According to a recent survey, more than 50% of professionals say they spend more time searching for files than using them. Part of this has to do with the information explosion that has happened over the last few years—there is truly more data, especially in an enterprise setting, than ever before.

By the end of 2025, Internet traffic alone is anticipated to generate between 150 and 200 zettabytes of information. Your employees need to be able to easily create and work with that data, share it, and use it as the basis of collaboration. But there’s so much of it that simply keeping up becomes a challenge—to say nothing of how difficult it can be to keep it as secure as possible.

That, in part, is what Microsoft Dataverse for Teams is designed to accomplish.

Dataverse for Teams is a low-code data platform that helps enterprise users build custom apps, workflows, dashboards, and more – all within the powerful Microsoft Teams interface. Teams itself is a workspace designed to make communication and collaboration easier than ever before. Dataverse takes that one step further by truly allowing people to work their way, any way, with absolutely no exceptions.

In this article, you’ll better understand what Microsoft Dataverse is and, more importantly, what it can do. You’ll learn how to set up Dataverse and can get started leveraging Power Apps to your advantage. You’ll even learn more about where Dataverse might be headed. Anyone who already leverages Microsoft Teams and wants to get more from their investment is encouraged to read on further.

 

Understanding Microsoft Dataverse for Teams

At its core, Microsoft Dataverse for Teams is a solution designed to let users securely store and manage the information used by the various business applications they’ve come to rely on. Standard and custom tables are available, both of which offer a secure and cloud-based way to finally control the challenges associated with big data.

Think of it as the data-driven foundation upon which Microsoft’s Power Platform, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 are built. Rather than trapping data (and the valuable insight contained within it) in its silo based on whatever app created it, it acts as a “single source of truth” for your organization.

If everything exists in the same location, it can be shared instantly and securely. The data is “decoupled” from any one particular application, allowing it to flow freely across your enterprise – likely for the first time.

Within the context of Teams, Dataverse allows you to find, filter, and sort through the massive volumes of data being created. It features mobile offline capabilities, advanced Dataverse search functions, file and image support, and more.

 

Setting Up Microsoft Dataverse for Teams

Thankfully, getting Microsoft Dataverse for Teams set up is (relatively) straightforward.

1. First, you need to install PowerApps inside Teams. You can do this from the App Marketplace. Once installed, you can create, edit, and develop both apps and tables using Dataverse for Teams.
2. Then, you can provision Dataverse for Teams to create your table. This automatically happens when you make your first app. From Power Apps, select the option labeled “Start Now.” You’ll then be able to choose a team for the app in question and select “Create” to have your Dataverse for Teams environment built.
3. Enter a name for your app and select “Save.” Again, creating the app provides the necessary environment within Teams.

Creating relationships in Dataverse for Teams is fundamental for ensuring successful collaboration. As you create tables to store data, open the table and select the “Relationships” tab.

You can choose “one-to-many” relationships, “many-to-one” relationships, or “many-to-many” relationships. Each has its own distinct purpose. In a “many-to-one” relationship, for example, a single team leader may be responsible for multiple teams. Which you select will vary depending on your unique needs and the project you’re currently working on.

 

Delving Into Data Management

Once Dataverse for Teams has been appropriately configured, you should familiarize yourself with importing and exporting data.

To load data into Dataverse for Teams tables, open the “Power Apps” section and select the “Data” tab. Choose the option labeled “Get Data,” and finally, “Get Data” again.

Here, you can browse a list of data sources and select the one you want to import data from. You can also import data directly from an Excel or CSV file that may already exist.

Exporting data follows a similar process. Once you select the table with the data you want to export, you can select “Export” and then “Export Data.” Once the export finishes, you’ll see an option labeled “Download Exported Data,” and you can download the CSV file.

As you continue to work through this process, it’s important to understand how data management and security roles work within Dataverse for Teams. Dataverse for Teams uses “role-based security” to bundle a collection of privileges based on whatever configuration makes the most sense for your organization.

You can associate security roles with individual users, specific Dataverse teams, or business units. If you associate specific security permissions with a business unit, every user within that unit will have the same permissions.

