In the fast-paced world of digital innovation, app development is moving towards a more streamlined, agile, and intuitive model. Low-code development tools are set to play a central role in this transformation. According to Gartner®, by 2026, these tools will account for a staggering 75% of all new application development. Developers are turning to the Microsoft Power Platform to facilitate this significant shift.
The Microsoft Power Platform is evolving the way developers work, providing a comprehensive low-code platform that bolsters productivity and accelerates the process of building solutions. Developers can harness this platform to create custom applications, automate processes, and manage information across organizations.
Over the past three months, Microsoft has integrated AI capabilities that are set to further revolutionize development and redefine how businesses operate. Today, we’re going to explore some of these exciting updates and previews.
Microsoft Power Platform Developer Building Next-Generation Websites With Copilot
Microsoft has introduced Copilot in Power Pages, a feature now in preview for US customers, that leverages next-gen generative AI to fast-track the website-building process. Now, developers can quickly generate text using natural language descriptions, auto-generate tables in Microsoft Dataverse, and build data-centric forms simply by describing the type of form required.
Copilot can also create webpage layouts, formulate images, and customize site themes for visual setup. Furthermore, developers can now incorporate a Power Virtual Agents chatbot into their Power Pages site with a single click. This chatbot utilizes generative AI to respond instantly to user questions, streamlining the process of creating a Power Pages site.
Microsoft Power Platform Developers Enhancing Data Insights With Copilot in Power Bi
On another front, Microsoft is infusing the power of large language models into Power BI with the introduction of Copilot. This new feature, currently in private preview, allows users to transform data into insights faster. Users can simply describe the visuals and insights they’re seeking, and Copilot will take care of the rest.
Users can quickly create and customize reports, generate and edit Data Analysis Expressions calculations, create narrative summaries, and even ask questions about their data in conversational language.
Redefining Bot Creation with Power Virtual Agents and Generative AI
Bots are becoming more sophisticated and efficient with the new generation of AI. Microsoft Power Virtual Agents now uses generative answers for rich, multi-turn conversations with customers. Bots can now intelligently handle customer queries by searching through bases for the appropriate response.
Microsoft has also introduced a unified authoring canvas in Power Virtual Agents, which merges the powerful capabilities of Microsoft Bot Framework Composer with the intuitive authoring experience of Power Virtual Agents. This platform allows any team member, from low-code makers to professional developers, to collaborate within Power Virtual Agents using rich multi-author capabilities.
Power Apps Microsoft Development Service Now Has a Wider Range of Customization With Power Automate
Power Automate is introducing a new way for developers to build custom actions in desktop flows with the Actions SDK, currently in public preview. Developers can now extend the library of actions available in desktop flows to interact with their commonly used or in-house apps.
Enhancing Productivity with Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft Power Platform’s Managed Environments now provides a catalog of enterprise-approved templates and components. Developers can publish artifacts such as apps, flows, and bots for their organization to use in their own solutions using the PAC CLI and GitHub actions. This feature creates an audit trail and reduces time and cost for every new application.
Overall, these advancements signal a paradigm shift in the world of app development. With Microsoft’s Power Platform, the future of app development is here, empowering developers to work smarter, not harder. This is just the beginning; we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
