Ongoing professional development is fundamental to our culture at RedCloud - benefiting our consultants as they are exposed to the latest trends and technologies, as well as our clients, as there can be potential for cross-project enhancements. The more knowledgeable our entire team is about other capabilities at RedCloud, the more we can help our clients solve their biggest challenges.  To that end, recently, the RedCloud team came together for a Lunch and Learn session held in our Bellevue, Washington headquarters and online, focused on cybersecurity. With increasing threats to organizations, our Security Account Director, Lou Hazim, shared insights on how RedCloud helps businesses safeguard their data and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Key Offerings in Cybersecurity At RedCloud, we emphasize that data security is vital for maintaining trust in the digital age. Our main service areas include: Network Security : Protecting data integrity and confidentiality through firewalls, intrusion detection, and encryption. Information Security : Safeguarding sensitive data using techniques like data classification and loss prevention. Application Security : Defending software from vulnerabilities through secure coding practices and testing tools. Endpoint Security : Securing devices with antivirus software, detection solutions, and mobile device management. Information Security Testing : Protecting cloud-hosted data with identity and access management and encryption. Incident Response : Developing plans to handle breaches, conduct forensics, and implement recovery strategies. Benefits of Strong Cybersecurity We highlighted seven key benefits of a robust cybersecurity posture: Less Downtime : Early vulnerability detection reduces system outages. Financial Savings : Strong cybersecurity minimizes potential legal and financial losses. Threat Defense : Staying updated on evolving threats lowers risk exposure. Business Continuity : Enhanced security helps maintain operations and customer relationships. Digital Asset Protection : Safeguarding valuable information from theft. Reputation Maintenance : Prioritizing cybersecurity fosters customer trust. Regulatory Compliance : Meeting industry regulations helps avoid legal issues. This session underscored the dynamic nature of cybersecurity and RedCloud's commitment to helping organizations navigate this critical landscape. If you have questions or want to learn more about how our cybersecurity services can benefit your organization, please visit our Security Practice page , and reach out to our practice lead  for more information.

As companies and organizations embrace technological advancements, they also expose themselves to an ever-expanding array of cyber threats. With threats emerging from various sources and targeting diverse attack vectors, companies of all sizes and make-up must remain vigilant and prepared to mitigate potential risks effectively. At RedCloud, we recognize the imperative of safeguarding valuable information across all digital frontiers, be it software applications, networks, the cloud, or IoT devices. Our Security Practice stands ready to fortify your digital fortress and shield your organization from the perils of the modern cyber landscape. How RedCloud Can Help We are committed to helping businesses improve their cybersecurity posture and mitigate risks effectively. Leveraging the latest data security technologies and best practices, our dedicated Security Practice offers a range of solutions tailored to each client's unique needs.  Our core services include: Network Security: Protecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data during transmission across networks is paramount.  Endpoint Security: Safeguarding individual devices such as computers, smartphones, and IoT devices is crucial in today's interconnected world.  Information Security: Ensuring the protection of sensitive data, regardless of its location or transmission, is a top priority.  Information Security Testing: Verifying the robustness of your data and applications, particularly in cloud environments, is essential.  Application Security:  Safeguarding software and applications against vulnerabilities and threats is paramount.  Incident Response:  Effectively managing cybersecurity incidents, including data breaches and cyberattacks, is critical.  In a time where cyber threats are prevalent, taking proactive cybersecurity measures is crucial to safeguard organizational assets and ensure business continuity. With the support of RedCloud's Security Practice, our clients can navigate the intricate cyber landscape with assurance. Reach out to our practice lead today to discover how we can strengthen your organization's cyber defense and secure its digital future.

