Database Capacity

[GowthamR]

Hi all,

I am confused with the PowerApps Database Capacity.

I built an app that just reads and creates to a SharePoint List item and have a flow to do the approval process. My understanding was, if you have Office E3 license, you can use PowerApps and access the data from Office 365 environment.

When I checked the Database usage in admin centre, it says I am over, (Picture below)

Do I need extra license to use PowerApps without using CDS?

Appreciate any help with this.

Kind regards,

Gowtham

[HSheild]

Hi @GowthamR,

Heaps more of people seem to be having this query and I haven’t seen an answer to it yet. PowerAutomate Approvals is a standard connector so can be used under the Office E3 license. However, the data for approvals is stored in CDS so this is one reason why you are using database capacity indirectly.


Here is another thread that your should follow as this person has raised a support case with Microsoft to try get an answer.

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Common-Data-Service-for-Apps/O365-licence-but-exceeding-Capacity...

[GowthamR]

Thank you @HSheild. I will follow the other link.

I am about to launch an app and worried if it is going to stop working.

Kind regards,

Gowtham

[v-xida-msft]

Hi @GowthamR ,

Could you please share a bit more about the type of your Environment instance? Production, Trial or Sandbox?

Do you set up a CDS database within your Environment?

If you set up a canvas app without CDS data source, you could run your app with your Office 365 License continuously. But if you set up a flow to send approval request, it would consume the Database capacity continuously (even though, there is no extra space for Storage capacity), actually, the approval request sent from your flow (Power Automate) is stored in Approvals Entities in CDS.

More details about Storage Capacity in Power Platform Admin Center, please check the following article:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/capacity-storage

Best regards,

[GowthamR]

Hi @v-xida-msft ,

Thanks for the reply.

Wow, I did not know that the approvals consume database storage. Is there a way to delete the data.

So, will I need to purchase license for using approval? Can I get away by using Outlook email with Options?

Appreciate your help.

Kind regards,

Gowtham

[v-xida-msft]

Hi @GowthamR ,

Do you want to remove these records from the Approvals Entities (Approval, Approval Request and Approval Response Entity)?

If you want to remove these records from the Approvals Entities, you could consider open the corresponding Entity within your PowerApps web portal, then delete records from there.

You could also consider generate an app based on the Approval Entities, then add a button within your app, set the OnSelect property to following:

RemoveIf(Approvals, true)    // bulk remove all records from the Approvals Entity

Actually, you do not need to purchase additional license for using Approval feature in your Power Automate, the Approval feature is included within Power Automate license. Only just the approval history would be stored in Approvals Entity in CDS.

As an alternative solution, I agree with your though almost. You could consider add a "Send an email with options" in your flow instead of the "Approvals" action to send approval request, then it would not consume the Database Storage in your current Environment continuously.

Best regards,

[HSheild]

Hi @v-xida-msft 

Are we able to get a definitive answer to this from Microsoft?

The question being, if I have an Office 365 E3 license and use Approval Flows (which consume storage in CDS) do I need to have a Power Automate per user or per Flow license to cover the CDS storage being used?  Even though I did not create a database with my environment.

Thanks

[Hailender]

Hello,

is there an update on this?
Since about 2 days I have this warning "Your organization (tenant) is over capacity. This will impact certain environment operations." in the PowerPlatform Admin Portal. I am now more insecure if I have to do something? Currently I only use productively the Default Environment, canvas apps and approval flows. And I played a bit around with the "Power App per User"-trail licences and some trial environments.

But I have exactly the same question:
Is the "PowerApps for Office 365" license sufficient for canvas apps with approval flows in the default environment?

Bye 
Jens