doesn't change folder permissions; it inherits them.

• Best Practice: Create a dedicated SharePoint Document Library for Nexus data and restrict access to only the administrators or analysts who need to see the raw data.

What happens if a file with the same name already exists?

Q: Will the flow crash if Nexus sends two reports with the same name? 

A: In the "Create File" action settings in Power Automate, you can choose how to handle this. We recommend setting this to "Create a new file with a unique name" or ensuring your Nexus report names include a timestamp. This prevents the flow from failing due to a "File already exists" error.

5. Why can't Power Query "see" the folder?

Q: I’ve saved the files, but Power BI/Excel says it can't find the path. 

A: This is usually due to the difference between a Web URL and a File Path.

• When using From SharePoint Folder, use the root Site URL (e.g., https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/NexusData/).

• Do not use the full URL of the specific folder; Power Query will let you filter down to the specific folder after it connects to the site.