Power Platform – from hype to application

By Mads de Vries Laursen, Power Platform Team Lead, and Serhat Yildiran, Senior Consultant

 

When Microsoft Power Platform launched in 2018, it created a lot of hype and expectations. Six years later, the hype is behind us and we've found the right productive role for Power Platform.

 

As with most hyped solutions, it required us to find the right way to use it. First of all, we had to realise that even though the solution has a low content of traditional code, it still requires a developer mindset that understands the underlying code.

 

Next, we needed to find the right use. Standard applications do most things, and sometimes professional traditional code is needed to optimise systems with tailored solutions that meet specific business needs.

 

So when should we all use Power Platform?

 

The glue that binds your solutions together

 

Modern business solutions consist of several elements, primarily ERP, CRM, own IP, and 3rd party solutions. Even if you rely on the standard solutions as much as possible, there will still be situations when it is necessary to use either low-code or pro-code to ensure consistency between applications.

 

The benefits of using the low-code tools in Power Platform to tie solutions together include the fact that integrations are easier to develop and maintain than pro-code integrations. Because integrations are performed with standardised tools, they are easier for others to understand and work with.

 

And Dataverse gives us a data foundation for the platform that can ensure there are fewer versions of the "truth" and less need to push data around.

Dataverse is a data storage and management engine that serves as the foundation for Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications.

 

Thanks to Dataverse, data is no longer in individual applications, but in one place. This makes it easier to analyse data from every conceivable angle and report on data that was previously scattered in a variety of different applications. The solutions and integrations you create with Power Platform use and enrich existing, shared data rather than creating additional clutter.

 

Power Platform has also become an important tool in the development process, allowing us to put together the first version of integrations or process automations faster. It won't always be the end product, but it's a time-efficient way to show the value of a solution. Sometimes Power Platform will be strong enough to build the end product, but other times we need pro-code to bind the solution together with even stronger glue.

 

Minimum complexity

 

Cepheo's consulting will always start with standard applications as Microsoft delivers them. Customised pro-code solutions often carry a high risk of unnecessary complexity, as customisation often risks locking you into the people who developed them.

 

When standard solutions are not enough, we prefer to use Power Platform, which ensures a greater degree of systematics and the ability to build modular solutions for the customer.

 

Model-driven Apps is a tool in the Power Platform toolbox that we can use to create an interface completely aligned with the standard applications as Microsoft delivers them. But we also have a platform that offers the ability to customise standard applications with minimal effort, thanks to the low-code tools in Power Platform.

 

Solutions coded from scratch can match your current needs exactly, but risk painting you into a corner when that’s no longer the case. Quite simply, replacing all or part of the solution will often require a lot of work.

 

Because our starting point is standard applications and tools in the Power Platform and a composable architecture, we can build solutions that are easier to maintain, develop and extend.

 

Achieve security and governance with Power Platform

 

Security is an important aspect of any business solution. With Power Platform, security is defined from the data layer up, meaning users can only see the part of the business they need and have the right to see – whether that's in standard applications or through applications we've bundled together.

 

Microsoft is investing heavily in the overall security and governance of the Power Platform. That includes continuous updates and improvements to the platform's security features, ensuring that we always have access to the latest security technologies and practices.

 

Whether we use standard apps or develop custom parts, Power Platform ensures that security is built-in and consistent across all components. This means that you can rest assured that your data is protected no matter how you choose to use the platform.

 

An essential tool

 

Power Platform has proven to be a crucial resource in the modern business world and we have found a stable and productive use of the platform. For example, automating daily processes with Power Automate, simple but effective customer portals with Power Pages, or a Model-Driven App that can be tailored to selected processes and purposes that are not part of the standard solutions from Microsoft or Cepheo's own industry solutions.

By building on standard applications and solutions created with the Power Platform, we can deliver efficient, secure and adaptable business solutions that can meet current needs and prepare you for the future in a flexible and efficient way.