New release plan is here- see what features will be coming to Power Platform

Last week Microsoft announced the new features in Power Platform and Dynamics 365 coming as part of 2021 Wave 2 release plan.

Check out the full release plans here: Power Platform, Dynamics 365

Here are some of my favourites for Power Platform:

TRUE no code

This was announced a few months ago, but definitely a highlight, and brings a new meaning to no-code/low code. Soon in Power BI you’ll be able to generate DAX statements simply by using natural language. Describe the measure you are trying to achieve, and let AI suggest the DAX statement for you.

This will be similar in Power Apps with Power Fx formulas. Currently to add logic into your app, you need to use Excel-like formulas. With this new experience, AI will generate the formula for you. Ultimately, this further breaks down the barriers for citizen developers to start building their own intelligent solutions.

Power BI Quick Create on Dataverse

Directly from Power BI Service you’ll be able to quickly connect to Dataverse. In one click you can have a report automatically generated and start to explore your data.

Offline Model Driven Apps!

This is currently already possible, but now it will be enabled just by a toggle switch.

Building cloud flows

There will be improvements to how you build cloud flows in Power Automate- an undo button and the ability to rollback to a previous versions of your flow.

Connectors in Power Automate Desktop

You might already be using Power Automate Desktop to automate repetitive tasks you do on your computer. Good news for the people who prefer the building experience that Power Automate Desktop offers- rather than connecting your desktop flows into your cloud flows, you’ll be able to call API connectors into your flow directly in Power Automate Desktop.

Have a Power Virtual Agent begin a conversation

This is a popular request- the ability for your chatbot to initiate a conversation with a user. It’s currently possible to do this, but not straightforward to configure. With this feature you can easily set up your chatbot to begin a conversation with a user with your own welcome message and suggested topics.