PowerApps is a low code development platform, from Microsoft that enables users to build custom apps quickly and efficiently. Also a Non-Technical and Technical user can develop app without writing extensive code. Also we can connect various data sources like SharePoint, Dataverse, Exce, SQL very easily using connectors.
What is PowerApps and How does it work?
Answer : PowerApps is a low code development platform, from Microsoft that enables users to build custom apps quickly and efficiently. Also a Non-Technical and Technical user can develop app without writing extensive code. Also we can connect various data sources like SharePoint, Dataverse, Exce, SQL very easily using connectors.
What are different types of Apps you can create in PowerApps?
Answer – In PowerApps mainly we can create two types of Apps.
CanvasApps – In this, developer can drag and drop elements into blank canvas app, By default canvas app is not responsive.
Model-Driven Apps – In this, User Interface generated automatically based on data defined in Dataverse table.
How Does PowerApps connect with external data source?
Answer– PowerApps uses Connector to link external data sources like SharePoint, Dataverse, SQL Server, and more. Developer can create custom connector to connect with APIs.
What is delegation is PowerApps, and why is it Important?
Answer – Delegation in PowerApps is a process to retrieve data from data source as on needed basis, Instead of pulling data at once, PowerApps retrieve data as requested. We have delegable and Non Delegable queries.
PowerApps Sends query to data source, query is performed on the Data source, and query result is returned to the PowerApps.
Ex. If we do filter on a data source that will only return the rows meets the criteria. When this query works perfectly, we can say query is delegated to the datasource.
When a query is non-delegable,PowerApps gets only first 500 records from data source and then perform the action in the query.
Dalegable Data Sources –
- SharePoint,
- SQL,
- Dataverse,
- Salesforce
Delegable functions –
- Filter – Filter(datasource, formula)
- Search – Search(datasource,’search string’,column1, column2)
- First – First(datasource)
- LookUp – Lookup(datasource, formula, column_name)
Non-Delegable function –
- FirstN,Last,LastN – FirstN(datasource, Numberofrecords)
- Choices – Choices(column_reference, text-filter)
- Concat – Concat(datasource,’column_name’,saperator)
- Collect,ClearCollect – Collect(datasource,item,…), ClearCollect(collection_name)
- GroupBy, Ungroup – GroupBy( Table, ColumnName1 [, ColumnName2, … ], GroupColumnName )
How would you handle performance optimization in PowerApss app?
To increase performance in PowerApps –
- Use delegable data source and avoid Non-Delegable queries.
- minimize the use of complex formulas or repetitive logic on controls
- Use collection where necessary for storing small amount of used data.
- Limit the number of controls in app and avoid data calls.
What is a gallery in PowerApps, and how would you use it?
A gallery in a PowerApps that display the content from data source, We can bind various data sources to the gallery like SharePoint, Sql, Dataverse . We can scroll through the selected items. Galleries are mainly used to show the lists, records.
Explaing the Difference between Patch and SubmitForm?
Patch() : Patch function in PowerApps is used to update specific records or add multiple records in a datasource. It is flexible and allows to update multiple fields, we can store data in various data sources.
SubmitForm() : SubmitForm function in PowerApps is used with forms. When a form is tied with data source calling submitForm function will save record in one go.
What is the purpose of Set() and UpdateContext() function in PowerApps?
Set() : Using Set function we can create or update global variables, and we can access these variables anywhere within the app.
UpdateContext() : Update Context is used to create or update local variables, which is specific to particular screen in the app.It is useful for managing the state of components or screen within screen.
Can you explain the use of PowerApps Portals?
PowerApp Portal allow organization to build external-facing website that can be accessed by user outside the organization. These portals integrated with Dataverse and provide secure access to data.
What are collection in PowerApps , and how do you use them
Colletions in PowerApps are used to store data temporarily. Collections are especially useful for storing data locally within the app for offline scenarios or when data is needed across multiple screens. we can store or manipulate data using collect() or ClearCollect() function.
How do you handle error handling in PowerApps?
We can use following functions in PowerApps to handle the errors –
- IfError – In this we can manage the scenerios, based on that we can do the actions, or notify the users.
- IsError – In this we can check error is exist or not within particular formula.
Can you customize permission in PowerApps?
Yes, Permissions can be managed by different ways –
SharePoint or Dataverse security roles can be used to control who can access or modify the data.
And Within powerapps we can query user data and based on the user information we can enable or disable controls .