In a world where data drives every corner of our lives, online privacy isn’t just a nice to have—it’s a must have. RedCloud's cutting-edge privacy solutions transform data protection into a strategic advantage, unlocking trust, loyalty, and sustainable growth for your business. The Power of Privacy 94% of consumers are likely to remain loyal to brands offering complete transparency about data usage (Cisco survey). 73% of consumers are more likely to trust companies that give them control over their data (Accenture study). These statistics underscore a simple truth: privacy is good for all. RedCloud's Privacy Solutions Privacy Program Development : Tailored programs aligned with your unique needs and regulatory requirements. Operational Excellence : Seamless integration of privacy measures into daily operations. Policies and Procedures : Clear guidelines for handling personal information. Risk Assessment : Identification and mitigation of potential privacy vulnerabilities. Audit Support and Monitoring : Ensuring ongoing compliance with privacy regulations. Training and Awareness : Customized programs to elevate privacy competency across your organization. The RedCloud Advantage We help you: Enhance brand reputation as a trustworthy data custodian Increase customer loyalty and lifetime value Mitigate risks associated with data breaches and non-compliance Transform privacy from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage Our privacy consultants specialize in navigating the complex, evolving privacy landscape, employing best practices and technology-enabled solutions to keep you ahead of regulatory changes and emerging trends. Learn more about our solutions in this space, including case studies from real client work, at our Privacy practice webpage . Ready to elevate your privacy practices? Contact our practice lead  today to learn how RedCloud can help your projects succeed in the privacy-first digital landscape.

As of August 1st, 2023, Microsoft's Power Automate’s Process Mining has been released as generally availability! Process intelligence is revolutionizing how businesses optimize their processes, save costs, and uncover opportunities to run more efficient operations. With Microsoft's Power Automate Process Mining, infused with next-generation AI (Copilot), organizations can easily gain a deep understanding of their business activities. By maximizing process insights and utilizing out-of-box recommendations, complexity is reduced, operations are transformed, and continuous improvement is achieved through automation and low-code apps. To provide customers with superior process insights, process and task mining play a crucial role in identifying bottlenecks and driving continuous improvement. Out-of-box templates allow seamless generation of powerful business process insights from core line-of-business apps like SAP, as well as cloud flows in Power Automate, Power Apps, Power Virtual Agents, Azure, and other systems. ​ With Power Automate Process Mining, your journey becomes effortless. Seamlessly integrated with Microsoft's platform, it empowers you with end-to-end solutions to make informed decisions. Extract event data, and watch your processes come to life! Compare, identify inefficiencies, and track essential KPIs for unprecedented success. What is Process Mining? Process mining is a cutting-edge technology that enables businesses to gain a clear understanding of their real processes, how they are operated, and to identify opportunities for improvement, automation, and digitization. The new capability integrated into Power Automate works seamlessly with the existing Microsoft platform and ecosystem, offering end-to-end solutions and enabling faster and more informed business decisions. The process mining capability extracts event data from various systems of records and visualizes the processes happening within the organization. This allows businesses to customize process mining reports, compare processes, pinpoint the root cause of inefficiencies, and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Let's consider a retail company with an online ordering system. With AI Process Mining, the company can analyze its order fulfillment process to identify where delays occur and why. The AI algorithms can reveal that the order verification step takes the longest time due to manual checks. Armed with this insight, the company can automate verification using AI-powered tools, reducing processing time and improving overall efficiency. As a result, customer orders are processed faster, leading to higher customer satisfaction and increased revenue for the company. Benefits that Pack a Punch So, what's in it for you? Glad you asked! Below is just a highlight of the many benefits you can gain for your organization :Improve Operational Efficiency: Say goodbye to bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Power Automate Process Mining brings clarity to the chaos, streamlining your operations and turbocharging productivity. Enhance Customer Experience: Happy customers mean a thriving business. By pinpointing process pain points and eliminating them, you'll turn customer satisfaction into customer delight. Optimize Resources: With the power of process mining, you'll uncover automation opportunities that lighten the load on your team, freeing up valuable resources for the tasks that truly matter. Ensure Compliance: Avoiding legal and financial risks is a top priority. Thanks to Process Mining, identifying non-compliant processes becomes a breeze, ensuring you stay on the right side of the law. Supercharge Supply Chain Management: Warehouse and operations managers, rejoice! Process mining helps you gain unparalleled insights into material flow, unlocking the true potential of your warehouse performance. Embrace process mining today and take your business to new heights! For latest information on licensing, visit https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/ .

