“Do more with less” was the major theme of Microsoft Ignite 2022. It’s a fitting motto as businesses wade through the uncertainty of a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and an ongoing pandemic.

So, this year Microsoft emphasized improving efficiency and empowering workforces with AI, automation, and the Microsoft Cloud.

There were many announcements at Ignite 2022. Here are a few highlights…

#1. Low code/no code on Power Platform

Think of the game “Simon Says,” but for Power Automate. That’s pretty close to how Power Automate’s description to cloud flow operates. You describe the workflow you want, and Power Automate (using OpenAI Codex) helps you build it.

This follows some of the work the Power Platform team did with the integration of GPT-3 in Power Apps (announced in Build 2021) and their “fusion development” approach to empower non-technical employees with AI.

Satya said, “Microsoft estimates that the proportion of business apps built on low/no-code will grow from 25% today to 70% by 2025“. 

Why we’re excited

One of Power Platform’s strengths is its self-service abilities and its role in creating a stronger data culture within a company. Description of cloud flow in Power Automate will lower the barrier of entry for workflow automation and help integrate AI into everyday business processes.

Plus, as more Microsoft 365 connectors become available, teams can automate more tasks to free up their time (and the time of data scientists, IT and support teams, etc.) for higher-value activities.

One of the key challenges data (and AI) centric business applications face for wide enterprise adoption, and use is their integration into day-to-day business processes. The development of low/no-code apps will help accelerate the operationalization and, therefore, the use by all stakeholders. It will help transition enterprises to data-centric ones by making insights generated by advanced analytics, BI, and AI available to all relevant users, from blue-collar to executives. 

#2. Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL

Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL is generally available! This is exciting news for developers as it enables them to build cloud-native applications for relational and non-relational data using one service.

Learn how Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL works in this Microsoft Mechanics video:

Why we’re excited

One of the strengths of modern cloud-native applications is the ability to perform at scale. Having Azure Cosmos DB support for PostgreSQL will not only help developers create cloud-native applications faster, but also allow them to take advantage of other Azure cloud integrations.

This announcement also marked a milestone for Azure, which became the “first cloud platform to offer support for both relational and NoSQL data in its own single database service.” So, that’s pretty cool!

#3. Microsoft Purview

Using Microsoft Purview, all the operational and analytical capabilities can be fully integrated when it comes to data governance. It helps organizations manage and govern their on-premises databases, multi-cloud databases, SaaS data, and virtually any other data source or platform.

With Purview, organizations can scan, catalog, lineage, trace, and configure data management and access policies across their entire data estate.

Watch this video to learn more about Microsoft Purview and its common use cases.

Why we’re excited  

The capabilities provided by Microsoft Purview stand to make it a vital component of virtually every organization’s Azure cloud environment.  

Purview allows organizations easily create a holistic, up-to-date map of their data landscape with automated data discovery, sensitive data classification, and end-to-end data lineage. It enables data consumers to find valuable and trustworthy data. 

Click here to learn more about the capabilities of Purview.

Learn more about Microsoft Ignite 2022 

• Watch Satya and Sam Altman discuss AI, DALL-E, and the Microsoft and OpenAI partnership
• Review keynotes and on-demand sessions from Microsoft Ignite 2022
• Microsoft Ignite 2022 highlights 

• Satya Nadella Keynote Sizzle Microsoft Ignite 2022 – 2 min quick summary