Automation in Outlook, Excel, and Power BI

Automate processes in Outlook, Excel, Power Query, and Power BI | Xyclos

In 2025, everyone is talking about automation and AI agents.

And I started to think that I've been managing automation for more than 30 years.

And you might ask: How so? 30 years ago?

Yes. In a way, it's going to be a trip back in time. A trip to the past.

Automation in Microsoft Outlook: Organize your email like a pro

Microsoft Outlook has several commands that allow you to automate processes, let's look at some of them:

Rules
Out of office
Spam

Using Rules in Microsoft Outlook

For example, the Rules I have used when I am working with a client.

If I want Outlook to notify me when my client sends me a message, I create a rule to display an alert.

The rule will always be active, every time I open Outlook
You will always check every message that arrives in your Inbox .
Oh, and something important: in Outlook I can have one or more rules
If the message has the sender address in one of the rules, it does what is specified in the rule:
1. If we ask it to display a notice, it does so.
2. If we ask it to save the message to a specific folder, it does so.
3. If we want it to do both things, it does so (as long as we have programmed the rule that way)

So what has been the advantage of using these automations using rules in Outlook?

Always be informed of the arrival of a message from a particular client without having to "read the messages I receive every day to see if that client sent me a message."

Gain time

Provide excellent service to my client

Let's move forward.

Automation in Excel: Beyond Formulas

Here we are going to see that we are not only going to talk about automation, but also about programming, about Low code programming.

Entering a formula or function in Excel is already a form of automation .

If we change the contents of a cell referenced by the formula or function, the result is automatically recalculated.

So, automations have been around since the beginning of Spreadsheets. That was the core concept: automate .

And programming with Low code?

If in a cell, for example, we enter a formula, in another cell, we enter a function to evaluate the contents of the previous cell, and if in another cell, we enter another formula or function that uses the contents of the previous cell, then we have created low-code programming.

Formulas and functions, like all programs, have: An input , a process , and a result .

But what does Low code mean?

Low-code or also No-code , are development approaches that allow us to create applications with minimal or no programming, using visual interfaces and automation.

So, if you use Excel...you're a programmer...a low-code programmer. Did you know that?

And if you have deeper knowledge of Excel, you can also create a programming or automation with Macros (using VBA or Visual Basic for Applications)...again Low code programming.

Let's move forward in time.

Power BI and Data Analysis Automation

With Power Query in Excel and Power Query in Power BI, significant progress is being made in automating processes that include everything related to data transformation and cleansing (ETL Extract Transform Load).

With the M Language and DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions) available in Power BI, its Measures , Calculated Columns and Data Modeling , the automated handling of large volumes of data makes it incredibly easy for us to automate data processing.

Automation is part of our nature

Digital automation isn't new; it's evolved, and with Artificial Intelligence...the destination is clear: automation at the highest level.

But before I finish: our entire universe is totally "automated."

All of nature's interactions: at the quantum level, our bodies—our lungs, heart, entire digestive system; the planets, solar systems, galaxies, black holes—all " automated " and integrated , functioning like an infinite clock.

So automation is part of our DNA , part of our nature on Earth, part of the entire universe.

So: Why prepare in Outlook, Excel, Power Query and Power BI?

If you've made it this far, you've already understood something important:

Automation isn't the future. It's always been here, and it's the present.

No business or professional can remain competitive without automation.

What can you achieve with this knowledge?

If you master Outlook , you optimize your time and automate your email management.

If you master Excel , you automate calculations and create intelligent data structures.

If you master Power Query , you eliminate manual tasks in data cleansing and transformation.

If you master Power BI , you can take business intelligence to the next level with advanced automation.

You have two options:

Continuing to do things manually and waste time.

Automate, optimize, and move forward.

Summary in Notebooklm (Google)

Click on Mind Map in the right panel to see a summary of what we covered in this blog.

Click to listen the podcast

The decision is yours.

Anyone who masters Excel , Power Query , Power BI , and other modern tools will have a multiplying advantage when using artificial intelligence.

Enroll in our Outlook , Excel Basic Intermediate for Business , Excel Intermediate Advanced for Business , Power Query , and Power BI courses at Xyclos Academy and start getting inspired to automate your professional life.