Power Platform Episodes

From DAX to Community: The Power BI Journey with Bernat Agulló Roselló explores the evolution of modern Business Intelligence through the personal and professional journey of Microsoft MVP Bernat Agulló Roselló. In this episode of the m365.fm podcast, Bernat shares how he moved from Excel macros and manufacturing reporting into advanced Power BI development, semantic modeling, DAX optimization, and community leadership. The conversation highlights how Business Intelligence is far more than dashboards and visuals. Bernat explains that successful Power BI solutions depend on data modeling, automation, architecture, optimization, and collaboration. A major focus is DAX (Data Analysis Expressions), where he discusses common misconceptions, especially the mistake of treating DAX like Excel formulas. He emphasizes the importance of semantic models, filter context, relationships, and understanding measures versus calculated columns. Another key topic is Tabular Editor and its role in e…

In this episode of the M365.fm podcast, Mirko Peters speaks with Microsoft MVP and MCT Nick Doelman about the rapid evolution of agentic coding and how AI is transforming software development. Nick shares his journey from traditional development into the world of low-code, Power Platform, and AI-assisted application building. The discussion explores how modern AI agents are changing the way developers create solutions by automating repetitive tasks, generating code, and assisting with business logic. Nick explains that agentic coding is not about replacing developers, but about enabling them to work faster, focus on architecture and problem-solving, and deliver value more efficiently. The episode also highlights the growing importance of Microsoft Copilot, Power Platform, and AI orchestration within enterprise environments. Nick discusses how developers and organizations must adapt their skills, rethink governance, and understand the balance between automation and human oversigh…

Keith shares his background in traditional .NET and SQL development and explains why Power Apps immediately stood out to him: speed. Instead of repeatedly building the same forms, logic, and app structures manually, Power Apps allowed him to focus more on solving business problems while drastically reducing development time. A major topic is “vibe coding,” where developers describe applications in natural language while AI generates layouts, formulas, workflows, and functionality automatically. The episode covers new Power Apps capabilities such as Generative Pages, Vibe Apps, Code Apps, AI-generated layouts, and Copilot-assisted Power Fx generation. Keith explains how screenshots, requirement documents, and prompts can now generate working applications in minutes instead of days or weeks. The discussion also highlights how AI is changing the role of developers. Future app creators will rely less on memorizing syntax and more on business analysis, architecture, governance, testi…

In this episode of the m365.fm podcast, Mirko Peters speaks with Microsoft MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer Nathalie Leenders about building a successful career in the Microsoft Power Platform ecosystem. Nathalie shares her journey from IT service management and support roles into SharePoint, InfoPath, Power BI, and eventually Power Platform consulting. Her story highlights that careers in technology are rarely linear and often grow through curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning. A major focus of the conversation is the value of hands-on experience. Nathalie explains how she learned by solving real business problems, watching tutorials, attending workshops, and building solutions directly in customer environments. She emphasizes that certifications alone are not enough. While Microsoft exams such as PL-400 can help create structure and validate skills, true expertise comes from practical implementation, understanding business processes, and staying curious about new…

PowerShell is far more than just a scripting language for administrators. It is a powerful automation platform that can simplify repetitive tasks, connect services, and save countless hours across many different environments. From Microsoft 365 and Azure automation to local system management, reporting, APIs, and DevOps workflows, PowerShell provides flexible tools for almost every scenario. This session explores practical automation examples from multiple areas, showing how PowerShell can be used to streamline daily operations, improve consistency, and reduce manual work. We will look at real-world use cases including Microsoft 365 management, file and data processing, REST API integrations, scheduled automation, and cross-platform scripting. Whether you are just getting started with PowerShell or already writing scripts regularly, this session demonstrates how small automations can create significant improvements in productivity and reliability. Expect live demos, useful tips,…

In this episode of the M365.fm podcast, Microsoft MVP Alan Cox joins us to discuss how organizations can securely adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot using Microsoft Purview, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), and Insider Risk Management. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily work, protecting sensitive business data while enabling productivity is becoming a major priority for IT and security teams. Alan explains how Microsoft Purview helps organizations manage data governance, reduce oversharing risks, and apply security controls that work alongside Microsoft 365 Copilot. The conversation explores how DLP policies can help prevent sensitive information from being exposed through AI-powered experiences, how Insider Risk Management can identify potentially risky user behavior, and why adaptive protection is changing the way businesses approach security and compliance in Microsoft 365. Alan also shares practical guidance around Copilot readiness, governance strategies, compliance co…

Your enterprise automation strategy may be built on the wrong foundation. In this episode of the M365FM Podcast, we expose the hidden architectural failure behind modern enterprise integration: the managed connector. For years, organizations have embraced low-code connectors as the “easy button” for automation, believing these pre-built wrappers accelerate digital transformation and reduce complexity. But underneath the convenience lies a fragile transport model filled with hidden latency, throt...

