Microsoft Power Plattform
What can the Microsoft Power Platform do?
With the Power Platform, Microsoft is bringing modern data analysis and automation technologies to where they are needed: to the specialist departments. This article explains how the Microsoft Power Platform enables users to create their own applications, analyze data and automate processes without programming knowledge or AI experience.
Using data efficiently - the challenge of digitalization
Marketing, sales, logistics and controlling: with digitalization, data is becoming a central resource in all areas of a company. But today, only a few companies are fully exploiting the possibilities of intelligent data analysis. A study by Commerzbank revealed that ⅔ of the companies surveyed see a need to catch up in this area. There are many reasons for the slow adoption of big data in day-to-day business:
Lack of funds to set up an appropriate infrastructure
Lack of specialists to initiate and manage these processes
Organically grown tool landscape in which individual tools are poorly integrated with each other as a result.
With the Power Platform, Microsoft is tackling precisely this problem. It works according to the no-code/low-code principle and is therefore accessible to users from all departments. Thanks to the cloud connection, the company does not have to create an in-house infrastructure for operation and the modular nature of the platform allows legacy systems to be integrated into data analysis and automation.
Microsoft's Power Platform at a glance
The Power Platform is not a completely new solution. Instead, Microsoft combines existing tools and supplements them with additional applications and templates to provide users with a comprehensive toolbox for data analysis and automation.
1. realize low code applications with Microsoft Power Apps
Microsoft Power Apps provides an environment in which users can create their own applications without programming knowledge, allowing them to respond flexibly to different challenges in their day-to-day work. An intuitive user interface and a library of templates form the core. Users select templates, adapt them to their own requirements in the graphical user interface and combine them into more complex routines using drag and drop. The low-code platform is therefore suitable for a whole range of use cases:
- Creating mobile apps without programming knowledge within different departments
- Making data from business applications from Microsoft and other providers accessible within the apps
- Providing different users with specific sections of data to increase efficiency and minimize the potential for errors
2. automate business processes with Power Automate
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) offers the opportunity to reduce the ever-increasing proportion of knowledge work in the company, relieve employees of repetitive standard tasks and increase quality in areas such as customer service. With Power Automate, companies can automate time-consuming and repetitive standard tasks. To do this, triggers are defined within the tool that initiate a specific action. As with Power Apps, users create the automation routines via a graphical user interface and access a library of predefined processes that you only need to adapt to your use case.
- Preconfigured templates allow an easy start and initial success in the creation and implementation of automations
- Develop cross-tool automations by connecting different applications from Microsoft and third-party providers such as LinkedIn, Asana, Twitter and Salesforce
- Set up alerts, notifications and automatic emails without code
3. data analysis & visualization with Power BI
Efficient action in day-to-day business requires sufficient knowledge of the underlying conditions. However, the necessary data is often buried deep in ERP and CRM and is difficult for the average user to access at short notice. With the Business Intelligence Tool, Microsoft provides software with which companies can collect, analyse and visualize data from all areas of the company and make it available to various user groups. Microsoft not only offers a selection of ready-made analyses, but also a wide range of options for preparing the data for different purposes.
- Connect to Microsoft and third-party applications with just a few clicks and combine different data sources
- Analyse and visualize data flexibly – for example with dashboards, flowcharts or maps.
- Any data can be retrieved from the warehouse using natural language input.
4. create chatbots with Power Virtual Agents
Chatbots play a role wherever repetitive inquiries are processed with clear answers. In customer service, a chatbot can act as a first point of contact that either processes inquiries immediately or filters them and forwards them to the relevant employees in a sorted manner. In HR, chatbots can be used in onboarding, making it easier for new employees to join the company. Microsoft’s Power Virtual Agents allows companies to create and integrate chatbots into customer or employee support processes. Using a graphical interface, chatbots can be set up and integrated into websites and services without any programming knowledge.
5. create intelligent algorithms with the AI Builder
With the AI Builder, you can develop intelligent algorithms for processing text, images and company figures using a simple graphical interface – from development and training to the use of your applications. With just a few clicks, you can develop viable models for forecasting sales figures, analyzing customer satisfaction or intelligent object recognition.
6. networking systems and breaking down data silos with Microsoft Dataverse
Data silos are one of the major challenges of digital transformation. Although the switch to digital systems means that large volumes of data are being generated in all areas, the systems are often not coordinated and integrated with one another. This creates data silos that make it difficult to evaluate data across all areas. The Microsoft Dataverse is a low-code data platform for the integration of different data sources in one system. The data integrated in this way then forms the basis for creating apps with Power Apps or automations with Power Automate.
7. seamless integration with ERP, CRM and other business solutions
Not all companies use Microsoft Dynamics 365 and it is not always practical or possible to implement new systems. Microsoft therefore provides interfaces for many systems via the connectors so that users can also use the Microsoft Power Platform in conjunction with their legacy tools.
Conclusion: Use data & automate processes with Microsoft Power Automate
With Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft offers a comprehensive business solution for intelligent company management, from ERP and CRM to HR management. The Power Platform works seamlessly with Dynamics and can therefore utilize the full potential of data in all areas.
Microsoft thus offers a powerful tool for collecting and analyzing data across companies and making it available to employees in all departments. While data analysis has long been a task for the IT department, departments can now take the analysis of their data and the automation of processes into their own hands. The platform thus forms a useful toolbox for overcoming the challenges of digitalization and creates an infrastructure for more effective work within individual company divisions and for collaboration across departmental boundaries.
