Whether you’re looking for a dedicated app to make your day-to-day tasks easier and more efficient or you’ve got a brilliant app idea to develop but short on budget and resources, one thing’s certain: Microsoft Power Apps is the no-code/low-code rapid application development (RAD) platform you need for custom software development.
What is Microsoft Power Apps?
Microsoft PowerApps is a tool that allows you to build customized applications and to automate business processes. This is a part of the Microsoft Power Platform, a collective name that brings together PowerApps, Power BI (an analytical platform displaying business data in real time) and Flow (an automated workflows system).
Microsoft Power Apps is fundamentally a Platform as a Service (PaaS) that has entirely transformed the way developers build applications today. It is a low code application development platform to enable anyone – regardless of their technical expertise – to create their own web or mobile app without writing a single line of code. This is a way to quickly build business applications and eliminate the need for the overall amount of coding required.
Power Apps and the Power Platform
Microsoft Power Platform consists of Microsoft Power BI, Power Automate (Flow), and Power Apps. These three services provide a plethora of cloud-based digital tools to automate workflows, get deep business insights, and build rapid custom apps keeping data at the center. The roles these three perform are as follows:
- Power BI – The business intelligence platform to collate, organize, and analyze insights within an organization’s data
- Power Automate (Flow) – A trigger-based system that automates alerts, communication, data gathering, and notifications
- Power Apps – Act, modify data, and build custom business apps without the need for writing codes
Microsoft Power Apps 101: The Development Process
The sequence of steps includes the following:
- Choose “Create an app” from the PowerApps menu. The PowerApps Studio will feature a system-generated canvas for app creation.
- Choose PowerApps environment (site PowerApps, PowerApps studio, PowerApps mobile or PowerApps admin center).
- Choose application type.
- Choose the storage type.
- Choose the supported data source that the app in development will be connected to (e.g., SharePoint, SQL Server, Oracle, Informix, or Filesystem).
- Understand Microsoft Power Apps Documentation thoroughly and carefully before getting the development process started.
Use Cases of Power Apps
- Automate simple repeatable, frequent tasks
- Build your own apps to improve operations, productivity, and agility
- Create a Power App for SharePoint lists within SharePoint Online
- Improve processes even without programming skills
- Integrate data sources and other digital workplace solutions like SharePoint, Outlook, etc.
- Make the most of Office 365 environment
What are the key benefits of using Power Apps?
1. Hassle-Free Delivery
It takes an ample amount of time, specific competencies, and multiple cycles to design new software or modify existing. PowerApps radically accelerates the speed of delivering business apps because it is way simpler and to learn than other coding languages. Moreover, the variety of out-of-the-box connections to multiple SaaS applications drastically decreases the required time to build specific interfaces.
2. Versatile in Nature
PowerApps is applicable in cloud-based environments, remote storage connections, and on-site data servers. The connection and flow of information are essentially continuous. Security protocols are steered flawlessly to guarantee data flow is secure between all locations.
3. Cost-Effective
Software development and management lifecycle can be quite an intricate and budget breaking business function. PowerApps enables seamless and real time collaboration among team members. It also ensures you can make your apps more mobile-friendly (or even compatible with desktop and tablet versions) within the same time.
4. Cohesion Between Need and Application
One of the biggest issues in software development projects is the disparity between client requirements and actual product delivery. Problems won’t magically disappear with PowerApps but the chances for misinterpretations, subpar conceptualization, and failed expectations will significantly reduce.
5. Building Bridges between Stakeholders
Friction is inevitable especially when clients are dissatisfied with the final app solution and the IT team blames lack of information among other things. PowerApps gets everyone involved – developers, investors, software users – to define and finalize project requirements, scope, timelines, budgets, and goals.
Conclusion
When joined with complementary platforms like Flow, BI, and Dynamics 365, there is a huge possibility to elevate the performance of your business to the next level with Microsoft PowerApps.
Curious to learn more? You’re in the right place. ClinkIT Solutions is a 6X Gold Microsoft Partner that can provide tailored Power Apps consulting and development services to boost your company’s efficiency and solve pressing business challenges.
