What is Microsoft Power Platform?
This blog has been written by Chris Burns, AI & Automation Technical Architect (Productivity) at Nasstar.
Microsoft Power Platform is a low-code/no-code platform, meaning it enables anyone, regardless of their technical skills, to build and deploy applications, automate workflows, analyse data, and create chatbots.
It’s a powerful tool in the world of business, empowering citizen developers to create solutions using the tools and data available to them, without relying on professional developers or IT departments.
By using Power Platform, businesses can enable their users to create solutions that meet their needs and drive innovation, without the cost and complexity of traditional development. Power Platform enables collaboration and governance across the organisation, by providing tools for sharing, managing, and monitoring the solutions created by users.
Key Components and Services
The Microsoft Power Platform components can be used to solve specific business problems and support users on a wide variety of tasks. Each of the Power Platform services is designed to accelerate innovation by using low-code tools that help you cut costs and development time.
Power apps
Power Apps is a tool that allows users to build apps using a drag-and-drop interface and pre-built templates, connectors, and components. It is used to create custom apps that solve specific business problems. Power Apps can connect to various data sources, such as SharePoint, Excel, Dynamics 365, and Azure.
Power Automate
Power Automate enables users to create workflows that trigger actions based on events, conditions, and schedules. It can help users to automate repetitive and manual tasks. Power Automate can also integrate with hundreds of services and applications, such as Outlook, OneDrive, Twitter, and Mailchimp.
Power BI
Power BI allows users to create interactive dashboards and reports that show insights from various data sources, such as SQL Server, Excel, Salesforce, and Google Analytics. It effectively analyses and visualises data to make data analysis a much quicker and easier process.
Copilot Studio
This chatbot tool was previously known as Power Virtual Agents. It allows users to create and manage chatbots without writing any code. Copilot Studio bots can interact with users across various channels, such as Teams, web, and mobile. It is a beneficial tool for use with both your internal workforce and external customers.
Dataverse
Dataverse is not just a database, but a low-code data platform that enables users to create and use data models, business rules, and logic within Power Platform. Dataverse can store and manage data from various sources, such as Office 365, Dynamics 365, or external systems, and make it available for Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. Dataverse is core to the Power Platform product, as it provides a unified and secure data layer that connects all the components and services of the platform.
Integration capabilities of Power Platform
Power Platform is a leader in automation and productivity for modern businesses. As such, it offers a variety of integration capabilities with other services and tools. Power Apps specifically provides excellent communication between applications, from Microsoft products like Excel to CRM software such as Salesforce.
Connecting data sources
Power Platform enables users to connect to various data sources, such as SQL Server, Excel, Salesforce, and Google Analytics, and use them in Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. This allows users to create apps and workflows that leverage data from multiple sources and provide a unified view of the business.
Integration with other Microsoft tools
Power Platform components integrate effortlessly with the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem, including Teams, M365, SharePoint, and OneDrive. This is hugely beneficial if collaboration is key in your organisation as the suite can effectively contribute to improvements in this area.
Extending functionality through connectors
Power Platform also offers hundreds of pre-built connectors that enable users to extend the functionality of their apps and workflows by integrating with third-party services and applications, such as Twitter, Mailchimp, and Zendesk.
Users can also create custom connectors to connect to any API or web service that they need. This way, Power Platform can bring app development and automation to a new level by integrating with other tools and solutions.
Benefits of using Microsoft Power Platform
While Microsoft Power Platform products can all be used alone, the full benefits of the suite are realised when they are used together. As one seamless ecosystem, businesses can use Power Platform to connect business solutions and deliver on multiple objectives.
Easy to learn
With a simple user interface, Power Platform is very easy to learn. It offers a familiar user experience, with similarities comparable to Microsoft 365 applications which makes it easier for new users to adapt. The drag-and-drop interface and low-code approach, sometimes no code, also aids users. Even users with no coding experience can get to grips with Power Platform, enabling them to design and deploy a working app or website.
Increased productivity
Disconnected systems and lengthy processes in organisations can wreak havoc on productivity levels. With Power Platform, these challenges can be solved by integrating the apps both with each other and third-party solutions to connect everything in one place. You can also use advanced automation in Power Automate to streamline operations and further improve productivity across the business.
