Over the last few years, Microsoft has been developing a set of tools to help businesses utilize ERP systems better. Last year the tools were packaged into one group called the Power Platform. The Power Platform consists of Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents. Microsoft’s goal is to have a group of tools that can be utilized by the average user to improve efficiencies and analysis. Let's take a quick look at each of these four Power Platform tools.
Power BI is a graphical reporting tool. It has drag and drop capability for graphs and charts. It makes connecting to a wide variety of data sources much easier. There is a built-in language for complex calculations, and it has an excellent natural language interface. The underlying data structure is like Excel and makes it easy to create simple reports and dashboards
Power Apps allows for the creation of simple apps which can run on any device. The tool interface is highly intuitive and allows for drag and drop programming logic. Linking to the various data sources is simple. Power Apps has been used to create applications such as shop floor data collection, quoting systems used in the field, inventory lookup operations, order taking, and simple warehouse management. The uses are unlimited and can range from simple to highly complex.
Power Automate is used to create simple workflows to help automate repetitive tasks. As with all the Power Platform tools, this has a drag and drop interface for programming logic. The tool links to hundreds of data sources. It can be used to send automatic notifications of needed approvals, overdue accounts, late orders, and countless other workflows.
Power Virtual Agent is designed to allow users to add chatbots to websites with no coding. It provides the ability to automate the communication with customers in real-time function using AI as a backend.
Innovia has recently dedicated a team of individuals to grow the use of the Power Platform. While there will always be a need for detailed and complex programming, this set of tools allows Innovia to bring our customers additional options which can be built and deployed much faster. Over the next few months, your Customer Engagement Specialist will be talking with you about these new options.
On August 31, we will be having a 4-hour virtual training workshop regarding the Power Platform. The fee for this class is $195 per company. You can see the class details and sign up by following this link. In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out more about the Power Platform, reach out to your Customer Engagement Specialist and they will be happy to help.
Best Regards,
Alan Wyne, CEO
