TIDBITS on the Microsoft Power Platform

We Do AI 2024

AGENDA

• OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Copilot(s)
• The Power Platform
• Microsoft Power Platform Model Driven Apps built by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Journeys/Marketing
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center
• Microsoft Copilot Studio
• An Agent versus A Copilot

 

 

 

 

 

Copilot in the world of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CRM/CE)

As a first thought keep in mind that OpenAI and Azure OpenAI are slightly different. Azure OpenAI brings and wraps role-based entitlement, more controls and more options (such as private cloud) to the table.

The 100s of Copilots use Azure OpenAI to enrich and empower applications within the Microsoft Stack of offerings. This includes everything from Azure DevOps and developer tools to the Microsoft Business Applications. 

In the Microsoft Business Applications Copilot add an entirely new layer of awesome. It cuts through the noise, adds executive summaries, can be configured to find the right knowledge article from YOUR sources of knowledge and can bring filtered and controlled automation into areas that make sense to automate.

 

 

 

But I don't like the way it looks .. "Did you know you can change that?"

One of the biggest challenges of working with Microsoft is that for each product you are given a large number of choices. The idea of an MVP product is to get the basics out of the way and to train users on the platform, so that, you as a customer, are empowered with enough knowledge to be able to help make great choices.

Take for instance working with the generic out of the box product. This product is built to be both globally flexible, BUT also compliant with a list of regulations related to making sure the product is accessible for all people no matter how they access technology.

The "Design" options expand significantly when you start applying "PCF" to parts of the product such as forms and views. If you have not checked out the https://pcf.gallery for ideas then now is a good time to do it.

Randomly picking on the last page of the http://pcf.gallery provides you an idea on some of the possibilities. The Microsoft Power Platform team provides a few PCF options out of the box, the community provides others, and you can also have your partner of choice create one for you. 

Copilot in Dynamics 365 for Business Applications: a whole new way to work

Copilot: A Whole New Way to Work (office.com)

I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of these two-custom created virtual events at the end of June hosted by Microsoft + Avanade. The focus is copilot in the world of the Microsoft Business Applications.

A demonstration

June 26th (10:00 PST) - Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement & Copilot
“Enhance productivity and end user experience.”
Copilot for Sales - Sales enriched experience.
Copilot for Service - Enhance customer experience.
Copilot for Field Service - Create and route work orders seamlessly.

June 27th (10:00 PST) - Dynamics 365 ERP & Copilot
“Enhance Productivity of a Business user across Finance, Procurement and inventory functions."
Copilot for Finance - Enhance AI based collections and increase productivity on financial reconciliations, and AP Invoice automation.
Copilot for Supply Chain - Improve Forecast Accuracy and inventory visibility.

Please register using the following URL:
https://lnkd.in/gYB-XJmW

Knowledge Sharing Power Platform Vocabularly

One of my favorite ways to learn is to share knowledge. I find that all of the other perspectives I get from this exercise really help me shift and refine what I have learned. 

In the last two years I have been under the fire house learning. It is both exciting, amazing and daunting when we consider how much more there is always to learn. It is also a twist for those of us who have years of experience. The experience makes a huge difference, but it also always has to be continually refined.

One of the first major learning tips is to get your head around the vocabulary quickly. It has served me well to think about the following.

The Power Platform, this is really an evolution to getting closer and closer to using the entire Microsoft Stack of awesome. The long loved deep integration to Office is now 100 times better AND there is also the deep integration to Azure and many of the new Azure functions. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 "Apps" are all Model Driven Power Apps on the Power Platform. 

Power Automate (Flow) The ability to automate, respond and receive responses and an alignment/replacement or stepping stone to both work flows and logic apps and you can learn more here.

Power BI Much loved and amazing reporting and business intelligence and analytics and you can learn more here

 

Power Virtual Bots, Not only bots, but Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and you can learn more here and here.

Products, 3D 360 Degree Mixed Reality and Product Visualize

At the Microsoft Business Applications Summit this week I had a chance to take a look at and discuss Microsoft Product Visualize. I loved seeing how it worked, but more importantly I had dug into the details of where data is stored and how is it created. 

So first What is Microsoft Visualize? 

Consider the Microsoft Dynamics Product Catalog. You have a list of products associated with an opportunity and each item has a description. This doesn't really offer the most efficient way to quickly grasp all that you want to know. We then consider the flat, 2D ability to add a picture. Great! Wonderful, but can we do more? This is where Product Visualize for Dynamics 365 comes into plan. 

I have my Tablet (Surface/iPad/etc), I am at a client site and I am discussing an opportunity that includes a number of products. I might even have two similar products, because my prospect or client has not decided on what they want.  Product Visualize offers not only a 3D Image of the product, but it offers the ability to show a full 360 Degree 3D View of the product depending on how the "user" (myself, the prospect or customer) moves the tablet. 

So how does Product Visualize technically do this? 

Product Visualize uses a product .glb file stored in an integrated SharePoint library. The library that can be configured when Dynamics 365 is setup and configured. The file contains the 3D model saved in GL Transmission Format (glTF).  gITF offers the ability to store such information such as node hierarchy, cameras, materials, and animations and a GLB file is the binary version of .GLTF files.  

Note: For those of you who are old hands at gITF and glb, please feel free to expand on this.. 

BUT how do we actually get the images and the data for the GLB file? 

I have my product and I have Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement, but I don't have a glb file. This is where the growing momentum in partnerships between the new worlds within the graphical industries and the ever evolving world of customer engagement becomes a huge win/win.