How Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot can transform your data and insights

A practical guide to using Microsoft Graph connectors with Copilot to access and analyze data from various sources and generate insights for your business.

Introduction

Data is the new oil, as the saying goes. But data alone is not enough to drive business value. You need to be able to access, analyze, and act on your data in a timely and efficient manner. That's where Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot come in.

Microsoft Graph connectors are a set of APIs that enable you to connect to various data sources, such as SharePoint, Azure DevOps, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and more. By using Microsoft Graph connectors, you can access and query data from these sources using a unified interface and a common schema. You can also use Microsoft Graph connectors to enrich your data with AI-powered insights, such as topics, entities, sentiments, and keywords.

Copilot is a powerful tool that helps you write documents, code, queries, and more with the help of AI. Copilot can generate text based on your context, intent, and preferences. You can use Copilot to write anything from emails, blogs, reports, presentations, to SQL queries, Python scripts, and Power BI dashboards.

In this blog post, I will show you how you can use Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot together to access and analyze data from various sources and generate insights for your business. I will use a sample scenario of a sales manager who wants to write a quarterly report based on data from Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook. I will also share some tips and best practices for using Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot effectively.

Scenario

Let's say you are a sales manager at Contoso, a software company that sells cloud-based solutions to enterprise customers. You want to write a quarterly report for your senior management that summarizes your sales performance, customer feedback, and market trends. You have data from various sources, such as Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook, that you want to use in your report. You also want to use Copilot to help you write your report faster and better.

Step 1: Connect to your data sources using Microsoft Graph connectors

The first step is to connect to your data sources using Microsoft Graph connectors. You can use the Microsoft Graph Explorer, a web-based tool that lets you explore and test the Microsoft Graph APIs, to do this. You can also use the Microsoft Graph SDKs, which are available for various languages and platforms, such as .NET, Java, Python, and Node.js.

To connect to Salesforce, you need to register an app in the Salesforce developer portal and get the client ID and client secret. You also need to grant the app access to the Salesforce data that you want to query. Then, you can use the Microsoft Graph connector for Salesforce to connect to your Salesforce data using the Microsoft Graph API. You can use the following URL to query your Salesforce data:

[URL]

To connect to SharePoint, you need to register an app in the Azure portal and get the client ID and client secret. You also need to grant the app access to the SharePoint sites that you want to query. Then, you can use the Microsoft Graph connector for SharePoint to connect to your SharePoint data using the Microsoft Graph API. You can use the following URL to query your SharePoint data:

[URL]

To connect to Outlook, you need to register an app in the Azure portal and get the client ID and client secret. You also need to grant the app access to the Outlook mailboxes that you want to query. Then, you can use the Microsoft Graph connector for Outlook to connect to your Outlook data using the Microsoft Graph API. You can use the following URL to query your Outlook data:

[URL]

You can use the Microsoft Graph Explorer to test your queries and see the results in JSON format. You can also use the Microsoft Graph SDKs to write code that queries your data sources using the Microsoft Graph API. For example, you can use the following Python code to query your Salesforce data:

import msal

import requests

# Create a confidential client app

client_id = "your-client-id"

client_secret = "your-client-secret"

authority = "[URL]"

app = msal.ConfidentialClientApplication(client_id, authority=authority, client_credential=client_secret)

# Get an access token

scopes = ["[URL]"]

result = app.acquire_token_for_client(scopes)

access_token = result["access_token"]

# Query your Salesforce data

url = "[URL]"

headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + access_token}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

data = response.json()

# Print the data

print(data)

Step 2: Analyze your data using Microsoft Graph connectors

The next step is to analyze your data using Microsoft Graph connectors. You can use the Microsoft Graph connectors to enrich your data with AI-powered insights, such as topics, entities, sentiments, and keywords. You can also use the Microsoft Graph connectors to filter, sort, and aggregate your data based on various criteria.

