My top picks for Power Platform release wave 2 2022

Ever since presenting (and joining the organization) of the PowerAddictsNL I have been interested in the release waves 🌊. From watching the roadmap for progress to the new waves that are incoming I always get excited 🚀.

Release waves 🌊?

For the Power Platform and Dynamics you can expect two release waves a year. This release plan details the focus of the roadmap and the important new functions for the next six’ish months. For the Power Platform the updates are around Power BI, Power Apps, Power Pages (also known as Power Apps-portals), Power Automate, DataVerse, Power Virtual Agents and AI Builder. In addition the the different services there is also room for updates around Governance and ISV improvements. Want to see the release plan yourself? You can view all details at https://aka.ms/PowerPlatformWave1ReleasePlan. For wave 2 you will find a whopping 143 pages (down 50 compared to wave 1) but the amount of updates mentioned are up, roughly 120 updates will prove enough to cover.

During the session at the PowerAddictsNL I cheated a bit by picking my top 5 🏆. This time we will stick with 3.

Connect to external data from Dataverse 🔗

Microsoft Dataverse did something called virtual tables for a long time. But early next year you can expect the option to create tables that pulls in external data. Best example I could think of is to get some SQL data into Dataverse as a virtual table. Developers and Makers can then read, update or delete this external data using the Dataverse experience with their FLows or Apps.

Parse JSON and null handling 📄

The amount of time I have spend with null errors in JSON responses in Cloud Flows is something I never will get back. Instead of the ‘Schema validation failed’ error we are no presented can expect their flow to work. While not the most sexy update it will help makers and developers to work with JSON data; something that almost every API return. Can’t wait for this update to go live!

Ability to pack and unpack canvas applications as part of Solution packager 📦

A developer at hearth I keep going back to VSCode to work with my apps. Using the Power Platform CLI and Microsoft 365 CLI to work with Apps. With this latest change you can now package and unpackage your apps directly from the solution packaging commands. No longer requiring developers to use multiple commands to pack and unpack a solution. This greatly simplifies the process of packing and unpacking canvas applications and thus makes my live easier 💪.

The top 3 is a little less sexy compared to wave 1 for me, but a lot of great improvements that will save time when working with the Power Platform. So I for one am happy with the progress and direction!