Power Apps Tutorial

Power Apps is one of the key tools of the Microsoft Power Platform. Industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and others use Power Apps to build and customise business applications.

The great thing about Power Apps is that it uses Copilot, an AI tool, to build robust apps. If you describe the features you wish to develop, Copilot will design the app based on that.

Further,  the demand for Power Apps professionals is high worldwide. This tutorial helps you to gain a thorough understanding of Power Apps concepts and strong hands-on skills. It will be a great support in your Power Apps journey.

Let’s jump into the tutorial and explore the cool features of Power Apps!

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Power Apps
• What are the Power Apps Features?
• What are the Types of apps in Power Apps?
• Navigating the Power Apps Studio
• Functions of Power Apps
• How to build your first canvas app?
• Connecting Power Apps to Data Sources
• Power Apps Integration with Power Automate and Power BI
• Troubleshooting and Optimization
• What are the best practices for building apps with Power Apps?    
• Power Apps Tips and Tricks Advantages of Power Apps
• Summary
• FAQs

Introduction to Power Apps

Let’s start with the basics of the Power Apps platform.

• Microsoft Power Apps is a low-code data platform with a suite of apps, services, and connectors.
• It lets you quickly create and customise professional-grade business apps without extensive technical expertise. 
• It provides a visual interface and drag-and-drop tools to build custom apps.
• You can also create workflows using Power Apps to automate manual processes and integrate high-level business logic.
• Power Apps lets you connect with data stored anywhere, from cloud services to on-premise databases.
• It seamlessly supports creating apps on mobiles, tablets and computers.
• It helps businesses make data-driven decisions and thus improve productivity.

If you want to enrich your career and become a professional in Power Apps, then enroll in "Power Apps Online Training" - This course will help you to achieve excellence in this domain.

What are the Power Apps Features?

Let’s dive into the fantastic features of the Power Apps here.

• Low-code Development – Power Apps simplify developing applications with minimal coding and easy drag-and-drop options.
• Data Connectors – The tool provides many data connectors to the data stored in cloud services and on-premises repositories. 
• Powerful logic – Power Apps offers various formulas and functions to implement complex business rules and workflows.
• User-friendly Interface – The tool allows the creation of user-friendly user interface designs with drag-and-drop features.
• Cross-platform Support – Power Apps helps develop applications running on any platform.
• Automation – Power Apps integrates with Power Automate to automate app workflows.

What are the Types of apps in Power Apps?

Power Apps is a versatile platform with which you can build various types of apps, such as:

• Canvas apps
• Model-driven apps

Let’s explore these apps in detail in this section.

1. Canvas Apps

Canvas apps are custom business applications built with a drag-and-drop user interface. While building canvas apps, developers can have complete control of the layout and user interface.

Key Features

• Canvas apps can be built from scratch by placing app elements onto the canvas.
• These apps gather data from multiple sources.
• They allow customising app appearance and behaviour based on your needs.
• You can define app logic and behaviour using formulas similar to Excel functions.
• Canvas apps are the best fit for mobile use. The image below shows an example of one.

2. Model-driven Apps

Model-driven apps are data-driven apps built based on pre-defined data models. They use Microsoft Dataverse, a secure data storage and management tool, to manage the data used in these apps.

Moreover, App Designer can be used to develop and customise model-driven apps. It is an easy-to-use tool, so anyone without technical expertise can use it effortlessly.

 Key Features

• Model-driven apps are ideal for building data-centric applications.
• You can develop these apps rapidly with pre-defined layouts such as grids, forms, and charts.
• Model-driven apps can handle large sets of datasets and complex data structures.
• These apps can be built to support business processes that involve workflows and approval processes.
• They can be used for customer service, sales, event and project management. The image below shows an example of a model-driven app.

Navigating the PowerApps Studio

The Power Apps Studio is a workspace for building apps. Let’s explore its key components here.

1. Command Bar - This command bar has different options: view, insert, action, and settings.

2. App Actions - This part includes the app sharing and publishing options along with the following.

• App Checker
• Undo and redo actions
• Preview, share, save, and publish apps

3. Properties List - It shows the list of properties for the selected object, such as fill.

4. Formula Bar - This is where you can create or edit a formula. You can use one or more functions in the formula.

5. App Authoring Menu - It is a selection pane that has the following options

• Tree view
• Connecting to data sources
• Connecting to Power Automate
• Connecting to advanced tools
• Search

6. Canvas - This is the space where you will build the apps.

7. Properties Pane - It shows the properties of the selected object.

8. Canvas screen size - You can change the display size of the canvas using this option.

These tools are crucial for the app creation process in Power Apps.

