Unanswered

PowerApps and Microsoft Azure SQL Database (license question)

(1) Share

Report

Posted on by Community Power Pla...

Colleagues, hello!

We are preparing a demand for our client – the development of PowerApps application, which will use Microsoft Azure SQL Database as a storing for data. The users also have license E3.

We are confused about PowerApps licensing and premium connectors and logic of paying for PowerApps applications:

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/

As I know Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a premium connector, but we did some tests and found that it works with our license E3 without additional PowerApps plan.

I also found the information on forum that E3 includes connection to Microsoft Azure SQL Database. But it is not an official resource.

Let's assume we have 500 users in the SharePoint Online.

We will develop approximetelly 5-10 PowerApps applications with connector to the Microsoft Azure SQL Database. The users have license E3.

Please help to clarify this topic:

Do they need to buy additional PowerApps plan for each user?
If yes, should they buy P1 or P2 for each user or only 1 license for each application?
If I select license per application and application has connector to Azure SQL DB, should all users to have PowerApps plan or not?

If you can provide the answers or links to any useful resources, I would appreciate your help.

Kind regards,

Evgeny

Categories:

Building Power Apps

I have the same question (0)

All responses (6)

Answers (0)

eka24 20,923 on at

Like (4)

Report
My Take
Please help to clarify this topic:
Do they need to buy additional PowerApps plan for each user?
Yes each user a license

If yes, should they buy P1 or P2 for each user or only 1 license for each application?
Buy the Plan 2 ($40) for the Developer (Per user plan)
Then Buy the Plan 1 ($10) for all other Users (Per app plan)

If I select license per application and application has connector to Azure SQL DB, should all users to have PowerApps plan or not?
Azure SQL DB cost is not based on per User.
------------

If you like this post, give a Thumbs up. Where it solved your request, Mark it as a Solution to enable other users find it.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
timl 36,387 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (1)

Report

Hi Evgeny

1. To licence an app with a SQL data source, each user would require a per user, or per app license. If you're developing 5-10 applications, a per user licence would be more suitable. The cost of this is $40/user/month.

2. The P1 or P2 plans have been discontinued. Therefore, it would be a per user or per app plan that you would need.

3. Yes, with a per app plan, all users that want to access your app would require a subscription to this plan.

Before the P1/P2 plans were discontinued, existing apps were grandfathered into the old plans and there is a grace period where users can still access SQL Server as a standard connector. It's possible that this is the reason why your tests work with an E3 license, or it might be the case that the user accounts that you're using is covered by a trial.

The PDF licensing guide provides the most comprehensive, and up-to-date source of information on this topic.

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=2085130&clcid=0x409

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Community Power Pla... on at

Like (1)

Report

Thanks for your answers. It looks very expensive in compare with custom development.
I read the guideline, but still have some questions.
For example, I have in PowerApps account next plan - "Power Apps for Office 365". I think it was added with standard subscription.
1. I can create canval PowerApps with standard connectors and another users can use it without plan per user or per app, right?
2. If we will create a Azure Function, which will read/write data to Azure SQL Database, do we also need to buy license per user or plan for all users?
3. We can call Microsoft Flow from PowerApps. Inside Flow we will call REST API service (Azure function) and will return the result back to PowerApps. In this case "Power Apps for Office 365" will be enougth or we need to buy license per user or plan for all users?

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
timl 36,387 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (1)

Report

Hi @Anonymous

1. Yes, if you create a canvas app with standard connectors only, other users with an Office 365 subscription can use the app without needing a per app or per user license.

2. If you create an Azure Function, you would need to buy per user or per app licenses for all users. This is because you would need to create a custom connector to call the Azure Function, and this is a premium connector.

3. If you create a Flow to call your Azure Function and you call this from PowerApps, all users will require a per user or per app license. This is because Premium connectors and Custom connectors are not included in the standard Power Automate plan for Office 365.

Hope that helps.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Langemyr 105 on at

Like (0)

Report

So he have to pay $20 000 pr/month for sql connector to work? This is horrible...

"
Let's assume we have 500 users in the SharePoint Online.
We will develop approximetelly 5-10 PowerApps applications with connector to the Microsoft Azure SQL Database."

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
BhuvanVemuri 8 on at

Like (1)

Report

Hi Shmelkov, We are facing the same issue and have same questions about Azure SQL Connector. Did you get any answer from Microsoft?

Thank you,
Bhuvan

Was this reply helpful? Yes No