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Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

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Posted on by PeterGMcDermott

I am looking to create a solution for a small workgroup in my organization, but am unsure if I should continue designing this solution as an Access Web App or as a PowerApp. I've never created a PowerApp, but it seems that there is more focus in development of this than Access Web Apps. Is this the way of the future? What should I do? Are Access Web Apps on their way out?

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DaniellenewtoPA 2 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

Do you offer consulting and design service for PA?
Community Power Pla... on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

Web Designer is fast, I use a mac with fiberlink 200Mbits with Chrome to develope Powerapps, I found The "visual studio" Windows 10 is slower that web access, and Mac scrolling on web is a lot nicer and smoother that with Windows Explorer where you scroll x line by x lines and not pixel by pixel.
I have not experimented any response times for clicks or typing, except may be some time in deleting things.
The big problem with designer is that you cannot have you own templates for screens, gallery ou datacard and you need to do it again and again for each occurence
Also there is no Responsive Design Option and you have to position your controls manually (no way !) or use variables like margin/top/botom/left/right and pout thoses variables in XY heigth width related to next controls for each control which is time consuming. They have invented rules to help but not to my satisfaction.
There is no problem in SQL Server for the number of Tables, 100 is still a few. But if your database is on the web you will get slower response time than local especialy with large transfer file responses with slow connection.
In fact Access Web App uses Azure SQL Server as a Database ! so you will get the same response time that Powerapps 🙂
Access will be faster only with a local implementation.
For the table think of Customer/People/Offers/Actions all with a link to all others that is 4*3*2 links, for the lookups you store a code and a libelle in a table ie: AC: Active Customer, P Prospect, PA Partner etc... you have the code in the Customer Table (PA) and you need to lookup the libelle in order to display it (Partner), if you have 30 lookups with 200 char each and yout tables have 20000 customer with 60000 names you spare 30*200*70000= 420 megabytes, I agree this is an old habit from when megabytes were expensive but Another reason is that you can modify the libelle without updating all records, and finaly thimk that you need 2 languages or ..50.. Text should be separated to codes anyway.
Mike2500 1,247 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

Could you clarify what you mean by "4 tables all linked together by 24 links". And the fact that you're working with 20 screens is good to hear. Any issues with the designer? My designer experience is slow, slow, slow. Though, while 20 is good, as I noted in a different reply, the old standard example database for Access, northwind, had about 10 tables. With three screens per table, that gets us to 30 screens. And with Access, the screens are essentially instantaneous for the user, in that access responds faster than a user can work, both in design view as well as normal mode for data entry. If a user wants to change the title of a form, for example, in access they are limited by how quickly they can click the mouse. In the PowerApps designer, virtually every mouse click seems to involve a second or longer wait time. Or perhaps there's a trick or setting I'm missing?
Mike2500 1,247 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

I agree with the strategy of splitting it up into multiple apps, but that sort of thing should be documented by MS. As of now, it's left to the user to discover for themselves where the limits are. Should we keep apps limited to 6 screens? 10? 20? And of course, having multiple apps is not a good fit for all scenarios. It's also just challenging communicating this with customers. For example, the old classic Northwind.mdb had about 10 tables, and it's difficult to tell customers that this database, which had zero performance issues ~20 years ago, will now need special care and handling to function. And if PowerApps has difficulty with Northwind, then it's hard to imagine any database that has any real complexity being functional, except, as you noted, apps with a couple of screens only.
Meneghino 6,949 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

PS each of the five apps has just a handful of screens
Meneghino 6,949 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

Hi Mike, I think that you are falling into the pitfall that I fell into initially when transitioning from Access/AWA to PowerApps. The crucial aspect is that you should split the functionality of your system into various apps, and not try to build the ‘mother of all apps’.
This makes it much easier to quickly develop or replace apps as the scope evolves. Also you can share different functionality with different groups of people as required.
For the example my accounting system has 20 tables of suppliers, customers etc. etc. and about five apps. One for the back office to input invoices, one for the accountants to input transactions, one for management to view management reports, one for admins to edit customer etc. information and one specific app for liquidity pisitions for treasury. It would be impossible and undesirable to build one app with all the functionality.
I hope this helps to clarify my approach and why I am now satisfied with PowerApps
Community Power Pla... on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

The fact that VIEWS are now supported changes, the game, because you can "prepare" links on the server side and you then always heve delegation. I have done a prof of concept application with 4 tables all linked together by 24 links with data on the link and 30 lookup tables, on SQL Server Azure, its good but I have a 200Mbits fiber link to Internet, its better still with a local Local wired sql server. In IOS 4G you cannot preload the 30 lookups, its too long you have to load it one by one on first use, and cache them localy, do not use lookup at the component level on remote table, cache them as table variables. I have all together around 20 screen and I have not seen any degradation of performances compared to only one screen.

By the way Visual studio (free) as the same (as far as I can remember) table creation/modification screeens as Access you do not need to go to SQL for Table creation/modification/keys/index and all, and also for sql request creation with graphic interface. The only problem for users is to see a LOT of other things in the menu/icons that they cannot understand and they are afrraid to trigger by mistake... There are other tools to do that like Toad and the like. Access prorgrams can be linked to SQL server but there may be some modification to do in the tables or program, and there is as I understand no possibility to modify linked SQL Server tables.
Mike2500 1,247 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

I agree the path forward from Access web apps is not clear. PowerApps is supposed to be the replacement, but most of the tutorials, examples, blog posts, etc., focus on apps with a few screens that access a couple tables. An small access database might have 12 tables. With 3 screens per table (view all rows, edit item, view item), then that would be 36 screens, not including additional screens for navigation. That's a small, simple Access solution, but I'd be concerned about trying that with PowerApps. Also, people used to how fast the Access client runs (and has run for decades), will be surprised by how long everything takes while editing forms in PowerApps. It's certainly an adjustment.
Meneghino 6,949 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

Hi @PeterGMcDermott

Fully sympathise with you, although I agree with @Sienna that the learning curve seems steeper than it actually is.

I agree that SharePoint lists are not the solution, but personally would not go down the SQL Express route. I recommend Azure SQL Database so you don't need to install or maintain any databases. It is not free, but in a basic configuration which is more that enough for multiple applications it costs ~$5 per month. Here is a tutorial:
https://baizini-it.com/blog/index.php/2017/09/26/powerapps-and-azure-sql-database-101/

Please feel free to get in touch via private message if you want me to take you through any issues you may have.

I agree with @Anonymous that a lot can be achieved with PowerApps, particularly now that SQL views are supported.
Sienna 1,532 on at

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Re: Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

I don’t really think that learning curve is extremely steep. When I starded with PA there were absolutelly no documentation available and I managed to start to work on my app within a week of learning. PA can’t be any easier then it is now to create powerfull apps. Not lightweight apps as you mentioned in AccessWeb. There is still a lot to add but even now you can create whatever you want