Functions of Power Apps

You can build canvas apps using the Power Fx language in Microsoft Power Apps. This low-code expression language has a rich set of built-in functions for manipulating data, controlling app behaviour, and more. 

This guide discusses the Power Apps functions in detail with examples.

You can group Power Apps functions into several categories, including:

1. Data Manipulation Functions
2. Logic Functions
3. Mathematical Functions
4. Text Functions

1. Data Manipulation Functions

• Search Function

The search function locates the records that contain the required string from the columns of a table.

The Syntax of the search function is given as follows:

Search (Table*, SearchString, Column1 [, *Column2*, ... ])

• Table – It refers to the table to be searched.
• SearchString – It refers to the string to be searched.
• Column (s) – It refers to the table's column name (s).

An example of the search function can be given below.

Consider the table name with ‘Employee’ shown below.

Emp_Name	Emp_ID	Emp_Salary
Rajesh	01	25000
Kumar	02	38000
Suresh	03	50000

You can apply the search function below to the ‘Employee’ table. It will return the records with the "esh” string in the Emp_Name Column.

Search(Employe e,”esh”, Emp_Name)

You will get the output shown in the table below.

Emp_Name	Emp_ID	Emp_Salary
Rajesh	01	25000
Suresh	03	50000

• Filter Function

This filter function filters records to find the required data based on the formula/condition.

The Syntax for this function is given as:

Filter (Table*, Formula1 [, *Formula2*, ... ] )

• Table - This field refers to the table to be searched.
• Formula - The formula used to evaluate each record of the table.

An example of the filter function is given below

Consider the same table used in the previous example. You need to filter the records using the condition below.

Filter (Employee, Emp_Salary > 40000)

In this example, the condition is Emp_Salary > 40000. The records that satisfy this condition are returned, as shown in the table below.

Emp_Name	Emp_ID	Emp_Salary
Suresh	03	50000

 

• Lookup Function

The Lookup function first locates a record based on the formula or condition. Then, it uses a reduction formula to reduce the record to a single value.

The Syntax for the function is given as:

Lookup (Table*, Formula [, *ReductionFormula* ])

1. Table - It is the table to be searched.
2. Formula - This is the formula used to evaluate each record of the table.
3. ReductionFormula - it is optional. This field is required if you want to reduce the returned record to a single value.

An example of the look-up function is given below

Consider the same table used in the previous example.

You can apply the following Lookup function on the ‘Employee’ Table.

Lookup ( Employee, Emp_ID=”03”,Emp_salary)

According to the above function, you must select the record with the Emp_ID value equal to "03" and display its Emp_Salary Value.

So, the above function returns the following single Value:

“50000” 

 This value is the Emp_Salary of the employee with Emp_ID “03”. 

2. Logic Functions

Logic functions in Power Apps are typically conditional functions. We will discuss some of the logic functions here.

• If: This function evaluates a condition and returns a value when the condition is ‘True’. If not, it returns another value.

The Syntax for this function is given as:

If(Condition, ThenResult [, DefaultResult ])

• Condition - It is the formula used for testing
• ThenResult - The value/string to return if the condition is true.
• DefaultResult - The value/string to return if the condition is false.

An example of this function can be given as follows:

If(5 > 3, "Yes", "No")  // Returns "Yes"

• And: This function returns ‘True’ only if all its arguments are true.

The Syntax for this function is given as:

And(LogicalFormula1, LogicalFormula2 [, LogicalFormula3, ... ])

An example of this function can be given as follows:

And(5 > 3, 10 < 20)  // Returns true

• Or: This function returns ‘True’ only if any of its arguments is true. When all the conditions are false, this function returns ‘false’.

The Syntax for this function is given as follows:

Or(LogicalFormula1, LogicalFormula2 [, LogicalFormula3, ... ])

An example of this function can be given as follows:

Or(5 > 3, 10 > 20)  // Returns true

• Not: This function returns true if the result of the formula is false. This function returns False if the result of the formula is true.

The Syntax for this function is given as:

Not(LogicalFormula)

An example of this function can be given as follows

Not(5 > 3)  // Returns false

3. Mathematical Functions

You can use these functions to perform mathematical operations.

