Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

Hello everyone,

I am just starting to learn about Power Apps so I have some questions. I hope you can help me.

First, what licenses are included in the licenses that allow me to use Power Apps to develop applications? After completing the application and wanting to publish it for others, what licenses are needed so they can use my application most conveniently? For example: Our company has a license to use Power Apps that comes with Microsoft 365, I have designed an application and our company wants to publish it for our customers to use. With that desire, what licenses does our company need so that our customers can use it without worrying about buying a license?
Second, do you know if Power Apps supports connecting to SQLite? If so, what should I keep in mind when connecting?

I'm very grateful for your help.

Thank you

Categories:

Building Power Apps

Hello CU10120208-0,

Welcome to the world of Power Apps! I’ll try to answer your questions in detail:

1. Licensing for Power Apps:

Power Apps has several licensing tiers based on the type of users and features. Here's a breakdown:

Licenses for Developers (Internal use for creating apps):

Microsoft 365 License: Many Microsoft 365 plans (e.g., Business Basic, Business Standard, and Enterprise plans) come with a basic Power Apps license that allows users to create and use apps that connect to data in Microsoft 365 (such as SharePoint, Outlook, etc.). These plans typically include limited data connectors (like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Excel).

Power Apps per App or per User Plan: If you need to build more advanced apps (connecting to external data sources, databases, or using premium connectors), you may need a Power Apps per app plan or per user plan. The per app plan costs less but limits the user to a single app, while the per user plan offers unlimited app usage.

Licenses for Customers (External Users):
If you want to allow external users (e.g., customers or partners) to access your app, you need to account for their licensing needs:

External Users: Customers or users outside your organization need a Power Apps per app plan or per user plan to use the app. However, there's a notable rule:
- Internal users (within your company) can access the app if they have a Microsoft 365 license that includes Power Apps or if they have a standalone Power Apps license (per user or per app).
- External users: If your customers don’t have a Microsoft 365 license, they will need to purchase Power Apps licenses, either per user or per app, to access your app.

How to minimize licensing costs for external users:

Embed the app in a website: You can use Power Apps portals to create a web-based version of your app that can be shared with external users. Power Apps portals allow you to create websites that external users can access. This can be particularly useful if your customers don't have Microsoft 365 accounts. However, the external users will need to be licensed based on the portal plan (e.g., a pay-per-login model, which can be more cost-effective for a larger number of external users).

2. Connecting Power Apps to SQLite:

As of now, Power Apps does not have a built-in connector for SQLite. However, there are workarounds to connect Power Apps to SQLite databases:

Using a custom connector: You can create a custom connector to connect Power Apps to SQLite via an API. For example, if you have a web service or API that interacts with your SQLite database, you can build a custom connector to use that API from within Power Apps.

Using Power Automate: You could use Power Automate to trigger actions and communicate with your SQLite database. Power Automate can interact with various data sources, and if SQLite is exposed through a web service or API, you can connect Power Automate to that service and use it in your Power Apps flow.

Things to Keep in Mind When Connecting to SQLite:

API Setup: If you plan to use an API, ensure that it’s properly secured and that it handles authentication and rate limiting as needed.

Data Transfer: SQLite is typically used for local storage, so ensure your connection strategy (via API or otherwise) can handle data sync and scalability, especially if you're moving large amounts of data.

Performance: SQLite is not designed for high-scale enterprise applications, so consider performance and concurrency limitations if your app has many users accessing the database at once.

In summary:

To create apps, your company’s Microsoft 365 license may be sufficient if you're using basic Microsoft services like SharePoint or Excel as data sources.

For external users to access the app, you will need to consider a Power Apps per app or per user plan, or explore Power Apps portals for a more cost-effective solution.