Category: Microsoft
Category Archives: Microsoft
I can’t export my emails in Microsoft Outlook 365!
I took Microsoft Outlook 365 subscription from GoDaddy. I downloaded the app in MAC (MacBook Pro M1 Max). After following the support guidelines from GoDaddy I couldn’t find the options to export emails (even in legacy mode the options didn’t show up). Please assist me to take backup of my current emails.
I took Microsoft Outlook 365 subscription from GoDaddy. I downloaded the app in MAC (MacBook Pro M1 Max). After following the support guidelines from GoDaddy I couldn’t find the options to export emails (even in legacy mode the options didn’t show up). Please assist me to take backup of my current emails. Read More
Only Getting Five Queries per Thread
Hello, I am using copilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com/?wlexpsignin=1) and recently (last week or so) I have been limited to only five queries per thread. Is there some reason for why this has occurred? Is there any way to go back to the old limit of 30 queries? I am noticing that on the iPhone I am getting thirty queries.
Hello, I am using copilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com/?wlexpsignin=1) and recently (last week or so) I have been limited to only five queries per thread. Is there some reason for why this has occurred? Is there any way to go back to the old limit of 30 queries? I am noticing that on the iPhone I am getting thirty queries. Read More
Vlookup array formula in a table
Hi, is there any possibility to use VLOOKUP and match array functions to auto-populate the table by entering a formula in H2?
Hi, is there any possibility to use VLOOKUP and match array functions to auto-populate the table by entering a formula in H2? Read More
Forms Admin Center Feature Request
Please create a MS Forms admin center. Users often request access to Forms of employees who have left and there is no direct way to grant this access. We end up having to reactivate the deactivated account, sign in as the user, search for the form and grant permissions. This is not ideal and it’s onerous.
Thank you
Please create a MS Forms admin center. Users often request access to Forms of employees who have left and there is no direct way to grant this access. We end up having to reactivate the deactivated account, sign in as the user, search for the form and grant permissions. This is not ideal and it’s onerous. Thank you Read More
Announcing Public Preview: Kubernetes Metadata & Logs Filtering in Azure Monitor-Container Insights
Today at Build, we are excited to announce the Public Preview of Kubernetes Metadata and Logs Filtering in Azure Monitor – Container Insights! This new feature enhances the ContainerLogsV2 schema with additional Kubernetes metadata such as PodLabels, PodAnnotations, PodUid, Image, ImageID, ImageRepo and ImageTag. The Logs Filtering feature provides filtering capabilities for both workload and platform (i.e. system namespaces) logs coming out of containers. Additionally, enhance your Kubernetes Metadata experience by leveraging the Grafana dashboard to visualize log levels, volume, rate, records and much more. With these features, users gain richer context and improved visibility into their workloads.
Key Features
Enhanced ContainerLogV2 schema with Kubernetes Metadata Fields: Detailed metadata fields enhance log analysis. These include “podLabels,” “podAnnotations,” “podUid,” “image,” “imageID,” “imageRepo,” and “imageTag.”
Customized Include List Configuration: Users can tailor metadata fields via ConfigMap. All fields are collected by default.
Enhanced ContainerLogV2 schema with Log Level: Assess application health with color-coded severity levels (e.g., CRITICAL, ERROR, WARNING). Helps incident response and proactive monitoring.
Annotation Based Log Filtering for workloads: Efficient log filtering through podAnnotations. Focus on relevant information, optimizing costs and resource usage.
ConfigMap Based Log Filtering for platform logs (System Kubernetes Namespaces): Enables ability to configure log collection of specific pods within the system namespaces through ConfigMap.
Grafana Dashboard for Visualization: Visualize log levels, log volume, rate, records, and more. The Grafana dashboard empowers in-depth analysis and real-time monitoring.
To learn more and enable the Kubernetes Metadata and Logs Filtering experience, follow the steps here: https://aka.ms/KubernetesMetadataAndLogsFilteringDocumentation
If you have any questions or feedback on Kubernetes Metadata and Logs Filtering, please reach out to ibraraslam@microsoft.com or fill out this survey!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Public Preview of Split Experimentation for Azure App Configuration
We are excited to announce the public preview of Split Experimentation for Azure App Configuration. In today’s software development, delivering high-quality features rapidly while minimizing risk is a top priority. Our new experimentation capability extends feature flags in App Configuration, helping you balance speed, accuracy, and safety to effectively de-risk application development.
This new capability leverages the existing services you utilize to host your applications in Azure, integrating seamlessly with App Configuration for feature definitions and Application Insights for telemetry data. The experimentation engine is powered by the Split Experimentation workspace, a new Azure native ISV service that incorporates robust analysis capabilities from Split Software, Inc.
Why Experimentation?
Feature flags in App Configuration already offer substantial benefits, including risk reduction, enhanced operational control, and targeted user segmentation. Experimentation takes these benefits to the next level, unlocking major value in the form of:
Data-Driven Decisions: Optimize features based on actual user data, improving performance and satisfaction.
Risk Mitigation: Identify potential issues early by exposing features to a controlled group, reducing widespread problems and improving MTTD and MTTR.
A/B Testing: Determine which feature version performs better through controlled user group testing.
Faster Feedback Loop: Quickly iterate and improve features based on real user input.
In this era of intelligent applications and AI-driven technologies, experimentation plays a pivotal role in harnessing the full potential of AI models. It enables developers to effectively integrate AI models, optimize user experiences, and significantly enhance the success of Gen AI based features in their intelligent applications.
