Learn the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals in a Day

Name: Learn the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals in a Day
Rating: 4.4 (23 reviews)

Learn Power Virtual Agents to create bots, Power Automate to automate processes and Power Apps to build internal apps!

Created byShaun Buckley, Fine Tuning Analysis

Last updated 7/2024

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Define the purpose & use cases of each of the Power Platform tools - Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps & Power Virtual Agents
Learn how to create your own Power Virtual Agent (Copilot) within Microsoft Teams which can be published at the organization level
Learn how to build 'Flow's in Power Automate with other 365 tools such as Microsoft Forms, Outlook & also Power BI to drastically reduce manual work
Learn how to Build a full Power App which will be used to store progress on projects & stores the data on Sharepoint, which we then connect to Power BI!
Learn how to utilize ChatGPT to help with the majority of the formula used in Power Apps - enabling you to save huge amounts of time learning the formula
Learn how to use all the Power Platform tools collectively to transform & automate processes!

Course content

11 sections • 67 lectures • 4h 56m total length

What is the goal of this course & how will we use the Power Platform tools?2:30
Outlining the goals of this course
Introduction into the Power Platform & how the tools work collectively.3:53
Master the Microsoft Power Platform by focusing on Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents. Build and automate processes, and create a Power Virtual Agents bot in Teams.

What is Power Virtual Agents & Using them externally on websites.4:50
Explore Power Virtual Agents and Copilot Studio to build external website bots and an internal Teams bot, design topics and triggers, and automate locating documents in SharePoint.
Real Life Case Study - External & Internal use case of Power Virtual Agents0:11
Saving the files that we want the bot to locate users to, on SharePoint.4:49
Create a SharePoint team site, organize documents into folders like construction budgets and floor plans, and use Power Automate to save inspection photos for the bot to locate via Teams.
Downloading the Power Virtual Agents app within Microsoft Teams.0:54
Creating our very first Power Virtual Agent/Copilot!1:39
Create your first power virtual agent copilot, pin it to a team, and customize its icon to build a budget builder on the Power Platform in a day.
Overview of the Canvas of Power Virtual Agents within Microsoft Teams.7:10
Explore the Power Virtual Agents canvas in Microsoft Teams, including topics, entities, and analytics. Learn how to publish to Teams, obtain admin approval, and test greetings and trigger phrases.
Building out our first topic!3:32
Create a new topic from scratch by defining trigger phrases for common documents—budgets, loan documents, floor plans, and contracts—and assemble a simple bot to help locate SharePoint documents.
Utilizing Variables in Topics.2:44
Redirecting to another separate topic within Power Virtual Agents!5:53
Touching on the Call to action node & what this is!2:18
Explore the call to action node in Power Automate, learn to collect user details, save to Excel, and retrieve data from a SharePoint list with Power Virtual Agent, then publish.
Ending with Topic with a survey before we publish the Bot!2:36
Learn how to finalize a Power Virtual Agents bot by ending with a survey or transferring to an agent, publish to Teams, and link to a Power BI dashboard.
Publishing the bot within Microsoft Teams.2:27
Publish and configure a Power Virtual Agent bot in Microsoft Teams to locate documents, answer IT and HR questions, and support employee onboarding, with Power Automate integration later.

What is Power Automate (Cloud version) & how can it help us?3:52
Learn how Power Automate cloud builds flows with triggers, automated or manual starts, and conditional logic, including approvals in Teams with Microsoft Forms and SharePoint storage.
What is a Manual Process?3:53
Define manual processes, highlight errors and boredom, and show how automation can handle data entry, paper checklists, and inspections; examine change resistance and Power Automate cloud versus desktop.
Power Automate Cloud Vs Power Automate Desktop.6:53
Building out our first Automated Flow!9:42
Automate saving email attachments to SharePoint or OneDrive with a Power Automate automated flow that saves bank inspection photos from emails into project folders.
Adding Conditions into your Trigger!3:17
Learn how to use conditions in triggers to stop flows when the subject filter isn't met, with Lucy and Clementine email examples, then add conditions to save only attachments.
Adding in Conditions into your Flow.4:44
Utilizing Templates to build out a similar flow!11:08
Learn to use a Power Automate template to save email attachments to a SharePoint documents library, including triggers, conditions, and basic error handling.
Building out our first Instant Cloud Flow using an Excel Spreadsheet!11:22
Learn to build an instant cloud flow in Power Automate using an Excel table, triggered manually, that loops through each row and emails recipients with dynamic content.
Building out an Automated Approval process using Forms & Approvals within Teams!14:52
Learn to automate a draw request workflow by using Microsoft Forms to submit requests, Power Automate to route approvals in Teams, and SharePoint to track status.