In other words, be careful about who has access to what data in Dataverse for Teams. Yes, you want to make critical information available anywhere, at any time, but you want to maintain security to do it. Only the people who expressly need certain data to do their jobs should have access to it—end of story.

 

Leveraging Power Apps

Within the Dataverse for Teams environment, Power Apps can create and manage apps for associated teams. There are a few main types of apps available:

• Canvas apps start with a customized graphical user interface that can then be connected to more than 200 data sources.
• Model-driven apps start with the data model. You can configure forms, business rules, and even process flows.
• Cards are essentially “micro apps” that can help quickly surface business data via the Power Platform connectors you’re working with.

If you want to build an app, select the “Create an App” option to go to the Power Apps studio. App templates are available by default, so you can use them as a starting point and customize them depending on your app’s needs.

From the “Home” screen, you’ll see additional sample app templates and recent apps edited inside the Power App Studio. You can also select the “Build” hub for more information about environments, apps built by a particular team in the past, and currently installed apps.

 

Utilizing Power Automate

The Power Automate feature within Dataverse for Teams is billed as “automation made simple.” Its purpose is to let users easily add automation to the apps built within Dataverse for Teams, saving them a significant amount of time that can be better used elsewhere.

Thanks to the easy-to-use graphical user interface, Power Automate makes creating custom automation straightforward.

From the “Build” tab in Power Apps, select the option labeled “Flow.” Here, you can select the type of flow you want to create. You can pick from instant, scheduled, and automated.

You’ll then be able to specify everything about your automation, including the schedule, the name, the trigger, and more. For example, the trigger can occur when an item is created in a specific app like SharePoint or when a file is added to OneDrive for Business.

Customizing and managing your flows is equally straightforward. At any point, you can return to the “Build” tab and see a list of the automations that have already been created. Select the one you want to manage or change and choose “Edit.” You’ll be able to change the trigger and other conditions for the automation as needed.

 

Power Virtual Agents

Another important topic to touch on within Dataverse for Teams is Power Virtual Agents. These are GUI solutions that require absolutely no coding knowledge. In essence, they’re a way for anyone on your team to A) create a rich, conversational chatbot that B) can then be integrated within the remainder of the Teams platform.

To start building bots using data from Dataverse, select the option labeled “Create a New PVA” from the Dataverse section of your account. Choose “Create a New Bot” and then follow the screens to define your topics and dialogues as necessary. You can also configure triggers and actions, test your bot, and more.

Once you create your bot, navigate to the Power Virtual Agents portal and select the “Publish” option. This will allow other users in Teams to interact with it (if you choose).

These types of chatbots can be used for a wide range of different purposes. They can help streamline everyday tasks for IT administrators, business analysts, and everyone in between. They can also assist with skills related to app development itself.

 

Governance and Best Practices

Regarding data governance, it’s important to note that Dataverse for Teams honors all existing data governance paradigms as dictated by the Microsoft Power Platform. You can enable access controls or make any other changes that you deem necessary through the Microsoft Teams admin center. Still, the Power Platform admin center will allow you to dive even deeper.

For example, you’ll be able to monitor dedicated capacity usage through the Power Platform admin center. Maintaining this level of visibility is essential, as transparency is a critical component of any data governance program.

Microsoft recommends using a reactive approach to governance workflows and monitoring abilities in Dataverse for Teams. This would mean that when a team owner wants to make a change, they have to provide a business justification. Administrators can then review that justification before making a decision.

Microsoft Teams admin center controls give you the ability to handle things like:

• Selecting who can and cannot create new Power Apps.
• Give people the capability to create new Power Virtual Agents.
• Allow or deny the ability to use Dataverse for Teams Power Apps within Microsoft Teams.
• Let people share Power Virtual Agents created within Dataverse for Teams with colleagues.

 

These all align with the widely accepted best practices of data governance within this context. You should always know who can create and access Teams, specifically, who has access to Dataverse for Teams environments. You should be able to manage third-party app availability. If you delete or archive content, you need to know exactly what happens.

Wherever possible, leverage automation to make data governance as easy as possible. That way, you can spend less time worrying about whether the rules are set up correctly and more time enjoying the peace of mind that your needs are being met.