In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode of the m365.fm podcast, Mirko Peters sits down with Daniel “Dan” Barber, founder of Strathos and Microsoft MVP, for a conversation that moves far beyond technology. Together, they explore the human side of leadership, the emotional impact of AI transformation, and the often-hidden reality of imposter syndrome in the tech industry. Dan shares his journey through consulting, entrepreneurship, and community leadership, explaining how confidence, vulnerability, and authenticity shape long-term success far more than titles or certifications. The discussion highlights how many professionals in Microsoft 365, Azure, and AI constantly feel pressure to “keep up” in a rapidly evolving industry — especially as AI accelerates change faster than ever before. The episode also examines how AI is changing not only technical roles, but personal identity inside the workplace. Mirko and Dan discuss the fear of becoming irrelevant, the anxiety c…

Stop paying for unused Azure resources. In this episode of M365.fm , we explore how to build an automated Azure Cleanup Engine that helps organizations identify and remove wasted cloud spend before it becomes a budgeting problem. We discuss the hidden costs of forgotten virtual machines, unattached disks, stale snapshots, abandoned test environments, unused networking components, and other orphaned Azure resources that silently increase monthly bills. The episode walks through practical strategies for continuously detecting and cleaning up these resources using Azure-native automation and governance tools. You’ll learn how to use Azure Automation, Azure Functions, Azure Resource Graph, Logic Apps, tagging strategies, and Azure Policy to create a scalable and safe cleanup process. We also cover approval workflows, lifecycle management, reporting, and governance best practices to ensure automation does not impact production workloads. The episode includes real-world examples, …

In this episode of the M365.fm podcast, we dive deep into building and deploying production-grade AI agents with Microsoft Foundry together with Edgar McOchieng (MVP). The conversation explores how organizations can move beyond AI demos and prototypes into scalable, secure, and enterprise-ready agentic solutions. Edgar shares practical insights into Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI services, orchestration patterns, governance, observability, and the challenges teams face when deploying AI agents in real-world environments. We discuss how developers can combine tools like Azure OpenAI, Semantic Kernel, MCP integrations, and multi-agent architectures to create intelligent systems that are reliable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise requirements. The episode also covers key topics such as memory management, tool integration, security boundaries, human-in-the-loop workflows, responsible AI practices, and monitoring strategies for production workloads. Edgar explains why architect…

In this episode of the M365 FM Podcast, Mirko Peters talks with Lukas Pavelka about the future of enterprise app development, AI-assisted coding, and the growing connection between Figma and Microsoft Power Platform. Lukas shares his journey from Java development into building tools like PowerApps for Figma and Power BI for Figma, designed to bridge the gap between modern UI design and low-code development. The conversation explores how Figma has evolved beyond a design tool into a broader ecosystem for prototyping, presentations, reusable design systems, and enterprise application delivery. Lukas explains how his plugins help developers speed up PowerApps creation, improve UI consistency, and even support multi-language app generation across more than 100 languages. A major focus of the episode is AI-driven development and “vibe coding.” Lukas discusses practical experiences with GitHub Copilot, Claude, AI agents, and prompt-based workflows. While AI dramatically accelerates de…

In this episode of the m365.fm podcast, the discussion focuses on using PowerShell to automate tasks across Azure and Microsoft 365 with guest Matthew Dowst MVP. Matthew explains how automation became essential as cloud environments grew more complex and repetitive administrative work increased. The conversation covers how PowerShell can be used to automate common Microsoft 365 and Azure management tasks such as user provisioning, license assignment, reporting, governance, Exchange Online administration, and Entra ID management. Matthew emphasizes that automation should be approached like software development, with proper testing, version control, documentation, and reusable code rather than quick one-off scripts. A major topic is the transition from older AzureAD and MSOnline PowerShell modules to Microsoft Graph PowerShell. Matthew explains why organizations should modernize their scripts and adopt API-based automation to stay aligned with Microsoft’s cloud direction. The e…

