1. Introduction to PowerApps and Flow
Kurt Hagedorn
Introduction to PowerApps and Flow

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6. Introduction and Background
My Background:
Financial Services: Ameriprise 14+ years
Ecolab Corp: 2+ years
Nihilent Technologies: 2+ years
Application Development
Reporting
Database development & architecture
Mostly Microsoft BI Stack + Sybase, DB2 and Oracle
PowerBI, Azure, PowerApps and Flow

7. Introduction to PowerApps and Flow
What is PowerApps?
What is Flow?
How are they useful?
How could they fit into your architecture?
Ideas for possible application
Q&A
This is “beginner” level so won’t go into great depth but will highlight some technical details.
Main goal is to give overview and hopefully spark some ideas as to how this could be useful to your organization Survey audience: PowerApps & Flow, Access DB, SSIS, App/Dev, Azure, Infopath?

8. What is PowerApps?

9. What is PowerApps?
Rapid application development environment appropriate for building desktop, tablet and phone apps with a low-code solution
Very useful for quick build and deployment of applications to support business and operations
Most applicable for “last mile” applications

10. What is PowerApps? – Place in Power Platform
Visualization
End User Interaction
Before showing the app dev environment, see how it fits into Microsoft Power Platform

11. What is PowerApps? – A UI Overview
Development IDE is in-browser. Does not require Visual Studio or related IDE download and install 
Give overview of UI,

12. What is PowerApps? – Templates

13. What is PowerApps? – UI Overview
Walk through of UI development environment

14. What is PowerApps? – UI Overview

15. What is PowerApps? – Example
NOTE: Password is redundant – users already authenticate with their Microsoft login, password CAN be added if needed.
Demo of dynamic language translation

16. What is PowerApps? – Example

17. What is PowerApps? – Useful Functionality
Access to functions and controls of device:
Camera, GPS, accelerometer, compass, altitude, video/sound recorder, handwriting input
Requires Common Data Service
Offline storage of data

18. What is PowerApps? – New Developments
Requires Common Data Service

19. What is PowerApps? – Resources
Requires Common Data Service

20. What is PowerApps? – Management Portal

21. What is PowerApps? – Management Portal
Version History

22. What is PowerApps? – Management Portal

23. What is PowerApps? – Management Portal
Execution Analysis

24. PowerApps: Caveats
PowerApps – Individual PowerApp for Tablet OR Phone layout
New features being added all the time

25. What is PowerApps? – Summary
Low code desktop / tablet / phone user interface application
Integrates well into other applications like PowerBI (preview)
Easy for business users to get up and running quickly
Central publishing and deployment
Allows for controlled user navigation & interaction experience
Ability to use sensors on deployed devices and offline storage of data
QUESTIONS SO FAR?

26. What is Flow?

27. What is Flow? - Overview Workflow / Business Process automation tool
Examples:
When a new work order, send text message to field representative
When scanning a product, send image to ML model to identify probable make and model
When National Weather Service extends possibility of extreme weather, automatically send notification to clients of potential delay of service

28. What is Flow? – Place in Power Platform
Visualization
End User Interaction
Workflow, Data Interaction, small scale ETL

29. What is Flow? - Overview
The best way of seeing what flow can do – look at templates

30. What is Flow? - Overview
Simple example which sends notification after an HTTP web service call

31. What is Flow? - Overview
Actual example – upload documents from SharePoint

32. What is Flow? - Overview

33. What is Flow? – Admin center
Can manage, set security policies and evaluate performance of executions via Admin Center

34. Flow: Caveats
Drag and Drop options can vary based on subcomponent you are working on
Auto-generation of some sub-components
New features being added all the time

35. What is Flow? – Summary Workflow tool, which can enable:
Ad-Hoc workflow
Small Scale Data Movement and Batches
Trigger Large Batches (via an SSIS package)
Executing PowerShell Scripts (via call to an Azure function)
Can execute in scheduled or on-demand mode
Execution portal can enable evaluation of executions and exceptions
QUESTIONS SO FAR?

