Microsoft unveils latest advancements in Copilot Studio for March 2025

​Microsoft has announced several significant enhancements to its Copilot Studio platform in March 2025. These updates aim to improve automation, reasoning capabilities, and integration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Here are some of the features:

• Autonomous Agents – Stay proactive with agents that automate responses to critical events using triggers and natural language.

• Deep Reasoning in Agents – Enable agents to handle complex business processes with advanced models like OpenAI o1, leveraging enterprise data for smarter decision-making.

• Agent Flows in Copilot Studio – Streamline repeatable business processes with predefined sequences of actions that run automatically, ensuring efficiency and consistency.

• Model Context Protocol – Seamlessly integrate knowledge servers and external tools into Copilot Studio, enabling faster development and scaling of intelligent agents.

• Open Web Search – Equip your agents with real-time access to high-quality web information, ensuring they can retrieve accurate insights even when configured knowledge sources are insufficient.

Here is the full list.

Power Apps enhances data entry with AI-powered efficiency

Capturing and processing information just got faster in Power Apps. Microsoft is introducing new AI-powered enhancements to streamline data entry and improve efficiency. Say goodbye to tedious form-filling and hello to a smarter way of working.

Here are the new enhancements:

• Paste images & extract insights: Instantly capture text and tables from images, automatically suggesting relevant field values—no retyping needed.

• Add files to populate forms: Upload or drag and drop supported files (.txt, .csv, .docx, .pdf, and images), and let AI extract key details to fill in your form, reducing manual effort.

• New form fill toolbar: Get a clear view of AI-generated suggestions, their sources, and a real-time count of pending reviews, making data entry more transparent and efficient.

• More control for makers: Customize AI assistance by opting specific fields out of AI suggestions via the Allow Form Fill Assistance setting in column properties.

Microsoft Power BI introduces notebooks and semantic links for analyzing semantic models

​Microsoft Power BI has introduced new capabilities aimed at enhancing the analysis and optimization of semantic models. These developments provide users with streamlined tools to improve model performance and efficiency.

Here’s what you need to know about these features:

• Fabric Notebooks – A low-code, interactive solution for data engineers and data scientists to build Apache Spark jobs, manage data workflows, and develop machine learning models.

• Semantic Link – Seamlessly connect semantic models with data science capabilities in Microsoft Fabric, unlocking deeper insights and advanced analytics.

• Powerful Notebooks to optimize your models

  • Best Practices Analyzer – Get AI-driven recommendations to enhance performance, DAX expressions, error prevention, maintenance, and formatting.

  • Memory Analyzer – Gain insights into memory and storage usage for optimized model performance.

  • Community Notebooks – Share and discover notebooks to elevate Power BI analysis and reporting with the wider Power BI community.

Microsoft updates terminology for AI and Copilot services

​In response to the evolving landscape of customer service and the integration of AI technologies, Microsoft has announced updates to the terminology used within its Copilot Service workspace. These changes aim to standardize language across platforms and enhance clarity for users.

Here’s what you need to know:

• New App Names: Say hello to Copilot Service workspace and Copilot Service admin center, replacing the previous Customer Service and Contact Center workspace/admin center names.

• AI Agents Redefined: The term AI Agent will now refer only to autonomous agents, making the distinction clearer.

• Human “Agents” Get a New Title: Microsoft is replacing agent with Customer Service Representative to highlight the human experts who assist customers.

• Coming Soon: These updates will start rolling out in April 2025.

Visual Studio 2022 makes debugging easier with the AI-powered IEnumerable visualizer

Microsoft Visual Studio continues to evolve, making debugging more intuitive and efficient for developers. With the latest advancements, working with complex data structures during debugging has never been easier. This update brings a smarter way to navigate and inspect collections, streamlining the debugging experience.

Here’s how the new improvements can help you:

• Syntax Highlighting for Editable Expressions: Keywords, classes, enums, and structures are color-coded, making queries easier to read and understand.

• Customizable Syntax Highlighting: Personalize your color scheme by navigating to Tools > Options > Environment > Font Colors. Select Text Editor and adjust the User Types color to match your coding style.

• Inline Copilot Chat for Editable Expressions: Modify and refine your queries effortlessly with AI-assisted suggestions.

• Copilot Chat Integration for Deeper Debugging: Engage with GitHub Copilot Chat for interactive troubleshooting and query optimization.

