All You Need to Know About Microsoft SharePoint and PowerApps Integration

In my recent articles on SharePoint, I focused mainly on the application’s innate project management and collaboration capabilities. In this post, I am going to talk about the tight integration of Microsoft PowerApps with Microsoft SharePoint. The integration enables you to not only manage your organisation’s data but also allow you to access the data from your mobile devices or browser.

What is PowerApps?

For those who are new to the Microsoft suite of products, PowerApps is the only cloud solution which includes all the three which is an iOS store app, windows store app or browser enabled web application. PowerApps was launched at Microsoft Business Application Summit in the mid of 2018 and it marked the entry of Microsoft into the world of low code development platforms. Since its release, Microsoft professionals are working hard to make integration of other Microsoft products possible with PowerApps. Integration of Microsoft SharePoint and PowerApps is one of their staggering success.

The integration has improved the capabilities of PowerApps with some great features such as the ability to build forms for mobile devices and web browsers by using data directly from the SharePoint application. However, you will be able to do more with SharePoint and PowerApps integration only if your Office365 cloud is enabled to fetch data through the Data Gateways. Furthermore, you should be having rights to edit data collected from SharePoint and other business collaboration tools.

A Quick Guide on How You can Create PowerApps from SharePoint Online List

With the tight integration between SharePoint and PowerApps, you can now create custom apps by following a series of steps:

• Select “Create” the PowerApps option from the SharePoint list. Upon selection, the web designer window will open in your browser.
• Now, the web designer knows exactly from which SharePoint list you want to create the PowerApp, therefore it will create the basic version of the app automatically.
• If you want to make any modifications in the created application then use the web designer and introduce features which suits your specific requirements.
• You can then share the applications with your employees who are present on the SharePoint lists.
• You can access the app on iOS, Android, Windows and web browser as well.

Few Advantages of PowerApps and SharePoint Integration

I have always noticed that businesses irrespective of their sizes are looking for tools and applications which enables them to achieve more with minimal efforts and investment. The PowerApps and SharePoint integration address your this demand by allowing you to perform several functions within the SharePoint environment. To leverage the benefits of tight integration between Microsoft PowerApps and SharePoint, ensure that you have PowerApps enabled for your Office 365 commercial plan. Let’s have a look at some of these benefits:

• The modern SharePoint libraries act as a source of data for PowerApps allowing you to take data driven decisions from the business applications which are tailored on these platforms only.
• You have the access of PowerApps from your SharePoint mobile application which enables you to remain updated about any business activity even when you are on the move.
• You can automate your routine business processes since Power BI can also be integrated with SharePoint online and PowerApps. Power BI, a leader in visualising analytics when integrated with SharePoint, allows you to embed analytics and charts onto your dashboard and hence empower you to take informed and calculative decisions quickly.

The Wrap Up:

Although the event “Future of SharePoint” took place some three years ago, there has been a myriad of features introduced in the collaboration tool till now. Intelligent intranet, AI powered content and search management, integration of SharePoint with other applications such as PowerApps, Flow and Power BI are some the latest releases from the technology giant till now. And, I am sure the list is going to get lengthy, more feature rich and apparently lucrative for your business.

Addition of new features certainly means improved flexibilities and functionalities, but it is also coupled with several configurational complexities. You need to contact an experienced SharePoint professional who will help you decode the knitty-gritties of all the new features and enable you to utilise these functionalities to their full extent.

Exigo Tech employs a team of agile SharePoint consultants who regularly keep a tab on all the latest features that Microsoft is introducing and also ensure that you receive intended benefits from these roll outs. We conduct workshops and other sessions in which we impart knowledge on how the SharePoint features will help you streamline your workflows and achieve operational efficiency. To gain further insights, call us today!