 

Future Trends and Developments 

Since Dataverse for Teams is poised to become an integral part of your daily business operations, it’s essential to be aware of upcoming features and development enhancements.

At the end of 2023, Microsoft made its short-term roadmap public:

• Microsoft will release a Dataverse long-term data retention API for admins, makers, marketers, or analysts. It entered public preview in May of 2023, but there is still no date for general availability.
• JIT developer environments will soon be available from the new home page. This will roll out for admins, makers, or analysts in the near future.
• Admins, makers, marketers, and analysts can also create tables and import data using either the “Upload” feature or drag-and-drop functionality.
• Dataverse will soon support low-code custom actions using Power Fx. Along the same lines, it will also include dependent assemblies with plug-in support.
• Admins, makers, marketers, and analysts will soon be able to accelerate value with clean data.
• The overall security and compliance standards of Microsoft Dataverse will be improved by granting users the ability to limit access with an IP firewall, instantly revoke users, and enforce IP restrictions with CAE.

As mentioned, while all the features above are currently in public preview, some have yet to announce dates for general availability.

Ready to enhance your data management strategy? Contact IT Solutions today to discover how we can help you implement and manage Microsoft Dataverse for Teams to drive your business forward. If you’re a client and would like to discuss this further, please reach out to your Strategic Advisor.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Microsoft Teams, but is it right for your business? Below we introduce you to Teams, how it works, some advanced features and how it can help your company.

Jump to the Information You Want

• What is the purpose of Microsoft Teams?
• Getting started with teams & channels.
• Video conferencing with Microsoft Teams.
• Features for advanced users.
• Using Teams for your remote workforce.

Key Benefits of Microsoft Teams for Your Business at a Glance

• Meet From Anywhere: Online meetings with high-quality audio and video can be scheduled ahead of time or started right away. People from both inside and outside your company are welcome to join.
• Centralized History: People can refer to chats and files shared before, during, and after meetings at any time.
• Built-in Integration: Shared files are always available across your devices thanks to the free cloud storage, making it simple to collaborate in real time or on your own time.
• Best-in-Class Security: Collaborate with confidence, knowing that your sensitive data is encrypted both at rest and in transit.

What is the Purpose of Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is your built-in hub for teamwork in Microsoft Office 365 and is designed to connect internal staff and external partners to enhance collaboration, providing an alternative to – or even replacing – email communications. It is Microsoft’s answer to competing platforms such as Slack and HipChat and is designed to provide an easier way for small groups of people to communicate and collaborate.

At its most basic level, Teams is a messaging tool that enables text communications between users, whether they are in the same office or work remotely.

It supports group chat rooms with threaded conversations, as well as private messages between individuals. When necessary, users can jump from instant messaging to a video call at the push of a button.

But Teams is more than a communications tool. It also combines strong content collaboration features, thanks to integration with Microsoft’s software portfolio. OneDrive documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) can be accessed and edited without leaving the app, for example.

Teams is quickly becoming the central hub for communications and collaboration and will eventually replace Skype for Business with Teams.

How Does Teams Work?

Microsoft’s long-standing presence in the workplace with its Office suite (and of course, Windows) gives it a solid foundation to grow in the collaboration marketplace. The cloud-hosted software is available via browser, desktop app and mobile app, and will be integrated into Microsoft’s Surface Hub 2 digital whiteboards.

Let’s get started by thinking about how Microsoft Teams allows individual teams to self-organize and collaborate across business scenarios:

Getting Started with Teams & Channels

Introduction to Teams

Teams are a collection of people, content, and tools surrounding different projects and outcomes within an organization.

• Teams can be created to be private to only invited users.
• Teams can also be created to be public and open and anyone within the organization.

A team is designed to bring together a group of people that work closely to get things done. Teams can be dynamic for project-based work (for example, launching a product, creating a digital war room), as well as ongoing, to reflect the internal structure of your organization (for example, departments and office locations).

Conversations, files and notes across team channels are only visible to members of the team. A new Team will create a matching Microsoft 365 Group, OneNote, SharePoint site and Plan—so this does need to be done with some caution.

Introduction to Channels

Channels are dedicated sections within a Team to keep conversations organized by specific topics, projects, disciplines—whatever works for your team!