• Sum: This function adds two or more arguments and returns the sum value.

The syntax for this function is given as:

Sum(NumericalFormula1, [ NumericalFormula2, ... ])

• NumericalFormula -  It is the value to be operated on.

The example for this function can be given as:

Sum(1, 2, 3) // Returns 6

• Average: It returns the average Value of a set of values.

The syntax for this function is given as:

Average(NumericalFormula1, [ NumericalFormula2, ... ])

The example for this function can be given as:

           Average(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) // Returns 3

• Max/min: These functions return the maximum/minimum value from a set of values.

The syntax for these functions is given as follows:

Max(NumericalFormula1, [ NumericalFormula2, ... ])

Min(NumericalFormula1, [ NumericalFormula2, ... ])

The examples for these functions can be given as:

           Max(1, 2, 3) // Returns 3

Min (1, 2, 3) // Returns 1

4. Text Functions

You can use these functions to manipulate the strings of texts.

• Concatenate: This function combines multiple strings of text into one.

The syntax for this function is given as:

Concatenate(String1 [, String2, ...])

• String - It can be a mixture of individual strings or strings with a single-column table.

The example for this function can be given as:

Concatenate ("Hello, " “, “World") // Returns “Hello World”

• Len: This function returns the length of a string.

The syntax for this function is given as:

Len(String)

The example for this function can be given as:

Len ("Power Apps") // Returns 10

• Lower: This function converts the upper case of the given string into lower case.

The syntax for these functions is given as follows:

Lower(String)

An example of this function can be given as follows:

Lower ("MINDMAJIX") // Returns "mindmajix"

• Upper: This function converts the lower case of the given string into the upper case.

The syntax for the function is given as follows:

Upper(String)

An example of this function can be given as follows:

Upper ("mindmajix") // Returns "MINDMAJIX"

Sure! Understanding the Power Apps formulas thoroughly is instrumental in developing robust applications quickly.

How to Build your first Canvas App?

In this step-by-step guide, you will learn how to use Power Apps to create a Canvas contacts app in Microsoft Power Apps Studio.

Let's dive in!

Pre-requisites

Before building the app, ensure you have met the following requirements.

• Microsoft 365 account or Dynamics 365.
• Access to data sources such as SharePoint, Salesforce, SQL server, etc.

Let’s jump into the step-by-step process of creating the canvas app.

Step 1: Download and Install Power Apps

First things first: Let’s install PowerApps on your computer. Click the link below to download it. 

Step 2: Create a new Canvas app

• Sign in to the Power Apps tool.
• Go to the Home page
• Click the blank canvas app under the ‘make your own app’ section.

• A pop-up will come up asking you to name the app. Go ahead and name it.
• Name your application in the App name field on the right-top corner
• Then, choose your format and click the Create button.
• Great! Now, you are off to a great start.

Step 3: Choose a Data Source

You can create a canvas app with or without connecting data. If you want to connect with data, follow the procedure below.

1. Click on Data in the left-side pane and then click Add Data.
2. You can connect with your desired data source based on your app requirements.
3. This project selects the ‘contacts’ from my data source.

Step 4: User Interface Design

• Click the Insert tab and then click the gallery
• Select the desired template for the contacts app from the options.

• Connect the data source for this template

• You will get the screen as shown in the below image.

• Add the email address for every contact in the list.
• The formula bar shows the email item that you work on.

• Then, add phone numbers for the contacts.

• The properties section, located on the right side of the screen, allows you to change the properties of the objects on the canvas.

Step 5: Preview the app

• Click the play button (triangle icon) in the screen's upper right corner.

• You will see the contacts app as shown in the image below.

Step 6: Save and publish the app

• Click on the File tab located on the top left of the screen.

• Then click Save.
• Click the Share button if you want to share the app with others.

Congrats! We hope this Power Apps canvas app tutorial has helped you learn how to create apps in Power Apps Studio.

Connecting Power Apps to Data Sources

Are you curious about how power apps help with data integration? You are at the right place. Let’s explore that in detail!

This section will explore integrating Power Apps with external data sources. To develop apps in Power Apps, you may need to access data from various sources, such as:

• SharePoint
• Dynamics 365
• Microsoft Dataverse
• Salesforce
• SQL Server

Further, Power Apps uses the Common Data Service(CDS), the central repository for data storage. CDS helps connect Power Apps to various data sources.