As we reflect on 2024, it’s clear this has been a transformative year in the ongoing journey of RedCloud Consulting. While we’re reaching our 30th year in operation, it’s also our 10th year as a firm focused on business management and tech consulting!, This past year we evolved and sharpened the services we offer to clients and the sectors we serve, creating new, engaging and rewarding opportunities for our team of skilled consultants. Thanks to the incredible dedication of our team and the trust of our clients, RedCloud came of age this past year, experiencing unprecedented growth, diversification of clients and projects, all while expanding into exciting new industries. 🌟🌎🚀 Curious about the highlights? Watch or listen to a quick recap of our game-changing year: Now, let’s dive into some of the standout accomplishments that shaped our success: Tremendous Client Growth and Diversification This year, we achieved a significant milestone by expanding partnerships with several Fortune 50 clients, deepening our work with industry leaders in global tech, retail, and the public sector. These new collaborations are a testament to our ability to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of some of the world’s most influential organizations. From helping retail giants optimize supply chains to enabling tech leaders to harness the power of AI, our team has consistently delivered impactful results. 📈🤖🔗 Geographic Expansion In addition to industry diversification, 2024 was also a year of geographic growth. While we have deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, this year saw us expanding our footprint to new regions across the United States - with projects and consultants in more than half the states in the country. This strategic expansion has allowed us to better serve our clients and tap into dynamic markets with unique opportunities. 🗺️🏙️🚛 Looking ahead, we are also setting our sights on international business opportunities. As global demand for cutting-edge consulting services continues to rise, we are excited to explore collaborations with current and future clients beyond domestic borders, bringing our expertise to a broader audience. We’ll share more on those developments in 2025! 🌍🚀🌟 Sharpened Focus on Key Practice Areas Recognizing the rapid pace of technological advancement and regulatory changes, we honed our focus on four key practice areas this year, which drove much of the client diversification and opportunity growth: Data & AI/Technical Solutions : 2024 saw a surge in demand for data-driven insights and AI-driven innovations. Led by Benny Swedberg , RedCloud’s Data & AI Practice  has been at the forefront of helping organizations unlock the full potential of their data, turning it into actionable intelligence. Meanwhile, the demand for seamless experiences has never been greater. Our Technical Solutions practice has helped clients reimagine customer journeys, modernize legacy systems, and accelerate tech-enabled transformation initiatives. Privacy : As global data privacy regulations continue to evolve, our privacy practice has grown significantly in depth and breadth. Led by Alka Garg , our Privacy Practice team  has guided a leader in global travel and hospitality through complex compliance landscapes while enabling them to build trust with their customers. Security : In an era of increasing cyber threats, our security team has worked tirelessly to protect client assets and ensure business continuity. From proactive risk assessments to implementing advanced security protocols, Security lead Lou Hazim  and his Security team  have prioritized safeguarding our clients’ operations. Business Transformation : In 2024 we launched a practice focused on helping clients manage transformation by actively steering variables, automating processes, and harnessing insightful analysis. Practice lead Beau Platte  and a team of savvy consultants  guide our clients through these complex transformations with agility, emphasizing their continuous nature and far-reaching impact across industries, turning challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth. Looking Ahead As we prepare for 2025, we remain committed to delivering excellence, fostering innovation, and deepening our client relationships. Our journey this year has underscored the power of adaptability and strategic focus. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue driving success for our clients and our team. 🚀🎯🌟 Cheers to all that is ahead in 2025!