How to run experimentation in Azure?
Azure App Configuration now offers Variant Feature Flags, enabling more granular control and flexibility beyond traditional Boolean flags. Here’s how to run experiments on these variants in three simple steps:
Define your Feature: Specify your feature and its variants in Azure App Configuration to provide tailored experiences for different scenarios.
Send Telemetry Data: Send telemetry data on variant evaluations and events to Application Insights to monitor performance and impact.
Experiment and Define Metrics: Create experiments on variant feature flags and define metrics to track the new features.
Split Experimentation leverages telemetry data from Application Insights to pinpoint the top-performing variant based on your defined metrics. Experiment results can be viewed directly in the App Configuration store.
Getting Started
Explore our sample application to see how experimentation can enhance your development process. Start with the .NET azd sample, Quote of the Day, featuring a variant feature flag “Greeting” with two variants: “Off” and “On.” Users with the “On” variant see a greeting before the quote; users with the “Off” variant see only the quote.
Off & On variants in UI shown side by side
Success is measured by tracking the “Like” metric for the click event on the heart button, showing user preference. Results show that “On” variant is the desired variant, that is, users tend to click on heart button more if they see the greeting with the quote.
Experiment results showing outcome and impact for defined metrics
Learn more
For more details, check the documentation. Join the community of developers transforming their feature management strategies with Azure and Split.io. Happy experimenting!
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Image are lost in the confirmation email from MsBooking for the customer
So the problem is pretty simple, I want to have ”header” in the confirmation email for the booking, it’s all working fine except that the header is lost, we only have like 5% of the image…
As you can see below, the image is partially erased, we can still click to open the whole thing but it’s severly cropped in the email, I have tried to but it in the bottom of the message, it doesnt fix the problem, anywhere you put an image, it’s massively crop, but the image is still there you can right click to download the full image.
(Yes I could crop the same image with multiple line and have the full thing like a jigsaw puzzle, but this is definetly not a reasonnable solution)
sorry it’s in french but you can understand from the image below that the header is still there, but crop.
The Sad part is : the employee HAVE the full image, but not the customer…..
Any solution from the community?
So the problem is pretty simple, I want to have ”header” in the confirmation email for the booking, it’s all working fine except that the header is lost, we only have like 5% of the image… As you can see below, the image is partially erased, we can still click to open the whole thing but it’s severly cropped in the email, I have tried to but it in the bottom of the message, it doesnt fix the problem, anywhere you put an image, it’s massively crop, but the image is still there you can right click to download the full image.(Yes I could crop the same image with multiple line and have the full thing like a jigsaw puzzle, but this is definetly not a reasonnable solution) sorry it’s in french but you can understand from the image below that the header is still there, but crop. The Sad part is : the employee HAVE the full image, but not the customer….. Any solution from the community? Read More
Analysis of Product Customer Combinations
Hi Community,
I have to analyze data for univeristy. The dataset contains line items of a company with the single products all customers bought.
How can I analyze wich combination of e.g. two or three products are most popular among the customers?
I would be grateful if someone can assist me here 🙂
Hi Community, I have to analyze data for univeristy. The dataset contains line items of a company with the single products all customers bought. How can I analyze wich combination of e.g. two or three products are most popular among the customers? I would be grateful if someone can assist me here 🙂 Read More
Partner Alert: Microsoft Build May 21-23, 2024
Event Information
Microsoft Power Platform will be featured prominently at Microsoft Build, Microsoft’s flagship event for professional developers kicking off on May 21! Microsoft will be landing key news through a set of executive-delivered keynotes as well as breakout sessions, demonstrations, hands-on labs, and expert meet ups. If you haven’t already, there is still time to register for the event. In addition to the keynotes, a roundup of the top news will be covered in a breakout session led by Charles Lamanna, as well as be included in Microsoft’s hero Power Platform blog.
Release Summary
The top tier news at Microsoft Build 2024 includes:
New copilots with agent capabilities, built in Copilot Studio and entering a limited private preview program, will enable developers to build copilots capable of independently managing long-running processes and associated tasks with contextual memory and learning.
New Copilot Studio connectors to enhance your conversational experiences with data from your productivity, analytical, and operations, and within Copilot for Microsoft 365.
New AI flows in Power Automate to enable developers to build a new type of AI powered flow. Simply describe the goal, including any parameters, and AI will build an execution plan and run it, reasoning with the LLM at every step – changing automation from rules-based to outcome based.
AI recorder in Power Automate is a new intuitive, multimodal desktop automation experience where users create flows by showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task, using voice and screen share rather than mouse clicks and keyboard entries.
New pro dev features in Power Apps, including copilot, to explain code and convert natural language to Power Fx, native Git integration, co-authoring in Canvas apps, and viewing source code in PowerApps Studio.
Product Announcements
Copilot Studio: powering the next wave of copilot experiences
Microsoft is introducing new capabilities in Copilot Studio that enables developers to build copilots that can act as agents, able to run and orchestrate many long-running business processes, integrate line of business data directly into copilot experiences and publish new copilot extensions.