To enrich your data, you need to enable the enrichment settings for your data sources in the Microsoft Graph Explorer. You can choose which types of insights you want to generate for your data, such as topics, entities, sentiments, and keywords. You can also customize the enrichment settings, such as the language, the confidence threshold, and the maximum number of insights per item. Then, you can use the Microsoft Graph API to query your enriched data. You can use the following URL to query your enriched data:

[URL]

To filter, sort, and aggregate your data, you need to use the OData query parameters in the Microsoft Graph API. You can use the $filter parameter to filter your data based on various criteria, such as the data source, the data type, the data property, the data value, and the data insight. You can use the $orderby parameter to sort your data based on various criteria, such as the data property, the data value, and the data insight. You can use the $top and $skip parameters to limit and paginate your data. You can use the $count parameter to get the total number of items in your data. You can use the $select parameter to specify which data properties and insights you want to return. You can use the $expand parameter to include the nested data properties and insights in your data. You can use the $apply parameter to aggregate your data based on various criteria, such as the data property, the data value, and the data insight. You can use the following URL to query your filtered, sorted, and aggregated data:

[URL]}

You can use the Microsoft Graph Explorer to test your queries and see the results in JSON format. You can also use the Microsoft Graph SDKs to write code that queries your data using the Microsoft Graph API. For example, you can use the following Python code to query your enriched and filtered data:

import msal

import requests

# Create a confidential client app

client_id = "your-client-id"

client_secret = "your-client-secret"

authority = "[URL]"

app = msal.ConfidentialClientApplication(client_id, authority=authority, client_credential=client_secret)

# Get an access token

scopes = ["[URL]"]

result = app.acquire_token_for_client(scopes)

access_token = result["access_token"]

# Query your enriched and filtered data

url = "[URL] eq 'Account' and properties/AnnualRevenue gt 1000000 and insights/entities/any(e: e/type eq 'Organization')"

headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + access_token}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

data = response.json()

# Print the data

print(data)

Step 3: Generate your report using Copilot

The final step is to generate your report using Copilot. You can use Copilot to write your report based on your data and insights from Microsoft Graph connectors. You can also use Copilot to format your report, add charts and tables, and cite your sources.

To use Copilot, you need to install the Copilot extension for Visual Studio Code, a code editor that supports various languages and platforms. You also need to sign up for a Copilot account and link it to your GitHub account. Then, you can use the Copilot tab in Visual Studio Code to start writing your report.

To write your report, you need to provide some context and intent for Copilot. You can use comments, keywords, or natural language to describe what you want to write. You can also use variables, placeholders, or examples to specify the data and insights that you want to use. Then, you can use the Copilot suggestions to generate your report. You can accept, reject, or edit the Copilot suggestions as you write. You can also use the Copilot commands to control the Copilot behavior, such as the tone, the style, and the length of the text.

To format your report, you can use the Copilot suggestions to add headings, subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, and tables. You can also use the Copilot suggestions to add charts, such as pie charts, bar charts, and line charts, based on your data and insights. You can use the Copilot commands to specify the type, the title, the labels, and the data for your charts. You can also use the Copilot commands to adjust the size, the color, and the layout of your charts.

To cite your sources, you can use the Copilot suggestions to add references, footnotes, and bibliography to your report. You can use the Copilot commands to specify the citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, and the citation format, such as author-date, author-title, or numeric. You can also use the Copilot commands to add URLs, titles, authors, dates, and other information for your sources.

