Chatgpt generated – Considerations for creating your first Power App: Canvas vs. Model-Driven Apps

Short introduction
I made this post as two parts, the first was created by ChatGPT, the second written by me. The posts both cover the exact same topic, but I wanted to prove the point that there is a lack of available resources for allowing citizen developers make the right choices about which apps they should create. Especially when it comes to building model-driven apps. This post is written by ChatGPT and will showcase what you can learn about the difference between the two types of business applications by going online. Even when asking it to have a heavy focus on model-driven apps.

Power Apps is a low-code platform that lets you build custom business applications without writing code. You can use Power Apps to create apps for web, mobile, and desktop devices that connect to various data sources and services.

But before you start building your app, you need to decide which type of app you want to create: canvas or model-driven. These two types of apps have different design approaches, capabilities, and limitations. In this blog post, we will explain the difference between canvas and model-driven apps, and help you choose the best option for your app scenario.

What are canvas apps?

Canvas apps are apps that you design from scratch by dragging and dropping components (such as buttons, labels, galleries, forms, etc.) onto a blank canvas. You have full control over the layout and appearance of your app, and you can customize it to suit your needs and preferences.

Canvas apps are ideal for creating simple or specific apps that focus on user experience and interaction. For example, you can create a canvas app to collect feedback from customers, track expenses, scan barcodes, or play a game.

Canvas apps can connect to over 200 data sources, such as SharePoint, Excel, SQL Server, Dynamics 365, Twitter, etc. You can also use custom connectors to access data from other services or APIs. To manipulate data and logic in your app, you use Excel-like formulas that are easy to learn and use.

Some of the benefits of canvas apps are:

• They are easy to create and modify with no coding required.
• They offer a high degree of flexibility and creativity in designing your app.
• They support various device types and orientations.
• They can leverage device capabilities such as camera, microphone, GPS, etc.

Some of the limitations of canvas apps are:

• They are not responsive by design. You have to manually adjust the size and position of each component to make your app adapt to different screen sizes.
• They have limited support for complex business logic and validation rules. You have to write formulas for each scenario and handle errors manually.
• They have limited support for offline functionality. You have to enable offline mode and configure data synchronization for each data source in your app.
• They have limited support for accessibility features. You have to add labels, tooltips, keyboard navigation, etc. for each component in your app.

What are model-driven apps?

Model-driven apps are apps that are based on the data model and business processes that you define in the Common Data Service (CDS). CDS is a cloud-based database that stores and manages your business data in a secure and scalable way.

Model-driven apps are ideal for creating complex or enterprise-level apps that focus on business logic and data management. For example, you can create a model-driven app to manage sales leads, track inventory, handle customer service cases, or run workflows.

Model-driven apps use predefined components (such as forms, views, charts, dashboards, etc.) that are automatically generated based on the data model and business rules that you configure in CDS. You have less control over the layout and appearance of your app, but you can customize it to some extent using themes, site maps, icons, etc.

Model-driven apps can only connect to data sources that are available in CDS. You can import data from other sources into CDS using dataflows or connectors. To manipulate data and logic in your app, you use Power Automate flows that are triggered by events or actions in your app.

Some of the benefits of model-driven apps are:

• They are responsive by design. They automatically adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
• They support complex business logic and validation rules. You can define business rules and workflows in CDS that apply to your app.
• They support offline functionality by default. They automatically sync data between your device and CDS when you go online.
• They support accessibility features by default. They follow accessibility standards and guidelines for each component in your app.

Some of the limitations of model-driven apps are:

• They are harder to create and modify with some coding required.
• They offer a lower degree of flexibility and creativity in designing your app.
• They support fewer device types and orientations.
• They cannot leverage device capabilities such as camera, microphone, GPS, etc.

How to choose between canvas and model-driven apps?

The choice between canvas and model-driven apps depends on several factors, such as:

• The purpose and scope of your app
• The type and complexity of your data
• The level of customization and control you need
• The skills and resources you have

Here are some general guidelines to help you decide:

• Choose canvas apps if you want to create simple or specific apps that focus on user experience and interaction, and that can connect to various data sources and services.
• Choose model-driven apps if you want to create complex or enterprise-level apps that focus on business logic and data management, and that can only connect to data sources available in CDS.

Of course, these are not hard and fast rules. You can also combine canvas and model-driven apps to create hybrid apps that leverage the best of both worlds. For example, you can embed a canvas app into a model-driven app to provide a custom user interface or functionality that is not available in model-driven apps.

Conclusion

Power Apps is a powerful platform that lets you create custom business applications without writing code. You can choose between canvas and model-driven apps depending on your app scenario and requirements. Canvas apps offer more flexibility and creativity, while model-driven apps offer more structure and functionality. You can also use both types of apps together to create hybrid apps that meet your needs.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand the difference between canvas and model-driven apps, and how to choose the best option for your app. If you need more help or guidance, feel free to contact us. We are experts in Power Apps and the Power Platform, and we can help you create amazing apps for your business.