Top 3 innovations in dynamics 365 and Power Platform’s 2024 Wave 2 release
Innovation 1: Monthly release updates for model-driven apps
Microsoft is changing how updates are delivered, moving from a semi-annual to a monthly release cadence for model-driven apps. This new approach offers the flexibility to roll out features more frequently, providing organisations with a continuous stream of improvements.
What’s new?
Businesses can now opt for monthly releases, which can be configured at the environment, app, or user level. This enables quicker access to new functionality, with the ability to preview updates for four weeks before general availability, allowing time to test against customisations.
Impact on users
Users will benefit from a more consistent flow of updates, reducing the long wait for new features. The preview period gives teams the opportunity to validate updates and resolve any issues before wider deployment, ensuring minimal disruption.
Architect’s perspective
Architects should weigh the technological gains against potential risks. It’s advisable to enable these updates in a test environment initially to assess the impact. For organisations with less urgent needs, sticking to the semi-annual releases might still be the preferred option, allowing more time for planning and coordination.
Overall, the shift to monthly release updates is a game-changer for teams looking to stay ahead with the latest features while maintaining control over their deployment strategies.
Innovation 2: Modern refreshed UI with Fluent Design System
The 2024 Wave 2 release introduces a new user interface, aligning with Microsoft’s Fluent Design System. This update provides a more visually appealing and intuitive experience across the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 apps.
What’s new?
The refreshed UI is more user-friendly, offering a consistent look and feel across all Microsoft applications. This update enhances navigation and usability, making it easier for users to find what they need and complete tasks efficiently. The new design will be auto-enabled from October 2024, but organisations can choose to disable it temporarily if they need more time for evaluation.
Impact on users
The improved interface makes systems more intuitive and reduces the learning curve, especially for users who are familiar with other Microsoft applications. The consistent design across products means less time spent adapting to new layouts.
Architect’s perspective
While the refreshed UI offers many benefits with minimal risk to data and development, architects should still test it in lower environments to ensure compatibility with any custom themes or legacy interfaces. This approach will help avoid unexpected disruptions when the UI is fully rolled out.
The new Fluent Design-driven interface is an exciting enhancement that will not only improve user experience but also align businesses with Microsoft’s broader design vision.
Innovation 3: Cloud flow monitoring in Azure Application Insights
As cloud flows become the preferred automation tool in the low-code platform, the 2024 Wave 2 release brings significant enhancements to monitoring and diagnostics. Cloud flow execution context can now be monitored directly within Azure Application Insights, allowing teams to track performance and troubleshoot issues more effectively.
What’s new?
This update enables businesses to centralise diagnostics for cloud flows, integrating them with existing performance metrics. Proactive monitoring becomes easier, allowing quicker responses to potential issues before they impact end-users.
Impact on users
For operational teams, this means quicker identification and resolution of performance bottlenecks. With advanced alerting and monitoring in place, businesses can reduce downtime and improve overall system reliability.
Architect’s perspective
This feature is a valuable addition for Operations team as central monitoring tool for all enterprise applications, providing deeper insight into the performance of automated processes. This offering is part of Managed environment enabled instances in Power platform, which has premium capabilities to optimise automation at scale but has adverse impact on licensing costs which needs to be reviewed. It’s particularly useful in managed environments where optimising automation and troubleshooting are critical. However, the potential impact on licensing costs should be carefully reviewed, especially if premium connectors are involved.
By integrating cloud flow monitoring into Azure Application Insights, organisations can gain a clearer view of their automations, optimise performance, and improve their incident management processes.
In summary
The 2024 Wave 2 release represents another step forward in Microsoft’s commitment to enhancing the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform ecosystems. The innovations in this release will help businesses streamline operations, improve user experience, and enhance monitoring capabilities.
At Kainos, we encourage organisations to explore the full release plan, evaluate these features, and incorporate them into their workflows to stay competitive. If you’d like to learn more about how these updates can impact your business, or if you need tailored advice on how to implement them, reach out to our Low-Code Practice experts here.