Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate (Flow) – Building No-Code/Low-Code Applications and Automating Processes in Microsoft 365

Overview

Power Apps enables learning to build applications without writing code. Advanced templates, data connectors, and AI features allow even novice participants to create useful applications. Power Automate (formerly Flow) is a tool within the Microsoft Power Platform that allows you to effectively automate and streamline repetitive tasks and business processes within your organization.

This course is practical: participants learn to build applications and workflows using no-code and low-code (minimal code) approaches, primarily via drag-and-drop functionality. This significantly increases productivity and saves time previously spent on managing manual business processes.

Course Objectives

Introduce participants to comprehensive automation of daily activities and the creation of efficient workflows and applications in the Microsoft Power Platform without writing code (no-code) or with minimal coding (low-code). Participants will learn methods for configuring workflows and building applications within the Power Apps and Power Automate environments, along with best practices for testing, publishing, and maintaining solutions.

Target Audience

A general course for individuals working with data and processes, specifically: analysts, accountants, operational specialists, and IT professionals (developers, testers). No prior programming experience is required.

Where Will You Apply Your New Skills?

The applications and workflows you create can be used in most Microsoft 365 apps and hundreds of other applications available via built-in Power Platform connectors. Participants will notice improved data access comfort and a new level of effectiveness and reliability in data processing and updates.

Building Applications Supporting Daily Tasks (Power Apps)

– forms, galleries, interfaces for lists and data.

Task and Process Automation (Power Automate)

– triggers, schedules, conditions, loops, variables, workflow publishing and maintenance.

Document and Information Routing

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

Standardization and Security

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

Data Handling Comfort

– easier access to up-to-date information and a consistent process for data processing.

Power Automate

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

Low-Code

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

No-Code

– creating 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 code.

• Description of Office365 platform components and their integration capabilities with Power Apps
• The concept of "less is more"
• What is Power Apps and what benefits does it offer?
• Where can you apply PowerApps?
• Canvas-based and model-driven apps
• Ready-made app templates in Power Apps

Building Applications with Microsoft Power Apps

Objective: Getting acquainted with the Power Apps tool and work environment.

• Environment configuration and permissions
• Work methodology
• Interface creation – introduction
• Data layer – overview
• Basics of communication and information exchange within an app

Power Apps for SharePoint 365

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

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

Working with Power Apps

Objective: Building your own app from scratch.

• Creating a blank app
• Screen color scheme, background, and font customization
• Buttons and icons
• Controls and their types – Galleries and Forms, Media
• Customizing controls
• Text controls for entering and displaying data
• Controls – dropdowns, combo boxes, date pickers, option buttons, etc.
• Forms as the interface for adding and editing data
• Presenting information via charts

Data Sources for Applications

Objective: Familiarizing with the capabilities of connecting apps to data sources.

• What are data sources?
• Popular data sources
• Data storage and services
• How to choose the right data source for your needs
• Data in applications
• Data presentation
• Creating an app based on data sources
• Adding, modifying, and removing control elements
• Formulas in apps
• What is a model-driven app?
• Creating a model-driven app

Working with Forms

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

• Preview form – read-only
• Form details
• Edit form – editing and saving data
• Adding and removing data

Galleries and Features

Objective: Learning how to create visually appealing and efficient navigation lists.

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

Automation in Power Apps

Objective: Creating automation within your app without needing to write code.

• Getting started with Power Automate for Power Apps
• Office 365 Users connector, SQL Server connector
• Conditional operations
• Basic operations
• Power Automate scheduling
• Calling a process from Power Apps
• Running a workflow from PowerApps

Managing and Testing Applications

Objective: Learning the next steps related to sharing your application with colleagues.

• App versioning
• Sharing apps
• Work environments
• Testing applications
• App settings
• Publishing and sharing apps
• 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: Discover the capabilities offered by using the Power Automate service.

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

Workflow Modes

Objective: Learn how workflows work and how they can help you.

• Automated flows and flow triggers
• Scheduled flows and schedule handling
• Instant flows – user-triggered actions
• Power Automate in Office 365 apps

Working with Microsoft Power Automate

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

• Starting work in Power Automate
• Navigating the app
• Automation based on templates
• Creating a workflow from scratch, step by step
• Creating a cloud flow using a data service connector
• Editing flows
• Publishing and running flows
• Enabling and disabling flows

Flows in Office 365 Applications

Objective: Learn automation basics in the core Office 365 applications.

• Integration with Office 365
• Online flow in SharePoint 365 service
• Flows handling Outlook 365 mail
• Handling automation in OneDrive for Business
• Flows in the Forms app
• Sharepoint item approval

Flows in SharePoint 365

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

• Handling lists and document libraries
• File approval and versioning
• Managing document routing
• Cooperation with the Teams app
• Approving tasks in the Teams app

Automation in Practice

Objective: Adapt automation to the applications you use.

• Power Platform connectors: standard and premium
• Adding a trigger
• Adding actions
• Conditional code execution: IF and SWITCH functions
• Working with lists: apply to each functionality
• Programming loop: Do / Until logic
• Expressions and variables
• Data operations: data processing in Power Query
• Expression functions: strings, numbers, and time

Administration and Maintenance of Flows

Objective: You will have the opportunity to learn how to manage your flows.

• 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 launch automation on your smartphone - * optional module.

• Downloading and installing the app
• Logging into your Office 365 profile
• Creating and managing flows
• Working with apps