PowerApps is a part of the Microsoft Power Platform, described as “a suite of apps, services, connectors and data platform that provides a rapid application development environment to build custom apps for your business needs. … Further, apps built using Power Apps have a responsive design, and can run seamlessly in browser or on mobile devices (phone or tablet).”
It is split into 2 distinct areas, Model Driven Apps, and Canvas Apps. Our focus for the moment will be canvas apps.
Essentially, Canvas Apps provide users a “low code” solution to allow them to interact with their data. These can range from simple apps that might only be useful for yourself, to more complex apps that can be rolled out throughout the company. The release of PowerApps was made to further enhance Microsoft’s concept of “Citizen Developers”. The idea of a Citizen Developer is built around the notion of “No Code/Low Code” development. Providing a range of tools to allow CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on your data, without the need or expertise to write code to achieve it. Who better understands your data and your processes than you? So instead of going through the process of explaining to a developer and the inevitable misunderstandings that come from that, you should be able to make and use your own apps.
That’s the theory at least. When it was first released there was a bit of a split in the community between the new Citizen Devs and for lack of a better phrase “Pro Devs”. The Pro Devs didn’t see the Citizen Devs as “real development” and the Citizen Devs figured “we don’t need Pro Devs anymore”. Over the last few years that battle has subsided somewhat and a quick search of the hashtag #LowCodeProCodeUnite on Twitter will show that there is now peace and harmony between both camps. Nearly.
As I mentioned about Teams in the last blog, I think this is another area that Microsoft have smashed it. There’s genuinely no competition. No other company or software that I am aware of provides the ability to easily make an app that you can instantly open on your phone and start using. Of course with that has to come some caveats right? There are some limitations to what you can do with the out of the box components. But in my experience, most of what users want to do is achievable in some way it might need a wee workaround or a bit more thinking but it’s generally possible.
The wonderful Scott Durow has even gone as far as to make Lemmings in PowerApps https://github.com/scottdurow/Canvas-App-Samples/tree/master/Games
I imagine that while your colleagues might be impressed you can make Lemmings, there isn’t a huge business case for it. But I think what Scott was demonstrating was just that it is feasible to do it. There might be a hint of Jurassic Park “Just because he could, doesn’t mean he should” about it, but I *love* that it’s possible.
I’ve been making PowerApps for a while now, and it feels like there are always new features or options being released by Microsoft. I’ll be trying to keep up to date with those and hopefully contributing something to the community by giving a view on each.
If you want to get more involved I would highly recommend attending one of the Virtual Power Group sessions. It’s a community of Power Platform enthusiasts who give great demos and are very willing to help each other out with any issues.
https://www.virtualpowergroup.co.uk/
About Author