At RedCloud, growth isn’t just about numbers — it’s about evolution. As our clients’ needs have transformed, so too has our business. Today, we’re proud to unveil a refreshed brand and a new logo that reflects who we’ve become: a globally minded, innovation-driven consulting firm at the forefront of data, AI, privacy, and strategic transformation. This update marks more than a visual change — it signals a renewed commitment to RedCloud’s mission of connecting people, insights, and technology across borders to solve complex business challenges. All still grounded in integrity and transparency - our core values we’ve leaned into since day one. A Logo That Reflects Our Momentum The new RedCloud logo was thoughtfully designed to represent the future we’re building — one where RedCloud’s influence and reach continue to expand globally. As we connect clients and employees across continents, our refreshed brand reflects this growing global presence with a clean, confident visual identity. But the design is more than aesthetic. The new logo embodies intelligence and innovation, expressing the forward-thinking mindset that drives our work in cutting-edge fields like  Data & AI, Privacy, and Strategy & Transformation . It’s a symbol of how we blend sharp insight with bold action — and do it in a way that’s always grounded in trust. The Meaning Behind the Mark: Three Arrows, One Purpose At the heart of RedCloud’s refreshed logo are three stacked arrows  — a simple, elegant symbol that captures the essence of who we are and where we’re going. Upward momentum : The arrows represent continuous growth — for our company, our clients, and our consultants. Each arrow reflects a new level of progress, driven by innovation and a future-focused mindset. Diversification and direction : The three arrows also signify RedCloud’s strategic expansion across practice areas , industries , and geographies . As we diversify, we’re not just scaling — we’re moving forward with intention, bringing expertise to new challenges and clients worldwide. Grounded in people : Though the arrows point upward, they remain centered and stacked, symbolizing a business firmly rooted in client service, collaboration, and community. Our growth is never at the expense of our values — it’s powered by them. As we continue to grow and expand our impact, this refreshed brand serves as a visual foundation for where we’re headed — and a reflection of the company we’ve become. We’re excited to share it with you, and even more excited for what comes next. To our clients, consultants, and community: thank you for being part of the journey.

Earlier this month, thousands of low-code developers and Microsoft Power Platform enthusiasts traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for MPPC 2023.  There, they were introduced to the latest and greatest features for Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Pages. To no one’s surprise, the major focus throughout the conference was how Power Platform Users will now be able to make better use of Microsoft Copilot and other AI-powered features.   ​ In this blog post, we will share learnings and experiences from the three members of RedCloud’s Technical Solutions team (Benny Swedberg, Yusuf Shariff, & Matt Little) who were stationed at a booth in the Conference’s Exhibition Hall. Key Takeaways: Copilot and AI-powered features New and exciting use cases for Microsoft Copilot and AI-powered features were the talk of the Conference.  Up until now, Copilot has largely been used as a developer’s tool, which could be prompted to build the bones of new Solutions based on the provided context. What we learned at the Conference was that not only is Copilot now better at doing this sort of development work, but it has also evolved to where it can be employed as a user-facing virtual agent within an App, BI Report, or Page.   AI can also now work as an IT Governance tool, with the introduction of Power Automate’s new Process Mining feature.  Process Mining visualizes the Power Platform processes happening in your Organization, and provides customized reports/KPI monitoring, process comparisons, and root cause determinations for process inefficiencies. Organizations seeking to get an enterprise-wide view of how the Power Platform is being utilized and how to continuously improve efficiencies and costs should take note of this new and intuitive feature. What we were most excited to learn is that Power Platform Solutions can now be coded to make API calls directly to any version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with added context being passed to it that is invisible to the user.  The result is near-instant responses that have been curated to exactly meet the purpose of the Solution.  Having the full breadth of the Internet’s collective knowledge at your fingertips, and having it applied within the context of your specific business process or workflow is a mind-blowing leap forward for this technology.  