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it_user1340349 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
No code, quick drag and drop, and a good user interface, but the data threshold limit needs to increase
Pros and Cons
  • "I would say that the most valuable features are the user interface, navigation, and business routes."
  • "It has to improve the threshold limit where it can handle data beyond 5000 items."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft has come at the right time. To come out with a RAD (Rapid Application Development) tool where you can develop your apps on the cloud much faster, and deploy them for multiple devices, whether it is mobile, cloud, laptops, or desktops. It is similar to Oracle APEX or Oracle developer tools where you just drag and drop into your application within minutes.

The primary use case of this solution is case management reporting. If, for example, you have a set of engineers who have been assigned a particular case or project they will need to record all of their activities and their visits. Using the application created in PowerApps, they report everything, then it goes through a workflow. 

The workflow goes from recording the daily activities of the team for the specific project. The project then goes through a series of approvals and gets logged, completed, and the report is generated. 

Expenses are also being logged. 

We have Power BI as well, and it moves the data from the source to the data warehouse then generates a report.

This is quite a short term, six-week engagement. We wanted to create an application and have it up and running within four to six weeks, rather than spending three to six months on bigger projects on the platform. We wanted it to be quick and fast.

PowerApps is best suited for those cases where you have a small scenario and an application to support that project or scenario. You can call these departmental applications, which are needed on the fly. We create a much shorter development lifecycle and then deploy, and then people start using it.

Take an example of the COVID-19 situation. We wanted all of our branches to log their COVID cases or what exactly are they doing daily to manage the COVID cases and to know what the process is. All of those details are logged into the COVID folder and then the reports are generated daily or weekly.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft PowerApps is a no-code solution.

I would say that the most valuable features are the user interface, navigation, and business routes.

It quickly drags and drops. It doesn't take much coding, there is no coding in fact. You drag and drop, select a few things to configure, and then read those applications in the user screens. 

With business rules, you can just select and you don't need to elaborate coding or backend code. This way, it's much easier to write or create those applications using their features.

What needs improvement?

When you capture a lot of data, the data becomes enormous. It's one of Microsoft's challenges that there is a threshold limit of 5000 items. It has to improve the threshold limit where it can handle data beyond 5000 items.

I would like to see integration with on-premise business applications, complex business routes, and complex business workflows.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using Microsoft PowerApps in 2014.

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Currently, there is a challenge in scaling up. We can't scale beyond large data.

We have approximately 10,000 users in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

There is a challenge in getting support. The support staff is not trained properly in PowerApps.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not easy, but not exactly complex. There was a lot of research.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are two licensing costs, one is pay-as-you-go, or you can develop it for one year.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise others to make an informed decision before you implement it. There are a lot of challenges, and the product is going through a lot of changes.

It's promising, so I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1231884 - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Real User
Its performance is good, and it can be used by all business users
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that PowerApps can be used by most business users. It is not only for programmers."
  • "In some cases, PowerApps would have some limitations in terms of the data, the number of transactions, and so on, but for a normal solution, it would be enough."

What is our primary use case?

It was used to collect or gather information from the requests, assess requests, and evaluate the requests for a new potential project. 

I am a consultant for developers and architects. People to whom I give consultation use it.

It is a cloud solution. Data can be cloud-based or on-premises, but it is mostly cloud-based.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that PowerApps can be used by most business users. It is not only for programmers.

Its performance is also valuable.

What needs improvement?

In some cases, PowerApps would have some limitations in terms of the data, the number of transactions, and so on, but for a normal solution, it would be enough.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used it for more than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not heard about any issues with its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. It is used by more than 200 people with different roles, but only two people directly work with it. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

People use different solutions for different projects. The previous project was on another technology. They switched because it was more simple, and they knew similar technology for developing the project. They were already using other solutions, such as Power Automate and Power BI, from the Power platform.

How was the initial setup?

It doesn't require any installation. PowerApps works on the Microsoft cloud on the server, and you have two options for using the data. The data is possible on-premises or on the cloud, but PowerApps is only on the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It depends on the subscription of Office 365 that customers have. With some subscriptions, it's possible to use PowerApps.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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S/W Technologies & Processes Unit Manager at Unisystems
Real User
Good containerization and support, but the user interface needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the containerization of Azure."
  • "The flexibility and the user interface need improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We are customers and resellers. We mainly collaborate with Microsoft and supplemental applications.

What is most valuable?

I like the containerization of Azure. We are trying other architectural options that they offer.

What needs improvement?

There is always room for improvement and with PowerApps, there is a long way to go. 

The flexibility and the user interface need improvement. 

The speed, as in how fast things can be done, needs to be improved.

The workflow needs improvement and should be included in the platform.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with Microsoft Azure for the past year.

How are customer service and technical support?

The support is good.

Here in Greece, we have enough support for Microsoft. There are some government-level agreements and county-level agreements. 

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to deploy, although we have some experience.

