Microsoft: Power Platform

The Microsoft Power Platform is a system of applications which work together to enable users, from managers to employees, to have a positive impact on the business and its customers. There are three parts to the system: Power BI, Flow and PowerApps. Although each application can be used individually, it is the combination of all three which produces the greatest benefit for organisations.

Power BI

Power BI is a business intelligence software which allows users to analyse and visualise data to produce useful and actionable business insights without the need for technical skills. Data can be imported into Power BI from a number of different sources, such as excel spreadsheets and on premise or cloud-based datacentres. Power BI can be used on the desktop application called Power BI Desktop, the online software-as-a-service application called the Power BI Service, or through the mobile application.

There several central components of Power BI: Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, Power Map, Power BI Service and Power BI Q&A.

Power Query

Power Query is used to extract, clean and transform data from a range of different sources, such as databases including SQL Server and MySQL, files such as Excel, JSON and CSV, and other applications such as Azure and Outlook.

Power Pivot

Power Pivot is a data modelling tool which allows users to create data models where data is structured in a way to show the inter-relationships and hierarchies between different data elements. For example, if two different datasets contain common data in their columns, users can use Power Pivot to easily create relationships between the two datasets by using the drag and drop feature.

Power View

Power View is the main data visualisation tool within Power BI and it allows users to create interactive data visualisation in a number of different formats, such as graphs, charts and treemaps. Users can use slicers to slice and dice the data to explore insights in greater detail.

Power Map

Power Map is an interactive data visualisation tool that enables users to discover and explore insights in 3D which may not have been possible with 2D charts and tables. Due to its integration with Bing, users can explore the data broken down by geographical location.

Power BI Service

Power BI Service is a component which allows users to keep up-to-date with information about their organisation. A central feature of Power BI Service is that users can share dashboards which present insights through interactive data visualisations. Dashboards are made up of tiles, with each tile showing a different data visualisation. Tiles pull data from on premise and cloud-based datasets as their source and will update as the data changes.

Power Q&A

Power Q&A is a natural language tool for asking questions about data in English, rather than in a programming language. Users can ask questions about the data model they have built and imported into Power BI and receive answers quickly and easily. This feature allows users to explore insights that they may not have discovered otherwise.

For example, if the data contains a number of columns with the titles “region”, “quarter” and “sales”, a user can type the following question into Q&A: “sales by region in the last quarter as a bar chart”, and Q&A will produce a bar chart showing that information. If users do not specify which type of visualisation they want the data to be presented in, Q&A will choose the best type based on the data. Q&A also includes keywords contained in the dataset to help uses ask meaningful questions about the data. Another way in which Q&A helps uses is that it comes with an auto-complete feature, which predicts the question the user is going to ask.

Flow

Microsoft Flow is a cloud-based software that allows users automate tasks between applications without the need for any technical skills. To do this, users create workflows, known as flows, by specifying the action that should occur when an event happens. Flow can be used to automate a vast number to different tasks, using applications within the Microsoft Suite, such as Dynamics 365, Office 365, and applications outside of the Suite, such as Dropbox, SQL Server, Twitter, Salesforce and GitHub.

Benefits include:

• Streamline day to day tasks
• Easily share and access business data
• Collaborate on a common platform
• Improve workforce productivity

One way in which Flow can be used is to automate the process of sending an email after an event has occurred. For example, when the status of a lead is updated on Microsoft Dynamics, a flow can be created to automate an email to be sent around specifying the details of the update to the appropriate staff. Although users are free to create their own flows, the application contains an extensive range of flow templates, allowing users to quickly choose the flows they need to automate processes.

It is also possible to build connectors to systems, such as bespoke-developed applications.

PowerApps

PowerApps is a platform-as-a-service application development software in which users can create and share mobile apps for business use that run on a variety of operating systems, such as iOS, Android, Windows and most internet browsers. Rather than having to develop an app for each OS individually, the apps users create run on the PowerApps app. This cuts down the time and cost involved in development drastically.

