series<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nWith Microsoft releasing PowerApps on November 1st, many Office 365 subscribers can now get a better feel for its features and integration capabilities. Although\u00a0PowerApps has been touted as a successor to InfoPath, is it the right product to replace your InfoPath Forms today?<\/p>\n
Let’s find out.<\/p>\n
Should You Switch From InfoPath Forms to PowerApps?<\/h2>\n
The answer to that question: It depends! PowerApps provides a lot of the functionalities that InfoPath provided – albeit in a very different UI.<\/p>\n
Users tend to like\u00a0the\u00a0form\u00a0layout, which mimics\u00a0an 8.5\u2033x 11\u2033 sheet of paper you can fill out and submit. Also, because PowerApps was\u00a0designed for mobility first, it looks good and works best\u00a0on a mobile phone or tablet.<\/p>\n
But, it’s most important to understand\u00a0the tolerance your end users have for change to help drive your software selection. If the traditional form layout is holding you back, Nintex or K2 can fill that role.<\/p>\n
How Does PowerApps Handle Printed\u00a0Submissions?<\/h2>\n
As of today, it doesn\u2019t handle printing at all. Although the PowerUsers Group has submitted the feature request, printing is not on the current roadmap for PowerApps.<\/p>\n
If printing is a key component for your organization, a third party\u00a0can provide the support you need.<\/p>\n
Can You Share Forms on SharePoint with Vendors?<\/h2>\n
Not currently. PowerApps will have the ability to embed apps in the browser in the near future, but it remains to be seen if you will be able to share them externally at that point.<\/p>\n
As of today, PowerApps can only be leveraged by users inside of an Office 365 tenant.<\/p>\n
What if you Don\u2019t Use Office 365 or\u00a0Cloud?<\/h2>\n
PowerApps is\u00a0currently only offered as software as a service (SaaS). As of now, there have not been any announcements about offering an On-Premise version.<\/p>\n
Is Our Organization\u00a0a Match\u00a0for PowerApps?<\/h2>\n
If you don’t have any of the above restrictions, most likely!<\/p>\n
However, understanding the functionality of your current InfoPath forms, and then mapping and redesigning them to take advantage of the\u00a0functionality in PowerApps could become a very large undertaking.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen many InfoPath forms with validation rules, action rules, and custom code that need to be documented. Some also need a fit gap analysis to understand the right solution architecture for the new PowerApp.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t recommend rushing the decision without first understanding the complexity of the current InfoPath solution. If you need guidance, just ask!<\/p>\n
But Microsoft Says Anyone Can Create a PowerApp\u2026<\/h3>\n
Sure, it\u2019s easy for anyone to create one, which is where organizations may find themselves in trouble if there is no architecture or governance put into place before rolling out PowerApps. With the ability to connect to numerous data sources and custom APIs, this opens up a lot of ways for users to get themselves into a quagmire if they don’t plan ahead.<\/p>\n
Microsoft said the same thing about InfoPath when it was first included in the Office suite, and I can tell you I have spent many hours unraveling the unnecessary complexity of InfoPath forms for clients. If you’re interested in letting Centric help you plan, deploy, and support your conversion from InfoPath to PowerApps, let us know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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