Introduction

September 2024 has brought a host of exciting updates to Microsoft Power Apps, enhancing its capabilities and making it easier for users to build and manage applications. This article will cover the key new features and improvements introduced this month.

 

AI-Powered Development Tools

One of the standout updates is the enhancement of Copilot. Copilot assist developers in creating more efficient and effective applications. The new features include:

  • Modern Theming Improvements: Enhanced theming options allow for more customization and a modern look and feel.
  • Responsive Templates: New templates enable users to create list and detail screens quickly and efficiently.
  • Data Source Selection: A new feature allows users to choose a data source for multiple controls on a screen with a single click.

Copilot Enhancements

Copilot, the AI assistant in Power Apps, has received significant updates:

  • Formula Explanations in GCC: Government Community Cloud (GCC) users can now use Copilot to get natural language explanations of Power Fx formulas, making it easier to understand and debug applications.
  • Plan Designer: A new feature that allows developers to build plans within Power Apps Studio, facilitating an iterative and outcome-focused development process.

Enterprise-Grade Governance

Security and governance have been a major focus in this update:

  • Column-Level Security: A public preview feature that allows admins to mask sensitive data at the column level, preventing unauthorized access and bulk data exports.
  • Cross-Tenant License Recognition: This feature is now generally available, reducing administrative overhead by recognizing user licenses across multiple tenants.

Dataverse Enhancements

Power Apps continues to improve its integration with Dataverse:

  • Power Catalog: Now generally available, this feature allows organizations to share and install reusable components and templates, enhancing collaboration and efficiency.
  • Virtual Table Relationships: Users can now create relationships between Dataverse virtual tables and native tables, providing a unified data view across different sources.

Learning and Documentation Updates

Microsoft has also updated its learning paths and documentation to help users get the most out of these new features. New training materials and labs are available to guide users through the latest updates and best practices.

Conclusion

The September 2024 updates to Power Apps bring a wealth of new features and improvements, from AI-powered development tools to enhanced security and governance.  Stay tuned for more updates and start exploring these new features today!

Source: What’s new in Power Apps: September 2024 Feature Update – Microsoft Power Platform Blog

 

Paul Cobben