The aim of PowerApps is to enable users to create business solutions without the need of technical expertise. It does this by presenting an intuitive, user-friendly interface in which users to utilise drag and drop functionality to create apps. Although PowerApps does require the use of formulas, these formulas are based on those used in Excel to optimise ease of use. The key benefit of this is that it makes solving business issues accessible to those who would not necessarily have been involved in a traditionally technical task, bringing new ideas that add value to the business.

Much like Flow, PowerApps can be used with a number of different applications, such as Dynamics 365, SQl Server, SAP, Oracle and Dropbox.

There are two methods for creating PowerApps:

• Canvas Driven
• Model Driven

Canvas Apps is a visual canvas to help you design and build apps – the aim is to provide a comfortable environment to create what is needed. Rather than using complicated coding or programming tools, users can drag and drop various elements into the canvas from whatever is required. Throughout, it’s possible to format the right conditions and settings that are needed to make the application work. Existing data sources can be integrated natively without any issues.

Model apps can run as either a standalone or as the backend to a canvas app. One of the core benefits of Model-driven apps is their ability to generate data models. When inputted, the data is defined as a structure which allows the app to conform to your information. Similarly, developing an application utilises consistent business processed. Once this is all finished, the app designer would then be used to develop the final product. No matter how complex or easy, what matters are the steps that provide the basis for its completion. The simple application architecture allows the app to be customised, without creating new code.

Microsoft: File storage and collaboration

Microsoft has a several different file storage and collaboration solutions which can be deployed within organisations to allow sharing, interaction and collaboration between employees.

SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online is Microsoft’s cloud-based tool which is designed to foster an environment of sharing and collaboration within organisations. One of the primary ways organisations use SharePoint is to manage and share resources within organisations by storing them on the cloud. Rather than storing documents in a single location, storing resources on the cloud allows users to access documents from any device, and interact and collaborate with others across the organisation.

Organisations can also use SharePoint as an enterprise content management system, in that it can be useful as a means to efficiently store and organising data and information on a system that can be accessed by the internet. However, there are also many other ways in which organisations can deploy and use SharePoint, such as the creation and management of websites, customer relationship management, networking facilitation, business intelligence and workflow management.

Organisations wishing to maintain control over their data and have a greater ability to customise SharePoint to meet their needs can deploy SharePoint Server, which is installed on premise. This may be preferable for organisations that hold sensitive and classified data.

Some uses of Sharepoint are:

• Intranet Portals,
• Document & File Management,
• Social Networks,
• Websites,
• Extranets,
• Advanced Search Functionality
• Increased Business Intelligence solutions

Collaboration abilities allow more than one team member to access, edit, and annotate a document simultaneously. Team members can collaborate to formulate the document by breaking down tasks or sections, and SharePoint will cohesively stitch together a complete document on the fly as they work.

It’s also possible to use Sharepoint as a document storage repository when using other Microsoft applications, such as Dynamics365. There is seamless integration between these products, and implementations of this can have major benefits in terms of storage pricing (Sharepoint storage is somewhat of a fraction of the cost of Dynamics storage – the benefits of this are seen when implementing solutions that will need to scale up over time). It can be used for attachments, emails, etc

OneDrive for Business

OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service that allows users to store files and access them from anywhere on any device. Due to its integration with Office 365, OneDrive enables users create and edit documents on the cloud, and share these documents to collaborate with others. Local copies of documents can be downloaded from the cloud to view and edit offline (with then synchronising back online when re-connected). The service can be used for both personal and business/school use, but the latter service is managed internally in the organisation and is referred to as OneDrive for Business.

Following on from the information for Sharepoint above, OneDrive for Business with Dynamics 365 is a great way to expand on SharePoint integration by allowing users to associate documents to SharePoint-enabled entities from their own OneDrive for Business folders. This does need Sharepoint to already be in place and integrated with Dynamics365 in order to work

Delve

Microsoft Delve is a cloud-based solution powered by Office Graph, which is a repository of user content and activity, and the inter-relationships between them. Essentially, Delve provides users with up to date information on what they are currently working on and who they are working with, and helps increase interaction and collaboration between employees within organisations.

