Prevent users from navigating directly into the data source of an app

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Posted on by WebPortal

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Hello,

Is there any way a user may enter data into an app (through a form) without being able to access the data source directly?

For example, we want users to enter data into a SharePoint list but don't want the users to access that SP list directly.

Is this possible with any other data source?

Thank you

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Building Power Apps

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CNT 10,921 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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@WebPortal With Share Point you can keep users from getting to the list directly by using Permissions. You can read all about it here... SharePoint List Permissions.
Dataverse is a good option when working with PowerApps as it is kind of baked into it and works well and you can keep your users from the data source. But remember Dataverse is Premium and you'll need the right licenses to use it.
Hope that throws some light into your situation. 💡
WebPortal 2,297 on at

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@CNT
Thank you so much for your help.
So, with a PowerApps license per user, I will get Dataverse and that will allow me to design an app where users can't reach directly the entire data, correct?
Alternatively, I'll buy an office license per each user and restrict SP access with permissions.
CNT 10,921 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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@WebPortal
If u'r doing some serious work, Dataverse would be better as it is more than a database (automatically handles a lot of stuff like security, scalability etc.,). Also if you are planning to have separate DEV and PROD Environments, it is the way to go. If it's just one App, your users won't need a Per user license, you can get a couple of Per App licenses (its cheaper) and assign them o users as required.

Please remember to give a 👍 and accept the solution so that it will be helpful for others.
WebPortal 2,297 on at

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If it's just one App, your users won't need a Per user license, you can get a couple of Per App licenses (its cheaper) and assign them o users as required.
It is just one app, but there are dozens of users- how can I buy just a couple of Per App licenses and assign them to all the users?
CNT 10,921 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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@WebPortal Power Apps per app plan allows individual users to run two applications and one portal for a specific business scenario in a specific environment based on the full capabilities of Power Apps.
This means, if you have 1 App that you want to share with 10 Users, you need only 5 Per App Licenses. You can read all about it here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/about-powerapps-perapp
C-Papa 1,836 on at

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I had this exact same issue, to resolve the issue i did the following, it's not perfected but worked for us:

stopped the lists in SharePoint inheriting global permissions, and don't share the site with anyone, this stops the site showing on their recent sites feed and direct access. I then control the permissions separately for each list in the site.
use the following iframe in a .aspx file (SharePoint webpage) and put the .aspx file in a SharePoint document library where the document is shared with the users
<iframe width=100% height=105% src="https://apps.powerapps.com/play/[appid]?&hidenavbar=true" frameBorder="0"/>
Replace any links to the old SharePoint page with a link to the new .aspx file.
Technically, anyone that gets the url to a list that they have permission to edit, can go and edit, by doing the above you have stopped it being so easy, they will now need the URI of the list itself which is more difficult to come by.
WebPortal 2,297 on at

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@CNT
Sorry, but I don't understand.
I speak with a lot of people and it seems nobody understands PowerApps licensing (here's a good business opportunity).

How can I buy 5 licenses and share 1 app with 10 users?
C-Papa 1,836 on at

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My answer was how you could do something close to your query without having to move to Dataverse, using your existing licencing. moving to Dataverse will incur addition costs unless you already have MS teams where Dataverse is available at a team level. if i was you i would seek support from a company that sells office 365 products in your region. They will go through all aspects with you and do a cost analysis based on your requirements
CNT 10,921 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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@WebPortal as it is mentioned in the licensing details, Power Apps per app plan allows individual users to run two applications...
Let me explain (from experience b'coz that's how we are using it),
1. 1 Per App Plan give you license for 2 Canvas Apps.
2. These 2 licenses can be assigned to 2 different users for 1 App.
3. You buy these licenses from the Office Admin Portal as usual.
4. In the Power Apps Admin Centre, you assign these licenses to the Environment where your App is located.

5. Go to the settings for that App and turn on Pass Assignment.
6. Share the App with the Users.