One such example of this that we learned about, was prompting ChatGPT using the “Tree of Thoughts” method.  The trick to this method is in understanding how ChatGPT’s probabilistic model works.  If you give ChatGPT some data/context and ask it for the most likely outcome, it will give you the answer that has generated the highest confidence score. However, the data/context you gave may cause ChatGPT to “hallucinate”, meaning it has been led astray and produced an answer that humans will recognize as incorrect. More accurate/logical answers will result from employing the “Tree of Thoughts”, which means prompting ChatGPT to take on the personas of multiple experts each with a different theory on the probable outcome, and then having those experts perform an exercise where they take turns critiquing each other's theories until they have all arrived at a consensus for the most logical outcome. Seeing ChatGPT reason with itself until it arrived at a more correct response, was a stunning revelation in how to make use of this tool going forward.  Highlights: Visiting the RedCloud Booth The Conference’s Exhibition Hall was buzzing with activity all 3 days, as dozens of vendors set up booths to demo their products and introduce their services. The RedCloud booth featured Tablets that were pre-loaded with Power Apps for conference-goers to play around in, and Marketing collateral to take home with them as a reminder of RedCloud’s expertise & offerings. Along with demo-ready Business Applications, RedCloud received praise for providing Power App-based games that could be played for prizes in the form of a Slot Machine App and a Slide Puzzle Challenge. More than 150 players registered their information to play our games, and winners were awarded with Funko Pops, which quickly came to be known as “the best swag at the conference.” Community Recognition: RedCloud wins for best UX Design! On the final night of the Conference, the second annual “MPPC’s Got Power” talent show was held. With hundreds in attendance, each Talent Show applicant was given a 5-minute timer to present and compete in the Categories of: Low-Code Solutions, Storytelling, or Hidden Talents.  RedCloud’s own Yusuf Shariff took the stage to demo his Slot Machine Power App, which features complex logic, timers, and animations to perfectly mimic the experience of playing a Las Vegas Slot Machine. Yusuf was praised for his lighthearted and comical presentation style and was ultimately awarded for having the best UX Design of the night. The panel of Microsoft judges said, “Yusuf really stretched the capabilities of the Power Platform and showed us things we didn’t even know it could do!”

This year (October 2023), Copilot in Power Apps became generally available for app makers. In this blog, I’m going to walk you through how to create a Canvas Power Apps and Dataverse table in 10 minutes, with Copilot. Power Apps + Copilot ​Imagine having a trusted partner by your side as you embark on your app creation journey. Copilot in Power Apps is just that—a reliable AI companion that walks you through the entire process, from data table creation to app screen design, and finally, app publishing and sharing. It's like having a personal assistant that uses advanced AI and industry best practices to provide tailored guidance based on your unique data and preferences. But that's not all. Copilot doesn't just show you the way; it offers valuable tips and feedback to help you enhance your app-building skills. Step 1 | Creating the Dataverse Table In this scenario, we’re going to create a task tracking app. Using Copilot, we'll do the following: In the prompt, we're going to enter "task tracking app" ​Once the table is generated, we'll use Copilot to add a "notes" column by typing in "add a column for notes". Then hit send. ​ Step 2 | Create the Canvas Power App Once your table has been created, click Create App Once the app is created, you'll have a responsive canvas app connected to the new Dataverse table with a gallery allowing you to select a record and see the form for that record on the right. Step 3 | Use Copilot to Make Edits Next we'll use Copilot to change the icon colors. You can select a specific icon and then in the Copilot chat, type in "Change the selected icon to red". And just like that, Copilot updates the icon color for us. See this Copilot guide on current supported prompts: Editing Apps with Copilot Step 4 | Change the theme with Modern Controls To use modern controls and themes, click settings. Then click Upcoming Features and check the box for Modern Controls and Themes Now you can easily change the theme for your apps as well as use any of the new modern controls. Step 5 | Save & Publish! From here, click Save and then click Publish! Your app is now ready to go. This is just the start of Copilot for Power Apps and there's plenty of amazing features coming to the platform in the future. We'll keep you posted on the latest Copilot updates and how to best use AI to improve productivity for app makers!