Here is an example of how you can use Copilot to write your report:

# This is a quarterly report for Contoso based on data from Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook

# I want to use Copilot to write my report

# I want to use a professional and formal tone

# I want to use the APA citation style

# I want to use the following data and insights from Microsoft Graph connectors:

# Salesforce data:

# - Total number of accounts: 500

# - Total number of opportunities: 300

# - Total revenue: $10 million

# - Average deal size: $33,333

# - Top 10 accounts by revenue: Acme, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa

# - Top 10 opportunities by stage: A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, I9, J10

# - Topics: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity

# - Entities: Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# - Sentiments: positive, neutral, negative

# - Keywords: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity, Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# SharePoint data:

# - Total number of sites: 100

# - Total number of documents: 1000

# - Total number of views: 10000

# - Total number of downloads: 5000

# - Total number of comments: 2000

# - Total number of likes: 1000

# - Topics: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity

# - Entities: Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# - Sentiments: positive, neutral, negative

# - Keywords: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity, Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# Outlook data:

# - Total number of emails: 5000

# - Total number of sent emails: 2500

# - Total number of received emails: 2500

# - Total number of replies: 1000

# - Total number of forwards: 500

# - Total number of attachments: 1000

# - Topics: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity

# - Entities: Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# - Sentiments: positive, neutral, negative

# - Keywords: cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity, Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Yammer

# Copilot, write my report

Quarterly Report for Contoso

Based on data from Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook

John Smith, Sales Manager

26/05/2024

Executive Summary

This report summarizes the sales performance, customer feedback, and market trends for Contoso in the last quarter. The report is based on data from Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook, which are connected and enriched using Microsoft Graph connectors. The report also uses Copilot, a tool that helps write documents with the help of AI, to generate insights and recommendations.

The main findings of the report are:

·?????? Contoso achieved a total revenue of $10 million, which is a 10% increase from the previous quarter.

·?????? Contoso closed 300 opportunities, which is a 20% increase from the previous quarter.

·?????? Contoso had an average deal size of $33,333, which is a 5% increase from the previous quarter.

·?????? Contoso's top 10 accounts by revenue are Acme, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, and Kappa.

·?????? Contoso's top 10 opportunities by stage are A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, I9, and J10.

·?????? Contoso's customers are satisfied with the cloud-based solutions that Contoso offers, and they appreciate the security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, and productivity features that Contoso provides.

·?????? Contoso's customers are also loyal to Microsoft, and they use Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Yammer extensively.

·?????? Contoso's customers have a positive sentiment towards Contoso and Microsoft, and they frequently mention cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, productivity, Microsoft, Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Yammer as keywords in their emails, documents, and comments.

The main recommendations of the report are:

·?????? Contoso should continue to focus on the cloud-based solutions that Contoso offers, and leverage the Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot to access and analyze data from various sources and generate insights and recommendations.

·?????? Contoso should also continue to nurture the relationships with the top 10 accounts and opportunities, and provide them with personalized and tailored solutions that meet their needs and expectations.

·?????? Contoso should also explore new opportunities and markets, and identify the potential customers and competitors that are interested in or using cloud, security, AI, IoT, CRM, ERP, BI, analytics, collaboration, and productivity solutions.

·?????? Contoso should also monitor the customer feedback and market trends, and use the Microsoft Graph connectors and Copilot to collect and evaluate the data and insights from Salesforce, SharePoint, and Outlook, and adjust the sales strategy and tactics accordingly.

Sales Performance

This section analyzes the sales performance of Contoso in the last quarter based on data from Salesforce. The data is connected and enriched using the Microsoft Graph connector for Salesforce, which enables Contoso to access and query the Salesforce data using a unified interface and a common schema. The data is also enriched with AI-powered insights, such as topics, entities, sentiments, and keywords, which provide additional information and context for the data.

The following chart shows the total revenue, the number of opportunities, and the average deal size of Contoso in the last quarter.

# Copilot, add a line chart with the title "Sales Performance of Contoso in the Last Quarter", the x-axis label "Month", the y-axis label "Amount", and the data for the three lines as follows:

# - Revenue: [3, 3.5, 4, 4.5] in millions of dollars

# - Opportunities: [200, 225, 250, 300]

# - Deal Size: [30, 31, 32, 33] in thousands of dollars

line

Sales Performance of Contoso in the Last Quarter

Month

Amount

Revenue

[3, 3.

?