Microsoft Power Platform has introduced a catalog feature that enhances reusability for organizations using Power Apps and Power Automate. This catalog allows users to share and install customized assets like apps, flows, and connectors, streamlining the development process and ensuring consistency. It supports various use cases while maintaining enterprise-level governance and security.

Drive Reusability with the Catalog in Microsoft Power Platform

Microsoft has unveiled a game-changing feature for Power Apps and Power Automate: the catalog for reusable assets. This update aims to streamline development processes and enhance productivity for organizations.

What’s New?

The catalog is now generally available, allowing makers to share and install reusable assets tailored to their organizational needs. This includes apps, flows, connectors, and prompts. Unlike generic templates, these assets provide a more relevant starting point for developers.

“Creating all this from scratch every time is a waste of time and an error-prone process.”

By building on the existing solutions framework, users can install catalog items across any environment within a tenant. This feature enhances accessibility and usability across various authoring experiences, such as Canvas Studio and flow designer.

Major Updates

Assets can be published as either templates or managed items. Templates are simple copies that any maker can utilize freely. In contrast, managed items are more controlled and can be updated, ensuring that organizations always use the latest versions.

To publish assets in the catalog, a managed environment is required. However, all assets can be installed from any environment, making it easier for teams to collaborate.

Using the Catalog Effectively

Organizations are leveraging the catalog for a variety of scenarios:

• Saving templates for reuse across different environments.
• Bundling components into collections for specific departments.
• Creating multiple catalogs seeded with sample data for demos.
• Utilizing managed items without modification.
• Building custom functionalities on top of existing assets.

Partners are also finding value in the catalog. They can streamline solution-building processes while curating components for multiple customers simultaneously.

What’s Important to Know?

The catalog offers flexibility to handle diverse use cases while maintaining enterprise-level governance and security. This is crucial for managing a centralized repository across many makers.

With comprehensive cross-environment roles and permissions, organizations can control who can make updates. Additional features like installation tracking and application lifecycle management further enhance the catalog’s utility.

“The catalog is highly flexible to handle a broad range of use cases, while backed by enterprise-level governance and security.”

In conclusion, the catalog in Microsoft Power Platform is a significant step forward for organizations looking to enhance reusability and efficiency in their development processes.

• The catalog enables sharing of tailored assets, providing better starting points than generic templates.
• Assets can be published as templates for free use or as managed items for controlled updates.
• Users can bundle components for specific departments or create multiple catalogs for demos.
• Partners can utilize the catalog to efficiently build solutions for various customers across environments.
• Comprehensive governance features include roles, permissions, and application lifecycle management.

From the Microsoft Power Platform Blog

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