Power Apps is a key part of the Power Platform - Microsoft's industry-leading low-code development platform (LCDP). With Power Apps, we can rapidly build enterprise-grade web and mobile apps that improve productivity, streamline business processes, and drive innovation across the enterprise.
What are Power Apps?
Power Apps come in two distinct flavors: canvas apps and model-driven apps. As the name suggests, canvas apps provide a visual canvas that makers can use to create pixel-perfect user interfaces using a rich palette of pre-built components (think LEGO® building blocks). One of the most powerful features of canvas apps is its support of Microsoft’s Power Fx formula language. Power Fx builds on the formulas used within Microsoft Excel to empower developers to define app logic in a simple and transparent way. This powerful feature promotes unprecedented collaboration between professional developers, makers, and business analysts. At Bowdark, our fusion teams leverage the collaborative authoring capabilities of Power Fx to expedite the development process of business apps, fostering a more efficient and synergistic workflow.
Model-driven apps are the more enterprise-based alternative to canvas apps, having been built on the same infrastructure as Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 CRM platform. As the name suggests, model-driven apps are modeled from tables defined within Microsoft’s Dataverse cloud database. This approach enables apps to come together very quickly. It also allows our makers to tap into a wealth of built-in features including responsive design and offline access support for mobile users, personalization controls, deep integration with Excel/Office, advanced search capabilities, AI copilots, and fine-grained security controls. Plus, with the introduction of custom pages, we can now incorporate canvas app experiences into model-driven apps to create stunning user experiences.
Key Features
Modern UX
Power Apps offers modern and responsive user experience (UX) features, ensuring that applications are both visually appealing and easy to use across device types.
Connectors
With over 1,100 connectors available out of the box and support for custom connectors, we can integrate Power Apps with literally anything.
Power Apps Copilot
The Power Apps Copilot is like a cheat code that we can use to harness the power of cutting edge AI technology to rapidly incorporate new features into apps.
Pre-Built Templates
Whether you're starting from a sketch on a whiteboard, an Excel workbook, or a Figma design, we can use pre-built templates to quickly go from concept to working prototype.
AI Builder
With AI Builder, we can easily incorporate advanced AI capabilities such as invoice processing (OCR) and text translation into app experiences.
Advanced Controls
Power Apps includes built-in controls to support advanced app features like digital signature processing, camera integration, geospatial mapping, and even mixed reality.
Practical Business Cases
One-App Experiences
Streamline business processes by integrating functionality from multiple systems such as SAP and Salesforce.
Line of Business Apps
Build tailor-made industry solutions or LoB apps to fill in process gaps or create competitive advantages.
Mobile Apps
Deliver work into the hands of the right people at the right time.
Microsoft Teams Apps
Save time by integrating apps directly into Teams so they have functionality right there at their fingertips.
Spreadsheet Replacements
Eliminate risks and increase visibility by replacing Excel and Access databases with enterprise-grade apps.
Related Media
Microsoft Power Platform & SAP: Connectivity 101
This post explores how you can securely connect your SAP systems to the Microsoft Power Platform. It breaks down the available SAP connectors, integration options, and governance tools, providing a roadmap to unlock innovation while maintaining security and control.
Adding Intelligence to Apps with Dataverse AI Functions
This post explains how Dataverse AI functions enhance apps by using pre-built and custom AI models to deliver targeted, data-driven capabilities tailored to business needs.
Development Mixology: Low-Code, Fusion Teams, and AI
This post shows how combining low-code platforms, fusion teams, and AI accelerates enterprise solution development and innovation.
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