• Team channels are places where everyone on the team can openly have conversations. Private chats are only visible to those people in the chat.
• Channels are most valuable when extended with apps that include tabs, connectors, and bots that increase their value to the members of the team.
• Every Channel has their own set of tabs along the top of the window. Conversation (group chat), Notes (shared OneNote), and Files (shared documents) are created automatically, however you can also add your own tabs based on the needs of your team.

Channel Tabs

Conversations. One of the most important elements of Teams is Conversations, which allow each Team to have a centralized discussion that is saved and easily searchable. From file sharing to video calls, conversations are the primary component where all teamwork is documented.

You can utilize @mentions to notify others by tagging participants or even entire teams. Users may readily see where they’ve been referenced in Conversations by looking for the red @ sign, which highlights places of importance to them. Aside from that, your desktop app will send you an alert. Users can now ‘like’ content and share emoticons or GIFs in addition to tagging.

Files. You can use Files to execute a range of actions right within that window or browser, avoiding the need to switch between applications. These functions include the ability to delete, download, and move files, as well as open, copy, modify, and obtain a link to share with others — all of which are available in the native apps.

You can also start a Group chat alongside the file to enable for team discussions as everyone is working on it — and this conversation will show up in your Conversation thread.

Notes will lead you to the OneNote shared by the entire team. You can see and modify your OneNotes in Teams (directly within the Teams window) or in the OneNote app by clicking to edit.

Additional Tabs can be added alongside these three automatic ones. Some currently available include Planner, Power BI dashboards, Microsoft Stream, Bing Maps and Word & Excel documents.

Examples of Teams & Channels

Below are a few functional examples of how different types of users may approach setting up their teams. As you think about how to implement Microsoft Teams in your organization, remember that you can provide guidance on how to structure their teams, however users have control of how they can self-organize.

These are just examples to help get teams to start thinking through the possibilities. Microsoft Teams is great at breaking down organizational silos and promoting cross-functional teams, so encourage your users to think about this as functional teams and not organizational silos.

It is possible to create Teams that align to the organizational structure. This is best used for leaders who want to drive morale, have team specific reviews, clarify employee onboarding processes, discuss workforce plans and increase visibility across a diverse workforce.

Microsoft offers a wonderful collection of tutorial videos in order to get your company up and running with Teams.

Video Conferencing with Microsoft Teams

From our perspective, the question isn’t “Why use Microsoft Teams Video Conferencing?” but rather, “Why would you use anything else?” For those who remain unconvinced, here’s a rundown of some features and benefits you’ll enjoy using Teams for your next video meeting:

• Purpose-built teams. Teams allows companies to create ready-made groups for a particular department or subset of customers. Once created, members can set up video conferences (and perform other activities) and easily include all members.
• Tight Outlook integration. Teams meetings can be created directly in Outlook. The Outlook plug-in provides all users with a link to the meeting, streamlining scheduling and making it easy for everyone to join at the appointed time.
• Robust Security. Teams enforces group-wide and organization-wide two-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and at rest. Files are stored in SharePoint, backed by SharePoint encryption. Notes are stored in OneNote, backed by OneNote encryption.
• Document Management. From inside a Teams video conference, participants can access, share, and edit Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel files in real time.
• Session Recording. Using the Meeting Controls (More Options) interface, conference participants can record any Teams meeting. The recording party receives a link to the recording afterward and can save it locally or to their cloud storage.
• Team Chat: During the meeting, participants can chat with one another directly if they have questions or comments they don’t need (or wish) to share with the group – very useful.

Teams also supports the application of customized backgrounds (or blurring real ones to minimize distraction), offers a “raise their hand” feature that lets a participant request to speak, and other valuable features.

Finally, with Teams video conferences, the sky is really the limit. Up to 10,000 people can participate in a video conference at once, with no limit on time. Technology can be disruptive, and it is often accused of isolating us, preventing us from coming together. Yet, with comprehensive platforms like Microsoft Teams, it also helps us communicate and collaborate more easily.

Microsoft Teams Features For Advanced Users

Microsoft Teams has only become more powerful and flexible over time. Here are a few of the lesser-known features we are excited about, and eager to share.

