Microsoft improves search relevance and usability for model-based Power Apps

Microsoft has launched an update for search in model-driven Power Apps that improves search result relevance and usability.

Several usability updates should make search more efficient, wrote senior program manager Srihari Srinivasa. Search is now positioned in a new location in the header of the web interface. Users get personalized results of recent searches and entities, even before entering new search terms. And results are suggested as the user types a new search query.

The display of search results is now ranked and grouped, with more fields displayed. "As you drill into specific entity types, filters are automatically adjusted to be relevant for that view," Srihari wrote.

And relevance search can now interpret natural language, misspellings, abbreviations, synonyms, and more to improve results.

Because the Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps are also model-driven apps, the new improvements will benefit those users, too. Microsoft MVP for business applications Thomas Sandsør described the launch as a "MAAAAAASIVE update in the search experience for Dynamics," that makes search more intuitive. And, perhaps most importantly, it is a change that he believes his customers will want to use.