New Power Platform features in the 2023 release wave 1

The Power Platform is a set of low or no code tools that can be combined with Office 365, Dynamics 365, Azure, and hundreds of other applications to build robust business solutions. The Power Platform enables organizations to better analyze data, automate processes, build custom applications, and create virtual agents.

Microsoft recently released the plans for the 2023 release wave 1 for the Power Platform. In this post, we will highlight a few key updates and enhancements that you can expect to be rolled out from April 2023 to September 2023.

Power Automate has a rich expression language that users can leverage to format different values in cloud flows. However, identifying the appropriate expression to use can be time consuming, especially for inexperienced users. In the 2023 release wave 1 of Power Automate, Microsoft will enable users to use examples of values that you want to format and the desired output and Power Automate will suggest the appropriate expression to use. This new feature will enable users to easily format:

• Dates
• Numbers
• Texts

Available in the 2023 release wave 1, Power Automate will leverage state-of-the-art AI models like GPT3 to take natural language as input to create flows. Users will be able to use everyday natural language to describe the cloud flows that they need and Power Automate will create the flow based on the description of the scenario to automate. This enables users with no-code experience to be able to build different types of automation. Launched for preview in 2022, this feature will reach general availability in May 2023 with the following enhancements:

• Support for more connectors and actions
• Automatic flow parameter filling
• Details to understand how the description of the flow translates to the different flow actions
• Improvement suggestions

Available in May 2023, a new feature will allow users to create more complex approval workflows within Microsoft Teams and Power Automate flows. Power Automate flow makers will be able to define multiple levels in an approval flow and assign who must approve them. Once all approvers approve the flow in a request, the approval will flow to the next level for additional approvals. Additionally, all approvers will have access to the history of the approvals at each stage and the outcome.

In addition to the new features listed above, there are a few other noteworthy updates:

• A central consolidated view to monitor performance of flow activities
• Store cloud flow execution history in Microsoft Dataverse
• Use native integration for flows in Excel
• Create desktop flow connections without passwords
• Pass complex data between parent and child desktop flows

Microsoft previously released containers in canvas apps to enhance responsiveness. Responsive design enables apps to scale to the size of the screen it’s being used on, such as mobile. In the 2023 release wave 1 of Power Apps, Microsoft introduces the drag and drop feature to make the responsive layout containers easier than ever to use. This new layout configuration allows app makers to easily reorder controls within responsive layout containers, adding the ability to adjust and resize spacing between them.

Currently, when app makers create table columns, the forms and views used for their model-driven apps are not automatically updated. This means, that every time a new column is created, users will need to manually update their forms and views. In the 2023 release wave 1 of Power Apps, users will be able to update forms and views through the table designer and table hub. To do so, app makers only need to select the new button Update forms and views in the table hub or model-driven app designer.

Virtual tables allow app makers to use existing data from sources like SQL and SharePoint in Dataverse. Although virtual tables have been available, many users found the creation process to be difficult. In the 2023 release wave 1, Microsoft introduces a guided, step-by-step wizard in Power Apps that enables app makers to easily create virtual tables in minutes, without needing coding experience.

In the 2023 release wave 1, Microsoft released new updates and enhancements to Power Apps to promote a modern and easy user experience that boosts productivity. In this release, the following features were added:

• Look up records easily with modern advanced find
• Power BI quick reports in Power Apps enabled by default
• View offline sync icon in the navigation bar
• Fresh look and feel for model-driven Power Apps
• New and refreshed controls for building canvas apps

In this release wave, Microsoft is adding the ability to include Power BI content seamlessly in Teams meetings and presentations. Users will have access to a new in-meeting experience for Teams where they can add the Power BI tab and reports. Users can seamlessly find reports, organize reports, and present those reports during meetings. This new functionality enables organizations to keep everyone up to date while using relevant data to make important decisions.

In the 2023 release wave 1 of Power BI, Microsoft is improving multitasking users experiences in the Power BI app for Teams. By enhancing multi-tasking, users can be more productive and respond quickly to colleagues without losing the work they were doing. New capabilities in this release include:

• Keep your place for one hour – When users navigate to a chat, meeting, or channel from a report in Power BI, Power BI will remember where they were. If the users navigates back to the Power BI app, Power BI will automatically pull up the same report and page they were on.
• Back button support – Power BI users often view multiple reports in Teams. Users now have access to a back button to navigate back to previous content they saw in the Power BI app.
• Caching – When users switch from the Power BI app in Teams to another app, Power BI will leverage caching to ensure the Power BI app loads faster the next time it is opened.

In September 2023, Power BI premium users will access new functionality that allows them to send out paginated report email subscriptions while ensuring each recipient receives a unique copy of the report. To send out unique reports, Power BI users can use parameters to filter data and specify which parameters should be applied for each recipient of an email subscription. For example, if you have a report with a geography parameter, this new feature will enable you to send out the same report to your sales reps with each individual receiving a copy of the report containing only customers in their region.

In addition to the new features listed above, there are a few other noteworthy updates:

• Automate migration from Azure Analysis Services to Power BI Premium
• Restrict access to content in the Power BI service using sensitivity labels
• Control visual formatting with improved capabilities
• Explore single visuals with quick create
• Combine existing mapping visuals into one with Azure Maps

Rand Group is your Power Platform support partner to highlight new Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate features that your organization should utilize, train your users on the new features, and perform system checks to ensure all modules are performing as planned after each release wave. Microsoft has planned numerous updates, enhancements, and new features in addition to those listed above. To learn more about these features, contact Rand Group today.