This section discusses integrating Power Apps with SharePoint and Dynamics 365. Here we go:

• Integration with Sharepoint 

• Integrating Power Apps with SharePoint lets you connect to the SharePoint site, list, or library you want to work with.
• You can access data in SharePoint and display it in Power Apps using controls such as galleries, forms, and labels.
• You can update records in Power Apps, which will be instantly reflected in SharePoint.

• Integration with Dynamics 365

• This integration helps to develop robust and customised business solutions.
• You can select the Dynamics 365 environment and entities you want to work within Power Apps.
• You can use filters and sorting methods to help identify and organise data within Power Apps.

• Authentication

It is essential to authenticate data sources before connecting with them. It involves two steps, as listed below:

• Log into your Microsoft account to connect with Microsoft products such as SQL Server, SharePoint, Azure, etc.
• Verify the connection details such as database, server name, etc., providing authentication credentials.
• Test the connection to see whether it is working correctly.

Power Apps Integration with other Tools

This part discusses Power Apps integration with Power Automate and Power BI.

1. Power Apps integration with Power Automate

Microsoft Power Apps integrates with Power Automate seamlessly. This dynamic duo provides the following advantages.

• Power Apps and Power Automate work together to automate business processes.
• You can trigger a Power Automate flow directly from the Power Apps tool.
• You can use Power Automate actions within Power Apps to perform various including:

• • • • Sending emails,
      • Creating files,
      • Updating databases.

• Integrating Power Apps with Power Automate empowers developers to create workflows without much coding expertise.
• Power Automate can streamline the data flow between systems and applications, including Power Apps.

2. Power Apps integration with Power BI

You can integrate Power Apps with Power BI to create powerful apps with data visualisation and high-level interaction.

The benefits of this integration are listed below:

• Embedding Power BI dashboards and reports into the Power BI apps is easy
• This integration supports performing data-driven actions. For example, you can select data in Power BI and filter using Power Apps.
• This integration allows users to make informed decisions with deep insights.

Troubleshooting and Optimization

In this part of the PowerApps tutorial, you will learn various debugging and application performance optimisation tools and techniques.

Let’s learn them here.

1. Formula Bar and Error Checker

• Formula Bar: This bar provides users with real-time syntax checking and suggestions while typing formulas.
• Error Checker: It highlights potential errors in your formulas. These errors can be syntax errors, missing data, or invalid references.

2. App Checker

You can employ the App checker, a built-in Power Apps tool, to examine application performance, which will help to:

• Identify and fix performance bottlenecks
• accessibility issues
• inefficient formulas
• using large data volumes

3. Verifying Data Sources

Power Apps thoroughly examines data from SharePoint lists and Excel tables, helping to ensure data integrity and identify potential issues.

4. Form Validation

Power Apps form validation feature assists users in verifying whether valid and correct data is entered in apps.

5. Power Apps Monitor

The Power Apps monitor, a diagnostic tool provided by the Power Apps, tracks the behaviour of published apps in real-time, which helps to monitor:

• Data flow
• Formula evaluations
• Unexpected App behaviour.

6. App Testing and Previewing

• Power Apps allow developers to switch to play mode and test apps' behaviour in a real-time environment.
• Evaluating apps' behaviour using different data sets helps increase app consistency across different input sets.

We hope this Power Apps troubleshooting guide has given you great exposure to handling errors and improving app behaviour.

What are the Best Practices for Building apps with Power Apps?        

You can leverage the following best practices while developing applications in Power Apps.

• Define your application's scope and objectives clearly before developing the app.
• Implement modular design by breaking down your complex application into small components.
• Keep consistency in the look and feel throughout your application.
• Protect sensitive data by applying Power Apps security mechanisms.
• Choose reliable data sources and minimise load times by fetching only the required data.
• Maintain clear and well-structured documentation for your applications so users and developers can use them efficiently.
• You must perform App deployment only after ensuring the app will work smoothly in different environments.

If you apply these best practices while developing your apps, you will undoubtedly build high-performing applications.

Power Apps Tips and Tricks

Let’s learn the tips and tricks for improving your app development experience in Power Apps.

Get easy. The pointers below will undoubtedly work for you.

• Formula Bar: Leverage the formula bar for autocompletion and syntax checking.
• Master Data Sources: Gain mastery in handling data sources like Dataverse and familiarise yourself with several data types.
• Leverage Custom Components: Create custom or reusable components such as login screens and navigation bars to save time and improve consistency.
• Using Delegation Queries: When handling large data sets, use delegation queries to optimise app performance.
• Use Variables: You can use variables to store and manage data efficiently.