Copilot Studio is introducing new agent capabilities, empowering developers to build copilots that can proactively respond to data and events, tailored to specific tasks and functions. Copilots built with this new category of capabilities will be able to independently manage complex long running business processes by leveraging memory and knowledge for context, reason over actions and inputs, learn based on user feedback and ask for help when it encounters situations that it doesn’t know how to handle. You can now put copilot to work for you – from IT device procurement to customer concierge for sales and service. These capabilities in Copilot Studio are available for customers in a limited private preview program. Based on feedback from program participants, we will iterate and refine capabilities for wider availability in preview scheduled for later this calendar year.
Introducing Copilot connectors (public preview), which brings together Microsoft Graph, Power Platform Connectors, Microsoft Fabric AI skills (in private preview) and Dataverse. This makes the process of grounding Copilot in 1st & 3rd party LOB data a wizard-based experience, enabling developers to quickly incorporate their organizational knowledge into Copilot, enable new actions, and add real-time intelligent Q&A.
Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource.
Conversational analytics in Copilot Studio (public preview) gives deep insights into user engagement for your own copilots, providing developers with valuable metrics to enhance user satisfaction.
New conversational design experience (public preview) enables easier development and configuration of copilots via conversational, human-like interaction.
Templates (public preview) allow you to build your own copilot faster with pre-built templates including IT Helpdesk, Order tracking, Travel assistance and more.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
What’s new with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio
Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Demo: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio (onsite only)
Lab: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot studio (onsite only)
Visit the Copilot Studio page on Power Platform Partner Hub for resources – What’s News in Copilot Studio and Build a Copilot with agent capabilities in Copilot Studio decks coming soon.
Power Automate: AI and process automation updates
Several new innovations are being launched in Power Automate, capitalizing on process automation and generative AI to help revolutionize the way people work.
AI flows (early access preview) which offers a brand-new type of outcome-based automation that allows generative AI to achieve a result by building a flow autonomously and within set guardrails, without requiring users to map out every process step. AI flows will employ LLMs at runtime to dynamically reason, configure actions and execute them.
AI recorder (early access preview) in desktop flows creates a more intuitive, multimodal experience where users create flows by both showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task.
Natural language to flow capabilities (private preview), now available for desktop, allow users to build rules-based desktop flows faster and more easily by using natural language.
Automation Center (public preview) provides in-depth monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, providing an end-to-end view of company-wide automation status including SLA attainment, average processing time and work queue throughput.
Flows inside Microsoft Copilot (public preview) allows users to discover and run flows as plugins in Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Conversational cloud flows (public preview) allow users to create, refine and troubleshoot workflows using natural language.
Personal automation recommendations mined from M365 Graph (public preview) helps optimize personal processes based on patterns in the work.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Review the blog on Partner Center certification and publishing
Attend the breakout session: Revolutionize the way you work with automation and AI
Watch the demo: New Copilot experiences for developers in Power Automate (onsite only)
Power Apps: helping developers build apps at scale
Power Apps is making it even easier to build and deploy modern enterprise applications at scale. Developers can now build comprehensive applications faster and more cost effectively than before. New improvements, now in preview, include:
Use Copilot to create and understand Power Fx inline (public preview) as it is now going beyond the basics to explain code intricacies (GA), auto-generate comments, and generate Power Fx code from natural language instructions right in the formula bar in a “type ahead” style similar to Github Copilot.
Native Git integration (public preview in July) allows developers to synchronize their Power Apps environment and Git repositories. By connecting the two, development teams can see and track all changes, quickly and seamlessly integrate their development processes, quality tools, and best practices directly into their Power Apps environment, thereby reducing the time it takes to build an app.
Copilot in apps on mobile (public preview in June) lets developers modernize mobile apps for frontline workers with copilot on mobile devices. Frontline workers will soon be able to use voice dictation and generative AI to complete tasks, including collecting and submitting information. Developers can customize and extend Copilot in Power Apps using Microsoft Copilot Studio to create specialized conversational experiences.
Co-authoring in canvas apps (public preview) means multiple makers can now edit a canvas app at the same time with live co-authoring in the same style as Office apps like Power Point, Word or Excel. Co-authoring was previously announced in the modern app designer. It is now available across experiences, so all makers can work better together.
Code in Power Apps Studio (public preview) enables developers to view source code directly in Power Apps Studio, making it easy to use in a readable YAML format.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Enable every developer to collaborate with low code + pro code
Using Power Platform to accelerate full-stack software development
Building the apps of the future today with Power Platform and Copilot
Lab: Developing a custom control using the Power Apps Component Framework (onsite only)
Power Pages: New security features to help monitor, protect sites
Power Pages empowers users to create dynamic, customizable sites tailored to their specific needs. New security and AI features cater to a wide spectrum of users with tailor-made solutions.
Power Pages chatbots and customization with Copilot Studio (generally available): The ability to use chatbots on Power Pages websites is now generally available and will enable makers to configure a copilot chatbot out-of-the-box with no additional authoring. This chatbot will also understand authenticated user context and can be customized using Copilot Studio.
Generative AI-Powered search (public preview): Microsoft Copilot in Power Pages provides AI-enabled search capabilities including summarization of results, akin to Bing copilot chat experiences. This improves end user experience by providing information upfront.
Security workspace (public preview) seamlessly integrates into the Power Pages design studio and provides value-add security features to safeguard sites from potential data breaches, limit user access and permissions, and promotes secure hosting.
Power Pages upgraded Web Application Firewall (WAF) (generally available) is now offering enhanced capabilities, including IP and Geo filtering to strengthen against cyber threats. Easily manage access control with authentication and authorization configurations, and with a built-in copilot experience that assists with security-focused Q&A, security testing, and summarizing scan results, users can stay in control and stay informed.
