What's new in Power Platform: updates and insights
In this edition, we’d like to look into recent developments in Power Platform, from Power Apps and Power Pages to Dataverse and Copilot Studio. In addition to a general overview of news from that realm, this will include feature updates that are coming from September 2024 through March 2025. We’ll also discuss Declarative Copilot plugins and their integration as one of the ways to customize Microsoft Copilot and will recommend additional readings that might be relevant to you.
Power Apps
Power Apps has introduced a feature designed to improve app development: co-authoring in canvas apps. Previously, multiple users were restricted from editing an app simultaneously, which could lead to delays. With co-authoring, this limitation is now a thing of the past. Multiple makers will be able to work with a canvas app in real-time, which resembles the collaborative experience in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (see Fig. 1). This new capability is a step forward for fusion teams and organizations that want to accelerate app development.
At the same time, model-driven app grids have received an upgrade that offers users flexibility in data organization and aggregation. The introduction of advanced grouping capabilities makes it possible for users to categorize data based on specific parameters, e.g. simple minimum/maximum/average or more custom parameters like launch or close date. This advancement enhances the ability to explore and interact with data within model-driven apps.
Explore more: “Microsoft Power Platform: turn outdated into automated”
Power Automate
As we mentioned in our previous newsletter edition, soon enough users will be able to generate cloud flows in Power Automate with AI. This feature shifts a perception of chatbots as the only way to interact with new AI capabilities ingrained in the Power Platform and empowers companies to actually delegate certain responsibilities to the AI capable of handling processes like data entry, approval routing, and even basic problem-solving.
Microsoft also is planning to embed AI Recorder in Power Automate. Essentially, users can create automated workflows by simply recording their actions on screen and/or providing verbal explanations. The AI Recorder will interpret visual and auditory cues to generate a corresponding Power Automate flow.
Copilot Studio
Copilot Studio empowers organizations to create AI assistants with specific goals in mind. If you want to improve your existing Copilot's abilities or develop a completely new one from scratch, Copilot Studio provides the tools to do so. To further your Copilot experience, Copilot Insights will soon be available in general preview. This new feature will offer valuable insights into your Copilot's interactions, which helps you optimize its performance and effectiveness.
Image analysis in Copilot Studio is another important feature that will be available for public preview in November 2024. It will allow the AI to extract and interpret information from visual content. This capability will enable Copilot to process and understand images and come up with valuable information that can be used in various applications.
The image analysis functionality can recognize various elements within an image, including objects, text, colors, and facial expressions. It can identify specific items, read text from signs or documents, and understand the overall context of a scene. This feature can be applied in numerous practical scenarios. For instance, a user could photograph a receipt or invoice, and Copilot could extract relevant information like date, total amount, and itemized list, which can potentially automate data entry tasks.
PnP Management Shell
Microsoft is making a crucial change to the PnP Management Shell, which will affect how users interact with and manage SharePoint and Microsoft 365 environments. The current PnP Management Shell is being phased out, and users will need to adopt a new approach for running PnP commands and the Command-Line Interface (CLI).
Under this new system, users will be required to register their own shell management application within each tenant they manage. This means that instead of using a single, centralized PnP Management Shell, administrators will need to create and configure a dedicated application for each individual tenant. This application will serve as the context for running PnP commands and CLI operations specific to that tenant.
New SharePoint design ideas
Microsoft is introducing a new feature to SharePoint called "SharePoint design ideas." It uses Artificial Intelligence and provides suggestions on how to improve the structure and layout of SharePoint content. It's designed to help authors enhance their SharePoint pages' visual appeal with minimal effort (see Fig. 2).
The new SharePoint design ideas feature focuses on three key areas: image sections, text sections, and banner web parts. When authors are working on these elements, they can now access AI-powered suggestions to rearrange and reformat their content. This update aligns with Microsoft's ongoing efforts to make SharePoint more user-friendly.
Explore more: “Why invest in a modern intranet solution?”
Side note: declarative copilots
There is one piece of news that could not go unnoticed in the Microsoft 365 community: declarative copilots. They introduce a new way of customizing and extending Copilot for Microsoft 365. With them, companies can create tailored AI assistants by defining specific instructions, actions, and knowledge bases (see Fig. 3). These copilots operate on the same powerful foundation models as the core Copilot, but with a crucial distinction: they are designed to be highly specialized for individual business needs.
Declarative copilots function through a plugin architecture. These plugins act as specialized modules that extend the copilot's capabilities. They enable the copilot to interact with specific data sources or invoke external services. For example, a plugin might be designed to access and process data from a CRM system, while another could be used to integrate with a collaboration platform.
Closing remarks
The integration of multiple AI-powered features into Power Platform is another step towards pervasive AI adoption in the workplace. This trend is crucial as organizations of different sizes can use advanced technologies to re-think their business processes. In this way, Power Platform is a platform that empowers businesses to achieve greater agility and integrate AI into the fabric of their work.
Interested in learning more about the value of Microsoft 365 for your enterprise? Let’s discuss new opportunities.
Check out our blog posts:
Avenga,
your competitive advantage 🚀
Business Consultant at Qinshift/Avenga. Focus on Banking and Real Estate. Passionate about digital transformation and data-driven business solutions. CX and customer journeys. Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner.
3moThe business value that are delivered with the new Microsoft Copilots is very interesting! ✨🙌🏻
das Heute zählt
3monice