Here in Bouvet Rogaland, we have an internal Teams meeting called Tech-hjørna about once a month.

There we present technical news from Power Platform. It can be things that have been announced and that are in preview, direction for the platform, small features or larger functionality that is coming. The idea is that our Power Platform consultants have an arena where they are updated on things that are coming so that everyone does not have to find this information on their own.

So I thought that a lot of this might as well be shared externally as well, so that’s why this blog series sees the light of day.

Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

Microsoft has recently rolled out support for free agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. As long as they are based on instructions and public websites, these agents are available at no cost and can perform various tasks based on information that is publicly available.

Agents that leverage data from the Microsoft Graph or act autonomously come with a cost, and users have the flexibility to choose between payment models such as Pay-as-you-go or Copilot Studio capacity packages. This allows users to pay for their agents based on their usage or capacity needs, which can be cost-effective for organizations with varying needs.

Code View in Power Apps Studio

Code View is now GA to all users in Power Apps Studio. This feature makes it easy for developers to view the code for a control or an entire screen within an application, giving them an easier insight into the app’s functionality. In addition, controls can be copied from Studio as YAML + Power Fx code, and then edited in Visual Studio Code. This significantly facilitates the customization and fine-tuning of apps. Developers can also use snippets to share code via Teams, email, or forums, improving collaboration and code reuse.

Components in Copilot Studio

Microsoft has introduced a new feature in Copilot Studio that allows you to create reusable components. These components can be used across agents and put into solutions to move them between Power Platform environments. This allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in app development, as the components can be reused and adapted to different projects. Reusing Knowledge, Actions, Entities, and Topics across agents helps reduce development time and improve application consistency.

Copilot Studio analytics

The updated Analytics section in Copilot Studio now provides an overview of used actions, knowledge, etc. This overview helps developers understand how their agents are used and which features are most popular.

Developers with the transcript security role can view the transcript of conversations between agent and end user. This provides valuable insights into user interactions and helps developers improve agent performance. Analytics tools also help identify areas for improvement and optimize agent functionality.

Embedded Microsoft 365 agent builder

The new feature allows users to scope web searches to only specific websites, not the entire web. This happens automatically when you add one or more URLs under Knowledge. This provides a more precise and relevant search experience, as searches are limited to sources specified by the user.

Also makers can now send feedback directly to the product team at Microsoft from the embedded agent builder. This allows developers to share their experiences and suggestions for improvement directly with the team developing the tools.

Advanced reasoning o1 model in AI prompts

This model is better at analyzing and performing complex problem-solving. It is designed to handle challenging tasks that require deep understanding and analysis. Imagine a support scenario where agents need to analyze complex troubleshooting data—such as error logs or previous support requests—to determine the root cause of an issue. This model can contribute to faster and more accurate solutions.

For agents built in Copilot Studio, Advanced reasoning is also now available in preview.

Power Automate

For those who work with Power Automate and use the new interface, there has been a some good news lately.

Expand all

The new UI in Power Automate now allows you to expand or collapse all action groups, such as For Each etc. with a click. This gives users better control over their workflow and makes it easier to navigate through complex automations. The ability to expand or collapse groups with a single click saves time and makes it much easier to work with larger flows.

Favorite actions

The new UI in Power Automate now allows you to save the actions you use most under favorites. This makes it easier for users to find and use their favorite features quickly, improving productivity. Having a list of favorite features available makes it easier to build and maintain workflows. The storage follows you in different flows and through different Power Platform environments

That was all from Tech Corner in March. We hope the information was helpful and that you enjoy the new features and enhancements in Power Platform and Copilot. Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates next month.