Virtual Tables with no-code connectivity to Salesforce and Oracle databases (public preview) enables organizations to build Power Pages websites on top of their Salesforce or Oracle databases.
Integrate data from Microsoft Fabric and Business Central (public preview) into Power Pages websites without coding, enabling self-service actions for suppliers using templates. This is yet another example of data connectivity with SAP.
Power Fx formulas in the Power Pages Design Studio (public preview) enables users to utilize Power Fx formulas to bind data with UI Components in Power Pages design studio and build custom user experiences in their websites.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Reimagine Enterprise Website building with Low Code using Power Pages
Demo: Build enterprise websites over Salesforce and Oracle using Power Pages (onsite only)
Demo: Build Dynamic website content using Power Fx and Power Pages (onsite only)
Lab: Dev tools to extend Power Pages websites (onsite only)
Microsoft Dataverse: New security and connectors
Security hub (public preview), a new feature in the Microsoft Power Platform Admin Center, allows administrators to quickly assess the security posture for the tenant and identify and act on the most impactful recommendations to improve the posture, proactively set policies in place to safeguard from vulnerabilities and risks and use a rich set of tools and security capabilities available to gain deep visibility and detect threats effectively.
Knowledge (public preview) in Microsoft Dataverse enables makers to build custom copilots and agents that include various enterprise and LOB data sources, helping efficiently access relevant business insights. Supported data sources include public websites, SharePoint/OneDrive, Microsoft Fabric, Dynamics 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Oracle, and other external data sources indexed in Microsoft Graph.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Activate enterprise data in AI-enabled business applications
Secure and govern Copilot within enterprise-grade low code solutions
Demo: Maximize Power Platform and Source Control (onsite only)
Demo: Build a conversational AI app using enterprise data (onsite only)
Demo: Leverage Copilot plugins to activate your dynamics applications (onsite only)
Demo: Protect AI-driven applications with high value capabilities and tools (onsite only)
Demo: Unlocking efficiency: low-code app building with Dataverse and Copilot (onsite only)
Copilot Platform: Introducing Copilot extensions
Microsoft is unifying all Microsoft Copilot extensibility concepts into a single construct called Copilot extensions to streamline the way developers create extensions for workflows they use everyday.
Copilot extensions (public preview) enhance Microsoft Copilot by enabling new actions and customized knowledge for grounding within Copilot. With Copilot extensions, users can get a Microsoft Copilot experience that is tailored with the data, systems, and workflows they use every day, and for developers, this opens opportunities to create Copilot extensions through plugins, Copilot connectors, and even by developing their own copilots. Developers can create Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio or using Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio Code. Copilot extensions from leading apps like Jira, Priority Matrix and Mural are available in preview for Copilot for Microsoft 365, along with company-developed line of business Copilot extensions. IT admins can control and manage access to extensions via the Microsoft 365 Admin center.
Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Understand the new process to publish Copilot extensions
Review the ISV Partner Blog: Copilot Studio brings power of generative AI to ISV offerings
Download the ISV Partner Datasheet: Develop a Copilot-enabled Solution
Attend the breakout sessions:
Developer’s Guide to Customizing Microsoft Copilot
Extend Microsoft Copilot with Copilot Studio
Developer deep dive on building plugins for Copilot with VS Code
Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Reach 320M+ users in flow of work building your own copilot for Teams
Grow your business with Copilot extensions and marketplace
Transforming the most valuable industry workflows with Copilot
Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio
Stay Connected with Business Applications Partner Resources
Sign up for the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Newsletters
Follow the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partner LinkedIn channels
Bookmark the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Hub pages
Join and engage in the Business Applications Microsoft Partner Community
Event Information
Microsoft Power Platform will be featured prominently at Microsoft Build, Microsoft’s flagship event for professional developers kicking off on May 21! Microsoft will be landing key news through a set of executive-delivered keynotes as well as breakout sessions, demonstrations, hands-on labs, and expert meet ups. If you haven’t already, there is still time to register for the event. In addition to the keynotes, a roundup of the top news will be covered in a breakout session led by Charles Lamanna, as well as be included in Microsoft’s hero Power Platform blog.
Release Summary
The top tier news at Microsoft Build 2024 includes:
New copilots with agent capabilities, built in Copilot Studio and entering a limited private preview program, will enable developers to build copilots capable of independently managing long-running processes and associated tasks with contextual memory and learning.
New Copilot Studio connectors to enhance your conversational experiences with data from your productivity, analytical, and operations, and within Copilot for Microsoft 365.
New AI flows in Power Automate to enable developers to build a new type of AI powered flow. Simply describe the goal, including any parameters, and AI will build an execution plan and run it, reasoning with the LLM at every step – changing automation from rules-based to outcome based.
AI recorder in Power Automate is a new intuitive, multimodal desktop automation experience where users create flows by showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task, using voice and screen share rather than mouse clicks and keyboard entries.
New pro dev features in Power Apps, including copilot, to explain code and convert natural language to Power Fx, native Git integration, co-authoring in Canvas apps, and viewing source code in PowerApps Studio.
Product Announcements
Copilot Studio: powering the next wave of copilot experiences
Microsoft is introducing new capabilities in Copilot Studio that enables developers to build copilots that can act as agents, able to run and orchestrate many long-running business processes, integrate line of business data directly into copilot experiences and publish new copilot extensions.