The episode argues that Managed Environments in the Power Platform often fail to deliver on their promise because organizations misunderstand what they actually solve. They are introduced as a governance layer meant to bring control, visibility, and order to low-code environments—but in practice, they frequently slow things down without enabling real delivery. The core problem is the missing connection between low-code governance and professional development practices. Companies tend to focus heavily on restrictions, policies, and administrative controls, but they don’t invest in proper engineering foundations like ALM, architecture, testing, and scalable design. As a result, the platform becomes constrained without becoming more reliable or production-ready. This creates a gap: citizen developers are limited by governance, while pro developers are not properly integrated into the platform. Instead of working together, both worlds operate separately. The outcome is neither agili…

This episode discusses how organizations can securely share business data with users outside their organization using Microsoft’s Power Platform. The main focus is on designing the right architecture rather than simply enabling access. Nicholas Hayduk (MVP) explains that external users should not be treated like internal employees. Instead of giving them direct access to systems like Dataverse, organizations should use solutions such as Power Pages to act as a secure front layer. This approach allows controlled access to data without exposing internal systems. A key point in the episode is the importance of identity and authentication. External users should authenticate through trusted identity providers, such as Azure Active Directory or social login providers, rather than being managed directly inside the system. This improves both security and scalability. The discussion also highlights that security must be implemented at multiple levels. It is not enough to hide data in …

Most dashboards look great at first, but they quickly fail in practice. The issue isn’t the data, it’s the behavior they depend on. Dashboards require people to actively check them, and in reality, that rarely happens consistently. This episode explains why dashboards are inherently reactive. They show what has already happened, but they don’t prompt action when it actually matters. Important signals get missed, decisions are delayed, and problems continue unnoticed because no one is looking at the right time. The better approach is a proactive notification model. Instead of expecting users to pull insights from dashboards, systems should push the right information to the right people exactly when it’s needed. That means designing alerts around meaningful events, clear ownership, and specific actions, rather than just sending more data. Many organizations struggle with this because they either send too many notifications or provide alerts without context or accountability. Wh…

The episode talks about how automation is evolving from simple scripts into more advanced, intelligent systems that can monitor themselves and fix problems automatically. Instead of just executing predefined tasks, modern automation uses telemetry data (like logs, metrics, and traces) to understand what is happening inside systems in real time. A key idea is “self-healing automation.” This means systems can detect issues, figure out the root cause, and fix them without human intervention. Traditionally, engineers had to respond to alerts and manually troubleshoot problems, which is slow and doesn’t scale well. The new approach aims to reduce that by letting systems react instantly. The discussion highlights how observability is the foundation for this. By collecting detailed telemetry data, systems gain enough insight to move beyond simple monitoring and into automated decision-making. This enables faster detection of anomalies and more accurate fixes. Another important theme…

The episode argues that legacy Power Apps portals (now Power Pages) and similar older solutions act as a “silent budget killer” inside organizations. They continue to run and consume resources, but deliver little ongoing value. The core issue is not just the technology itself, but the way these solutions were built. Many of them are tightly coupled, hard to maintain, and depend on outdated patterns or manual fixes. Over time, they become difficult to update, expensive to operate, and risky to change. These legacy portals create hidden costs in several ways. They require continuous maintenance, often involve complex dependencies, and slow down development because every change becomes harder. Instead of enabling innovation, they trap teams in support and firefighting work. A key insight is that organizations rarely question these systems because they still “work.” But working does not mean efficient or valuable. These systems act like a constant drain on budget and attention—wh…

The episode argues that Power Platform itself is not the real risk—poor governance is. Many organizations blame low-code tools for creating chaos, but the issue actually comes from a lack of structure around how those tools are used. Shadow IT existed long before Power Platform, through tools like Excel, Access, and macros. What Power Platform does is make this type of development faster, more visible, and easier to scale. This exposes existing weaknesses in how organizations manage and control user-built solutions. The main challenge is that low-code development moves much faster than traditional IT governance models. Apps and automations can be created and changed quickly, often without clear ownership, monitoring, or lifecycle management. This leads to risks such as unclear data flows, compliance issues, and fragile business processes. The key distinction highlighted is between security and governance. Power Platform is secure by design, but governance determines how safel…