What is Power Apps & how can it help us?3:26
When to consider Power Apps!3:36
Evaluate if existing software covers your needs and pricing, then consider Power Apps to build data collection tools like checklists or a project tracker with camera capture.
Power Apps Canvas.2:51
Power Apps Templates - The Do's & Dont's!3:26
Explore Power Apps templates, the do's and the don'ts, which do not set up data sources like SharePoint, and show how formulas drive actions such as submit and navigate.
Building out our first App & first screen the "Welcome Screen"!6:17
Create a blank Power Apps canvas app from the welcome screen, set up a US environment, name screens precisely, and connect to data sources such as Excel or SharePoint.
Adding controls/features to our Welcome Screen!2:40
Add a welcome text label and center the logo. Wrap text in double quotes, then use ChatGPT to personalize the message with the user's name via Microsoft 365 credentials.
Utilizing ChatGPT with PowerApps for the formula!3:49
Connecting to our first Data Source - ProjectsList on SharePoint!4:25
Learn to connect a PowerApps app to a SharePoint projects list, create a dropdown of project names from an Excel list, and prep navigation to the next page.
Adding our first "Button" to Power Apps!5:17
Add a classic button in Power Apps, rename it to update task, and set the OnSelect property to navigate to the update tasks screen, then preview the flow.
Building out the main screen within our App, the "UpdateTasks" screen3:44
Build the update tasks main screen to show the selected project and unit, display incomplete tasks as a project tracker, and use PowerApps variables to populate the project name.
Creating our first variable in Power Apps!9:08
Create your first variable in Power Apps by passing the selected project from the welcome screen to the update tasks screen, and bind a label to it using ChatGPT guidance.
Connecting our second Data Source!4:02
Filtering within Power Apps!4:16
Learn to filter a Power Apps dropdown by the selected project using a project variable, display relevant units, and create a gallery for incomplete tasks for that project and unit.
Using a Gallery within Power Apps for the first time.1:36
Insert a vertical gallery in Power Apps to display a list of tasks, connect it to a data source, and set up controls for completion status and date input.
Adding our Third & Final Data Source!6:08
Add a third data source by uploading an excel file to SharePoint as a task list. Build a vertical gallery showing task id and description, and filter to 23 tasks.
Filtering our Gallery!2:39
Learn to filter a gallery by project name and unit, using the selected project and unit from dropdowns to show only 23 tasks per unit.
Adding more controls to our gallery.7:38
Add text labels, a status dropdown, and a date picker to the gallery, bind them to the task list, and filter to show only not completed tasks.
Applying one last filter to our gallery!3:25
Apply a filter in PowerApps to hide completed projects and show only not started or in progress items, using status.value and Patch to save changes to a SharePoint list.
Using Patch for the first time to save the data back to SharePoint.8:42
Use the patch function to save gallery updates back to a SharePoint tasks list, updating status and actual completion date.
Checking our results after Submitting the Tasks!2:25
Review how to verify and patch task submissions in Power Platform by filtering completed tasks, updating completion dates, and using a hidden toggle to patch only changed rows.
Adding a Hidden Toggle which we will use to Filter the Patch Function!2:46
Learn to add a hidden toggle to filter a patch function in a gallery app by comparing SharePoint status with a dropdown and patching only true items.
Using Patch with a condition/filter applied!2:34
Apply a conditional patch using a filter toggle to update only records with the toggle set to true, test the patch, hide the control, and prepare the final success screen.
Checking our results after applying the filter to the Patch Function!1:59
Preview the app, apply patch function filter to unit 1A, update tasks to last month, submit, and confirm status and completion dates in SharePoint.
Creating our Final Screen - The "Success Screen"!5:21
Create a success screen by duplicating the welcome screen, showing a tick and tasks submitted successfully, and adding a return home navigation. Prepare for publishing and Power BI integration.
Publishing your App!1:16

Connecting your data from SharePoint to Power BI!9:59
Connect a SharePoint list to Power BI, use Power Query to map project name, task ID, task description, task status, budget amount, and dates, then load and apply.
Setting up your table in Power BI & Publishing Report to Power BI Service.11:51
Create a Power BI table from selected fields, shape data in Power Query, add slicers and filters, format dates and currency, and publish the report to Power BI service.
Generating the Power BI Query to connect to Power Automate!3:16
"Run a Query Against a Dataset", action in Power Automate & Building out flow!1:59
Run a query against a dataset in Power Automate and build a flow that formats Power BI results for an email, using Outlook send email action and three formatting steps.
Using the columns in the table in Power BI in your Power Automate flow!5:32
Learn to use the data operation select in a Power Automate flow to pull Power BI columns like project name, unit number, task description, budget amount, and completion date.
Fully Building out the automated flow to occur every 2 weeks dynamically!3:35
Build a fully automated Power Automate flow that runs every two weeks, outputs an HTML table, emails it, and formats dates and currency for Power BI.
Formatting the table so it looks nice visually in the email!7:53

Using Power Automate to send data back to the user from a Sharepoint list!7:06
Learn how to use Power Automate with Power Virtual Agents to pull active project names from a SharePoint list and send them back to the user.
Using Power Automate to save data down in an Excel spreadsheet from the user!8:56
Collect user data with Power Virtual Agents and save it to an Excel table via Power Automate, adding rows for name and email in OneDrive for Business.
It worked, I promise! :) & a big thank you for undertaking the course!1:25
Connect Power Virtual Agents to Excel to save data, create mailing lists, and automate emails using Power Automate templates with an Excel table.

