Why Microsoft Power Platform could be the most important innovation for any ERP system

Business has always been fast paced, but if the last 5 years have taught us anything, it’s that we need to be able to adapt quickly, optimize our operations, and improve our efficiencies. Unfortunately, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) platforms have, historically, never been the easiest to extend, manipulate, and read – but does the Power Platform change all that? How can this affect the future of an ERP system?

Microsoft Power Platform has gained significant traction in the ERP world over the last few years. It has evolved and matured and now looks like the solution we’ve all been waiting for to unlock the benefits of the huge ERP investments that companies have made. If you aren’t familiar with Power Platform, here’s what you need to know. 

Introducing Microsoft Power Platform 

Power Platform is a suite of tools consisting of Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, which used individually or together with your ERP system, offers a comprehensive set of capabilities that can empower your business to streamline processes, enhance productivity, and make data-driven decisions. Each component contributes in its own unique way, so let’s explore how these components can work together to empower your organization: 

1. Power Apps: Power Apps is a low-code development platform that allows businesses to create custom applications without extensive coding knowledge. It provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of pre-built templates and connectors, making it easy for business users to build tailored applications specific to their needs. These applications can be used to automate manual processes, digitize forms and workflows, and improve data collection and management. By streamlining and automating these processes, Power Apps helps organizations increase productivity, reduce errors, and enhance overall efficiency.

2. Power Automate: Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow, is a workflow automation tool that enables businesses to automate and integrate various tasks and processes across different systems and applications. It provides a visual interface for designing workflows, allowing users to easily create automated processes by connecting different triggers, actions, and conditions. With Power Automate, organizations can automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry, approval workflows, and notifications, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy. This component also facilitates seamless data integration between different systems, enhancing data flow and eliminating silos.

3. Power BI: Power BI is a powerful business intelligence and data visualization tool that enables businesses to transform raw data into actionable insights. It allows users to connect to various data sources, including ERP tools, and create interactive dashboards, reports, and visualizations. Power BI’s intuitive interface and robust analytics capabilities make it easy for users to explore data, identify trends, and gain valuable insights. By providing a clear and visual representation of data, Power BI enables organizations to make informed decisions, identify areas for improvement, and track key performance indicators. This component contributes to streamlining business processes by facilitating data-driven decision-making and improving overall visibility into operations.

Great, so we have the tools, but what do we see as the top 5 things they can do for our Dynamics Business Central customers:

1. Seamless Integration:

Microsoft Power Platform seamlessly integrates with existing ERP systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, to provide a unified solution for managing and analyzing data. This integration enables businesses to leverage the power of ERP systems while benefiting from the flexibility and agility of Power Platform tools. It eliminates the need for complex integrations, probably one of the single, biggest challenges in the last 25 years and allows for a holistic view of business processes.

2. Customization and Automation:

Power Apps, a key component of the Power Platform, allows businesses to create custom applications tailored to their specific needs. Historically, this has been an expensive and often time-consuming task and, as such, has compromised the extensibility of a company’s ERP platform. This capability empowers organizations to automate manual and repetitive tasks, reducing human error and increasing operational efficiency. With Power Automate, businesses can automate workflows and connect various systems, enabling seamless data flow and improving productivity across departments.

3. Data Visualization and Insights:

Power BI enables businesses to transform raw data into meaningful insights through interactive dashboards and reports. This capability is particularly crucial in the ERP world, where vast amounts of data are generated and need to be analyzed to make informed decisions, we have all this information at our fingertips and yet rarely use it to its full potential. Power BI’s intuitive interface and robust visualization capabilities make data analysis accessible to users of all skill levels, empowering them to uncover trends, spot anomalies, and identify opportunities for improvement.

4. Low-Code Development:

One of the key advantages of Microsoft Power Platform is its low-code development environment. This means that businesses can build and deploy applications and workflows without the need for extensive coding knowledge or IT expertise. This democratizes the development process, allowing business users to take an active role in creating solutions that address their unique challenges. The low-code approach also significantly reduces development time and costs, enabling faster innovation and agility.

5. Scalability and Extensibility:

Microsoft Power Platform is highly scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Whether an organization is just starting its digital transformation journey or has complex ERP tools in place, Power Platform can scale to meet evolving needs. Furthermore, the platform’s extensibility allows businesses to integrate with other Microsoft and third-party applications, enabling seamless data exchange and enhancing overall system capabilities.

We believe by leveraging the capabilities of Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, organizations can streamline their business processes and ERP system by automating manual tasks, improving data management and integration, and gaining valuable insights. These components work together seamlessly, enabling businesses to optimize their operations, increase productivity, and drive innovation. Contact us at 365 Vertical for more information and help.