Power Apps

Quickly Build Custom Business Apps

What is it?
Power Apps is a Microsoft platform that allows you to rapidly build and share business applications (apps) with little to no traditional coding knowledge (low-code/no-code). These apps run on the web, mobile (iOS/Android), and tablets.

Purpose:

• Replace paper forms with digital versions.
• Digitize and streamline manual processes.
• Provide employees (especially field workers) with custom tools.
• Easily enter, view, and edit data from various sources.

Core Features:

• Visual drag-and-drop interface for designing screens.
• Connectors to hundreds of data sources (SharePoint, Dataverse, SQL Server, Excel, Microsoft 365, etc.).
• Ability to add logic using Excel-like formulas.
• Ready-made templates to get started quickly.

Examples:

• Inspection app for technicians.
• Expense reporting app.
• Inventory management app.
• Leave request app.

Think of Power Apps as the 'hands and eyes': the interface users interact with to view and input data.

Power Automate

Automate Workflows and Tasks

What is it?
Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is a cloud-based service that allows you to create automated workflows (also known as 'flows') between your favorite apps and services.

Purpose:

• Automate repetitive, manual tasks.
• Connect systems and applications.
• Send notifications based on specific events.
• Streamline approval processes.
• Synchronize data between different platforms.

Core Features:

• Trigger-based automation (e.g., 'when an email arrives with an attachment...').
• Scheduled automation (e.g., 'every day at 9 AM...').
• Manually triggered flows (e.g., via a button in Power Apps or SharePoint).
• Hundreds of connectors to apps and services (Microsoft 365, Twitter, Dropbox, Salesforce, etc.).
• Built-in approval actions and conditional logic ('if this, then that').

Examples:

• Send an email when a new item is added to a SharePoint list.
• Automatically save email attachments to OneDrive.
• Start an approval process when a document is uploaded.
• Collect tweets with a specific hashtag in an Excel file.

Think of Power Automate as the 'brain and muscles': it automatically performs actions in the background, connects systems, and handles logic.

+ Stronger Together: The Synergy

Power Apps + Power Automate = More Efficient Solutions

How do they work together?
Power Apps and Power Automate are designed to work seamlessly together and complement each other perfectly:

• Power Apps as a Trigger: An action within a Power App (e.g., clicking a 'Submit' button) can start a Power Automate flow.
• Power Automate for Complex Logic: The flow can then perform complex tasks in the background that are difficult or impossible to do directly in Power Apps, such as:
  • Sending data to systems Power Apps doesn't have a direct connector for.
  • Executing complex, multi-step approval processes.
  • Waiting for an external event.
  • Processing or moving large amounts of data.
  • Sending notifications through various channels (Email, Teams).
• Returning Data (Optional): After execution, a flow can also send information back to the Power App to inform the user about the status.

Benefits of the Combination:

• Create powerful, end-to-end business solutions.
• Combine a user-friendly interface (Power Apps) with robust automation (Power Automate).
• Keep the app itself simpler by outsourcing complex logic to the flow.
• Leverage the power of hundreds of connectors in Power Automate from within your Power App.

Example Combination:
An employee fills out an expense report using a Power App. Upon submission, a Power Automate flow starts that:
1. Saves the report to a SharePoint list.
2. Sends an approval request to the manager via Teams.
3. If approved, updates the status in SharePoint and sends a notification to the finance department.
4. If rejected, informs the employee via email with the reason.

Together, Power Apps and Power Automate form a dynamic duo to quickly and efficiently optimize business processes within the Microsoft ecosystem.