Low-code Apps for Companies
Citizen Developers create Low-code Apps Application
Development with
Power Apps without having
advanced Programming Skills
Development
Power Apps
advanced
Both beginners in the field of development (ānon-developersā) and experienced developers benefit from Power Apps: with the Power Platform solution, customized apps can be created quickly and easily in an efficient development environment. Power Apps offers a good balance āļø between ease of use and advanced functions.
Power Apps: create Intelligent Applications with (virtually) no Programming Skills
With Microsoft Power Apps, you can create custom applications for a wide range of fields - without the need for extensive software development expertise. This is because Power Apps is a low-code solution based on a building block principle and provides you with a selection of templates for development, among other things. This means that you don’t have to work directly on the code.
To merge your data, you have the option of establishing connections with a variety of data sources such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Dynamics 365, SQL Server or Teams - using connectors and Common Data Service.
And experienced developers also benefit from Power Apps: they can use more powerful functions and, for example, create user-specific connectors, use Azure functions or work with metadata.
Create two different Types of Applications with Power Apps
There are currently two types of apps that can be created in Power Apps, which differ in their data basis - ācanvas appsā and āmodel-driven appsā. Which one is more suitable depends on what requirements you have for your new application.
Canvas apps offer you a flexible canvas on which you can arrange objects and controls and connect them with data sources - basically as if you were painting a picture. You have full control over the design and functionality of the app and can implement complex business logic with Power Apps formulas. Canvas apps are ideal if you need a fully customizable user interface, such as forms, dashboards or interactive charts. Compared to model-driven apps, canvas apps are much more flexible to customize.
A canvas app could look like this:
Model-driven apps are based on a predefined structure with an already created user interface. Power Apps automatically generates the structure and behavior of the app based on the entities and relationships defined in the underlying data source. Such apps are well suited if you need an app that is quick to implement and easy to maintain.
More efficient Application Development thanks to Power Apps - your four biggest Advantages
Using Power Apps is easy to learn, even for employees without extensive programming knowledge. This is also due to the intuitive design with drag & drop functions, which users are often already familiar with from other Microsoft solutions.
As Power Apps is fast and easy to use, you save time and money compared to ātraditionalā application development where you have to start from scratch. Companies can create custom applications for their specific requirements without breaking the budget.
With Power Apps, you can create applications that are precisely tailored to the requirements of your company.
Power Apps is closely connected to Microsoft tools such as SharePoint, Excel and Dynamics 365. This facilitates the integration of data and processes in different applications and enables companies to collaborate seamlessly between different teams.
Developing Custom Applications - a Practical Example from Everyday Business Life
These advantages become clear, for example, when you develop a custom application for managing orders in an online shop with Power Apps. This allows you to create an application with which orders can be imported directly into a central database via the store’s website. The application can also include functions that allow employees to process orders, print shipping labels and send notifications to customers.
As Power Apps is tightly integrated with other Microsoft tools such as Dynamics 365, your employees can enter orders directly into the relevant systems without having to switch between different applications, saving time and reducing errors as the application automatically imports and updates all relevant data into the correct systems.
Further Examples
With Power Apps, you can create applications to manage data, e.g. to track data on inventory, customers, orders or deliveries.
Power Apps supports you in creating workflow applications, e.g. for automating approval processes or managing project tasks.
Applications can also be created for customer service, e.g. to track support tickets or for feedback management.
Your marketing department can also benefit from Power Apps, e.g. through self-developed applications that can be used to track campaigns, manage leads or analyze data. Here, Power BI can serve as support, as the solution makes it possible to establish connections to various data sources and provide information. Examples of such sources are CRM systems, social media platforms and web analytics tools.
Power Apps can also be used to create applications for HR management, which can be used, for example, to manage applicant data and employee benefits or to plan employee development. Power Apps can obtain the necessary data from Dynamics 365 Business Central , for example.
Power Apps: Part of the Power Platform
In addition to Power Apps, Microsoft’s Power Platform includes other solutions that are also based on the low-code principle:
- Power BI: analyze data without much BI experience
- Power Automate: automate recurring business processes
- Power Virtual Agents: create and manage highly intelligent chatbots
- Power Pages: design website environments
Seamless Integration with Microsoft’s Platform Approach
Power Apps demonstrates the great strength and uniqueness of the technology platform from Microsoft. In principle, you can integrate all Microsoft 365 applications, access existing data and automate workflows - for example, you can edit and send emails, schedule appointments with Outlook and share files in Teams. And data exchange with Dynamics 365 - i.e. ERP and CRM - is no problem either. Even the use of Microsoft Azure services such as IoT or AI is no problem.
Power Apps: Pricing
There are different pricing models for Power Apps - including a free version and a usage-based version. Prices vary depending on functionality and the number of users.
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