What Is Power Apps? An Introduction To Power Apps

November 27th, 2023
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Explore what is Power Apps and use of it among different domains. Basically, it's a part of Power Platform's umbrella that also comprises Power BI, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Automate.

What Is Power Apps

Microsoft has established itself as a name that people rely upon for both personal and professional use. One of the main reasons why it is so popular is because of its smart decisions. One such decision was introducing Power Apps in 2016. While not many companies are completely aware of it, they are slowly discovering this less-talked about gem.

Today, around 86% of all the companies on the Fortune 500 list have tapped into the wonder that Power Apps is. However, to completely understand what is Power Apps and why it is useful, you need to get on with the right Power Apps training online. But to help you further, here is a blog with an introduction to the platform.

What Is Power Apps?

Many people ask the question 'what is Power Apps?'. If you are looking for an answer to this too, then let's begin!

Microsoft Power Apps is a part of Power Platform's umbrella that also comprises Power  BI, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Automate. It, as standalone, is a suite of connectors, services, and apps, along with being a data platform. It offers a swift development environment to enable companies in building custom apps as per business needs.

Let us move on to understand what is Power Apps used for.

What Is Power Apps Used for?

It is being extensively used by top organizations on a global level. If you wish to learn more about this platform, then it is important to know its top use cases.

  1. Automating Business Processes

Using it, users can create custom apps for automating and streamlining repetitive tasks such as giving out employee schedules or creating customer invoices. This is done  by using workflows and rules. Its built-in connectors and templates facilitate in quickly integrating data from multiple sources like Dynamics 365, SharePoint Online, databases, etc.

Introduction To Power Apps
  1. Improving Data Quality

Data quality is the aspect that reflects how well your data has the potential to represent reality. Data quality issues are there, even though they might not seem so obvious always.

  1. Managing On-Premises Data

On-premises data is managed with PowerApps via CDS or Common Data Service. Thus, data is securely and easily stored and accessed in the cloud.

  1. Building Custom Apps

A powerful feature, Microsoft PowerApps allows the user to build an app, either from scratch or even extend an existing one as per current needs without any coding. This is done by leveraging recurring flows and custom components.

  1. Collaboration & Communication

 Microsoft Power Apps facilitates communication and collaboration among teams irrespective of how far or close they are. It can be used for almost everything such as organizing events, creating polls or surveys, sharing documents, scheduling meetings, etc.

Also Read- Types of Microsoft Power Apps?

Power Apps Features, All Times Useful

The list consisting of Power Apps features is a long one. Here are some of the key features you should know about to fully understand how does Power Apps work.

1. Drag-and-drop App Designer-

To aid the developer in creating codeless applications from scratch, its drag-and-drop feature turns out to be pretty useful.

2. Workflow Automation-

To create and automate business process flows between a single app or multiple apps, Power App offers a workflow automation feature.

3. App Monitoring-

App monitoring is a great feature to check apps during development or after being published to detect issues like slow performance and bugs.

4. Connectors-

Over 200 custom and pre-built connectors for integrating business apps with tools, social media, third-party platforms, and other Microsoft products.

5. Multi-factor Authentication-

Multi-factor authentication feature by PowerApps helps developers establish multiple layers for data protection such as code and password.

6. User Permissions-

This feature acts as a boon when the developer wishes to define the users that can use as well as edit every application.

7. Regulatory Compliance-

Complying with industry-specific and government regulations such as GLBA, SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, etc.

8. AI Models-

It is the AI Models feature of PowerApps that comprises multiple AI models such as custom models, pre-built and custom models, and pre-built models.

9. Templates-

It is known for offering various pre-built templates for portal templates and model-driven and canvas apps.

10. Analytics & Reporting-

The user can easily create and share reports and dashboards on performance, app usage, etc., ensuring companies make the most of this data.

Power Apps Pricing

Power Apps Pricing

With this platform, every service is available on a subscription pricing or pay-as-you-go. Users can build applications within the Microsoft ecosystem. Though the companies have to pay as per their utility, PowerApps pricing usually ranges between $5 to $20.

How Does Power Apps Work?

This platform leverages the use of web-based apps to automate the business operations. This platform eliminates paper procedures and forms and instead uses digital procedures that allow being used from anywhere at any time and through means - phone or desktop.

Hence, the user can customize the themes and the layout while being connected to multiple data sources like Dynamics 365, SQL Server, Excel, and SharePoint.

Every PowerApps feature plays an integral role in one way or the other and the best way to learn about them all is through the right Power Apps course.

How to Create An Application Using MS Power Apps?

MS PowerApps, as a low code platform, has changed how we can create an application. Here are the steps to follow if you wish to create an application using MS PowerApps.

Step 1. Go to https://make.powerapps.com/ and 'sign in' with either your personal Microsoft account or use your organization's account for the same.

Step 2. In the left navigation pane, find and click on 'Apps' > 'Create an app'. Then, either start from scratch or choose a template.

Step 3. The next step is to pick a layout that you want for your app. For instance, phone or tablet.

Step 4. Add controls, screens, and other elements to your app by using the drag-and-drop interface. You can also customize the design, behavior, and layout of your app.

Step 5. Next step is to add data sources. Do this by connecting your app to various data sources like Excel, SQL Server, SharePoint, etc. If you are inserting multiple data sources, be sure to define relationships between the tables.

Step 6. Using expressions and formulas, create your app's logic. Insert galleries, forms, buttons, etc to interact with data.

Step 7. When your app is still in the development process, use the in-built preview feature to test it. This involves debugging and refining the app as needed.

Step 8. Once you are certain your app is just what you wanted it to be, click on the 'Publish' button.

Step 9. Once you have published your app, it's time to share it with certain users. You can also make it available to everyone in the organization. You have the power to determine permissions and set the access level for users.

Step 10. PowerApps analytics is powerful when it comes to monitoring the performance and usage of the app. Regularly update as per desired changes or user feedback.

Conclusion

PowerApps has brought about a wave of revolution in the domain of low-code application development. This simple software is changing the way apps are developed by both technical and non-technical people.

For those who wish to earn the Power Apps certification must enroll in a leading PowerApps certification course. This will give them the chance to learn from industry experts and make a successful career for themselves in this field.

What Is Power Apps FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q 1. Is Power Apps a tool?

Ans. PowerApps is one of the 5 applications that are found on the Microsoft Power Platform. This tool facilitates everyone to build a custom business application without any coding knowledge.

Q 2. What are the different types of Power Apps?

Ans. When it comes to creating apps in PowerApps, there are two options- canvas apps and model-driven apps.

Q 3. What is the Power Apps language called?

Ans. The low-code language used in Power Apps is called Power Fx.

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