Power Platform

Power Platform combines PowerApps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power BI (Business Intelligence) and Power Virtual Agents in a single powerful enterprise application platform. You can access data rapidly, create data visibility easily as well as build and deploy apps quickly. Every part of the Microsoft Power Platform is built on the “Dataverse” (formally "Common Data Service" (CDS) for Apps.

Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate, previously known as Microsoft Flow until November 2019, is a SaaS platform by Microsoft for optimising and automating workflows and business processes. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform line of products, which include Power Apps and Power BI.

Power Apps

Power Apps is a suite of Microsoft products that enable both developers and nontechnical users to build custom applications to fulfill various business needs. The Power Apps suite includes a variety of applications, services and connectors, as well as a data platform, which together create a rapid app development environment requiring little to no coding expertise to use.

There are three types of Power Apps, that being "Canvas", "Model-driven", and "Power Pages". "Model-driven", are used developing apps that require complex business logic. "Power Pages" is now a standalone service offering more enterprise app development features.

Power Pages

Microsoft Power Pages is a secure, enterprise-grade, low-code Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for creating, hosting, and administering modern external-facing business websites. Whether you're a low-code or professional developer, Power Pages empowers you to rapidly design, configure, and publish websites across web browsers and devices.

Power BI

Power BI (Business Intelligence) is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn your unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. Your data might be an Excel spreadsheet, or a collection of cloud-based and on-premises hybrid data warehouses. Power BI lets you easily connect to your data sources, visualise and discover what's important, and share that with anyone or everyone you want.

Power Virtual Agents

Power Virtual Agents enable anyone in your organisation to create AI-powered bots that can chat with users about specific topics. Your bots can answer routine questions, resolve common issues, or automate tasks that take up valuable customer or employee time. Creating a bot is typically a complex and time-intensive process, requiring long content update cycles and a team of experts.

Power Virtual Agents is now part of Microsoft Copilot Studio (from November, 2023). "Copilot Studio, a low-code comprehensive conversational AI solution that unlocks new Copilot capabilities: connect copilot to your data using pre-built or custom plugins and GPTs, create and orchestrate workflows and manage your copilots in one central place and ultimately build standalone copilots for your organization." @ https://microsoftcopilotstudio.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-power-virtual-agents-now-part-of-microsoft-copilot-studio/.

Staff TimeSheet App (Canvas App)

This is a Power App solution for recording weekly timesheets (days, times and projects and project percentages). The App has the following features;

• Create and Save daily and weekly timesheets.
• Ability for an Approver to "Approve" or "Reject" weekly timesheets.
• Ability for an Approver to "In Progress" (or open) weekly timesheets.
• Form Submission to a SharePoint Online list.

View full slides of the app @ Staff TimeSheet App (v4 [presentation]).pptx.

Headset Booking Solution (Canvas App)

This is a Power App solution for booking timeslots to collect headsets (head phones). The App has the following features;

• A gallery of available timeslots (date and time).
• A gallery of available headsets (or headphones) on offer.
• A booking form (with available headphone and images) to book a timeslot.
• A user can book a timeslot once and once only (receives email confirmation).
• The app has a "Admins" screen to manage timeslots bookings.
• The app has a "Support" screen to email for help.
• A link to the connected "Private" Teams channel.
• Form Submission to a SharePoint Online list.

Headset Booking Solution (Power Automate)

• The Flow sends a conformation email using "Send an HTTP request to SharePoint" connector, using predefined variables.
• The Flows sends an email to a Private Teams channel for monitoring.
• The Flows sends an email to a Functional Mailbox for monitoring.

View full slides of the app @ Headset Booking Solution (v1 [presentation]).pptx.

Meeting Room System (Canvas App)

This is a Power App solution for booking meeting, conference, and training rooms. The App has the following features;

• Three forms (View, Edit, and New) on their respective screens.
• On the New and Edit screens (and forms), you have room availability check and other validations (that being double booking checks by Room as well as Start Time/End Time (date and time field)).
• Select from "Type of meeting", to reveal more options were applicable.
• Book room(s) on behalf of another valid user (user gets email confirmation).
• Form Submission to a SharePoint Online list.

Meeting Room System (Power Automate)

• The Flow sends a conformation email using "Send an HTTP request to SharePoint" connector, using predefined variables.
• The Flows sends an email to a Private Teams channel for monitoring.
• The Flows sends an email to a Functional Mailbox for monitoring.

View full slides of the solution @ Meeting Room System - (v3 [presentation]).pptx.

Of course, the possibilities are endless with Power Platform. All of the above are examples of Canvas Apps. In conclusion, Canvas Apps provides a customised user interface and an intuitive UI with excellent graphics. It has high integration due to the use of multiple connectors.

Feel free to contact me - Larry Saytee @ [email protected] for M365, Power Platform and other solutions.