Copilot and Microsoft 365

 Copilot and Microsoft 365 

 

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is an AI-powered productivity tool that enhances productivity, amplifies human creativity, and is customizable for the way you work. It is designed to work seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 productivity apps that you use every day, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Teams . 

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a sophisticated processing and orchestration engine that provides AI-powered productivity capabilities by coordinating large language models, content in Microsoft Graph, and the Microsoft 365 productivity apps . It is designed to help you solve complex work tasks in one place and work more productively. 

One of the key features of Copilot for Microsoft 365 is its ability to use generative AI to elevate your writing. It can help you generate drafts of emails, documents, and more, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of your work. Additionally, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is built with responsible, secure AI practices, ensuring that you can count on it to keep your data safe . 

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available in several pricing plans, including plans for personal use, business, and enterprise. It is designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of your organization or your individual needs . 

In conclusion, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a powerful tool that can help you achieve more than ever before using AI. It is designed to work seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 productivity apps that you use every day, and is built with responsible, secure AI practices. Whether you are an individual, a small business, or a large enterprise, Copilot for Microsoft 365 can help you maximize your potential and achieve your goals. 

Ask about our Microsoft Workshops on Copilot and Microsoft 365. carol.rayholmes@ladyraycomputer.net

PowerApps: Canvas vs Model Driven

 

Both Canvas Apps and Model-driven Apps have some similar components to their design. Although there are many differences between the two apps – fundamentally, they are the same. Both are business apps that can be created by non-developers. Even if you don’t know how to code, Microsoft’s low coding platform allows businesses to build their own custom apps. 

Model Driven Apps

Compared to canvas apps, model-driven apps in PowerApps are based on underlying data — specifically, the data stored in Common Data Service (CDS). CDS is a secure, cloud-based storage space that organizations can use to store business application data. According to Microsoft:

“Data within Common Data Service is stored within a set of entities. An entity is a set of records used to store data, similar to how a table stores data within a database. Common Data Service includes a base set of standard entities that cover typical scenarios, but you can also create custom entities specific to your organization and populate them with data using Power Query. App makers can then use PowerApps to build rich applications using this data.”

Since model-driven apps take a data-first approach, they are far more rigid in design than canvas apps; most user interface components are premade and pre-selected based on the data you choose, though there is still room to edit individual components. However, this data-first approach also means that model-driven apps are more sophisticated than canvas apps, which makes them better suited for apps that require complex business logic. Model-driven apps are also responsive by design and will render themselves according to whatever device you use.

Canvas Apps

The Canvas app is very easy to be visualized on a tablet or mobile app after being embedded in the dashboard. As per the solution name, canvas apps offer you a blank canvas to drag/drop the components and create an app of your expectations. You even get to move, resize, and reformat the components where you need them to design the website. As you’re done with the design and functionality outline in the canvas app, go ahead and start integrating the same with more data sources. Excel holds prominent value in the integration process of the canvas app structure. 

Which is better?

To be precise, choosing between the Canvas app and the model-driven app is quite a challenging task. Both power apps have their potential and are better suited to deal with specific functions that others can’t achieve. A canvas app is handy for role-based solutions, while the model-driven app is perfect for end-to-end solutions. But, for the maximum benefits opting for both types of apps is the right decision. 

You should be identifying the areas where a canvas app & model-driven app is useful. Check in what ways they can complement the multiple business processes. Additionally, you might have thoughts about if these apps can be switched along too? 

The answer lies in the data structure created along the process. The entity/table can be reused in either of the apps. However, the model-driven app leads the race here. Its interface allows seamless integration of the tables and boosts the timeline and productivity of the app development tasks. On the contrary, the canvas app is all about placing components in specific locations, making it slightly typical to convert into a model-driven app. 

Dynamics 365 Business Central Tip

Users can personalize and customize how Dynamics 365 Business Central looks. There are fields that are hidden and shown by default. With Personalization, you can add field, hide fields, move fields, or freeze panes. There are standard fields that sometimes are not shown within the page, but through Personalization you can add those fields as you need to.

How to Personalize Pages, Cards, and Lists

Go to the gear icon in the top right corner and then click ‘Personalize’.

 

Click ‘+Field’ to add fields to the current page you’re on.

You can add , move ,and  hide fields, or freeze panes.

•       Add – When adding a field, you can drag them to the specific spot onto the page.
•      Move – For fields that are already visible on the page, you can move them to a different       section of the page, or above or below a different field.
  • Click on the column name and drag to the position you want it at.
•      Hide – Anything that’s hidden will have the grey slash marks and will be greyed out.
  • Hover over the field until the red triangle appears, then click the red triangle and select ‘Hide’ from the drop-down menu.
  • Freeze – The freeze pane allows you to keep fields visible when you scroll. Modifying the freeze pain while in Personalization, you can change how many fields are locked in place.

Add Dynamics 365 app to a Teams meeting

 

The Dynamics 365 app can be added in one of two ways:

·       Automatically add the app: If you link a Dynamics 365 record to a meeting while creating it in Dynamics 365 or Microsoft Outlook, the Dynamics 365 app is added automatically to the meeting. This allows you to view record details before, during, and after a meeting.

·       Manually add the app: If you don't link a Dynamics 365 record to a meeting while creating it in Dynamics 365 or Microsoft Outlook, it's recommended that you add the app to the meeting before joining the Teams meeting for a better experience.

To add an app before a meeting, first send the meeting invite, then open the meeting in Teams. Select Add a tab, search for the Dynamics 365 app, and add it.

To add an app during a meeting, after the meeting starts, select  Add an app in the meeting controls at the upper-right area of the screen, search for the Dynamics 365 app, and add it.

Work with the Dynamics 365 app

The Dynamics 365 app enables you to view information of a record that is linked with a meeting. The record details can be viewed before the meeting, in the side panel during the meeting, and after the meeting. Open the meeting in Teams, and then select the Dynamics 365 tab. You can perform all actions on the linked record as you would in Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

To view record details during a meeting, Select the Dynamics 365 app icon in the meeting toolbar at the upper-right area of the screen. The record details are displayed in a side panel. You can view and update information such as notes and tasks.

While in Teams, if you want to access a record directly in your Dynamics 365 app, you can open the record by selecting the popout icon on the side panel.

Join a Teams meeting

You can join a Teams meeting from Dynamics 365, Microsoft Outlook, or Microsoft Teams.

Join a Teams meeting from Dynamics 365

1.     Open the meeting record from the Timeline or from the  Activities page.

2.     Perform one of the following actions:

o   On the command bar at the top, select Join Teams Meeting.

o   In the Teams meeting field, select Join Teams Meeting.

o   Go to the Description area, hold the Ctrl key, and select  Click here to join the meeting.

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