This episode argues that custom connectors in Power Platform and Logic Apps, while useful for quick wins, create long-term architectural problems at scale. What initially feels like agility turns into fragmentation, poor governance, and hidden operational risk. The core issue is what the speaker calls the “custom connector trap.” Custom connectors are easy to build but hard to manage. Over time, they become opaque black boxes with little visibility into how data flows or how APIs behave. This leads to security risks, inconsistent permissions, and heavy maintenance when APIs change. Ownership also becomes unclear, creating dependencies on individuals instead of stable systems. As organizations scale, this results in “fragmentation tax.” Connectors multiply, governance weakens, and systems become fragile. What once worked smoothly starts breaking under complexity, especially when key people leave or integrations evolve. There is also a financial downside called the “API tax.” C…

The episode argues that traditional software development—built on hard-coded, monolithic systems and long delivery cycles—is no longer viable for modern enterprises. What used to be considered “enterprise-grade” is now a bottleneck that slows innovation and increases business risk. A key idea is that waiting on IT has become a financial liability. When business problems sit in development backlogs for months or years, the cost isn’t just the software—it’s the lost opportunity and ongoing inefficiency. Hiring more developers or writing more code doesn’t solve this; it often increases complexity and delays. The real shift is not technological but organizational. High-performing companies are no longer scaling by writing more code—they’re scaling capability. They move development closer to the business by enabling the people who understand the problems to build solutions directly. This is where low-code comes in. It allows faster, cheaper, and more immediate application developm…

This episode explains why the traditional “best-of-breed” strategy—using many separate, specialized tools—is becoming less effective. While it once allowed companies to pick the best solution for each task, it now leads to complexity, higher costs, and disconnected data. The host describes this as “operational entropy,” where each additional tool creates more friction, integration challenges, and governance issues. This fragmentation also makes it harder to fully benefit from AI, since AI performs best when it has access to unified data and systems. The episode argues that integrated ecosystems, such as Microsoft’s platform, are replacing this approach. These ecosystems bring data, identity, security, and workflows together in one place, making it easier to manage, automate, and scale. The main takeaway is that AI is changing how organizations should think about technology. Instead of optimizing individual tools, companies should focus on integrated platforms that connect eve…

In this episode, the host shares insights from auditing ten Power Platform Centers of Excellence (CoEs) and explains why many of them fail. The core issue isn’t the technology itself, but outdated governance approaches that rely heavily on manual reviews, documentation, and approval boards. These practices create bottlenecks, slow down innovation, and still fail to reduce risk—often leading to shadow IT. The episode highlights five common failure patterns, including governance living outside the platform, unnecessary approvals, poor environment strategy, unclear ownership of automations, and measuring success by activity instead of business impact. The key takeaway is that modern governance must shift from manual control to automated, platform-driven enforcement. By embedding rules directly into the system, organizations can enable faster delivery, reduce risk consistently, and transform the CoE from a blocker into a true enabler of business agility.

In this episode of the M365 FM Podcast, the traditional role of the Microsoft 365 admin is challenged. Instead of acting as gatekeepers who manually approve, control, and fix everything, admins must shift toward designing automated systems that govern access, lifecycle, and security at scale. The episode argues that manual control does not scale in modern cloud environments and often creates bottlenecks, risk, and hidden dependencies. The “death of the admin” isn’t about losing relevance—it’s about evolving into an architect of policies, automation, and guardrails that enable the business to move faster without constant intervention.

This episode explains why Power Automate often creates more problems than it solves when used at scale. While it works well for simple, user-driven tasks, it breaks down with complex workflows due to throttling, weak error handling, and limited scalability. The core message: automation doesn’t fix bad processes—it amplifies them. If your system is messy, Power Automate will scale that chaos instead of removing it. The recommended approach is a hybrid model: use Power Automate for lightweight triggers (like user actions) and move heavy, business-critical processing to Azure Logic Apps. This gives you better performance, reliability, governance, and cost control. Bottom line: treat Power Automate as a front-end convenience tool—not a scalable automation engine—and design your architecture accordingly.