Getting started with the Microsoft Power Platform

The goal is to empower you (and your colleagues) to build solutions *without* necessarily needing deep coding expertise, focusing on productivity boosts and automating those repetitive tasks.

What is the Power Platform?

Think of it as a suite of low-code/no-code tools that work seamlessly with Microsoft 365 (and many other services) to:

1. Power Apps: Build custom applications (mobile or web) for specific tasks or processes.
   

2. Power Automate: Automate workflows and repetitive tasks between different apps and services.
   

3. Power BI: Analyze data and create interactive dashboards and reports (often used alongside the others, but slightly different focus).
   

4. Power Virtual Agents: Build intelligent chatbots without code.
   

5. (Underlying) Dataverse: A secure, scalable data platform to store and manage data used by your Power Platform solutions (think of it as a sophisticated database optimized for business apps).

For quick and easy productivity gains and automation, we’ll primarily focus on Power Apps and Power Automate.

Prerequisites & Access

1. Microsoft 365 License: Most standard Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise licenses (like E3, E5, Business Standard, Business Premium) include foundational Power Platform capabilities. This typically covers:
   
   • Running apps.
     

   • Creating flows with Standard connectors (like SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Forms, Excel Online).
     

   • Limited Dataverse usage.
     

   • Important Note: Using Premium connectors (like SQL Server, Salesforce, custom APIs), AI Builder features, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), or extensive Dataverse capacity often requires additional standalone Power Apps or Power Automate licenses. Start with what’s included first!
2. Accessing the Tools:
   • Go to Office.com and sign in with your work account.
     

   • Click the App Launcher (the “waffle” icon, 9 dots) in the top-left corner.
     

   • You should see icons for Power Apps and Power Automate. If not, click “All apps”.
     

   • Alternatively, go directly to:
     
     • make.powerapps.com for Power Apps
       

     • make.powerautomate.com (or flow.microsoft.com) for Power Automate

Getting Started: The Strategy

The key is to start small and focus on a specific pain point. Don’t try to boil the ocean.

1. Identify a Bottleneck or Repetitive Task: What’s something you or your team does regularly that is manual, time-consuming, or prone to errors?
   
   • Examples: Manually copying data from an email into a spreadsheet, chasing people for approvals, collecting information via long email chains, tracking simple requests on paper or a shared doc.
2. Choose the Right Tool (Initially):
   • Need to automate a process that runs in the background? (e.g., save email attachments, notify a team when a file is updated, request approval) -> Power Automate is likely your best bet.
     

   • Need a user interface to interact with data or kick off a process? (e.g., a simple form to submit requests, a way to view and update items in a list, a checklist app) -> Power Apps is probably the way to go. Often, Power Apps and Power Automate work together.
3. Leverage Templates: This is the ABSOLUTE EASIEST way to start. Both Power Apps and Power Automate have extensive template galleries based on common scenarios.
   

4. Connect Your M365 Services: The real power comes from connecting the tools you already use (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Forms, Planner, etc.).
   

5. Build, Test, Iterate: Your first attempt won’t be perfect. Build something simple, test it, get feedback, and refine it.

Detailed Steps with Examples:

Scenario 1: Automating Email Attachments to OneDrive (Using Power Automate)

• Pain Point: You receive regular reports via email from a specific sender and have to manually save the attachments to a designated OneDrive folder.

• Tool: Power Automate

• Steps:

  1. Go to make.powerautomate.com.
     

  2. On the left menu, click Templates.
     

  3. Search for “Save email attachments to OneDrive”. You’ll find several variations. Select one like “Save Office 365 email attachments to a specified OneDrive for Business folder”.
     

  4. Review the flow description and the connections it needs (Office 365 Outlook, OneDrive for Business).
     

  5. Click Continue. Power Automate will check if you’re already signed into these services or prompt you to sign in.
     

  6. Configure the Trigger: The template likely starts with the “When a new email arrives (V3)” trigger. You need to customize it:
     
     • Folder: Usually Inbox.
       

     • From: Enter the specific email address of the sender.
       

     • Include Attachments: Set to Yes.
       

     • Subject Filter: (Optional but recommended) Enter keywords from the subject line to be more specific (e.g., “Weekly Report”).
  7. Configure the Action(s): The template will have actions like “Apply to each” (to handle multiple attachments) and “Create file” (for OneDrive).
     
     • In the “Create file” action:
       
       • Folder Path: Click the folder icon and navigate to the exact OneDrive folder where you want to save the files.
         

       • File Name: The template usually pre-fills this with Attachments Name (dynamic content from the trigger). This is good.
         

