PowerApps and FlowJUSSI ROINE

CTO @ ONSIGHT HELSINKI

SPONSORS

Jussi RoineCTO, MVP, MCM, MCTOnsight Helsinki

www.jussiroine.com

@JussiRoine

Speaker picture

Session takeawaysLearn when to choose PowerApps and Flow

Quickly build effective LOB solutions

Migration guidance from InfoPath

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)

What is PowerApps?

And what is Flow?

Building & managing PowerApps and Flow solutions

Best Practices

What is PowerApps?

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

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,

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

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

Current limitations with PowerAppsSupported 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

PowerApps Demo

What is Microsoft Flow?

Microsoft FlowA 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

Building FlowsDesign 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)

Flow GalleryReuse pre-defined recipes from Flow Gallery

Submit custom flows to Flow Gallery Must not contain custom APIs

Flow Demo

SharePoint-based workflow vs. Microsoft FlowFeature 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 PowerAppsInfoPath

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

Building & managing PowerApps and Flow solutions

Building PowerApps solutionsDesign 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

Converting InfoPath forms to PowerAppsNo tool available for InfoPath to PowerApps conversion No public information if a tool will even be released by

MicrosoftChallenges in moving to PowerApps-based forms from InfoPath:

Repeater control

Table-based positioning

Offline support

Windows Phone support

On-Premises support

Com

plex

ity

for

wor

karo

und

Nice-to-have Must-haveNot needed

SharePoint support

Form View support

Anonymous use

Converting SharePoint Workflows to FlowsNo 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

dataHigh volume Always running

Managing PowerApps & FlowsUser 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 approachProvide guidance, take ownership

of solutions, monitor solutions

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

Best Practices, lessons learned, don’t do what I did

Lessons learnedPowerApps 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..”

Best practicesPowerApps 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

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-az

ure-functions-in-powerapps/

Onsight

GroupsResp

onse

tim

e /

Criti

calit

y

Visibility

Planner

Delve Analytics

Delve

Individual Organization

Non-

real

time

/ Low

Real

-tim

e /

High

Skype for Business (call/video)

Skype for Business (IM)

Email

OneDrive for Business

Skype for Business (online meeting)

Yammer

Skype Broadcast

SharePoint Office 365 Video

Project Online

PowerApps

Flow

thank youquestions?

live ratingsWWW.JUSSIROINE.COMJUSSIROINE

spca.biz/TCRJ