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PowerApps and Flow
JUSSI ROINE
CTO @ ONSIGHT HELSINKI
SPONSORS
Jussi Roine
CTO, MVP, MCM, MCT
Onsight Helsinki
www.jussiroine.com
@JussiRoine
Session takeaways
Learn 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 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
PowerApps Demo
What is Microsoft Flow?
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
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)
Flow Gallery
Reuse pre-defined recipes from Flow Gallery
Submit custom flows to Flow Gallery
 Must not contain custom APIs
Flow Demo
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
Building & managing
PowerApps and Flow
solutions
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
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
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
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
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 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..”
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
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/
Onsight
Groups
Responsetime/Criticality
Visibility
Planner
Delve Analytics
Delve
Individual Organization
Non-realtime/LowReal-time/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 you
questions?
live ratings
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