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Add a Bing Maps Control to you PowerApp

Adding a Map control to your PowerApp can be very helpful to end users, but it is not available out of the box (unless you continue to keep voting here). There are many use cases such as displaying a map based upon an Accounts address or displaying the location of a Work Order.

Here’s a quick way to add the map to your screen by using an Image control and a Bing Maps Key. Please follow the steps here for getting your own Bing Maps Key.

After you have gotten your key, time to go into your PowerApp.

Step 1: This step is as simple as adding a Text Input box to your screen and renaming it to “txtInput.” (Or in case you are linking the map to an already existing address, make sure that field or data card is on the screen).

Step 2: Add a Label control to the screen and rename it “BingMapsKey.” Take the key you got from following the steps in the above link and put it as the Text property of the label. Now that you have the Key and Label on the screen, set the Visible property to false, this way users cannot see the map key.

Step 3: Add an Image control to the screen and rename it “MapControl.” Make sure to size and position the map based upon the other controls, forms or galleries on the screen. Now set the Image property to “https://dev.virtualearth.net/REST/V1/Imagery/Map/Road/” & EncodeUrl(txtInput.Text) & “?mapSize=600,” & 300 & “&key=”&BingMapsKey.Text. The numbers I highlighted in Red help size the map accordingly, so you may need to play around with these numbers depending on the size of the control you created.

It’s as simple as that! Test out your map by “playing” the app and typing an address into the txtInput control.

Bring your forms to life with PowerApps

With Microsoft Office 365 and PowerApps, there is no longer a reason to make your employees fill out a paper, PDF, or email template form.

There are 4 main reasons you should use PowerApps for filling out forms:

User Interface: In today’s day and age, users expect an attractive and engaging user interface with every system they use. Your forms should be no different. PowerApps allows you to create a custom branded application that will allow your employees to fill out and submit forms with ease. Using a PowerPoint-esque interface, you can drag and drop icons, buttons and forms exactly where you want them to be. With the right touch, you can design the PowerApp to guide the user through the process with ease.

sharepoint-welcomes-powerapps-and-microsoft-flow-1Mobile: All your forms will inherently be mobile! With Microsoft’s mobile-first mindset, your employees will be able to access the PowerApps from any device, including their phones. Build one application that works across all devices.

Connectors: PowerApps allows you to connect to a database, no matter where it is. So, you can store the information collected in your forms in SharePoint, Dynamics, CDS, Oracle, SAP or any other system that has an API connection!  From there, you can easily analyze the data collected in your forms without having to cull all of the information.

Control: You have complete control over all of the controls, fields, actions, patching data sources, look-ups and workflow (hopefully with Microsoft Flow).

There is no limit to opportunities to use PowerApps forms such as a leave request form for HR, the maintenance shop work order request, or capital expenditure approvals. Your users will be thanking you for never having to go into a SharePoint list or submitting a PDF form again – and your administration staff will never have to enter data from paper forms, scan and save employee requests or maintain paper files!

If you need a simple form solution for your company, PowerApps is a no brainer. Chances are, you already have access to it with your Office 365 licensing! Start leveraging the power of Office 365 and PowerApps today and look like a rockstar to your colleagues!

What is the Common Data Model?

For those who want a quick answer:

The Common Data Model (CDM) is a standardized, modular, extensible collection of data schemas published by Microsoft that are designed to make it easier for you to build, use, and analyze data. This collection of predefined schemas—consisting of entities, attributes, semantic metadata and relationships—represent commonly used concepts and activities, such as Account and Campaign, to simplify the creation, aggregation, and analysis of data. – Microsoft 

For those looking for more detail:

The CDM is a common data structure that you should use to build out all of your business applications for consistency in entities, attributes and relationships.

For example:

Scenario 1: You’re a company that sells and manufactures widgets. Your sales, manufacturing and accounting departments all manage their own business processes and data within their own application. That’s 3 applications. AKA your IT departments worst nightmare. And each individual application may have different data structure and records for the same Accounts data. Sending/receiving data from one system to another may require custom attribute mapping and some data may not make it.

Scenario 2: You’re a company that has motivated executives who have had their ears to the ground on Microsoft’s digital transformation message. You also sell and manufacture widgets. You have since converted all of your business applications into the CDM and your Sales, Manufacturing and Accounting teams all share the same set of Account data. No integration needs to take place and your IT department’s business expense for Advil has gone to $0. Building out additional business applications is a breeze – since the core of your application has already been built for you.

Which company do you think has the leg up on their competition?

Digital Feedback Loop

Microsoft’s business applications are uniquely capable of helping you transform your business. You cannot name another business software company that can provide you with modern, integrated and intelligent applications for every part of your business process. Whether that is sales, marketing, operations, finance, HR, or customer service – Microsoft has an application for you – built on a common data application and analysis platform (called the Common Data Model), which is built on Azure, integrated with Office 365 (the largest productivity suite) AND  the worlds largest professional network LinkedIn.

This combination can supercharge your business and is completely unmatched. Microsoft calls this solution framework the Digital Feedback Loop, and is confident (as am I), it will propel your digital transformation.

There are 5 pillars to the Digital Feedback Loop. Keep in mind that there is quite a bit of crossover between the 5 pillars.

Engage Customers

Microsoft gives you applications like Dynamics for Marketing, Sales or Customer Service, which are mainly customer-centric applications designed to tailor individual customer experiences. They enable you to have the right processes, data and touch points in place so that you engage your customers in an effective way. That means having the right information at the right time to make the right decision every time OR providing the customer with the information they want at the right time through things like customer portals – and Dynamics 365 gives you that.

Empower Employees

Just like with engaging customers – you of course need to give your employees the right information at the right time etc…. but you also need to provide your employees with the tools they need to do their job more efficiently and effectively. These tools also need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape so that your employees can stay ahead of the curve. The productivity suite, business applications and data analysis tools at your employees fingertips cannot be matched.

Not to mention, your employees will be able to collaborate any time, any where and on any device.

Optimize Operations

When companies think of digital transformation they sometimes leave out their operations team because they are stuck on some legacy application or their user group may not be the most tech savvy. But those days are changing as Microsoft has been coming out with powerful applications that can empower your field service, project or finance & accounting departments.

These applications will improve your responsiveness, service levels and reduce costs – leading to higher profitability.

Transform Products

Microsoft obviously cannot make your products awesome for you… but it can help shift your vision from hindsight to foresight by providing the data and applications you need to make those key product decisions.

Data & Intelligence

PowerBI is the application of choice for data visualization and integration. These analytics will help your employees make the key decisions reduce complexity of static data.

There are also built-in AI tools in Dynamics 365 like the Relationship Assistant, that serves up friendly reminders to complete tasks or answer emails. Not to mention, with the recent additions of AI for Sales, and AI for Customer Service, Microsoft is giving businesses the power of Artificial Intelligence to make (or help make) key decisions for you.