The Clearly Podcast
Join us every Monday as we discuss all aspects on Data together with Analytics and cover comparisons in the market, considerations and deployment guidance. Clearly are leaders in Data and Analytics, a Microsoft Gold Partner and formed to help organisations with their data challenges. To find out more about our services and the help we can offer, contact us at one of the websites below: North America: https://clearlysolutions.net/ UK and Europe: https://www.clearlycloudy.co.uk/
The Clearly Podcast
Digital Transformation on the Power Platform
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Clearly Podcasting
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Season 5
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Episode 18
Utilizing Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365 for Digital Transformation
Introduction:
The discussion focuses on Power Platform, digital transformation, and the use of Excel as a business app. The goal is to explore real-world examples of using Power Platform and Microsoft 365 technologies to create technical solutions for digital transformation through seven scenarios.
1. Annual Budgets
- To handle annual budgets, build an app to capture and store budget information in Dataverse.
- The app allows multiple users to edit simultaneously without locking cells, centralizing data and avoiding tracking issues associated with email and Excel.
- Once data is captured, it can be uploaded to financial tools like Microsoft Dynamics for further processing and tracking progress against budgets.
2. Holiday/Vacation Planner
- Create a holiday/vacation planner using a model-driven app for mobile users to submit requests.
- Capture data in Dataverse, track leave days, and send approval emails via Power Automate.
- Automate calendar blocking and out-of-office notifications.
- Integrate with Exchange for managing notifications and calendar events, and include Power BI reports for leave tracking.
3. Expenses with Authorizations
- Manage expenses using a mobile app to photograph receipts and submit claims.
- Store documents in SharePoint or Dataverse. SharePoint offers better searchability, while Dataverse provides secure file attachments.
- Address complexities of US-centric expense systems and automate tax calculations.
4. Creating and Sharing Reports
- Power BI is the recommended tool for sharing reports, offering both interactive and fixed-format (paginated) reports.
- While Excel can be useful for localized exploratory work, Power BI is ideal for sharing to avoid versioning issues.
5. Internal Contracts
- Replace Excel spreadsheets with Power Platform and SharePoint to manage internal contracts.
- Centralize contract data in Dataverse with model-driven and canvas apps, enhancing searchability and document management.
6. Customer Portals
- Use Power Pages to allow external users to access information without individual licenses.
- Enable customers to self-serve for invoices, receipts, and order history, reducing customer service calls.
- Integrate with courier systems for delivery information, providing tracking details and reducing inquiries about order status.
7. Microsoft Planner for Project Plans
- Utilize Microsoft Planner for project management, leveraging its Kanban functionality.
8. Joiners, Movers, Leavers (JML) Process
- Automate the JML process with Power Platform to streamline provisioning, updating records, and managing access.
- This automation saves time and improves security in handling JML tasks.
- Emphasize that automating non-value-adding processes like JML can significantly enhance efficiency.