A Quick Guide to the Microsoft Power Platform

Increased data and a rapidly changing global economy mean businesses have to act quickly to meet customer expectations.

The need to innovate is often reined by budgets and IT resources. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough capacity for a new project or idea.

That’s where the Microsoft Power Platform comes in. A no-code/low-code solution, the Power Platform allows organizations to build cost-effective, data-driven solutions quickly.

In this article, we’ll review the components of the Power Platform: Power BI, Power Automate, and Power Apps.

Power Platform comprises of:

The Power Platform is a layer on top of various data sources, which allows anyone of any technical ability to work that data.

The no-code/low-code approach gives non-developers (citizen developers) the tools to build apps, create workflows, or leverage AI to solve problems.

Teams no longer have to wait for IT to tackle a new project such as digitizing paper-based processes.

They can build an app to replace old systems, create a Power BI dashboard, or automate project tasks within hours using the Power Platform.

This allows businesses to try new ideas and iterate quickly whilst also getting more from their data.

The CDS, a unified data scheme that allows applications and services to interact, is key to the Power Platform.

The CDS allows organizations to work with any type of data from Microsoft and non-Microsoft sources in a secure, scalable way without the need for complex coding.

In the next sections, we’ll take a closer look at the elements of the Power Platform, starting with Power BI.

Whilst organizations are generating more data than ever, the skills and technology to leverage that data is often missing.

With no coding or statistical expertise required, end-users can work with a data source, and build and share engaging reports with their team.

The goal is to find, surface, and act on business insights.

The platform is available in three formats:

There are two main end-user roles for Power BI:

Every day, we waste time on repetitive tasks or re-doing work due to an error.

Automation, the use of technology to complete processes with little or human input, helps us to reclaim this time.

Automating important yet repetitive tasks reduces mistakes and delivers a consistent result every time.

Previously, users needed to work with complex tools like SharePoint Designer to create workflows — or ask IT for help.

With out-of-the-box templates, end-users can quickly automate tasks and create workflows for key business processes.

The platform facilitates automation on a large scale within an organization without reliance on limited IT resources.

There are five main types of Power Automate flows:

The primary benefit of Power Apps is a faster response to business requirements and opportunities. If a team has an idea or wants to improve a process, they can quickly build an application.

Applications developed via Power Apps are also more secure as they leverage the CDS and Azure Active Directory, and are GDPR compliant.

There are three types of applications within Power Apps.

Start with a sample app, a template, or connect to a data source such as the CDS, SharePoint, or Excel.

This approach ensures your application meets your requirements, is suited to your data sources, and delivers an experience suited to your organization.

Applications are accessed via a browser or a mobile app and can be embedded in a SharePoint site, Teams, or Power BI.

Model-driven design allows users to select and use data and to define and enforce business processes.

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