What is Power Apps?

Power Apps lets you build apps for internal tasks without a traditional development project. The apps run in a browser and on mobile devices, and retrieve data from Dataverse or other sources.

Where it delivers the most value

The classic benefit is replacing a spreadsheet that has become critical. The signs are easy to spot: it is stored on a shared drive, several people need to edit it at the same time, no one knows which version is current, and someone has started creating macros in it.

Not no-code, but low-code

Simple apps are built by people who understand the process rather than by developers. However, when the logic becomes complex, someone with expertise in formulas and data modeling is still needed. The expectation that anyone can build anything rarely holds true.

What determines whether it succeeds

The app must have an owner after launch. The tool makes it easy to build something quickly, and just as easy to end up with thirty apps that no one maintains.