data.day
document-management / version-control / automation / power-automate

Rant: Attachments Are Tiny Time Bombs

Stop emailing files. 'Final_v2_UPDATED.pdf' is a lie. We automate the stripping of attachments to create a Single Source of Truth.

Marta Clarity Marta Clarity

The “Final_Final_v3” Nightmare

We have all seen the filename. Q3_Budget_Final_FINAL_DaveEdits_v2.xlsx.

This filename tells a story of pain. It tells a story of a team that does not know which version is the truth.

The Friction: Distributed Ignorance

When you email an attachment, you are creating a fork in reality.

  • Storage Bloat: You are saving the same 10MB file in 50 different inboxes.
  • Security Risk: Once that file leaves your outbox, you lose control. It can be forwarded to a competitor, and you will never know.
  • Collaboration Death: You cannot co-author an attachment. You have to wait for Dave to finish his edits and email it back. This is the Manual Drag.

The Flow: The Stripper Bot

We enforce a Single Source of Truth. The file lives in the Cloud (SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive). It never leaves.

For internal emails, this is policy. “Do not attach. Link.”

For external emails (where people love to send us attachments), I built The Stripper Bot using Power Automate.

How it Works

  1. The Intercept: The Flow watches my inbox for any email with an attachment larger than 1MB.
  2. The Extraction:
    • It grabs the file.
    • It saves it to a designated folder in SharePoint: /Incoming_Attachments/[Sender_Name]/.
    • It appends a timestamp to the filename to prevent overwrites.
  3. The Replacement:
    • This is the aggressive part. It can actually reply to the email (or modify the incoming body if you use advanced tools) saying: “Attachment saved to secure storage. Access here: [Link].”

The Outcome

Now, when I look for the invoice or the spec sheet, I do not search Outlook. I search the Drive. I know that the file in the Drive is the only file that matters.

  • If we edit the file, the link stays the same.
  • If we need to revoke access, we kill the link.

Stop throwing files at each other. Point to the library.

FAQs

Clients expect attachments.

Clients expect results. If you send a secure link that is always up to date, they will adapt. Educate them.

What if I need to work offline?

Sync your SharePoint/Drive to your desktop. Work on the synced file. It uploads when you reconnect. Never fork the file.

Is this secure?

An attachment can be forwarded to anyone. A link can have access rights revoked instantly. Links are safer.