1. WPC057 - Introduzione a PowerApps e Microsoft Flow
Fabio Franzini
MVP - Office Servers & Service

2. About Me Fabio Franzini Office Servers & Services MVP
About Me –

3. Agenda Business application platform What is PowerApps? What is Flow?
References
Agenda –

4. Business application platform–

5. Business application platform
PowerApps and Flow are the tools for business users for building business applications in SharePoint today and tomorrow. –

6. Business application platform–

7. What is PowerApps? –

8. What is PowerApps?
A fully cloud-based platform for building, sharing and using business apps
Get & manipulate external data via Connections
Create apps with a Windows 10 App, share securely with Office 365 users
Access via mobile devices, tablets, web browser and Windows apps
Joonas

9. What is PowerApps? –

10. Why PowerApps?
Microsoft does not have great solutions at the moment for:
Forms tools – unless you count InfoPath and/or Excel Surveys
Rapid App Development environment
Mobile app story for information workers
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
Joonas

11. What about InfoPath?
InfoPath is on it’s way out and has too much technical debt
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
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
Joonas

12. 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

13. Current limitations with PowerApps
Supported platforms for using PowerApps
You will need custom development, if default connectors are not enough
Limited SharePoint support – does not replace forms/list views
Joonas

14. 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

15. PowerApps Demo –

16. 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
On-Premises support
SharePoint support
Complexity for workaround
Table-based positioning
Anonymous use
Windows Phone support
Form View support
Offline support
Not needed
Nice-to-have
Must-have

17. 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.

18. What is Flow? –

19. 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 –

20. Microsoft Flow
Joonas

21. Building Flows
Design flows at 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)

22. Flow Gallery Reuse pre-defined recipes from Flow Gallery
Submit custom flows to Flow Gallery

23. Flow Demo –

24. SP-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
Form technology approach
InfoPath
PowerApps
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

25. Converting SP 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

26. Extending PowerApps & Flow
Custom APIs extend PowerApps & Flow OOB functionality
Azure Functions provide effortless building blocks
Logic Apps provide true integration logic
Azure API Apps as a platform
Swagger-based metadata finding
Can do *anything* 
Best suited for integrating external datasources
API Management Portal
Serverless computing
Trigger via HTTP call, polling or webhooks
Can run C# scripts and .BAT files
Ad-hoc modifications, real-time logging
Enterprise integration features
Full integration capabilities
Not dependent on single user
Fully Azure-based
Hybrid integration solution –

27. 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

28. References PowerApps Custom APIs and PowerApps
Custom APIs and PowerApps
Using Azure Functions in PowerApps

29. Questions? –

30. Contatti OverNet Education
Tel
@overnete
Contatti OverNet Education –