If you an enterprise or employee who often require to access specific data on the go by creating an application but lack the time or resources or tenacity to build your own app, then Microsoft is here to help you out. Last week, Microsoft announced that it will open up their PowerApps app across the globe after a private beta period that began last year.
For those not familiar with PowerApps, it allows business employees to accumulate data from various sources and then create an app compatible with either on a phone or tablet without struggling with codes. This could not just save you money but also accelerate the process of coagulating information like budget management, or allocation of resources that require more data sets.
What comes as more comforting is that PowerApps can run on Android, iOS, and the web so it need not confront integration challenges or be client-specific. Data can be accessed from sources such as Dropbox, Dynamics CRM, Google Drive, OneDrive, Salesforce, SharePoint Online, Twitter, and more. The app is yet to be completely mobile-friendly, so companies shouldn’t think of it as something that could be used to create a product for consumers or for external use.
However, if you’re a business that uses Microsoft Access to build applications, it is advisable to follow the plausibility of PowerApps closely as it can substitute the app-creation capabilities of Access, with extended ability to be used on mobile devices.
Microsoft hasn’t disclosed any plans about replacing Access, but introducing major updates and improvements has not been its way so far. With PowerApps, Microsoft hopes to sail through the rough market with stiff competitors like Salesforce and SkyGiraffe, a startup that the company funded through its Microsoft Ventures program.
Check out the video above to understand how PowerApps functions.