36. How do PowerApps & Flow work together? How they are useful?

37. Relationship between PowerApps and Flow
User Interface
Direct Connection:
Situations with less complex logic – Read and Write Data
Business Logic
Flow:
Situations with more complex interactions and business process workflows
PowerApps and Flow CAN be used independently, but they are frequently used together – exact pattern depends on use cases
Key Benefit: Centrally manage, deploy and monitor

38. PowerApps & Flow: How Are They Useful?
Rapid application deployment and release to large number of distributed teams
Capability of leveraging mobile application capabilities in BYOD context (Android and iOS)
Integration with organizational Active Directory
Ability to centrally manage and organize business workflow and logic

39. PowerApps & Flow: How Are They Useful?
Short-Term, quick turnaround of deliverables
Useful for stop-gap solutions
Excellent for prototyping
Engage business in solution design
Distributed teams
Allow for mobility and offline use
Ease of deployment in BYOD context
More granular control of user experience and input
Application IDE is 100% in-browser

40. PowerApps & Flow: How Are They Useful?
Small scale data movement
Workflow execution
Small batches (or could trigger larger batches)
Central Management and evaluation
Central control of business logic

41. How can PowerApps & Flow work in your architecture?

42. Possible Architectural Applications
Prototyping
What can you build?
Stop Gap Solution
Well…what do you want?
Business
Technology
Short Term -> Long Term
Enable Power Users (Hybrid System Approach)
BI Team

43. Possible Architectural Applications
Traditional
Configuration
Possible Architectural Applications
Enable Power Users (Hybrid System Approach)
Business
BI Team
Technology
Speed
Stability
Meet demands of the client
Driving revenue
Fast
Ensuring stability of environment
Risk Mitigation
Not as fast (Source Code management, QA Reviews, environment migration, DR & change management considerations) ?

44. Possible Architectural Applications
Common
Configuration
Possible Architectural Applications
Enable Power Users (Hybrid System Approach)
BI Team
Technology
Business
Speed
Stability
Not easy to centrally manage or verify business logic. Difficulty to integrate end-user data.
Internally-Built Applications 3rd Party Supported Enterprise Applications (e.g. Salesforce, Dynamics 365)
Application
Not very agile. Disadvantages with too much customization.
Data Extracts, spreadsheets, enterprise databases
Data Extracts, spreadsheets, enterprise databases
Core Databases: OLTP, Data Marts, Data Warehouse, Analytical Cubes
Data

45. Possible Architectural Applications
Using PowerApps
Possible Architectural Applications
Enable Power Users (Hybrid System Approach)
Business responsible for support
BI (IT) Responsible for support after review and code validation
Reviewed, Certified and Supported Apps
IT responsible for support
BI Team
Technology
Business
Speed
Stability
Internally-Built Applications 3rd Party Supported Enterprise Applications (e.g. Salesforce, Dynamics 365)
Application
Data Extracts, spreadsheets, enterprise databases
Centralized, Supported Data Model.
Data Extracts, spreadsheets, enterprise databases
Core Databases: OLTP, Data Marts, Data Warehouse, Analytical Cubes
Data

46. Ideas for Possible Applications

47. Ideas for Possible Application – Distributed Teams
Rapid distribution to distributed team via Android / AppStore Application

48. Ideas for Possible Application – Offline Access

49. Ideas for Possible Application – Offline Access

50. Ideas for Possible Application – Offline Access

51. Ideas for Possible Application – Near Real-Time Analysis
This is only Flow – no PowerApps

52. Ideas for Possible Application – Interactive Q&A
Option for gaining user input Ever publish report and are not sure if people are using it and what questions they may have?

53. Ideas for Possible Application – Interactive Q&A

54. Ideas for Possible Application – Interactive Q&A

55. Ideas for Possible Application – Interactive Q&A

56. Ideas for Possible Application – Interactive Q&A

57. Ideas for Possible Application: Summary
Inventory Tracking
Agriculture
Insurance claim documentation and management
Transportation and Logistics
Billing and invoicing of distributed teams (construction and repair)
Tourism
Survey
Training
Countless others

58. Summary

59. Introduction to PowerApps and Flow: Summary
What is PowerApps?
What is Flow?
How are they useful?
How could they fit into your architecture?
Ideas for possible application

60. Questions?

61. Appendix YouTube Videos by Shane Young: PowerApps - Pricing:
PowerApps - Plan Comparison: PowerApps and Flow Planned Features:
PowerApps - Pricing:
PowerApps - Implementing offline access:

62. PowerApps - Pricing Details:

63. What is Flow? – An Actual Example
Actual example – upload documents from SharePoint

64. What is Flow? – An Actual Example
Actual example – upload documents from SharePoint

65. What is Flow? – An Actual Example
Actual example – upload documents from SharePoint