       • File Content: The template usually pre-fills this with Attachments Content. This is also good.
  8. Save the flow.
     

  9. Test the flow. You can use the “Test” button in the top-right. Choose “Manually” and then trigger the flow by having an email sent that matches your criteria (or use a recent email if available via automatic testing).
     

  10. Turn it On: Once saved, the flow is active and will run automatically whenever a new email matching your criteria arrives.

• Productivity Gain: Saves you minutes every time that email arrives, reduces the chance of forgetting, and keeps files organized automatically.

Scenario 2: Creating a Simple Request Form/Tracker (Using Power Apps & SharePoint)

• Pain Point: Your team uses email or chat to request small IT support items, making them hard to track and manage.

• Tools: SharePoint (for data storage), Power Apps (for the user interface)

• Steps:

  1. Create a SharePoint List:
     • Go to your team’s SharePoint site (or create a new one).
       

     • Click + New > List.
       

     • Choose Blank list. Name it something like “IT Support Requests”.
       

     • Add columns relevant to the request:
       
       • Title (Rename to “Short Description” – required by default)
         

       • Requester (Person or Group column, default to current user)
         

       • RequestDetails (Multiple lines of text)
         

       • Urgency (Choice column: High, Medium, Low)
         

       • Status (Choice column: New, In Progress, Completed, Cancelled – default to ‘New’)
         

       • AssignedTo (Person or Group column – optional initially)
         

       • CompletionDate (Date and Time column – optional)
  2. Create the Power App:
     • Go to make.powerapps.com.
       

     • Click Create > SharePoint.
       

     • It will ask you to select or enter a SharePoint site URL. Find your site.
       

     • Select the “IT Support Requests” list you just created.
       

     • Click Create.
  3. Automatic App Generation: Power Apps will automatically generate a basic 3-screen app (Browse, View Details, Edit/Create New) based on your SharePoint list columns!
     

  4. Customize (Optional but Recommended):
     • Browse Screen: Select the gallery (the list of items). In the right-hand pane (or top formula bar), you can change which fields are displayed. Maybe show Title, Requester, and Status.
       

     • Edit/New Screen: Select the form. In the right-hand pane, click “Edit fields”. You can reorder fields, change control types (e.g., make RequestDetails bigger), or remove fields you don’t want users filling in (like AssignedTo if only IT assigns). Set the default value for Status to “New”.
       

     • Theme/Colors: Use the “Theme” option on the Home tab to quickly change the look and feel.
  5. Save the app (give it a meaningful name like “IT Request App”).
     

  6. Publish the app.
     

  7. Share the app:
     
     • Click Share (top right or from the app list).
       

     • Enter the names or email addresses of the colleagues who need to submit requests.
       

     • Crucially: Make sure they also have permission to access the underlying SharePoint list! Grant them “Contribute” access to the list itself in SharePoint.
       

     • Decide if you want to send an email invitation.
  8. Accessing the App: Users can access the app via the Power Apps mobile client, directly from the web link you share, or you can even embed it within a SharePoint page or Microsoft Teams tab for easier access.

• Productivity Gain: Centralized request tracking, standardized information collection, clear status visibility, replaces messy email/chat trails.

Further Steps & Learning:

1. Explore More Templates: Both Power Apps and Power Automate have hundreds. Browse them for inspiration.
   

2. Learn about Connectors: Understand the difference between Standard (included with M365) and Premium (require extra licenses). Explore the vast list of available connectors.
   

3. Combine Power Apps and Power Automate:
   • Trigger a Power Automate flow from a Power App button (e.g., when a new IT request is submitted in the app, trigger a flow to post a notification in a Teams channel).
     

   • Use Power Automate to update data that your Power App displays.
4. Microsoft Learn: This is your BEST resource for structured learning. Search for Power Apps and Power Automate paths and modules – many are beginner-focused. (learn.microsoft.com)
   

5. Power Platform Community: Ask questions, see what others are building. (powerusers.microsoft.com)
   

6. Experiment: The best way to learn is by doing. Pick another small task and try to build a solution! Don’t be afraid to try things out in the editor.

Key Mindset:

• Low-Code, Not No-Effort: While you don’t need traditional coding, you do need to think logically about process steps (for Automate) and user interface design (for Apps).
  

• Iterative Improvement: Your first version is just the start. Use it, get feedback, and make it better over time.
  

• Focus on Value: Prioritize automating tasks or building apps that provide the most significant time savings or process improvements first.

By starting small, using templates, and focusing on your existing M365 tools, you can quickly begin leveraging the Power Platform to make a real difference in your daily productivity and reduce manual work. Good luck!