As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, it's time to reflect on the groundbreaking developments that have defined the landscape of Data & AI, and Technical Solutions - a high-growth practice area for our RedCloud team in 2023. From high-profile conferences to in-depth explorations of emerging technologies, our team dived deep into the evolution of Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform while delivering solutions for our clients that create time and resource efficiencies and allow companies to make smart, informed business decisions based on data. Let's revisit some of 2023’s standout moments from our Data & AI and Technical Solutions teams. AI, AI, and more AI: Microsoft 365 Conference Highlights Recap Day 1 : Benny and Yusuf share exclusive insights from the Microsoft 365 Conference, highlighting the emphasis on AI integration into business applications and security measures. Read More Day 2 Highlights: Day 2 brought Copilot and Viva announcements to the forefront, unveiling Copilot's monumental impact on code development and its integration into Microsoft Teams for meeting summaries. Dive Deeper Day 3 Recap : Exploring the underutilized capabilities of Office Scripts in Excel, we highlight their potential in automation and integration with Power Automate for efficient report generation. Discover More Maximizing Value with AI Chatbots RedCloud Senior Associate Matt Little took center stage, delving into the technology and strategy behind AI chatbots. Focused on Power Virtual Agents (PVA), he highlights the growing significance of chatbots in enhancing user experiences. Organizations can explore PVA through a free 30-day trial, empowering them to embark on their chatbot journey. Get Insights Power Apps 2023 Release Wave 2 Highlights As we entered the second half of the year, anticipation surrounding the upcoming features in the Power Apps 2023 release Wave 2. Significant investments in Copilot, modernizing apps by default, and enabling enterprise scale demonstrated Power Apps' commitment to cutting-edge features and empowering users. Dive into the Highlights Power Automate: Process Mining with Next-Generation AI August 1st marked the general availability of Power Automate's Process Mining, infused with next-generation AI. We detail how organizations can gain a deep understanding of their business activities, optimize processes, and achieve continuous improvement through automation and low-code apps Explore Updates RedCloud at Microsoft Power Platform Conference 2023 Our team's experience at the Microsoft Power Platform Conference in Las Vegas took center stage in October. Key takeaways highlighted the conference's major focus, especially focusing on Copilot and AI-powered features. Furthermore, we offer insights into new use cases, the evolving role of Copilot as a user-facing virtual agent, and the groundbreaking integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Read Conference Highlights Create a Power App in 10 Minutes with Copilot To round off the year, Copilot in Power Apps became generally available for app makers. Yusuf provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a Canvas Power App and Dataverse table in just 10 minutes, showcasing the efficiency and guidance offered by Copilot in the app creation journey. Build Your App Power Automate Tools: Retrieving Date & Time of a Specific Change Addressing ad hoc needs that go beyond manual capabilities, our team dove into the power of Power Automate in capturing specific changes, such as capturing date and time in a SharePoint list. It highlights the efficiency gains achievable through automation, demonstrating the platform's versatility. Learn More As we close the chapter on 2023, we invite you to explore these highlights in detail. Check out the original blog posts to dive into the in-depth insights, learnings, and experiences that have shaped our understanding of business solutions and intelligence. Stay tuned for more in 2024, as we continue to unravel the latest in technology, insights, and updates. Cheers to a year of innovation and growth! - RedCloud’s Data & AI and Technical Solutions Teams

A couple of months ago, a few members of our Data & AI Team went down to the Microsoft Power Platform Conference where they proudly hosted a booth in the expo area. It’s always a competition at expos to best design a booth that draws positive attention. Being Power Platform fanatics, we decided to engage with the conference attendees with live demos! We had a number of business-related demos, but we also wanted to provide some fun with a little competition. After watching too much Survivor, the idea of a digital slide puzzle popped into our heads and quickly came to fruition. Cool features Image manipulation: SVG images were used so that new images could be easily added. When a game starts, the selected SVG image is segmented into the required number of puzzle pieces. Users Profiles: When players first play, they set up a gamertag and profile so that they can participate in the leaderboard and come back to improve their time. Data: Every game and move is recorded and tracked so that leaderboards can be segmented by the image, puzzle size, moves, time, and gamer. Helper controls: Users can choose to view the final image or turn on puzzle piece images to help solve the puzzle. Progress: Players can see their progress on the fly with how many pieces they have put into the right place Galleries, galleries, galleries: The puzzle board is made up of two nested galleries that dynamically adjusts to the slide puzzle dimensions. Something you may not have know Did you know that not all randomly distributed slide puzzles are not solvable? In fact, if pieces are randomly distributed, half of all puzzles are not solvable. Therefore, we needed to randomize the puzzle, check solvability, and then adjust the randomized order to make it solvable. (Read this if you really want to nerd out on math) How building games helps It goes without saying that the Slide Puzzle’d Power App is not going to be sold to a customer. However, that does not mean that these do not provide value. First off, as a Power Platform developer, building games exposes you to new challenges that require you to discover or create new methods in development that you wouldn’t have normally thought of when you’re in a strict business environment. For example, time was a critical component of this app, which stretched the developers to master the use of Timer controls, which then translates to business-related projects. And at the end of the day, games can be fun!