Cost savings
Power Platform products are licensed by Microsoft, which means you can avoid third-party costs and instead benefit from an end-to-end solution that integrates with your existing Microsoft stack. Additionally, the low-code nature of Power Platform calls for fewer resources when compared with other development methods.
Improved data insights
Using Power BI as part of Power Platform means your business can benefit from powerful data analytics and visualisation capabilities for improved data analysis. Generating interactive reports and dashboards in Power BI can give you valuable insights into your data, enabling you to improve everything from internal processes to the customer experience.
Scalability
Power Platform is designed to scale just as your business does. As your unique needs changes, Power Platform can adapt to handle them, whether you’re using it to manage basic apps or complex enterprise solutions.
How Nasstar can help
Power Platform is a constantly evolving and improving platform that offers users a range of tools and services to create and deploy powerful solutions. In this blog post, we have covered some of the recent changes and enhancements in Power Platform, such as PVA becoming Copilot Studio, Power BI being removed from PL200 certification, and Power BI becoming part of the Microsoft Fabric Suite.
With the changes above, Power Platform is likely to be in a state of flux over the next few years. It’s an interesting time to be in the AI and Automation world. Speak to our teams about how you can start using Power Platform and enhancing your business processes.
FAQs
What is the pricing model for Power Platform?
Microsoft Power Platform, comprising Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio, and Power Pages, offers licensed users the ability to create and run applications, bots, and custom websites. These licenses can be obtained through subscription plans, add-ons, and pay-as-you-go metres, each catering to different user needs and usage levels.
Subscription licenses are available for Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio, and Power Pages, with options such as premium plans, per app/user/flow rates, and authenticated/anonymous user access. Additionally, several add-ons enhance functionality, including capacity add-ons for AI Builder, Dataverse, and Power Platform Requests, as well as specialised tools like the Process Mining and unattended RPA add-ons for Power Automate.
Furthermore, Power Platform provides limited use rights with select Dynamics 365, Microsoft/Office 365, and Windows licenses, enabling the creation of applications and workflows leveraging Microsoft 365 data and external services via standard connectors. This flexible licensing approach ensures users can choose the most suitable plan for their requirements, whether through comprehensive subscriptions or scalable pay-as-you-go meters.
Pricing Power Platform can be complex, as there are different options and scenarios depending on your needs and goals. If you have any questions regarding your unique circumstances, please contact Nasstar. We are a Microsoft Partner and a Power Platform specialist, and we can help you find the best solution for your business.
How does Power Platform compare to other low-code platforms?
Power Platform, part of the Microsoft ecosystem, offers seamless integration with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure, making it ideal for users familiar with these tools. It includes Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio, and Power Pages, providing a comprehensive suite for app development, process automation, AI insights, and web page creation, all underpinned by Dataverse for secure data management.
In contrast, other low-code solutions vary in their integration capabilities and often focus on specific areas like app development or process automation. While they offer connectors to popular third-party services, they may lack the deep integration with Microsoft products that Power Platform provides. Feature sets in other solutions can differ widely, with some emphasising AI and machine learning, but with varying levels of integration and usability.
Licensing for Power Platform is flexible, with options including subscriptions, add-ons, and pay-as-you-go metres, and it allows limited use rights with select Microsoft licenses. Other low-code platforms have diverse licensing models, ranging from free tiers to enterprise-level subscriptions. Power Platform's strong integration with Microsoft services and versatile licensing makes it particularly suitable for organisations within the Microsoft ecosystem, while other solutions cater to a broad range of development needs.
Can Power Platform be used in conjunction with legacy systems?
One of the standout features of Power Platform is its extensive range of connectors, which facilitate integration with both legacy systems and modern applications outside the Microsoft ecosystem. These connectors support interactions with various databases, enterprise applications, web services, and cloud platforms such as Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, and Google services.
Additionally, Power Automate's UI flows can automate tasks in legacy applications that do not have APIs, by simulating human interactions with RPA software interfaces. This capability ensures that even older, non-cloud-based systems can be included in automated workflows, enabling organisations to modernise their operations without needing to overhaul existing infrastructure.
