Power Automate workflow · PDF & documents

High-volume letters with Adobe Document Generation (approval letters, certificates, notices)

Merge records from a list or database into a Word template and output individual PDFs — thousands at a time.

TriggerManual or scheduled; source: SharePoint list, Excel, Dataverse or SQL
ConnectorsAdobe PDF Services · SharePoint · Office 365 Outlook
CategoryPDF & documents

The problem

Mail merge in Word produces one huge file, not individual PDFs; repeating tables and conditional paragraphs are painful.

The outcome

One PDF per recipient, with conditional sections and tables, saved and sent automatically.

Before you start

  • A Word template tagged with Adobe Document Generation tags (use the free Adobe Document Generation Tagger add-in for Word).

Build it step by step

  1. Tag the template — In Word, the Document Generation Tagger inserts tags like {{applicant.name}}, conditional sections and table rows from your sample JSON.
  2. Build JSON per record — Use Compose to shape each record into the JSON structure the template expects.
    Expression / setting
    {
  "applicant": { "name": "@{items('Apply_to_each')?['Title']}" },
  "approved": @{equals(items('Apply_to_each')?['Status'], 'Approved')}
}
  3. Generate — Adobe PDF Services Generate document from Word template (output PDF).
  4. Save and distribute — Save each PDF with a unique name and email or publish it.
  5. Throttle — Set loop concurrency to 10–20 and monitor API usage.

Connector action names are shown as they appear in Power Automate at the time of writing; Microsoft and Adobe occasionally rename actions or add new versions.

Error handling

  • Template tags are case-sensitive — mismatched JSON keys render as blanks rather than failing.

Licensing

  • Adobe Acrobat Services API enterprise plan priced by volume.

Variations

  • Send the generated letters through Acrobat Sign when the recipient must countersign.

Common in: Government · Education · Insurance