As the foundational source of data in the Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Dataverse is the key for the optimal performance of Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents. Microsoft Dataverse drives the innovative services for businesses adapting to the rapidly growing market of low-code/no-code software. Microsoft Dataverse ensures that the ‘power’ of the Microsoft Power Platform is fully harnessed; instead of spending time, money, and resources building code functionality from scratch, a proper Microsoft Dataverse will leverage the resources you already have, empowering your employees without extensive coding knowledge to create solutions that function just like custom code.

Due to the customizability of Microsoft Power Platform applications, the potential use cases are nearly endless, and it all begins with the information each of these applications draw from Microsoft Dataverse. In this article, we highlight the vast potential of the Microsoft Dataverse and how to fully unlock this potential, leading to optimized Microsoft Power applications. After reading, you will be equipped to fully harness the power of the Microsoft Power Platform, rapidly transforming your day-to-day operations in ways you never thought possible.

In light of the recent trend of over 50% of businesses transitioning to the hybrid workspace model, many business operations are exclusively held in digital spaces. Power Apps and Power Automate are vital tools for businesses looking for a seamless transition to remote work. This brings the opportunity for businesses to obtain a wealth of unprecedented data inputs on just about anything, including employee information, team performance, and supply chain mapping, to name a few. The development of software applications usually involves collecting and distributing data from different digital spaces, which may result in hiccups due to the functionality of an application being dependent on other sources of information. Microsoft Dataverse offers a solution to this challenge.

Microsoft Dataverse allows businesses to consolidate their data, creating a secure, accessible, and legible store of information. The key, here, is that the data is stored in one place, so all employees will know where, when and how to access any piece of data they need. The consolidated data of Microsoft Dataverse is vital for the success of Power Apps and Power Automate because it lays the foundation on which these tools are fully optimized. If Power Apps and Power Automate are the engines that drive efficiency in your workplace, Dataverse is the fuel required to ignite these engines and keep them running.

Here are some key features to consider when organizing your Dataverse:

• Customizable Tables: The tables in Microsoft Dataverse are at the core of how all data is compartmentalized, stored, and shared. Dataverse offers a list of out-of-the-box table templates that are commonly used by businesses, including information regarding contacts, scheduling, accounts, tasks, phone calls, emails, etc. However, customized tables for your company-specific data can be created through Power Apps, which means your collection of data will always be organized with the precision necessary for the optimizations of your business’ data-driven applications.

• Scheduled Synchronization of All Data: Making sure a database is constantly up to date with new information is necessary for optimal data-driven operations, but constantly managing and updating a database is a taxing and time-consuming process. Microsoft Dataverse can be scheduled for routine synchronization with data from other applications and/or sources of information. This ensures that all applications within the Microsoft Power Platform are always working together, retrieving from and inputting data into the same place, so you will never have to worry about your data being outdated.

• Optimizing Data Inputs: When it comes to incorrect information, repetitive coding, and inconsistent processes, errors can easily occur when managing your data. Microsoft Dataverse’s server contains its own logic and validation processes to help iron out any of these wrinkles, so your data-input processes will follow the same process every time without any inconsistencies or repetitions in your tables.

• Automated Workflows: Anyone who has managed a database knows that it requires more than simply inputting information. No piece of data is concrete; data is fluid and can change over time. Microsoft Dataverse can be integrated with workflows in Power Automate to handle the ways information is stored, removed, modified, and updated. This automation is offered through a series of triggers that result in certain actions. If a new row or column in a table is needed, or if a source of information needs to be modified, Dataverse will take care of this without the need of human management.

If you would like to know more about how to optimize Microsoft Dataverse, including integrating Dataverse with Microsoft Power Platform applications, reach out to talk with one of our specialists.