You will find that in an ever-changing business world, being able to fully integrate technology and operations has been vital in helping to achieve long-term success. One of the best ways out there to achieve the goal of full integration is with seamless exchanges through the construction of custom applications to fill the voids in your ERP system via Microsoft Power Apps.
In our latest blog article, we will provide you with 6 examples of how Microsoft Power Apps can be used to enhance ERP systems.
1 - Validating data entry
As many of us already know, entering data manually can be open to mistakes, faulty reporting and operational disruptions. This is where Power Apps can help by providing a comprehensive solution by allowing the build of intuitive and error-resistant data entry interfaces which will essentially improve accuracies and improve the quality of the information held within the ERP system.
Through the use of Power Apps, you are able to design data entry forms that play host to in-built validation rules, thus making sure that only accurate and properly formatted data is used. You will find that these rules can include a whole host of different parameters that are customised to meet the specific data requirements of the ERP system such as mandatory fields and date formats. When users add information, Power Apps assesses the data against the rules in real-time with instant feedback given and rejecting any flawed entries.
As well as the above, Power Apps can allow you to implement conditional logic within data entry forms. This means that you are able to adapt the form’s behaviour based on the entered data, taking the user through the process by providing hints for them to give relevant information. By having this dynamic engagement in place will help to reduce the overall number of errors as well as improving the overall user experience by reducing confusion as well as increasing the efficiency of data input.
2 – Providing Mobile Accessibility
Given the fact that work takes place beyond the remits of the traditional in person office, making sure that people have access to critical ERP functions from mobile devices is vital. Through Power Apps, you are able to create responsive and intuitive mobile apps that can give you on-the-go access to standard ERP functionality.
From here, employees will be able to easily submit expenses, approve purchase orders, review stock levels as well as carry out vital tasks from their mobile device. By having this accessibility in place will provide greater flexibility and allow for better decisions to be made, guaranteeing that vital operations can still run smoothly no matter where they are taking place from.
In addition to the above, Power Apps can make use of device-native functionality such as touch gestures and camera integration thus improving the overall experience and allowing functionalities that are unique only to mobile devices. Furthermore, you will also find that mobile apps created through Power Apps can easily be integrated into ERP systems allowing for real-time updates to take place.
3 – Extending the functionality of ERP systems
Even though ERP systems such as Business Central can provide a whole host of different solutions, each business has different processes and workflows that need specific functionality that doesn’t come out of the box. Through Power Apps, you are able to create and deploy targeted applications that can fill in the gaps that are visible within your ERP system.
As well as this, Power Apps can allow you to evolve your ERP systems in sync with the ever-changing business environment. This means that you can easily adapt to new challenges by creating and deploying new functionalities where required whilst at the same time making sure that these extensions seamlessly work within your ERP system. You will be pleased to know that this extensibility not only enables you to stay ahead of the competition but also enables you to be more adaptable to any market changes.
4 – Tailored Approval Workflows
You will often find that older approval processes can consist of countless paperwork, emails and manual handoffs meaning that delays, errors and inefficiencies can often occur. This isn’t the case if you use Power Apps as you are able to build, implement and automate tailored approval workflows that work in sync with your specific business needs.
Given the fact that the platform is designed with users in mind and doesn’t require expert coding knowledge to use, Power Apps enables subject matter experts to easily get involved with workflow creations, making sure that workflows are adjusted to the specific needs of the business.
As well as this, the integration options available in Power Apps make it much easier to customise approval workflows. By using connectors, data from ERP systems such as Business Central and other data sources can easily flow into the workflow, making sure that any approval requests only have the latest information.
You will also notice that integrations can reach further than just the ERP system, enabling cross-functional workflows to be used between different departments and business functions. As a consequence of this, decision makers have access to real-time data from pending approvals, making it much easier to make quick and effective business decisions.
5 – Real-Time Reporting and Analytics
You will notice that in common ERP setups, they provide great and informative insights which make use of data extraction, transformation and time-consuming reporting cycles. However, Power Apps can help you to create interactive dashboards and leading visualisations that give you real-time access to KPIs and other useful metrics.
Better still, Power Apps enable you to consolidate data from a variety of different sources as well as ERP systems into engaging dashboards. From this, users will be able to customise within app dashboards to showcase the precise information they need to gain at-a-glance insights into stock levels, trends as well as production rates and much, much more.
Taking this one step further, Power Apps can provide extra functionality to sophisticated data visualisation techniques, converting extracted data into game changing visuals that allow for deeper analysis. As well as this, users then have the ability to build charts, graphs and heatmaps to showcase trends, correlations as well as any other useful ERP data.
6 - Seamless integration with third-party applications
It goes without saying that when operating in today’s business world, you have to make use of a whole range of different software to control certain aspects of your business. Power Apps is a comprehensive and unified platform that can be seamlessly integrated with ERP systems with other third-party applications, allowing for data exchange to occur, extra functionality to be gained as well as improved overall efficiency.
You will find that Power Apps enables you to build custom connectors that can help bridge the gap between ERP systems and third-party applications. No matter whether you are syncing customer data between an ERP and a CRM, automating inventory or facilitating financial reporting, Power Apps enables you to build custom automated workflows that reduce the need for manual data transfers and errors.
The flexible nature of Power Apps extends to its compatibility within many popular applications such as Dynamics 365. You will notice that this shoots the door wide open to build truly unique and seamless processes that can be used across multiple departments.
Next Steps?
If you are a business that is using an ERP system like Business Central, wanting to implement Business Central or looking to transform the way you work by working with us to create some truly unique Microsoft Power Apps then please reach out to our team of Power Platform experts now to discuss what you need.
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