The purpose of Delve is generally to be able to present in front of us what we need before we even ask for it. An example of this could be an upcoming meeting – Delve should be able to show you the related documents for the meeting (subject to security controls – if you don’t have security access to view the files, they won’t be displayed)

On Delve, all users can create and update their Office 365 profile with their professional interests, current projects, skills and certifications. Users also receive a personalised home page, which enables them to discover important information from across the Office 365 Suite, such as emails, events, contacts and documents. The home page provides users with links to their recently accessed documents, other user’s profiles and a content feed. This content feed uses machine learning and artificial intelligence which tracks user activity and interaction to present content that may be of interest to the user.

Microsoft: Visio

Visio is a piece of software which enables users to create a variety of different both 2D and 3D diagrams, and is designed to make this process as easy and intuitive as possible. Visio can be used to create any sort of diagrams users need, from simple organisation charts to more complex process maps with multiple swim lanes and decision points.

Other examples of the kinds of diagrams that can be created include building and office plans, timelines, Gantt charts and brainstorming diagrams.

General benefits include:

• Easy access to shapes and stencils, and a new status bar that helps you move more efficiently within and between your diagrams.
• Add and align shapes easily and accurately with features such as the Quick Shapes Mini Toolbar, enhanced dynamic grid, automatic layout adjustment, and page Auto Size.
• Simplify large and complex diagrams using Sub-processes and Containers to group related shapes visually and logically.
• Check diagrams against business rules and logic to ensure accuracy and consistency in diagrams. With a one click, you can validate a diagram to make sure if it’s logical and property constructed.
• Create and monitor SharePoint workflows more easily than ever with a new advanced template that contains SharePoint workflow rules and logic.

To build these diagrams, users can either select one of the pre-built templates, customising it as they wish, or they can start from scratch and use some of the several hundred shapes that are available. If users cannot find the templates or shapes they required, they have the option of downloading more templates from the internet or creating and importing their own shapes. Users also have the option of importing data and information from other application in Microsoft Office, such as Excel and Access.

Visio is available through the cloud and on premises. For cloud usage, users have two plan options, named Visio Online Plan 1 and Plan 2. The former is a better option for those wanting to create simple diagrams, whereas the latter is more suited for the creation of professional diagrams with data integration. Included in Plan 2 is access to the on premises application, whereas Plan 1 is cloud-only.

For using Visio on premise, two different licenses can be purchased: Standard and Professional. The Standard license has basic functionality and enables users to create and share diagrams. The Professional license, on the other hand, enables users to do much more. Multiple users can collaborate on the same diagram simultaneously and diagrams can be linked to data, with the diagrams updating automatically as the data changes. Professional users also have access to more templates. The Professional license comes as part of an Office 365 subscription.

Microsoft: Project Management Applications

Project

Project is a project management software that is available through the cloud, known as Project Online, and on premises, known as Project Server. It enables project managers to plan and organise projects, assign and schedule tasks, track and monitor progress, manage budgets, analyse workloads and generate reports. Project comes with pre-built templates of a range of project management documentation, which reduces the time wasted on starting these documents from scratch and allows users to focus their efforts on more valuable tasks.

It is also possible to build custom templates to suit specific project types, or that could be used across multiple projects.

Project has a range of functionality that users can utilise. For example, users can easily track the availability of resources that an organisation has at its disposal. Each resource within an organisation is given a calendar that lists its availability and Project is able to schedule tasks based on these calendars.

Some of the main functionalities are:

• Planning & Scheduling
• Project Timeline View
• Collaboration
• Reporting
• Resource Management
• Multiple Projects
• Different Views

An additional bonus is in dealing with ‘What If’ scenarios. It’s common to be asked how timelines can be changed (usually to bring them forward) – Project allows you to easily go back and modify the criteria (eg resource availability, parallel-pathing of tasks, etc) to see if a more appealing scenario could be an option.

