Microsoft Power Platform is designed to help you develop business solutions, analyse data and automate processes. In other words, it’s Microsoft’s answer to creating citizen developers - users who are empowered to develop new or change existing business solutions without needing the IT team’s help.
For manufacturers, this offers many opportunities to streamline business processes, replace manual work with automation, improve productivity and more. This is what we discuss in the fourth episode of our podcast series, ColumbusCast.
Our Head of Shared Consulting Services Martin Clothier and I sit down to talk about the Power Platform and how it can be used operationally in manufacturing and distribution organisations.
As a quick overview, here are the products that make up the Power Platform stack:
Here are some additional products you should know about:
No. While you have a common data model (which is shared), you can also create your own. There’s no limitation in the data definition set - you can create your own and customise existing entities as and when you need.
There are two main types of apps that Power users can build: a canvas app and a model-driven app (also known as data-driven).
A canvas app is exactly how it sounds - Power Apps provides you with a blank canvas and you can move the components where you need them to build your user interface.
A model-driven app follows a more data-focused approach than the canvas app. While you can still quickly add components (e.g. dashboards, charts, forms etc) to your apps, most of the user interface components will be based on data that you choose. So, the design process is typically more rigid but there is still some room for customisation.
This makes the model-driven app the better choice for apps that need complex business logic - such as end-to-end solutions that involve multiple processes and users from different teams. Canvas apps are more ideal for task-based or role-based solutions.
So, I’ve covered the basics of Power Platform - what it is and what it can do. But how does that translate in the manufacturing world? Here are some real world examples of the Power Platform in action.
If something goes wrong in the field, rather than physically writing down the issue and sending it to head office to be solved, remote case logging allows you to immediately submit information about the issue from the field. Complete with pics, videos and any other supporting media/evidence.
Not only does this eliminate the need for manual work and keeping hard copies, but issues can be flagged and corrected faster.
Here’s another example: Microsoft Power Platform can simplify data, making it easier for you to find and analyse what you need, when you need it. This is particularly vital if you’re in a meeting or you’re out in the field and you need to find a specific set of data.
Power Platform presents a subset of the data you should be focusing on, plus the ability to quickly update it as you go.
Overall, it’s about being able to digitise data so you can act on it quickly and make timely, better informed decisions.
In addition to the above, Martin and I also dig into:
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To find out more about the Power Platform and how you can wield it to your advantage, download our guide. We cover data mobility projects, how to ensure they succeed and the importance of user adoption.