Copilot Studio is introducing new agent capabilities, empowering developers to build copilots that can proactively respond to data and events, tailored to specific tasks and functions. Copilots built with this new category of capabilities will be able to independently manage complex long running business processes by leveraging memory and knowledge for context, reason over actions and inputs, learn based on user feedback and ask for help when it encounters situations that it doesn’t know how to handle. You can now put copilot to work for you – from IT device procurement to customer concierge for sales and service. These capabilities in Copilot Studio are available for customers in a limited private preview program. Based on feedback from program participants, we will iterate and refine capabilities for wider availability in preview scheduled for later this calendar year.
Introducing Copilot connectors (public preview), which brings together Microsoft Graph, Power Platform Connectors, Microsoft Fabric AI skills (in private preview) and Dataverse. This makes the process of grounding Copilot in 1st & 3rd party LOB data a wizard-based experience, enabling developers to quickly incorporate their organizational knowledge into Copilot, enable new actions, and add real-time intelligent Q&A.
Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource.
Conversational analytics in Copilot Studio (public preview) gives deep insights into user engagement for your own copilots, providing developers with valuable metrics to enhance user satisfaction.
New conversational design experience (public preview) enables easier development and configuration of copilots via conversational, human-like interaction.
Templates (public preview) allow you to build your own copilot faster with pre-built templates including IT Helpdesk, Order tracking, Travel assistance and more.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
What’s new with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio
Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Demo: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio (onsite only)
Lab: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot studio (onsite only)
Visit the Copilot Studio page on Power Platform Partner Hub for resources – What’s News in Copilot Studio and Build a Copilot with agent capabilities in Copilot Studio decks coming soon.
Power Automate: AI and process automation updates
Several new innovations are being launched in Power Automate, capitalizing on process automation and generative AI to help revolutionize the way people work.
AI flows (early access preview) which offers a brand-new type of outcome-based automation that allows generative AI to achieve a result by building a flow autonomously and within set guardrails, without requiring users to map out every process step. AI flows will employ LLMs at runtime to dynamically reason, configure actions and execute them.
AI recorder (early access preview) in desktop flows creates a more intuitive, multimodal experience where users create flows by both showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task.
Natural language to flow capabilities (private preview), now available for desktop, allow users to build rules-based desktop flows faster and more easily by using natural language.
Automation Center (public preview) provides in-depth monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, providing an end-to-end view of company-wide automation status including SLA attainment, average processing time and work queue throughput.
Flows inside Microsoft Copilot (public preview) allows users to discover and run flows as plugins in Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Conversational cloud flows (public preview) allow users to create, refine and troubleshoot workflows using natural language.
Personal automation recommendations mined from M365 Graph (public preview) helps optimize personal processes based on patterns in the work.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Review the blog on Partner Center certification and publishing
Attend the breakout session: Revolutionize the way you work with automation and AI
Watch the demo: New Copilot experiences for developers in Power Automate (onsite only)
Power Apps: helping developers build apps at scale
Power Apps is making it even easier to build and deploy modern enterprise applications at scale. Developers can now build comprehensive applications faster and more cost effectively than before. New improvements, now in preview, include:
Use Copilot to create and understand Power Fx inline (public preview) as it is now going beyond the basics to explain code intricacies (GA), auto-generate comments, and generate Power Fx code from natural language instructions right in the formula bar in a “type ahead” style similar to Github Copilot.
Native Git integration (public preview in July) allows developers to synchronize their Power Apps environment and Git repositories. By connecting the two, development teams can see and track all changes, quickly and seamlessly integrate their development processes, quality tools, and best practices directly into their Power Apps environment, thereby reducing the time it takes to build an app.
Copilot in apps on mobile (public preview in June) lets developers modernize mobile apps for frontline workers with copilot on mobile devices. Frontline workers will soon be able to use voice dictation and generative AI to complete tasks, including collecting and submitting information. Developers can customize and extend Copilot in Power Apps using Microsoft Copilot Studio to create specialized conversational experiences.
Co-authoring in canvas apps (public preview) means multiple makers can now edit a canvas app at the same time with live co-authoring in the same style as Office apps like Power Point, Word or Excel. Co-authoring was previously announced in the modern app designer. It is now available across experiences, so all makers can work better together.
Code in Power Apps Studio (public preview) enables developers to view source code directly in Power Apps Studio, making it easy to use in a readable YAML format.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Enable every developer to collaborate with low code + pro code
Using Power Platform to accelerate full-stack software development
Building the apps of the future today with Power Platform and Copilot
Lab: Developing a custom control using the Power Apps Component Framework (onsite only)
Power Pages: New security features to help monitor, protect sites
Power Pages empowers users to create dynamic, customizable sites tailored to their specific needs. New security and AI features cater to a wide spectrum of users with tailor-made solutions.
Power Pages chatbots and customization with Copilot Studio (generally available): The ability to use chatbots on Power Pages websites is now generally available and will enable makers to configure a copilot chatbot out-of-the-box with no additional authoring. This chatbot will also understand authenticated user context and can be customized using Copilot Studio.
Generative AI-Powered search (public preview): Microsoft Copilot in Power Pages provides AI-enabled search capabilities including summarization of results, akin to Bing copilot chat experiences. This improves end user experience by providing information upfront.
