Power UP - Your Guide to the Microsoft Power Platform & Power Features

Microsoft's products have expanded far beyond the basics of Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. Today, more programs and features are available to help you with your data, complex processes and more!  

Many organizations use Microsoft 365 applications but struggle to keep up to date with its new Power Platform applications. This article will give an overview of some of Microsoft's Power features.  

We will cover four different Power features:

• Power Automate
• Power BI
• Power Pivot
• Power Query

For each one, we will discuss:  

• What it does;  
• Who should use it; and  
• How you can learn more about it today.  

Power Automate & Automating Your Processes

Learn how to automate processes and work smarter, not harder! 

What Is Power Automate? 

Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow, allows you to create workflows to automate repetitive tasks and processes. Automation used to mean having a lot of technical expertise. However, this program uses a low-code approach that makes automation more accessible than ever before.  

Our trainers find it intuitive and love its extensive library of connectors. With Power Automate, you can streamline business processes and create trigger actions based on specific conditions. 

Who Would Benefit from Using Power Automate? 

Power Automate is ideal for those looking to use process automation to get more done. Professionals in many departments can benefit from automating tasks like data entry, approvals, file management and more.  

This seems like a no-brainer if you:  

• Already have a Microsoft 365 license; and  
• Want to automate workflows.  

How Can You Learn This Application? 

At The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company, we believe in working smarter, not harder. Our Microsoft Power Automate Level 1 course teaches you how to: 

• Automate repetitive tasks and processes;  
• Design and implement efficient processes; and  
• Seamlessly integrate other apps and services. 

Some of our clients choose to book private or custom training to make sure their Power Automate training matches their unique workflows. This can help your team to begin automating their processes even more quickly – you can contact us to learn more about our private, custom training! 

We also hosted a webinar outlining the possibilities of this application —you can watch it here.  

Register for our next Power Automate course today or contact us for private training!  

Power BI & Next-Level Across Your Business Data 

In today's data-driven world, businesses constantly seek deeper insights from their data to make informed decisions and drive growth. This program will help you do just that.  

What Is Power BI? 

Power BI allows you to visualize and analyze data across various sources, transforming raw data into actionable insights and interactive reports. At its core, it will enable you to connect to multiple data sources, create interactive visualizations and share insights across your organization. 

With features like drag-and-drop data modeling, real-time dashboards and natural language queries, you can easily explore data, uncover trends and make data-driven decisions. 

Who Would Use It? 

If you work with data, this program is for you. It is designed for a wide range of users, including business analysts, data scientists, executives and decision-makers across various industries.  

Whether you are a small business owner looking to track key performance indicators or a large enterprise seeking to analyze complex datasets, Power BI offers the flexibility and scalability to meet your analytical needs. From sales and marketing to finance and operations, any department that relies on data for decision-making can benefit. 

How Can I Learn It? 

Power BI training is second to none at The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company. We have courses for every level and two webinars on this topic: A Practical Guide to Power BI and Making Business Intelligence Simple with Data Models and Power BI. 

Our Fundamentals of Power BI course is just that: the fundamentals. In this course, you will create an Excel data model, build and manage relationships in Excel, transform data using Power Query and more!  

Becoming a Pro with Power BI takes it to the next level. You will learn advanced concepts, such as the ETL process, and features, such as using Parameters, conditional formatting in reports and built-in analytical tools. 

Finally, Discovering the Power of Data Analytic Expressions (DAX) Using Power BI and Excel teaches you DAX syntax, operators and values. You will feel comfortable using many of Power Pivot’s advanced DAX capabilities. 

Or, if you want to dive entirely into your data analytics, you will love our five-day Boot Camp, which covers all these topics!  

Register for our next Power BI course today! 

Excel Feature: Power Pivot  

If you work with a lot of data, it can be difficult to import, manipulate and analyze those extensive data sets. This becomes even more difficult when you pull data from various sources.  

What Is Power Pivot?  

Power Pivot, an advanced feature in Excel, is an incredible tool that extends Excel's capabilities. Using Power Pivot, you can import, manipulate and analyze substantial amounts of data sourced from diverse origins. It will help you develop intricate data models and computations and manage vast datasets efficiently and quickly. 

Who Uses Power Pivot? 

PowerPivot caters to many professionals, such as data analysts, business intelligence experts, financial analysts and anyone dealing with substantial datasets in Excel. 

How Can I Learn It?  

Our Excel Power Pivot Complete course will help you make the most of this feature. You will gain proficiency in Power Pivot, including:  

• Importing multiple datasets,  
• Refreshing data,  
• Crafting insightful Pivot Tables and charts, and  
• Making data analysis seem effortless.  

Additionally, you will learn about DAX and how to use it.  

Register for our next Power Pivot course today or check out our webinar on Pivot Tables! 

Excel Feature: Power Query  

What Is It?  

Power Query, or Get & Transform in Excel, is a versatile tool available across Excel for Windows, Mac and the web. You can import or connect to external data sources and easily manipulate the data to suit their needs. With features like column removal, data type changes and table merging, you can refine their data before loading it into Excel for analysis and reporting, ensuring accurate and up-to-date insights. 

Who Would Use It? 

Excel Power Query is great for anyone who deals with data in Excel and needs to tidy it up or change it from various sources. It is handy for analysts and professionals who want to make their data tasks easier. Plus, if you often bring in data from databases, CSVs or the web, Power Query can save you time by automating the process and making your data cleaner and more useful. 

How Can I Learn It?  

You can learn Power Query through our Power Query course, a specialized course designed for Excel users who want to enhance their skills. In one day, you will learn to connect to external data sources, clean and transform your data, pivot, transpose and create custom calculated columns.  

You can also get started on cleaning up your data by watching our webinar on Power Query or our webinar on Excel’s advanced data analytic tools.  

Register for our next Power Query course today! 

Learning About Microsoft Power Platform and Its Power Apps with The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company  

Microsoft is always on the move. It has even branched into cloud computing programs (like Microsoft Azure) or specialized applications like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Virtual Agents. With more new tools on the horizon, it is vital that you learn these new features and explore their potential for your business.  

We know work constantly evolves, and your business challenges will also change. That is why we continually update and create courses to meet your needs. Our courses cover everything from the basics to advanced techniques so you can use these powerful tools effectively in your daily workflow.  

Our instructors are highly qualified experts in their field, with extensive experience working with Microsoft technologies. They bring real-world insights and practical knowledge to the classroom so you can learn the concepts and apply them effectively in your role. 

Power up your skills with GREAT training from The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company. Contact our training team by clicking the "chat" button or completing the form below. In the meantime, feel free to review our FREE resources.