Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate (Flow) – no-code/low-code app development and process automation in Microsoft 365

Overview

Power Apps enables you to learn how to build apps without writing code. Advanced templates, data connectors, and artificial intelligence components make it possible to create useful apps even for beginners. Power Automate (formerly Flow) is a tool within the Microsoft Power Platform that enables effective automation and streamlining of repetitive tasks and processes in an organization.

The course is hands-on: participants learn to build apps and flows using no-code and low-code (minimal code) approaches, mostly via drag-and-drop. This makes it possible to significantly increase productivity and save time previously spent handling processes running in the company.

Course objectives

Introducing participants to end-to-end automation of everyday activities and creating efficient flows and applications in Microsoft Power Platform without writing code (no-code) or with minimal use of it (low-code). The participant learns methods for configuring flows and building applications in Power Apps and Power Automate, along with best practices for testing, publishing, and maintaining solutions.

Target group

A general-profile course for people working with data and processes, in particular: analysts, accountants, operations specialists, and IT staff (developers, testers). Participants do not need programming experience.

Where you will use the knowledge you gain

You can use the apps and flows you create in most Microsoft 365 applications and in hundreds of other apps available via built-in Power Platform connectors. The participant will notice improved comfort in accessing data, as well as a new level of effectiveness and reliability in data processing and updating.

Building apps that support everyday activities (Power Apps)

– forms, galleries, interfaces for lists and data.

Task and process automation (Power Automate)

– triggers, schedules, conditions, loops, variables, publishing and maintaining flows.

Document and information workflows

– integration with, among others, SharePoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, Forms, and hundreds of connectors.

Standardization and security

– work environments, sharing, versioning, data security policies.

Comfortable work with data

– easier access to up-to-date information and a consistent process for handling it.

Power Automate

– Microsoft’s iPaaS platform for automating recurring tasks, part of Microsoft Power Platform (alongside Power Apps and Power BI).

Low-Code

– an approach to building applications visually, with minimal use of code.

No-Code

– building applications without writing code, by combining ready-made components and configuring functions.

Introduction to Microsoft Power Apps

Objective: Understanding the concept of building apps without writing code.

• Overview of Office365 components, their capabilities, and their integration with Power Apps
• The “less is more” concept
• What is Power Apps and what benefits does using it provide?
• Where can you use Power Apps?
• Canvas apps and data model apps
• Ready-made app templates in Power Apps

Building apps with Microsoft Power Apps

Objective: Introduction to the Power Apps tool and the working environment.

• Configuring the environment and permissions
• Work methodology
• Creating the interface – introduction
• Data layer – overview
• Basics of communication and information exchange within the app

Power Apps for Sharepoint 365

Objective: Creating your first app based on Sharepoint 365. Power Apps for Sharepoint is a special version of Power Apps embedded inside the Sharepoint platform.

• Creating a SharePoint form using Power Apps
• Power Apps form as the Sharepoint list interface.
• Power Apps interface
• Basic controls – Text and buttons
• Controls – Input (incoming data)
• App based on importing an Excel worksheet

Working with Power Apps

Objective: Building your own app from scratch.

• Creating a blank app
• Screen colors, backgrounds, and font customization
• Buttons and icons
• Controls and their types – Galleries and forms, Media
• Customizing controls
• Text controls for entering and displaying data
• Controls – dropdown menus, combo boxes, date pickers, option buttons, etc.
• Forms as an interface for adding and editing data
• Presenting information in charts

Data sources for applications

Objective: Getting familiar with options for connecting apps to data sources.

• What are data sources?
• Popular data sources
• Data storage and services
• How to choose a data source to match your needs
• Data in use cases
• Presenting data
• Creating an app based on data sources
• Adding, modifying, and removing controls
• Formulas in the app
• What is a model-driven app?
• Creating a model-driven app

Working with forms

Objective: Gaining the ability to create an interactive user interface.

• View form - read-only
• Form details
• Edit form - editing and saving data
• Adding and deleting data

Galleries and functions

Objective: Learning how to create impressive and efficient navigation lists.

• Managing a gallery
• ThisItem
• Text formatting and conditional formatting
• Filtering, sorting, and searching
• Navigation and dynamic dependencies

Automation in Power Apps

Objective: Creating automation in your app without having to work with code.

• Getting started with Power Automate for Power Apps
• Office 365 Users connector, SQL Server connector
• Conditional operations
• Basic operations
• Power Automate schedule
• Triggering a process from Power Apps
• Running a flow from PowerApps

Managing and testing applications

Objective: Learning the next steps related to sharing your app with coworkers.

• App versioning
• Sharing the app
• Work environments
• Testing the app
• App settings
• Publishing and sharing the app
• Embedding PowerApps in Teams
• Embedding PowerApps in SharePoint Online
• Power Apps mobile app
• Integrating Power Apps and Power BI

Introduction to Microsoft Power Automate

Objective: You will learn the possibilities offered by using the Power Automate service.

• What is Power Automate?
• What versions are available and where you can use Power Automate.
• Cloud (online) and desktop flows
• What benefits will you get from automation?
• Working in Low-Code and No-Code modes

Flow operation modes

Objective: You will learn how flows work and how they can help you.

• Automated flows and flow triggers (trigger)
• Scheduled flows and schedule handling
• Instant flows - actions triggered by the user
• Power Automate in Office 365 applications

Working with Microsoft Power Automate

Objective: You will create your first flows to automate work.

• Getting started with Power Automate
• Navigating the app
• Template-based automation
• A flow from scratch, step by step
• Creating a cloud flow using a data service connector
• Editing flows
• Publishing and running flows
• Enabling and disabling a flow

Flows in Office 365 suite applications

Objective: You will learn automation in the core Office 365 suite applications.

• Integration with Office 365
• Online flow in the Sharepoint 365 service
• Flows handling Outlook 365 email
• Automation in OneDrive for Business
• Flows in the Forms app
• Approving Sharepoint entries

Flows in SharePoint 365

Objective: What you will learn in this module: Based on the Sharepoint platform, you will learn methods for effective document management.

• Handling lists and document libraries
• Approving and versioning files
• Managing document workflows
• Collaboration with the Teams app
• Approving tasks in the Teams app

Automation in practice

Objective: You will tailor automation to the applications you use.

• Data connectors in Power Platform: standard and premium
• Adding a trigger
• Adding an action
• Conditional execution logic: IF and SWITCH functions
• Working with lists: apply to each functionality
• Developer loop: Do / Until logic
• Expressions and variables
• Operations on data: data processing in Power Query
• Functions in expressions: strings, numbers, and time

Flow administration and maintenance

Objective: You will have an opportunity to learn how to get your flows under control.

• Managing flows
• Flow maintenance
• Reviewing run history, performance analysis, and error diagnostics
• Sharing flows: exporting and importing flows
• Work environment
• Data security policy
• Data integration

Power Automate and Office 365 applications

Objective: You will run automation on your smartphone - * optional module.

• Downloading and installing the app
• Signing in to your Office 365 profile
• Creating and managing flows
• Working with apps