What this book covers
Chapter 1, Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Overview, gives you an overview of the components of Microsoft Power Platform. You will establish a firm understanding of Microsoft Dynamics 365 modules for building CRM and ERP solutions, the other modules for leveraging artificial intelligence and using HoloLens. At the end of the chapter, you will learn the basics of Power Platform and Dynamics 365 licensing.
Chapter 2, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure Overview, provides an overview of the two other Microsoft cloud services, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure, in the context of a Power Platform solution. You will learn about all the components used in the context of a Power Platform solution, and how the solution can benefit when integrating them. You will also get an overview of how those cloud components are licensed.
Chapter 3, Understanding Microsoft Power Platform Architecture, dives deep into the world of the Power Platform architecture. You will learn about the infrastructure, architecture, and structure of the Power Platform cloud components. You will see what client components are available for the various devices used today. You will also focus on the administration and monitoring possibilities, and finally, you will learn about various architectural best practices that are proven for Power Platform implementations in large organizations.
Chapter 4, Tools and Techniques, covers the tools and techniques used to configure and customize Power Platform solutions. You will also learn about the tools and techniques that need to be used when configuration and customization do not cover advanced customer requirements, and custom development is necessary. Finally, you will learn about some of the tools supporting the application lifecycle of Power Platform solutions.
Chapter 5, Application Lifecycle Management, explains how to adopt Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) principles to implement Power Platform solutions. You will learn about solution management as the main ALM approach for all parts of a solution except for Power BI. You will look at the potential application of ALM in Power BI. You will also learn how Microsoft Azure DevOps can help you make the ALM processes smooth, easy, and fully automated. At the end of the chapter, you will be presented with a collection of ALM-related best practices.
Chapter 6, Implementation Approach and Methodologies, covers a lot of the practical details about how to understand your customer's enterprise architecture. You will see what project implementation methodologies are available, which ones are used for Power Platform projects, and how to prepare an implementation project. Finally, you will see what a typical project setup in terms of roles and responsibilities can be, and what an enterprise project lifecycle, from the beginning until the solution is brought into production, can look like.
Chapter 7, Microsoft Power Platform Security, focuses on all aspects of Power Platform solutions security. You will learn all the details of authentication within Microsoft cloud solutions, and you will look at the details in relation to Power Platform. You will also see how authorization in the various Power Platform components can be implemented. At the end of the chapter, you will learn a number of security-related best practices.
Chapter 8, Microsoft Power Platform Extensibility, dives deep into the extensibility possibilities of the various Power Platform components. You will learn what can be achieved by configuration and customization and what types of requirements need to be developed with code. The main part of this chapter is dedicated to Common Data Service applications, but you will also gain an understanding of the extensibility capabilities of canvas apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. At the end of the chapter, various extensibility best practices will be presented.
Chapter 9, Microsoft Power Platform Integration, explains that every complex Power Platform solution is always heavily integrated with other Microsoft cloud services, but also with the customer's own IT ecosystem. That's why it is crucial to understand the integration possibilities of Power Platform. In this chapter, you will learn about all those Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure integration options, and how lot things can be achieved by using a simple configuration. You will also see how a custom frontend and backend integration can be implemented and explore the typical integration patterns and solution approaches. Additionally, we will explore several integration capabilities of Power Virtual Agent, AI Build, and Power BI.
Chapter 10, Microsoft Power Platform Data Migration, is dedicated to data migration. In most cases, the implementation of a Power Platform solution must be accompanied by a data migration effort to bring all the useful data from the customer's various legacy IT systems and solutions into Power Platform. In this chapter, you will learn what the usual data migration strategies are and what tools and solutions can be used for this purpose. At the end of the chapter, you will be presented with best practices to mitigate the different challenges of a complex data migration.