Auto-Record Meetings

How many times have you gotten behind on taking notes and regretted not having a recording of the meeting? With Teams, that won’t happen anymore. In Meeting options, switch the Record Automatically toggle to Yes before the meeting begins.

When the meeting starts, Teams will automatically begin recording it. After the meeting, the video will appear in the meeting chat and in Microsoft Stream. (Note: This setting must be enabled by your IT Admin.)

Additionally, Microsoft is changing the retention parameters for recorded meetings. Keep reading our newsletter, because we will let you know when that happens!

Download Meeting Transcriptions

Meeting notes can be very useful for all participants, but taking them can be a chore. With Microsoft Teams, you don’t have to. Once the recording of your meeting is ready, click on the ellipsis and open your video in Microsoft Stream.

Open the next ellipsis you see and click on Update Video Details. Choose the Video Language section, click Autogenerate a caption file and click Update. Once the process is finished you will be able to download a transcription of the meeting from the Microsoft Stream section.

Automatically Adjust Mic Sensitivity

To tweak your mic sensitivity settings select Settings > Devices and then turn on Automatically Adjust Mic Sensitivity.

Several cool Teams features require accessing a Channel (a designated place for teams to share messages, tools, and files) which is very simple to set up. To create a channel if your company isn’t using them yet, go to your Team in Teams. Click on the ellipsis to the right and click Add Channel.

Make Chats Searchable in your Channel

You can not only save your chats in your Channel, but Teams makes it easy to tag chats with memorable, more searchable titles. Doing so enables users to easily find their way back to them in the future if needed. To enable searchability, select the pencil next to the member names at the top and type a title that relates to the content of the chat and includes a word or phrase that will help you find it again.

Email Forwarding to a Channel

Microsoft has made it easy for you to forward an email to any Microsoft Teams Channel you desire.

To do this, look for the ellipsis next to the Channel name and click on Get Email Address. This creates an email address for the channel that you can now use to mail anything directly. It’s a handy way of making it even more accessible.

Using Microsoft Teams for Your Remote Workforce

As firms make more adjustments to bolster their remote capabilities and connect work from home (WFH) personnel, video conferencing has taken center stage.

A survey by Unify, a global network of unified communications companies, found that 72% of remote teams report video conferencing makes teamwork easier. It also facilitates productive engagement with clients, vendors, partners and other associates.

Is Remote Collaboration Our Future?

With Gartner announcing earlier this year that 74% of organizations plan to shift at least some employees to remote work permanently, we foresee the volume of video conferencing only increasing. Driven by the proliferation of advanced, powerful mobile devices, super-fast internet connections and the boom in cloud solutions, video conferencing platforms are no longer subject to historical constraints. They have also become substantially less complex to use, even as their efficiency has accelerated.

Increasingly, Microsoft Teams is the platform of choice for remote collaboration ꟷ including video conferencing, with its user base growing by nearly 900% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Limiting Application Sprawl

One of the tangible benefits of using Teams for video conferencing is its expansive feature set. Various reports have cited “application sprawl” as a core challenge for business leaders this year, as WFH employees advocate for using the solutions with which they are comfortable. The situation is exacerbated because few providers offer a full slate of productivity-focused communications tools.

Teams natively offers Internet calling and chat, a calendar fully integrated with Microsoft Outlook (with communication able to move seamlessly between the two), and one-click access to six cloud file storage platforms: Box, Dropbox, Dropbox for Business, Google Drive, Egnyte and ShareFile. This feature set alone enables most, if not all, customary office activities to take place within the Teams interface.

Furthermore, Microsoft wisely developed Teams integrations for all of its applications and worked with outside companies to encourage them to connect with Teams, as well. (At last count, there were more than 500 third-party integrations with Teams, ranging from project management (Zoho Projects) to whiteboarding (Freehand by InVision) and even software development (Azure DevOps).

Not Sure Where to Begin?

As a Tier 1 Microsoft Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and Microsoft 365 reseller, IT Solutions can help clients with all their Microsoft 365 needs. To turn on Microsoft Teams for your organization you will need to enable it in the Microsoft 365 admin center. For more information about Teams, or anything else Microsoft 365-related, contact your Strategic Advisor or call us at 866.PICK.ITS.