Should I be using PowerApps instead of Access Web Apps?

[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?

[Meneghino]

PS each of the five apps has just a handful of screens

[Mike2500]

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.

[Mike2500]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

[DaniellenewtoPA]

Do you offer consulting and design service for PA?