Course Slides0:01
Please note this course is not designed to follow the slides. The slides just provide some guidance on the tools & some technical information. Also the slides in the Power Apps section reference a different app, but the logic on the topics is the same!
Scope of Project/Case Study0:01
Scope of Project/Case Study
Power Virtual Agents - Documents0:01
While we will not save all of these Documents on SharePoint, these are the documents which we will save on SharePoint & then build in the location of the documents into our bot within Microsoft Teams! ?
Power Automate - Spreadsheet for Excel Flow0:01
This is a spreadsheet which will demonstrate how you can use the very common action within Power Automate - "list rows present in a table" to iterate through each row of a spreadsheet & send out automated emails or even SMS messages for example.
Power Apps - Data Sources & Budget Builder Logo0:01
These are the excel spreadsheets which will act as our data source for our Power App.

To save time, I have created these in advance of the course & these can now be uploaded as a list to SharePoint which we will then connect to our Power App! ?

Requirements

Access to these tools (Power Virtual Agents, Power Automate, Power Apps & also Power BI) should be free once the user has a Microsoft 365 license. If this is not the case, users will need to contact their M365 Admin to grant them access.
Access to ChatGPT is highly recommended to best follow the course - especially the Power Apps section.
Everything else will be taught in the course!

Description

This course gives a basic understanding of the fundamentals of Power Virtual Agents, Power Automate & Power Apps as well as touching on Power BI at a very high level. (Power BI is covered on a separate course I am currently building out).

The course is built around a process that I used to manually complete for a previous employer where we will build a Power App using Microsoft Power Apps to track tasks on houses that are being built (store the data on SharePoint for simplicity) and then utilize Power Virtual Agents to show users how to enable the bots (within Microsoft Teams) to point users to the location of documents that may be scattered across different SharePoint sites such as loan documents, budgets and sales contracts (in the course of example). I see a huge use for these bots within HR & IT teams specifically to handle repetitive questions.

I then show you can set up simple flows in Power Automate to save down attachments from specific senders (in the course example - saving down the attachments of the inspections the bank has organized of the units) as well as some other simple flows saving data from Microsoft Forms again on SharePoint & building out fully automated processes using the approvals app within Microsoft Teams.

Once the app, bot & flow are complete, the final step is then creating a simple Power BI report and utilizing Power Automate to send a snapshot of the table with the latest tasks completed every 2 weeks to a specific sender (the bank in this example) requesting a draw with the date the tasks were completed and the budget amounts of those tasks (all collected in the app).

Finally, this course is very high level, and I suggest to all learners to utilize ChatGPT for the more technical stuff such as the coding element/formula in a Power Apps, but this is covered on the course where I demonstrate how to utilize ChatGPT to the best of it's ability to help with the formula in Power Apps.

Who this course is for:

Business Analysts: Looking to automate routine tasks and processes, interested in creating custom applications without extensive coding knowledge & aiming to improve data visualization and reporting capabilities.
IT Professionals: Seeking to streamline business operations through automation, wanting to integrate different systems and services seamlessly & desiring to support their organization in digital transformation initiatives.
Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners: Aiming to develop cost-effective solutions to manage their business processes, interested in leveraging technology to gain competitive advantages & looking to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency.
Students and Graduates: Aspiring to gain skills in one of the most in-demand areas of technology, looking to add practical, hands-on experience with industry-standard tools to their resume & wanting to build a strong foundation in low-code/no-code development.
Project Managers: Seeking to improve project workflows and task management, interested in automating repetitive tasks to focus on strategic planning & looking to provide their teams with efficient tools for better collaboration and productivity.
HR Professionals: Aiming to automate HR processes such as onboarding, leave management, and employee feedback, interested in creating custom applications to manage employee data and analytics & looking to enhance the overall employee experience through efficient digital solutions.
Anyone Interested in Automation and App Development: Enthusiastic about learning how to automate tasks and create applications without deep coding knowledge, keen to explore the capabilities of Power Virtual Agents, Power Automate, and Power Apps & looking to solve real-world problems with practical, easy-to-implement solutions.

Learn the Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals in a Day

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

What is the Microsoft Power Platform & what is its purpose?2 lectures • 6min

Explanation of the Processes we have been tasked with automating!1 lecture • 8min

Power Virtual Agents12 lectures • 39min

Power Automate9 lectures • 1hr 10min

Power Apps25 lectures • 1hr 43min

Additional Material: Adding in the ability to add photos in the app!1 lecture • 8min

Additional Material: Connect the App to Power BI to generate automated emails!7 lectures • 44min

Additional Material: Using Power Automate within Power Virtual Agents!3 lectures • 17min

Summary & again, a big thank you!1 lecture • 1min

Course Material5 lectures • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: