SharePoint's real power lies in its multi-faceted means to mash and categorize and share and add collaborative value over a web interface to all of a company's content that's stored as Microsoft Office document types (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access). Up until recently (as it was last supported in June 2017), Microsoft Access 2016 web apps running on the SharePoint platform--dubbed Access Services for SharePoint Online--was the pinnacle (in my opinion) of Microsoft's own off-the-shelf solutions with which consultants and power users could help their clients or employers tap into all of SharePoint's collaborative power. It had some muscle, sporting a SQL Server back end with Microsoft Access' amazing front-end development technology--all served over the web! This was definitely a step up from the old Access Web Database feature included in Access 2010 which really relied on the underpowered Access engine under the hood. I mean, just talking about the new Access Services for SharePoint Online makes me feel like a sports car aficionado raving over new engine specs! Only that, kind of like the vehicle buy-back program Volkswagen recently instituted over its diesel emissions recall, this muscle car has been indefinitely recalled! I never even got to see a model on the lot! Microsoft has received a lot of negative flack over its decision to abruptly end the life span of Access Services for SharePoint Online (aka Access web apps), an integral part of many businesses' newly automated web database services. I too was quite disappointed myself, having been a Microsoft Access fan for decades now. I couldn't wait to get my chance to develop client solutions on Office 365 with this new Access version! Can't now! Bummer.
To be frank, SharePoint websites had begun to feel like dated technology. Sure, they recently introduced the new Modern experience. But even that's not enough for power users and applications developers like myself. Unfortunately, whereas Microsoft Access would have filled that gap bringing exciting, powerful new automation features, even out of the factory Access web apps really couldn't compete with the rapidly advancing mobile technology that's out there. Access was originally designed for the PC platform; however, PowerApps was, "designed with a mobile-first strategy" (per Ben Clothier and Andy Tabisz in Introduction to PowerApps for Access Web Apps Developers). Additionally, Access was built to handle relational data from a relational database management system (RDBMS); users today would be glad to know that PowerApps can harness the data from almost any type of data source, not just an RDBMS. This enables it to perform what are called "mashups", where disjoint data from various sources can be cross-referenced and repackaged for previously impossible or unimagined user experiences. PowerApps is the technology boost SharePoint developers really needed! Now in Chris McNulty's words,
Even interest in the most popular versions ever of SharePoint is also dwindling (version years 2007, 2010, and 2013). Surely, the widening technology gap between Microsoft SharePoint technology and the rapidly growing web plays a factor here:
However, since Microsoft began transforming the declining SharePoint brand, introduced the Modern experience, relabeled it as the fully web-aligned Office 365 and added PowerApps, things are looking up!
With its new PowerApps offering, Office 365 becomes an automation powerhouse. And it is clear Office 365 is the hands-down leader in collaborative office technology! Just look at how the interest logged by Google searches shows it's leading the competitors such as IBM Lotus, Google Apps, and Box for Business. Wow!
Now Microsoft PowerApps' major benefit is its ability to combine and mashup data from a large array of different sources, a major step ahead of Microsoft Access' main reliance on a relational database source. Let's take a glimpse at how other similar mashup tools are faring on the Internet in terms of interest. Mind you, most of these tools only lend themselves for use by expensive consultants, not to mention the overhead of the tool's manufacturer price! In contrast, PowerApps as of this writing is FREE to all SharePoint users on an Office 365 subscription, and it's minimally priced for other customers:
I can honestly say now that the PowerApps gamble Microsoft took was a winner after using the product myself and coding a few apps. Consider how as a SharePoint web development tool and as a "cross-platform service, you are able to run the apps you create across all of your devices including Windows, iOS, Android, and the web browser" when you develop using PowerApps (per James Oleinik, Microsoft).
I mean, the list of possible new connection types seems endless!
Now on the development user interface, there are new names for things--like a form is actually called a screen (because traditional Access forms were meant to run on Windows but PowerApps screens are expressly made to correspond to an actual phone or tablet form factor!). Fields such as textboxes and comboboxes are lumped with their associated labels into what are called "cards", and they automatically readjust themselves on the screen as you throw new "cards" in to represent other data.The coding for events and data validation is entirely new with lots of new function names I had not seen before in Microsoft Access nor Excel for that matter. But there's a distinct feel that sets PowerApps apart from the traditional Access development interface, particularly because of the cross-platform compatibility that's been ingrained into it (of course, there's JavaScript in there, but are the underpinnings that enable PowerApps to be cross-platform actually Xamarin-based? I have yet to find out!)
Of course, PowerApps development is all done over the web--which is distinctly different from Microsoft Access desktop app development or even the old Access Web Database creation experience. But PowerApps is better. Not only can you interface with what are clearly database sources such as SQL Server or SharePoint lists, but your data can also reside in non-traditional repositories like OneDrive or Google Drive. You can connect and mashup data from virtually anywhere it seems. The list of configurable data sources is overwhelmingly inclusive, far more than I've ever seen on any Microsoft product. It almost makes it feel like this product is not originally from good old proprietary Microsoft! The interface has this swanky third-partyish feel to it. To me it's reminiscent of JackBe and their proprietary mashup tools...only now Access has made such functionality infinitely more accessible to end users.
Now, being a cutting edge Rapid Application Development tool, there's still a level of tinkering I still have to do to get some things to work right in the PowerApps applications I build. This is not for the faint-hearted! The platform appears to be always under construction while still operational, too. Sometimes it feels like you can hear the Microsoft developers hammering away behind the interface as you are working with it because things are changing faster than the training videos and websites can keep up with. But I'm sold on PowerApps. The SharePoint development platform has definitely gotten the second wind it so badly needed in today's rapidly advancing technology climate!
The Case for PowerApps
To be fair, Chris McNulty at Microsoft has announced the company will continue support of Microsoft Access web apps for on-premises installations of SharePoint, just not for SharePoint Online (Office 365). He also said traditional Microsoft Access desktop app support (which is all the Access I ever knew) won't be affected by this decision. After reading his post, I have to give Microsoft credit also for making the tough decision to drop Microsoft Access web apps in favor of a new replacement web technology for SharePoint called PowerApps. It makes sense now.To be frank, SharePoint websites had begun to feel like dated technology. Sure, they recently introduced the new Modern experience. But even that's not enough for power users and applications developers like myself. Unfortunately, whereas Microsoft Access would have filled that gap bringing exciting, powerful new automation features, even out of the factory Access web apps really couldn't compete with the rapidly advancing mobile technology that's out there. Access was originally designed for the PC platform; however, PowerApps was, "designed with a mobile-first strategy" (per Ben Clothier and Andy Tabisz in Introduction to PowerApps for Access Web Apps Developers). Additionally, Access was built to handle relational data from a relational database management system (RDBMS); users today would be glad to know that PowerApps can harness the data from almost any type of data source, not just an RDBMS. This enables it to perform what are called "mashups", where disjoint data from various sources can be cross-referenced and repackaged for previously impossible or unimagined user experiences. PowerApps is the technology boost SharePoint developers really needed! Now in Chris McNulty's words,
Over the last several years it has become clear that the needs of our customers have grown beyond the scope of what Access Services can offer, such as mobile device support, integration with line of business data, and professional developer extensions.
When we researched how to close these gaps, the answer became clear as well; we’re aligning efforts behind Microsoft PowerApps as the way to build no-code business solutions on desktop and mobile devices. PowerApps offers a comprehensive set of application building tools, connection to custom web APIs, and a wide array of database options including SharePoint lists, SQL Azure databases, Common Data Service and third-party data sources.This is good news for the Microsoft camp, especially considering the dwindling interest in SharePoint on Google searches as you can see from the search trend graphs below. Here, we see that interest in the earliest versions of SharePoint has been understandably winding down:
Even interest in the most popular versions ever of SharePoint is also dwindling (version years 2007, 2010, and 2013). Surely, the widening technology gap between Microsoft SharePoint technology and the rapidly growing web plays a factor here:
However, since Microsoft began transforming the declining SharePoint brand, introduced the Modern experience, relabeled it as the fully web-aligned Office 365 and added PowerApps, things are looking up!
With its new PowerApps offering, Office 365 becomes an automation powerhouse. And it is clear Office 365 is the hands-down leader in collaborative office technology! Just look at how the interest logged by Google searches shows it's leading the competitors such as IBM Lotus, Google Apps, and Box for Business. Wow!
Now Microsoft PowerApps' major benefit is its ability to combine and mashup data from a large array of different sources, a major step ahead of Microsoft Access' main reliance on a relational database source. Let's take a glimpse at how other similar mashup tools are faring on the Internet in terms of interest. Mind you, most of these tools only lend themselves for use by expensive consultants, not to mention the overhead of the tool's manufacturer price! In contrast, PowerApps as of this writing is FREE to all SharePoint users on an Office 365 subscription, and it's minimally priced for other customers:
I can honestly say now that the PowerApps gamble Microsoft took was a winner after using the product myself and coding a few apps. Consider how as a SharePoint web development tool and as a "cross-platform service, you are able to run the apps you create across all of your devices including Windows, iOS, Android, and the web browser" when you develop using PowerApps (per James Oleinik, Microsoft).
PowerApps In Action
I've seen PowerApps in action now. I've developed some functional apps with it both for myself and for my employer and I can say it's got the goods. Development for it feels a lot like traditional Microsoft Access app development. You start with the data you need, identifying whatever new connections you need from a myriad of possible data source types PowerApps makes available to you. |
| A long list of connection types is available to applications built in PowerApps. |
I mean, the list of possible new connection types seems endless!
Now on the development user interface, there are new names for things--like a form is actually called a screen (because traditional Access forms were meant to run on Windows but PowerApps screens are expressly made to correspond to an actual phone or tablet form factor!). Fields such as textboxes and comboboxes are lumped with their associated labels into what are called "cards", and they automatically readjust themselves on the screen as you throw new "cards" in to represent other data.The coding for events and data validation is entirely new with lots of new function names I had not seen before in Microsoft Access nor Excel for that matter. But there's a distinct feel that sets PowerApps apart from the traditional Access development interface, particularly because of the cross-platform compatibility that's been ingrained into it (of course, there's JavaScript in there, but are the underpinnings that enable PowerApps to be cross-platform actually Xamarin-based? I have yet to find out!)
Of course, PowerApps development is all done over the web--which is distinctly different from Microsoft Access desktop app development or even the old Access Web Database creation experience. But PowerApps is better. Not only can you interface with what are clearly database sources such as SQL Server or SharePoint lists, but your data can also reside in non-traditional repositories like OneDrive or Google Drive. You can connect and mashup data from virtually anywhere it seems. The list of configurable data sources is overwhelmingly inclusive, far more than I've ever seen on any Microsoft product. It almost makes it feel like this product is not originally from good old proprietary Microsoft! The interface has this swanky third-partyish feel to it. To me it's reminiscent of JackBe and their proprietary mashup tools...only now Access has made such functionality infinitely more accessible to end users.
Now, being a cutting edge Rapid Application Development tool, there's still a level of tinkering I still have to do to get some things to work right in the PowerApps applications I build. This is not for the faint-hearted! The platform appears to be always under construction while still operational, too. Sometimes it feels like you can hear the Microsoft developers hammering away behind the interface as you are working with it because things are changing faster than the training videos and websites can keep up with. But I'm sold on PowerApps. The SharePoint development platform has definitely gotten the second wind it so badly needed in today's rapidly advancing technology climate!
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