Are you tired of jumping through hoops to retrieve data from related tables in Power Automate? Say goodbye to cumbersome processes and hello to efficiency with the “expand query” feature. By leveraging the expand query in Power Automate, you can streamline the retrieval of properties from related tables without the need for additional steps. In this tutorial created by our RedCloud Technical Solutions Practice team, we’ll walk you through the process step by step, demonstrating how to set up the flow, identify navigation properties, utilize them, and parse JSON to get the desired output. Let's dive in! Utilizing the expand query in Power Automate can streamline the retrieval of properties from related tables without the need for additional steps. Here's a brief example: Step 1: Set Up the Flow Begin by creating a flow that uses the Dataverse List Rows  action. In this demonstration, the flow is manually triggered, listing “Accounts” from Dataverse. To limit the output, a row count is set to one. Step 2. Identify Navigation Properties Subsequently, use the Compose action to output the result from the List “Account” action.  This output serves to identify the navigation properties necessary for expanding related tables. Copy this output. Step 3. Utilize Navigation Properties In Visual Studio Code, search for navigation properties. These properties enable the expansion of related tables directly within the list rows action, eliminating the need for separate steps to retrieve related table values. To specify specific columns from the related table, OData queries can be employed. For instance, to retrieve Country details (Region, Location, and Currency) associated with a case, the following query can be used: Step 4: Parse JSON OData for expanding Country and selected properties will result in the JSON output shown below. By generating a sample from the JSON above, it will result as the following output in your flow.

A global client sought to efficiently manage awards and recognition for a large team of account and relationship managers. Manual processes for evaluating eligibility and sending personalized emails created inefficiencies and delays. RedCloud collaborated with the client to design an automated solution using the Power Platform, integrating Power Automate, Power BI, Dataflows, and Power Apps. The solution streamlined award evaluation, automated communications, and provided real-time insights, improving efficiency, recognition timeliness, and team engagement. Client Situation The client needed to ensure timely and accurate awards and recognition for a large, global sales team. Challenges included: Multiple awards with varying eligibility criteria based on bi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey results Manual evaluation of survey data to determine eligibility Account Executives manually creating personalized emails using templates and imagery, a process prone to inefficiencies and delays The client required a solution that could automate data evaluation, email generation, and reporting while remaining flexible to accommodate new awards programs and scenarios where survey data was unavailable. Our Approach RedCloud implemented a comprehensive Power Platform solution with the following features: Automated Award Eligibility Evaluation:  Customer Satisfaction Survey data is automatically processed to determine award eligibility, with a manual override option if survey data is unavailable. Personalized Email Generation:  Batch processing generates individualized emails for Account Executives to review and send, reducing manual effort and ensuring timely recognition. Flexible and Scalable:  The platform supports adding new awards programs, eligibility criteria, email templates, and imagery without additional development. Embedded Reporting:  Power BI dashboards provide real-time insights into award eligibility, track the status of emails, and visualize program performance throughout the fiscal year. This approach centralized manual tasks into a single platform, enabling scalability, adaptability, and more efficient recognition across the organization. Impact The automated solution delivered measurable improvements: Operational Efficiency:  Consolidated manual evaluation and email processes into a streamlined workflow Timely Recognition:  Batch email processing ensures top performers are recognized without delays Customization & Flexibility:  Configurable award criteria and templates allow tailored programs for different geographies and business priorities Improved Adoption:  Manual award and kudos-sending options increase the solution’s usability across multiple business areas Enhanced Visibility:  Power BI dashboards provide real-time tracking of award eligibility and email status, increasing transparency and accountability Overall, the solution significantly improved team engagement, recognition timeliness, and operational efficiency. Ready to automate your awards and recognition processes? Contact RedCloud’s Technical Solutions team  today to learn how we can help streamline program management, improve reporting, and enhance engagement across your organization.