Power Platform Army | Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio

If your app feels heavy, the culprit is usually not 'Power Apps being slow' — it is data strategy drift. This week’s roadmap signals keep pointing in one direction: better data patterns win. What to reinforce now: • Keep transactional records in Dataverse when relationships, security, and business logic matter. • Use SharePoint lists for lightweight collaboration scenarios, not pseudo-relational app backends. • Move expensive formulas out of screens and into pre-shaped views or server-side logic. • Cache intentionally: collect only what the screen needs, not your entire table. A practical checkpoint for makers: 1) Measure first-load time on your top 3 screens. 2) Count connector calls per screen render. 3) Replace one 'convenient but chatty' pattern this week. Witty summary: your app doesn’t need a crash diet — it needs fewer midnight snacks from unnecessary queries. Keep building. Keep measuring. Keep it Power Platform disciplined.

If your Canvas app feels slow, users will not care how elegant your formulas are—they will just stop using it. The good news: most Power Apps performance issues come from a small set of patterns that are easy to fix once you know where to look. In this guide, I will walk through 10 practical optimizations you can apply immediately. 1. Start with Monitor before changing formulas Open Monitor and reproduce the slow action. Look for long connector calls, repeated queries, large payloads, and screen navigation delays. If you do not measure first, you will optimize the wrong thing. 2. Reduce chatty data calls A common anti-pattern is querying the same data source multiple times in one screen load. Use With() or Set() to capture results once and reuse them in controls. 3. Filter at the source (delegation-first) Keep filters delegable so your data source does the heavy lifting. Non-delegable formulas force client-side processing and can silently truncate results. 4. Load only what users nee...

Modern copilots must act, not just chat. Copilot Studio Tools (Actions) enable an agent to invoke flows, call APIs, query data, and write to systems with governed inputs and outputs. Properly engineered Tools improve reliability, traceability, and user outcomes. This article defines Tools, explains how to connect them to your Copilot, details observability and error handling, and provides design guidance for production-grade implementations. What are Copilot Studio Tools? Tools (also called Actions) are typed, parameterized operations a Copilot can call at runtime. Each Tool declares its purpose, inputs, outputs, and authentication context so the agent can decide when and how to use it safely. Common Tool categories include: Power Automate flow actions: Rapid composition over Microsoft and third-party connectors. Custom connectors / OpenAPI endpoints: HTTP/JSON services with defined schemas. Dataverse actions/queries: CRUD and lookups with security trimming. Micro...

Providing users with an easy way to give feedback is crucial for improving the performance and user experience of your AI copilot. In this blog post, we'll walk you through the steps to create a thumbs up and thumbs down feedback mechanism using Adaptive Cards in Copilot Studio and store the feedback in Microsoft Dataverse using Power Automate with a Power Virtual Agent trigger. What are Adaptive Cards? Adaptive Cards are a way to present and collect information in a flexible and visually appealing manner. They are platform-agnostic snippets of UI that can be integrated into various applications, including chatbots created with Copilot Studio. Step-by-Step Guide Step 1: Set Up Your Copilot in Copilot Studio Create Your Copilot : Use Copilot Studio to design and configure your AI copilot. Define its capabilities, responses, and integrations. Test your copilot within Copilot Studio to ensure it works as expected. Navigate to the Adaptive Cards Section : In Copilot Studio, go to the s...

  Embedding Copilot Studio into your custom website can enhance user interaction by providing AI-driven assistance directly within your web environment. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to achieve this: Step 1: Prepare Your Copilot in Copilot Studio Create Your Copilot : Use Copilot Studio to design and configure your AI copilot. Define its capabilities, responses, and integrations. Test your copilot within Copilot Studio to ensure it works as expected. Configure Authentication Settings : Navigate to Settings > Security > Authentication in Copilot Studio. Decide on the authentication type: No Authentication : Ideal for external websites where anyone can use the copilot. Authentication Required : Use this for internal tools or scenarios where sensitive information is involved. Save your settings after making the selection. Step 2: Generate the Embedding Code Access Embed Options : In Copilot Studio, navigate to the deployment or integration section where you can generate...

Customizing the appearance of your Copilot involves modifying its visual elements to match your website's design and user experience. Here’s a detailed guide on how to achieve this: Steps to Customize the Copilot's Appearance Step 1: Access the Embed Code Generate Embed Code : In Copilot Studio, navigate to the deployment or integration section where you can generate the embed code for your copilot. Copy the generated embed code to the clipboard. Step 2: Modify the HTML and CSS HTML Integration : Paste the embed code into the HTML of your website where you want the copilot to appear. Ensure the embed code is placed correctly within your website’s structure, typically within the <body> tag. CSS Customization : Use CSS to style the copilot interface to match your website’s theme. You can adjust colors, fonts, sizes, and other visual elements. Example Code Snippet Here’s an example of how you might customize the appearance of the copilot: <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang...