Tracking Material Status

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Posted on by Gowtham_1

Hi,I need to track material status from the foundry through all subcontracted processes using Power Apps. The idea is for external service providers to scan a unique QR code for each item and update its status. Each supplier should be mapped only to their specific process, so they don’t have to make additional selections. They should only see the processes relevant to their scope of work.I’m not sure if Power Apps supports external users outside our organization. is it possible with Power Apps?

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11manish 3,333 on at

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Yes, it is technically possible to allow external suppliers to use Power Apps via Azure AD B2B, but it requires licensing each external user and becomes difficult to scale.

For your scenario (QR-based updates, multiple suppliers, restricted access per process), the recommended and production-ready approach is to use Power Pages with Dataverse.

This allows external users to securely access the system, scan QR codes, and update only their assigned process without needing individual Power Apps licenses.

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WarrenBelz 155,838 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @Gowtham_1,

Your main challenges would be firstly that external parties would need to have the app individually shared and also have Office365 licences. As well, Power Apps does not have an inbuilt facility to create QR codes, which would need to be deep links to the records needing updating.

This would be a better exercise for Power Pages.

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Gowtham_1 31 on at

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@11manish Hi Manish, Thanks for your input. Could you advise on the best way to implement this? I’ve outlined the process below:

1. Initially, the casting/forging supplier completes the part and notifies us that it is ready for dispatch.

2. Based on that confirmation, we are planning to generate a unique ID in the form of a barcode/QR code. (Or suggest me a better Method other than this)

3. The foundry prints the unique IDs and tags each individual material.

4. The foundry then confirms dispatch by scanning the barcode/QR code.

5. Then the material moves to multiple subcontractors for pre-machining, welding, and post-machining, and finally reaches our factory premises.

How can we manage this entire flow using a single QR/barcode per item?

Also, how can we map each supplier’s specific task to that same QR/barcode so they only see actions relevant to them?

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11manish 3,333 on at

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Hi Gowtham_1 ,

You’re thinking in the right direction. my approach is given below :

Use a single QR/barcode containing only a unique Material ID.

Store the full process (steps, suppliers, sequence) in Dataverse.

When any supplier scans the QR using Power Apps or Power Pages, the system identifies the current step and validates the logged-in supplier, showing only relevant actions.

Each scan updates the workflow, advances the process, and logs activity—providing a secure, scalable, and fully traceable end-to-end solution.

How it works

Create Material + process steps when item is ready

Generate and attach QR code

At each stage:

Supplier scans QR using Power Apps or Power Pages

System identifies current step and supplier

Shows only relevant actions (Receive / Complete / Dispatch)

System updates status and moves to next step automatically

Access control

Suppliers log in via Microsoft Entra ID

App filters data so each supplier sees only their assigned tasks

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