Getting Started on Low-code and no -code platforms: A Microsoft Power Platform Series
Hello. If it’s not too late, I’d like to wish my readers, followers, fellow developers and tech enthusiasts, a Happy 2023. I hope this new year brings new opportunities in tech for all of us to solve problems using it. My motivation for this year is the concept behind this quote, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today”. I also hope that you find inspiration from my articles and share them within your communities.
What exactly is low-code and no-code development? It is development that has been designed for people who either do not know how to code or have no time to code. Lately, there has been a migration to low-code and no-code environments and this article seeks to demonstrate how to get started with Microsoft Power Platform.
The inception of low-code and no-code platforms was brought about by the need to enable business owners to use technology in running their business without having to learn how to code. One of the best places to deploy such solutions is Microsoft Power Platform.
The five key features of Microsoft Power Platform are:
- Power Apps provide a rapid low code development environment for building custom apps for business needs. It enables the creation of web and mobile applications that run on all devices.
- Power Automate lets users create automated workflows between applications and services. It helps automate repetitive business processes such as communication, data collections and decision approvals.
- Power BI (Business Intelligence) is a business analytics service that delivers insights for analyzing data. It can share insights through data visualizations, which make up reports and dashboards to enable fast, informed decisions.
- Power Virtual Agents enables you to create powerful chat bots using a guided, no-code graphical interface. It minimizes IT effort required to deploy and maintain a custom solution by empowering subject matter experts to build and maintain their own conversational solutions.
- Power Pages for quickly building customizable, low-code business websites. It empowers you to build low-code, scalable, and secure business-centric websites using pre-built templates and tools.
PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Microsoft Power Platform can add value to any business by helping you to analyze, act, and automate. Act by building custom apps in Power Apps, automate processes based on the data you collect in Power Automate, and analyze the data you have collected in Power BI.
FEATURES
These enable Microsoft Power Platform to be leveraged to its full potential. Some of these are:
AI Builder: This lets users and developers add AI capabilities to the workflows and Power Apps they create and use. AI Builder is a turnkey solution that allows one to easily add intelligence to workflows and apps and predict outcomes to help improve business performance without writing code.
Microsoft Dataverse: is a scalable data and app platform which lets users securely store and manage data from multiple sources and integrate that data in business applications using a common data model to ensure ease and consistency to users. Microsoft Dataverse is the common currency that enables the components of Microsoft Power Platform to work together. It’s the foundation that enables the consolidation, display and manipulation of data.
Connectors: enable you to connect apps, data and devices in the cloud. Consider connectors the bridge across which information and commands travel. There are more than 600 connectors for Microsoft Power Platform, enabling all of your data and actions to connect cohesively. Examples of popular connectors include Salesforce, Office 365, Twitter, Dropbox, Google services, and more.
What tools will you need to get started?
Office 365 developer account- The Microsoft 365 Developer Program gives you the opportunity to build solutions that integrate apps and business processes to enhance productivity in the modern workplace.
Microsoft Learn has modules and learning paths on Power Platform, including exercises and projects to practice your skills. For example the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals Learning Path, here.
Stay tuned for the rest of the articles on this series on Microsoft Power Platform. Cheers to a fruitful 2023!
Happy Developing ✨