Microsoft Power Platform

With Microsoft very much at the forefront of a digital transformation, it’s no wonder that they’re the topic of discussion once again with Microsoft Power Platform. Microsoft offer a range of market leader applications from standard Office 365 productivity tools to cloud services available on Azure but it’s Microsoft Power Platforms that are not only providing extra functionality but improving the way you work with business data.

Microsoft Power Platforms consists of three different applications rolled into one. These are:

  • PowerApps – with PowerApps, you can create custom, no-code mobile and desktop applications that are running off of your own data.
  • Power BI – with Power BI you can display all of your business data within interactive, real-time dashboards and create reports, which provide very detailed insights.
  • Microsoft Flow – Microsoft Flow provides multi-stage automated workflows that allow you to connect hundreds of services and apps.

Let’s take a look at them in a little more detail…

PowerApps

PowerApps is a platform that allows you to create and publish tailored applications that can be used as mobile and desktop devices, compatible with Android, iOS and Windows. PowerApps provides a no no-code environment which means practically anyone can create an app however, the more technical the user, obviously the more able they are to extend the capabilities through Azure functions and integrated solutions.

PowerApps can be used to help with a variety of business related functions in order to help streamline your company and its processes. Much like Power BI, PowerApps isn’t limited to sourcing data from common data services (CDS) as it can also utilise data from around 200 or more different connectors.

Power BI

Power BI is an analytics and business intelligence tool, providing you with real-time data and insights by offering you interactive visualisations of your data in dashboards and reports. Power BI isn’t limited to the CDS when it comes to data sourcing as it can also use other data sources such as Excel or SQL databases as well as other third party sources such as MailChimp and Google Analytics.

Power BI allows you to make custom dashboards and reports in order to display the data you want to see in any area of your business, from sales to marketing and even customer services. If you already use Dynamics 365 Business Central then you’ll find Power BI already embedded into your pages directly. This will give you even quicker access to insights, which can subsequently be shared to your team or embedded into websites and apps.

Microsoft Flow

Microsoft Flow allows you to create automated, multifunctional workflows. These can be done across a number of applications and services too. Flow is generally used to improve on efficiency and productivity by helping you to automate repetitive processes, ensuring you’re kept informed as and when necessary. There are so many different uses for Microsoft Flow that allow you to work better.

One great example would be creating a workflow that automatically sends an email notification for approval/review once something has been created within 365 Business Central. Within Flow, you’re able to create custom workflows for any one of your processes. It allows you to keep things specific however, you also have your pick of a list of templates that have already been created, allowing you to get started even quicker.

If you’d like more information on Microsoft Power Platform and how it could help you, simply contact us today on 01268 724005.