Project Online, the cloud-based solution, is available on a per-user monthly subscription plan with the options for the Essentials, Professional and Premium packages. It also integrates natively with Office365, for seamless working. This allows the various Office365 applications to be included and utilised for their functionality

Project Server comes in two versions, Standard and Professional, and is available for an upfront fee.

Planner

Microsoft Planner is a project management solution which allows has a range of functionality to assist project managers in their role, for example creating plans, scheduling and distributing work, tracking progress and managing time. Using Planner enables project teams to easily share their documents to the whole by uploading them to a central repository, which allows organisations to increase collaboration, transparency, coordination and team working.

Much like the other applications in the Microsoft family, users benefit from Planner’s close integration with other Office 365 applications, such as Outlook, SharePoint and Teams.

Planner uses task cards arranged into columns, with a set of columns forming a ‘board’ for a project. This allows the tasks to be viewed visually at a high level, being able to easily see how/where they are included in the project.

A common use for Planner is in Incident Management. For example, there could be columns for New Issue, Evaluating, In Progress, Closed. Tasks raised would be progressed through the different stages, and would be allocated to an individual to take control of.

Planner is available on the following Office 365 subscriptions: Enterprise (E1, E3 and E5), Education, Business Essentials and Business Premium. It is not available for personal use.

Microsoft: Presentations

PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a program which offers users the ability to create presentations to display information. PowerPoint come with a wide range of templates for a number of different kinds of documents which can be used to customise the way in which information is presented on the slides. This allows staff to focus their time on the information and data rather than on formatting.

PowerPoint has been the traditional presentation software in the Microsoft Stack for a number of years, and is considered to be ‘Business Standard’ in many organisations.

Presentations can be created using a wide range of options, utilising media such as images, GIF’s, tables/charts, audio, videos, etc. Different viewing effects are also available, to create a richer display for viewers to gain further information from.

Presenters can keep track of their notes, which are only visible on the device that the presentation is being displayed from; viewers of the presentation cannot see these.

Using Office365 through a browser, presentations can be created, edited, viewed and shared. It’s also possible to have collaboration on a presentation by multiple people in ‘real-time’

PowerPoint can be used in a number of different effective ways to communicate with your audience. Slides are completely customizable to fit your needs. Depending on your approach, you may want to have a presentation that is text-heavy, image-heavy or some combination of both. Text-heavy presentations are generally good if you are giving a lecture to a group within your company and want them to take notes. Image-heavy presentations can help to make your presentation more conversational in style since there only visual cues. Combining the two approaches gives listeners the benefits of both visual aids and notes.

Sway

Although PowerPoint is normally the go-to application for producing presentations, Microsoft has another application which is focused towards enabling users to easily create more engaging presentations, with an emphasis on telling a story rather than presenting a topic.

Sway is a presentation software which enables users to create a range of different documents, such as newsletters, business presentations, portfolios and reports. Although Sway and PowerPoint have many of the same functionalities and capabilities, Sway is Microsoft’s attempt to provide users with a more user-friendly application that focuses on creating content that will engage audiences through telling a story. The emphasis on telling a story rather than creating a presentation means that Sway guides users to create a storyline and narrative, rather than individual, segmented slides of a presentation.

Sway comes with a number of in-built templates to help begin the process of creating presentations, or ‘Sways’. This enables users with non-design backgrounds to easily create Sways that are both visually striking and engaging. If users cannot find a template to start with, they have the option of searching a topic and Sway will produce an outline of a Sway based on this topic for them to use.

It helps gather, format, and share reports, newsletters, web pages, and presentations on an interactive, web-based canvas that that presents well on almost any screen. The collaboration allows you to invite others to be able to edit the story as well in ‘real-time’. It’s also possible to include videos (eg YouTube) and other content from external sources.

Sway is exclusively cloud-based and a free version is available to all users with an Outlook account. An upgraded version is also available in most Office 365 subscriptions for Home and Business.

Presentations can be published to external (public-facing) websites, and include analytics that will show you how many people have viewed it