Security workspace (public preview) seamlessly integrates into the Power Pages design studio and provides value-add security features to safeguard sites from potential data breaches, limit user access and permissions, and promotes secure hosting.
Power Pages upgraded Web Application Firewall (WAF) (generally available) is now offering enhanced capabilities, including IP and Geo filtering to strengthen against cyber threats. Easily manage access control with authentication and authorization configurations, and with a built-in copilot experience that assists with security-focused Q&A, security testing, and summarizing scan results, users can stay in control and stay informed.
Virtual Tables with no-code connectivity to Salesforce and Oracle databases (public preview) enables organizations to build Power Pages websites on top of their Salesforce or Oracle databases.
Integrate data from Microsoft Fabric and Business Central (public preview) into Power Pages websites without coding, enabling self-service actions for suppliers using templates. This is yet another example of data connectivity with SAP.
Power Fx formulas in the Power Pages Design Studio (public preview) enables users to utilize Power Fx formulas to bind data with UI Components in Power Pages design studio and build custom user experiences in their websites.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Reimagine Enterprise Website building with Low Code using Power Pages
Demo: Build enterprise websites over Salesforce and Oracle using Power Pages (onsite only)
Demo: Build Dynamic website content using Power Fx and Power Pages (onsite only)
Lab: Dev tools to extend Power Pages websites (onsite only)
Microsoft Dataverse: New security and connectors
Security hub (public preview), a new feature in the Microsoft Power Platform Admin Center, allows administrators to quickly assess the security posture for the tenant and identify and act on the most impactful recommendations to improve the posture, proactively set policies in place to safeguard from vulnerabilities and risks and use a rich set of tools and security capabilities available to gain deep visibility and detect threats effectively.
Knowledge (public preview) in Microsoft Dataverse enables makers to build custom copilots and agents that include various enterprise and LOB data sources, helping efficiently access relevant business insights. Supported data sources include public websites, SharePoint/OneDrive, Microsoft Fabric, Dynamics 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Oracle, and other external data sources indexed in Microsoft Graph.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Attend the breakout sessions:
Activate enterprise data in AI-enabled business applications
Secure and govern Copilot within enterprise-grade low code solutions
Demo: Maximize Power Platform and Source Control (onsite only)
Demo: Build a conversational AI app using enterprise data (onsite only)
Demo: Leverage Copilot plugins to activate your dynamics applications (onsite only)
Demo: Protect AI-driven applications with high value capabilities and tools (onsite only)
Demo: Unlocking efficiency: low-code app building with Dataverse and Copilot (onsite only)
Copilot Platform: Introducing Copilot extensions
Microsoft is unifying all Microsoft Copilot extensibility concepts into a single construct called Copilot extensions to streamline the way developers create extensions for workflows they use everyday.
Copilot extensions (public preview) enhance Microsoft Copilot by enabling new actions and customized knowledge for grounding within Copilot. With Copilot extensions, users can get a Microsoft Copilot experience that is tailored with the data, systems, and workflows they use every day, and for developers, this opens opportunities to create Copilot extensions through plugins, Copilot connectors, and even by developing their own copilots. Developers can create Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio or using Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio Code. Copilot extensions from leading apps like Jira, Priority Matrix and Mural are available in preview for Copilot for Microsoft 365, along with company-developed line of business Copilot extensions. IT admins can control and manage access to extensions via the Microsoft 365 Admin center.
Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource.
Next steps:
Learn more about this update
Understand the new process to publish Copilot extensions
Review the ISV Partner Blog: Copilot Studio brings power of generative AI to ISV offerings
Download the ISV Partner Datasheet: Develop a Copilot-enabled Solution
Attend the breakout sessions:
Developer’s Guide to Customizing Microsoft Copilot
Extend Microsoft Copilot with Copilot Studio
Developer deep dive on building plugins for Copilot with VS Code
Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio
Reach 320M+ users in flow of work building your own copilot for Teams
Grow your business with Copilot extensions and marketplace
Transforming the most valuable industry workflows with Copilot
Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio
Stay Connected with Business Applications Partner Resources
Sign up for the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Newsletters
Follow the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partner LinkedIn channels
Bookmark the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Hub pages
Join and engage in the Business Applications Microsoft Partner Community Read More
How might it be possible for a Team to be an event Organizer in Outlook?
We’ve discovered that a staff member’s appointment has appeared on the Team / Group calendar in Outlook and invited a few Team members to the event. The organizer for the event is attributed to the Team itself.
I’m not sure how it’s possible for a Team to be an organizer for an Outlook event.
We’ve discovered that a staff member’s appointment has appeared on the Team / Group calendar in Outlook and invited a few Team members to the event. The organizer for the event is attributed to the Team itself. I’m not sure how it’s possible for a Team to be an organizer for an Outlook event. Read More
ADF Change Data Capture
I have been working on a proof of concept using the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture, resource to move data from Azure SQL Database to Delta Lake target. The issue I am encountering is when the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture source attempts to parse the schema it is returning an error:
“Failed to import schema for Source Table ….” and “com.microsoft.dataflow.broker.MissingRequiredPropertyException: server is a required property for ….” (names of resources are intentionally left out)
The Azure Data Factory MSI has access to read the schema and is a user in the Azure SQL Database.
Thoughts?