Power Automate for desktop releases March 2025 updates

​Microsoft has announced the release of the March 2025 update for Power Automate for desktop, version 2.54. This latest update introduces several enhancements aimed at improving user experience and expanding automation capabilities.

Here are the new features:

• Test Cases for Desktop Flows – A new Test Cases tab is now available in the Power Automate for desktop console, enabling you to validate your desktop flows effortlessly. Plus, two new testing actions—"Assert" and "Test a desktop flow"—help ensure accuracy.

• New SAP Automation Action – The "Select SAP navigation item" action is now available, allowing seamless interaction with menu items in the SAP application toolbar.

• Azure Key Vault Credential Support – The "Get credential (preview)" action now supports retrieving credentials from Azure Key Vault, expanding beyond CyberArk for secure authentication.

Download Power Automate for desktop here.

Microsoft AI transforms businesses in four key ways

AI is transforming the way businesses operate, driving efficiency, innovation, and smarter decision-making. Microsoft is at the forefront of this evolution, helping organizations harness AI to achieve real, measurable impact. From streamlining workflows to uncovering new insights, the benefits of AI are reshaping industries worldwide.

Discover how Microsoft AI transforms your business:

1. Enhance employee productivity – Automate repetitive tasks, empowering employees to focus on strategic and creative work.

2. Revolutionize customer engagement – Leverage AI-driven insights to personalize interactions, generate tailored content, and streamline service delivery.

3. Optimize business processes – Use generative AI to improve efficiency, automate workflows, and drive operational excellence.

4. Fuel innovation – Accelerate creativity and product development with AI-powered solutions.

5. Supercharge your AI transformation - Harness Microsoft Copilot, Copilot devices, and the Copilot + AI stack to drive your business growth and innovation.

Microsoft unveils a new collaboration experience in Visual Studio

Microsoft is introducing an exciting new way to enhance collaboration and productivity within Visual Studio. With a focus on streamlining workflows and improving team efficiency, this latest innovation brings a fresh approach to development.

Here’s what you’ll find:

• What’s new: Explore the latest Visual Studio updates and tailor your experience by selecting the categories and features that matter most to you.

• GitHub Copilot resources: Get started with AI-powered development! Learn how to use GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio for code completion, AI chat, and smart prompts.

• Key resources: Expand your knowledge, connect with the developer community, and share feedback with the engineering teams shaping the future of Visual Studio.

• Developer blogs: Stay ahead with insights from the Visual Studio Blog, featuring the four most recent posts at a glance.

• Community Engagement: Follow Visual Studio’s official channels, see the latest discussions, and connect with the team.

Microsoft makes IDE features accessible with GitHub Copilot and Search

Microsoft is making it easier for developers to navigate Visual Studio with AI-powered assistance. A new update enhances how users find IDE features, leveraging GitHub Copilot and improved search capabilities. This innovation aims to streamline workflows and boost productivity for developers of all levels.

Here’s how to use it:

• Use "Ask Copilot" – Click "Ask Copilot" to query GitHub Copilot Chat for detailed responses without leaving Visual Studio, while also searching documentation online.

• Get accurate answers – Copilot interprets your query, considers your Visual Studio version, and delivers precise recommendations.

• Use the @vs label for deeper insights – The @vs agent is equipped with in-depth knowledge of Visual Studio, ensuring accurate guidance on available features and their functionality.

• Invoke @vs anytime – Even outside Feature Search, you can call the @vs agent within GitHub Copilot Chat by simply adding @vs to your message.

Microsoft enhances pull request reviews with in-depth feedback in Visual Studio 2022

Microsoft is making it easier for developers to collaborate and improve code quality in Visual Studio. A new update enhances the way teams review pull requests, streamlining the feedback process for better efficiency. This improvement aims to create a more seamless and productive development experience.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Inline Commenting: Reviewers can now add comments directly within the IDE, streamlining feedback without switching interfaces.

• Feature Activation: Enable inline commenting via:

  • Tools > Options > Preview Features > Pull Request Comments

  • Tools > Options > Pull Request Add Comment

• Accessing Comments: After checking out a pull request branch, select "Show comments in files" from the InfoBar or navigate via Git > ADO/GitHub > Show Comments.

• Adding Comments: Click the "Add Comment" icon in the margin or right-click a line and choose Git > Add Comment.

• Ongoing Improvements: Visual Studio continues refining pull request reviews based on user feedback for a better workflow.