It seems pretty straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You have to be careful with pricing.

It might be too complicated to continuously monitor the business consumption and what to pay.

What other advice do I have?

It's not something you can easily rate, as you have to rate according to specifications and characteristics.

It is a good product but I would like to see the flexibility issues improved, and there are issues with the user interface. You have to use the interface in a specific way.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Senior Manager at Macro Systems Limited
Real User
Beneficial user interface, scalable, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft PowerApps is the user interface."
  • "Microsoft PowerApps could improve the speed of Power Automate, it is not very fast."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft PowerApps is the user interface.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft PowerApps could improve the speed of Power Automate, it is not very fast.

In a feature release, any additional features would be beneficial.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft PowerApps for half a year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The stability could be better when it comes to performance.

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft PowerApps is simple to install.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Microsoft PowerApps is reasonable compared to other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft PowerApps a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Yehuda Parnes - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Simplify IT
Real User
Top 10
Allows developers and nontechnical users to build mobile applications from selectable templates
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the compatibility with other Microsoft components."
  • "Microsoft should combine both the web and the mobile environment with all of the layers of development into one package."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the compatibility with other Microsoft components, the connectivity to Microsoft databases, the connectivity to other components on the Microsoft Azure environment, the connectivity to Office 365 and the connectivity to teams and the overall environment.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft should combine both the web and the mobile environment with all of the layers of development into one package. Currently, it's separated because Microsoft Power Apps does not cover all of these issues, so you have to connect to two different solutions. With Mendix for example, with one environment, the developers can create either a mobile app or a web app — it's an all-in-one environment. Microsoft Power Apps is not a service. For instance, if you want to connect to a database, it will be done via a database platform. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft PowerApps is both scalable and stable. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Microsoft PowerApps has a good support community.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is no more complicated than similar solutions. I'd say it's pretty straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of eight.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1479564 - PeerSpot reviewer
Contractor/ Developer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Stable, scalable, no licensing cost, and useful for quickly creating apps
Pros and Cons
  • "Time to market is most valuable because you can make apps pretty fast. It also has pretty good integration."
  • "Its user interface can be better. It is good, but it can be a bit clunky."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Microsoft PowerApps for small apps for internal company management. I have been working only on small and simple apps. I haven't used it for making complex apps. 

I am using the latest version of Microsoft PowerApps.

What is most valuable?

Time to market is most valuable because you can make apps pretty fast. It also has pretty good integration.

What needs improvement?

Its user interface can be better. It is good, but it can be a bit clunky.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for around one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We currently have 40 developers who use this solution. We plan to keep using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are a development company, and our technical skills are pretty high. We didn't need any technical support. Based on our experience with Microsoft Azure and Office 365 support, I expect their technical support for Microsoft PowerApps to be very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used SharePoint, which is not really similar to this solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It is hosted in the cloud, so it is ready to go.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is not expensive. There is no licensing cost.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate Microsoft PowerApps an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1479564 - PeerSpot reviewer
Contractor/ Developer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reasonably-priced, easy to set up, and the time-to-market for apps is fast
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the time-to-market because you can make apps pretty fast."
  • "The user interface is pretty good, although it is a little bit clunky and can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use this product to develop small apps that are used internally. Nothing major.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the time-to-market because you can make apps pretty fast.

The integration with other products is pretty good.

What needs improvement?

The user interface is pretty good, although it is a little bit clunky and can be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft PowerApps for between six months and a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

PowerApps is a scalable solution. At the moment, we have approximately 40 developers in the company who use it, and we expect to increase our usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not needed to contact technical support. As we are a development company and our technical skills are pretty high. That said, we have had Microsoft support for Azure and Office 365 in the past, and it was pretty good, so I would expect the same. 

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy to install. It takes no time because it just talks to the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This is not an expensive product and there are no licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

This is a good product and I recommend it. To this point, we have been working on pretty simple apps, and it has done everything that I needed it to do. I have not tried making a complex app, although that will come in the next few months.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1424256 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Department Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Functional and easy install but licensing structure confusing
Pros and Cons
  • "We were impressed with the functionality of the solution."
  • "The pricing structure needs to be improved, the current information is confusing."

What is our primary use case?

We are currently piloting the solution, we are checking it with our workflow.

What is most valuable?

We were impressed with the functionality of the solution.

What needs improvement?

The pricing structure needs to be improved, the current information is confusing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for a few months.

How was the initial setup?

The install is not a problem at all, it did not take very much time.

What about the implementation team?

We did the deployment and we have a few employees for maintenance. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is too expensive and the licensing system is complicated. There are many pages of instruction on how to do the calculations for the price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are considering other products at this time because of the cost.

What other advice do I have?

We have just started using the product, it is unclear if we will continue to use it after taking into account the unclear pricing structure.

I rate Microsoft PowerApps a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power Apps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Power Apps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.