5. Session takeaways
Learn when to choose PowerApps and Flow
Quickly build effective LOB solutions
Migration guidance from InfoPath
6. Additional session takeway
Noniin Right, let’s get started, shall we
noNIIIIN I TOLD YOU, IT WORKS, SEE!
No. Niin. It should.. work? Give me a second..
NONNIH Help me god, work! You piece of #%%#@
(Basics of Finnish: Completed)
7. What is PowerApps?
And what is Flow?
Building & managing
PowerApps and Flow solutions
Best Practices
9. What is PowerApps?
Create apps with a Windows 10 App, share securely with Office 365 users
Access via mobile devices, tablets, web browser and Windows apps
Get & manipulate external data via Connections
A fully cloud-based platform for building, sharing and using business apps
10. Why PowerApps?
Forms tools – unless you count InfoPath and/or Excel Surveys
Rapid App Development environment
Mobile app story for information workers
Microsoft does not have great solutions at the moment for:
PowerApps tries to redeem these omissions with a modern approach
A tool for power users to quickly design and build apps around data
Works in mobile, works in the browser
Cloud first, Mobile firstWifi first,
11. What about InfoPath? Where’s that going?
XML-based forms are from the past – no real benefits anymore
Very limited connectivity & too ”SharePointy”
Not really web/mobile focused and challenging to customize
InfoPath is on it’s way out and has too much technical debt
Is PowerApps an InfoPath replacement?
PowerApps lacks features that InfoPath has – more on these in a moment
PowerApps is not ”forms on web page” with clunky workflows
PowerApps is what InfoPath should have been in 2003-2013
12. What can I build with PowerApps?
PowerApps is flexible, but it also has specific strengths
Generate apps based on data (Excel, SQL etc.)
Form-based apps for capturing and updating data
Line of Business apps with modern capabilities (microphone, camera, GPS
coordinates)
Apps for specific needs, signups, events – for power users and role-based needs
PowerApps-based apps can contain:
Multiple data sources Multiple screens Ink & pen support Custom APIs
13. Current limitations with PowerApps
Supported platforms for using PowerApps
PowerApps is still in Preview – not supported for production use
Documentation is somewhat limited and scarce, more like a reference
You will need custom development, if default connectors are not enough
Limited SharePoint support – does not replace forms/list views
16. Microsoft Flow
A new workflow & activity engine for power users in the cloud
Design workflows with a simple
design interface
Run workflows continuously or
as triggered activities
Connect with PowerApps via
control activity
17. Building Flows
Design flows at https://flow.microsoft.com using the web UI
Graphical designer shares the same UX with Azure Logic Apps designer
Dozens of triggers and actions, more being added monthly
Data does not have to reside in Office 365 at all
Data sources include Box, Dropbox, Salesforce, Wunderlist etc.
Things to consider before going to production
Recurrence of a Flow can be automatic (~30 sec) or sec/min/hour/day
interval
Can connect with custom APIs that are registered through Office 365
Credentials to external services are stored within the Flow (and shared with
PowerApps)
18. Flow Gallery
Reuse pre-defined recipes from Flow Gallery
Submit custom flows to Flow Gallery
Must not contain custom APIs
20. SharePoint-based workflow vs. Microsoft Flow
Feature Windows Azure Workflow Microsoft Flow
Supports SharePoint 2013/2016 Built-in
Requires integration work
(webhooks in the future)
Supports SharePoint Online Built-in Built-in
Form technology approach InfoPath
PowerApps
InfoPath
Supports complex workflows Via Visual Studio
Via Custom APIs & Azure
Functions
Logs & troubleshooting Simple view with errors (if any)
Exceptions & graphical view,
history view, input/output views
Future-proof
Supported for 10 more years,
default (and only) choice for now
Flow support coming to SPO,
evolves rapidly during Preview
Pricing No license required Not announced
22. Building PowerApps solutions
Design apps based on data, or design apps based on UI
Data must be accessible, so sharing can
use Dropbox, OneDrive for Business etc.
”Shadow IT” solutions – unexpected
usage and growth
23. Converting InfoPath forms to PowerApps
No tool available for InfoPath to PowerApps conversion
No public information if a tool will even be released by Microsoft
Challenges in moving to PowerApps-based forms from InfoPath:
Repeater control
Table-based positioning
Offline support
Windows Phone support
On-Premises support
Complexityforworkaround
Nice-to-have Must-haveNot needed
SharePoint support
Form View support
Anonymous use
24. Converting SharePoint Workflows to Flows
No tool available for WAW/SharePoint Designer-based workflow conversion
Problem: SharePoint Designer 2013-based workflows are often
complex and include multiple steps and path logic
Flows only support simple conditions (If/Else, but not Default/Finally)
Flows do not support looping (for now, at least)
No Visual Studio-support for building Flows
Recommendation: Build only simple Flows, with Flow strengths
Integrations &
external data
High volume Always running
25. Managing PowerApps & Flows
User access to apps is based on Office 365 accounts
Forms are in-house and per organization
No anonymous use – all apps are for internal use only
AAD B2B support is not confirmed
Share with individuals, or share with the whole organization
Create and enforce a governance model!
User builds a fantastic
PowerApps/Flow solution
User leaves the company
Re-provision/claiming solutions during
disabling/deprovisioning of AD account
Challenge SolutionUser action
Users love PowerApps &
Flow
Unmanaged, undocumented
LOB tools, Shadow IT approach
Provide guidance, take ownership of
solutions, monitor solutions
26. Extending beyond PowerApps & Flow basic features
Custom APIs extend PowerApps &
Flow OOB functionality
Azure Functions provide effortless
building blocks
Logic Apps provide true
integration logic
Serverless computing
Trigger via HTTP call, polling or
webhooks
Can run C# scripts and .BAT files
Ad-hoc modifications, real-time
logging
Azure API Apps as a platform
Swagger-based metadata finding
Can do *anything*
Best suited for integrating
external datasources
API Management Portal
Enterprise integration features
Full integration capabilities
Not dependent on single user
Fully Azure-based
Hybrid integration solution
28. Lessons learned
PowerApps is in preview – plan ahead & keep plans loose
Things are changing – prepare for ad hoc change of plans
Case: Put all APIs in Microsoft Azure and manage them separately
Microsoft retired the Azure-based PowerApps management functionality
”Does PowerApps support X?” – be careful not to overpromise
The roadmap is not locked down, so things are moving and shifting
Don’t assume things & remember your lessons from InfoPath
InfoPath was released in 2003 and then I felt the same as now – AMAZING!
Workarounds easily turn into hacks and kludges
”Umm, AD lookup is not there so let me just code it quickly..”
29. Best practices
PowerApps is flexible, but it also has specific strengths
It revolves around data – so best start with a data model & mindset
APIs are the key to accessing data and external systems
Provide centralized access to API’s via Azure API Management Portal
Use other Office 365 workloads to your benefit
Planner, Power BI, OneDrive for Business, Groups etc.
Avoid trying to rebuild InfoPath forms to look the same in PowerApps
30. Where to learn more?
PowerApps reference
https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/tutorials/formula-
reference/
Custom APIs and PowerApps
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/carlosag/2016/05/09/using-
azure-functions-in-powerapps/
Using Azure Functions in PowerApps
https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/using-azure-
functions-in-powerapps/