Advantages of Power Apps

Are you interested in knowing the advantages of Power Apps? Here is the list.

• Power Apps support responsive design. So, apps built with Power Apps can easily adjust to different screen sizes and devices, eventually increasing user experience.
• It controls access to specific apps, data, and functionalities through user permissions within the Power Apps environment.
• It supports cloud integration, allowing users to connect with the data stored in cloud services.
• It supports app deployment by moving apps smoothly from development to the production environment.
• Power Apps expressions are the core of application logic. They are typically the formulas you can use to manipulate data, create interactions, and more.

Applications of Power Apps

Power Apps offers seamless support for web and mobile app development. Using the Power Apps, you can build:

• Business process automation apps, including approval workflows, order management, and customer service.
• Data entry and management applications, including field services, inspection reports, and inventory tracking.
• Forms and surveys, including event registration forms, customer feedback surveys, etc.
• Dashboards and reports such as operational dashboards, sales dashboards, and custom reports
• Mobile apps for sales, service and many other applications.

Summary

Let's summarise the key points covered in this Power Apps tutorial.

• Power Apps is a low-code application development platform that you can use to develop custom business applications.
• It simplifies app development with easy drag-and-drop options, connecting with data sources, etc.
• It supports defining app logic with simple formulas
• You can create canvas apps, portals, model-driven apps, and AI-powered apps using the Power Apps.
• It can connect with various data sources such as SharePoint, SQL Server, Excel, Azure, etc.
• It provides excellent cross-platform support so Power Apps applications can run on iOS, Android, web browsers, and Windows.
• You can automate business operations and improve efficiency using Power Apps.

Most Frequently Asked Power Apps FAQs

1. Is it easy to learn Power Apps?

Yes, you can quickly learn Power Apps. MindMajix offers 20-hour-long Power Apps training for beginners and experienced learners. The well-designed course curriculum helps beginners align with the training soon. You will step out as a competent Power Apps developer after the training.

2. What are the differences between canvas apps and model-driven apps in Power Apps?

Comparison factors	Canvas Apps	Model-driven Apps
Primary focus	Ideal for business apps that require connecting with diverse data sources	It is perfect for developing apps that heavily depend on structured data.
Data sources	They can connect with any data source.	They primarily connect with the dataverse.
customisation	They allow extensive Customisation	They allow Limited Customisation

3. What is the future for Power Apps developers?

According to AmbitionBox, power app developers can earn a yearly salary of 4 LPA to 11 LPA at the entry level in India. ZipRecruiter reports that Power App developers can make an annual salary of 36k USD to 177k USD in the USA.

Hence, you can understand from these figures that the future for Power App developers is bright.

4. What are the common use cases of Power Apps?

• Sales and Marketing – You can use Power Apps to track leads, automate sales processes, etc.
• Operations – Using the Power Apps, you can streamline workflows, manage inventory, etc.
• Customer Support – Power Apps helps process customer enquiries, track service requests, and more.
• HR - Power Apps simplify onboarding, tracking employee performance, and more.

5. What are the Benefits of using Power Apps in business?

• Enhanced productivity – Power Apps support automating tasks and streamlining workflows.
• Reduced costs – Power Apps supports low development costs and quick time to market for applications
• Efficient decision-making – It helps to gain real-time, insightful reports and insights.
• Improved user experience – Power Apps is an easy-to-use tool and offers self-service options.

6. Can I use Power Apps on mobile devices?

Yes, you can use Power Apps on mobile devices. It provides cross-platform support, so you can create apps that run seamlessly on mobiles and tablets.

Related Article - Power Apps Interview Questions

7. How can I get started with Power Apps?

First, you must install the Power Apps tool on your machine. You can use the trial version or your organisation’s MS Office 365 account. Power Apps allows you to develop apps from scratch or using templates.     

Conclusion

In short, Power Apps is a low-code development platform that accelerates the creation of business applications such as Canvas and model-based apps. This tool helps software developers reduce development time and boost productivity. 

Well! We hope this Power Apps beginner tutorial has given you a solid understanding of the tool and its capabilities. 

If you want to learn more about Power Apps, you can enrol in MindMajix's Power Apps training. The training will enhance your skills in the tool. What's next? Start your Power Apps journey today!