I have been working on a proof of concept using the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture, resource to move data from Azure SQL Database to Delta Lake target. The issue I am encountering is when the Azure Data Factory Change Data Capture source attempts to parse the schema it is returning an error:”Failed to import schema for Source Table ….” and “com.microsoft.dataflow.broker.MissingRequiredPropertyException: server is a required property for ….” (names of resources are intentionally left out) The Azure Data Factory MSI has access to read the schema and is a user in the Azure SQL Database. Thoughts? Read More
Footnote numbers change to all 8
Hello, I have a problem when I change the footnotes to start from the beginning on each page, where the order of the numbers in the footnotes changes completely to the number 8, is there a solution?
Hello, I have a problem when I change the footnotes to start from the beginning on each page, where the order of the numbers in the footnotes changes completely to the number 8, is there a solution? Read More
Stop the annoying pop ups in everything
For the love of any deity out there, how do I stop the constant pop ups from Microsoft? I use Outlook, I get pop ups. Sharepoint? More pop ups. OneNote? You better believe I get more pop ups. They are annoying, unwanted and intrusive; All I want to do is get my stuff done without Microsoft harassing me with “Did you know about this feature? Click here to try it!” Or, “we’d love your feedback that we will ignore because it doesn’t comply with what we want to hear but we will continue to pester you instead of letting you do what you need to do!”
Well, yes, I knew about it and I’m not using it because it is hot garbage, just like everything Microsoft has released. I constantly fill out Microsoft’s crappy surveys and tell them to stop bothering me with surveys!
How do I get this harassment to stop?! Here are some examples
For the love of any deity out there, how do I stop the constant pop ups from Microsoft? I use Outlook, I get pop ups. Sharepoint? More pop ups. OneNote? You better believe I get more pop ups. They are annoying, unwanted and intrusive; All I want to do is get my stuff done without Microsoft harassing me with “Did you know about this feature? Click here to try it!” Or, “we’d love your feedback that we will ignore because it doesn’t comply with what we want to hear but we will continue to pester you instead of letting you do what you need to do!” Well, yes, I knew about it and I’m not using it because it is hot garbage, just like everything Microsoft has released. I constantly fill out Microsoft’s crappy surveys and tell them to stop bothering me with surveys! How do I get this harassment to stop?! Here are some examples Read More
Azure Web Application Firewall(WAF) integration in Copilot for Security
With the Azure WAF in Copilot for Security integration, security and IT teams can move faster, and focus on high value tasks. The Copilot summarizes data and generates in-depth contextual insights into the WAF threat landscape. This enables analysts to determine if the WAF policy is blocking a request it should not have blocked, or if their WAF policy needs to be fine-tuned. It results in time and cost savings since Copilot can reason over terabytes of data in a matter of minutes, not hours or days.
Azure WAF capabilities available in the standalone Copilot for Security experience are: Get Top Rules Triggered, Get Top Blocks By IP, Get SQLi Blocks By WAF, and Get XSS Blocks By WAF
Full details can be obtained here: Azure WAF integration in Copilot for Security – Protect web applications using Gen AI
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Azure Static Web Apps Dedicated Plan: Building Enterprise Grade Full Stack Web Apps
Introduction
Azure Static Web Apps already offers an amazing solution to build and host full stack web apps with our Free and Standard plans!
However, you have been asking us for Static Web Apps that are compliant with data residency rules to allow you to build secure web apps that also comply with your data governance requirements we are now offering the Dedicated plan (in preview)! Additionally, this new plan will support Always On managed functions, drastically improving the experience for Static Web Apps with dynamic backends and for apps that follow the SSR patterns. And for a limited time, the Dedicated plan will be offered for free. Check it out here: https://aka.ms/swa-dedicated-preview
Why Use It
If you are looking to securely host your full stack web apps look no further than the Dedicated Plan. In preview, the dedicated plan allows you to have data residency in select regions for your web app.
Free
Standard
Dedicated (In Preview)
Web hosting
X
X
X
CI/CD
X
X
X
Global Distribution
X
X
X
Private Link
X
X
Custom Domain
X
X
Managed Backends
X
X
Data Residency
X
Always On Managed Functions Support
X
How to Get Started?
To get started with this new plan go to the portal and enter the Static Web Apps create flow. You will now see a new plan type for Dedicated. Please select that plan and then select the region in which you would like your resources to be created in and in which your data will be stored.
Check it out here: https://aka.ms/swa-dedicated-preview
Disclaimer: During preview only 1 resource per subscription can created using the Dedicated Plan
Available in the following regions during Preview: East US 2, Central US, West US 2, and East Asia
Have feedback to share with us, please email us at az-swa-preview@microsoft.com
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
You Are Real: More Secure Identity Verification
Why is Liveness Detection Crucial for Identity Verification Today?
With the ubiquitous internet infrastructure and mobile networks providing a backbone for daily interactions, coupled with a sustained increase in remote activities post-pandemic, the need for robust identity verification mechanisms is more critical than ever. As individuals engage in a wide range of online transactions — from banking and e-commerce to healthcare consultations and remote work — the risk of identity fraud has significantly escalated. According to the Consumer Sentinel Network’s 2023 Annual Data Book, reports of fraud and identity theft have nearly doubled in the last four years.[1]
Furthermore, the widespread availability of digital devices like smartphones and tablets, along with pervasive social media platforms, has made personal photos and identity details more accessible and easier to exploit. This accessibility significantly undermines the effectiveness of simple image-based face recognition technologies, which can be easily circumvented using readily available photographs. These vulnerabilities render traditional methods of identity verification increasingly ineffective in today’s digital world.
As the threat landscape evolves, the need for advanced verification methods that can counteract these sophisticated threats becomes crucial. This is where liveness detection emerges as an indispensable tool in the arsenal of security measures. In line with cybersecurity best practices recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Multifactor Authentication (MFA) is advocated to mitigate the risks associated with password-only security. Face scan or liveness detection plays a critical role in the “Something You Are” pillar of MFA.[2] The integration of liveness detection not only improving system security but also maintaining trust in every digital interaction, making it a foundational component for the future of secure online identity verification.
Successful Applications of Liveness Detection Across Industries
Liveness detection is making significant impacts across multiple sectors, demonstrating its versatility and essential role in secure identity verification:
Identity Authentication: Liveness detection technology excels in a range of applications within identity authentication, including identity issuing, account creation, and account recovery. A standout example of this is Microsoft’s Entra Verified ID, which exemplifies versatility and technological sophistication. Ankur, the Product Manager at Microsoft VerifiedID, explains the effectiveness of this system: “Face Check using Entra Verified ID relies on Azure AI Vision Face capability to add a critical layer of trust by matching a user’s real-time selfie and the photo from their identity document (such as a passport or driver’s license). By combining the open standards-based approach for Verified ID with world-class Vision capabilities, enterprises are able to reduce the risk of account takeover and impersonation without compromising on security, compliance, or privacy.”
This advanced approach has been applied effectively in various sectors. A notable application is seen with BEMO, where liveness detection has transformed administrative operations, which could reduce the average time for support ticket resolution. As one BEMO customer expressed, “BEMO, you have greatly improved the admin password reset flows like self-service for getting a Temporary Access Pass (TAP). The validation process using our new company VerifiedID and going through the ‘live face check’ was even cool.”
Moreover, the benefits of integrating liveness detection extend beyond digital identities to physical ID issuing, enabling a remote self-service process that brings convenience to customers and saves operational costs. This seamless integration of technology has fostered collaborations that enhance both security and accessibility. “ADOT MVD has been working closely with Microsoft on this functionality that helps customers securely access our services online, and we are excited for today’s release,” said Eric Jorgensen, Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
Healthcare: In healthcare, ensuring the identity of providers and patients is paramount for both privacy and safety. Liveness detection can help to secure telemedicine by confirming the presence and authenticity of individuals during consultations, thereby preventing fraud and protecting sensitive health data.
Education: The shift towards online learning and remote examinations has heightened the need for reliable identity verification. Liveness detection can ensure the integrity of remote exams and interviews by verifying student identities and deterring deceptive practices.
Finance: The finance sector may benefit from liveness detection, using it alongside facial recognition technologies to safeguard sensitive financial transactions and verify the identities of account holders, thus could help prevent unauthorized access and fraud.
New Features to Our Liveness Detection Technology
JavaScript Library for Web Applications: Azure AI Vision Face Client SDK language support has been expanded to include JavaScript, enabling developers to seamlessly integrate liveness detection into web applications and can enhance security across various online platforms.
Active Motion Challenge: Liveness detection has been enhanced with the addition of a dynamic layer requiring users to perform live actions in response to real-time prompts, ensuring that only genuine users can pass the verification, thus could improve both security and user experience. Watch it in action here!
Ready to Code? Check out our tutorial.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to innovate, our commitment to delivering secure, reliable, and user-friendly liveness detection solutions remains strong. We invite you to explore these new features and see how they can enhance your security protocols.
[1] Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2023 | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)
[2] More than a Password | CISA
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
unique macro
Is it possible to write a macro that causes a cell value to flash or blink if the cell value fails to meet a maximum or minimum value?
Is it possible to write a macro that causes a cell value to flash or blink if the cell value fails to meet a maximum or minimum value? Read More
Excel and KPIs
Hello everyone,
Does anyone have any types, training, cases related to KPIs in Excel ?
Thank you so much.
Hello everyone,Does anyone have any types, training, cases related to KPIs in Excel ? Thank you so much. Read More
Latest Threat Intelligence (May 2024)
Microsoft Defender for IoT has released the May 2024 Threat Intelligence package. The package is available for download from the Microsoft Defender for IoT portal (click Updates, then Download file).
Threat Intelligence updates reflect the combined impact of proprietary research and threat intelligence carried out by Microsoft security teams. Each package contains the latest CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), IOCs (Indicators of Compromise), and other indicators applicable to IoT/ICS/OT networks (published during the past month) researched and implemented by Microsoft Threat Intelligence Research – CPS.
The CVE scores are aligned with the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Starting with the August 2023 threat intelligence updates, CVSSv3 scores are shown if they are relevant; otherwise the CVSSv2 scores are shown.
Guidance
Customers are recommended to update their systems with the latest TI package in order to detect potential exposure risks and vulnerabilities in their networks and on their devices. Threat Intelligence packages are updated every month with the most up-to-date security information available, ensuring that Microsoft Defender for IoT can identify malicious actors and behaviors on devices.
Update your system with the latest TI package
The package is available for download from the Microsoft Defender for IoT portal (click Updates, then Download file), for more information, please review Update threat intelligence data | Microsoft Docs.
MD5 Hash: 5eec8bb9ccc842a2447ad1ee60232208
For cloud connected sensors, Microsoft Defender for IoT can automatically update new threat intelligence packages following their release, click here for more information. Read More
