The Power Platform is celebrated for its low-code and no-code capabilities, allowing citizen developers to quickly build apps and automate processes. But for organisations with complex, enterprise-grade needs, the Power Platform is not a replacement for professional development – it is a powerful extension. The real magic happens when you connect the low-code front end of the Power Platform with the robust, scalable services of Microsoft Azure.
This fusion of “low-code” and “pro-code” is where you can build truly custom, highly integrated business solutions. For developers, this means leveraging your existing skills to solve complex problems and provide your business users with a secure, governed foundation for their innovations.
Extending Functionality with Azure Functions and Logic Apps
Sometimes a Power App or Power Automate flow needs to perform a task that’s beyond its native capabilities. This is where Azure’s serverless tools shine.
- Azure Functions: Think of an Azure Function as a small piece of custom code that you can run in the cloud. Need to perform a complex calculation, process large files, or integrate with a legacy system that doesn’t have a connector? You can write a custom Azure Function in your preferred language (e.g., C#, Python, JavaScript), and then trigger it directly from a Power App or a Power Automate flow. This allows you to delegate complex logic to a scalable, cost-effective service, ensuring your low-code application remains lightweight and fast.
- Azure Logic Apps: While Power Automate is excellent for user-driven flows, Logic Apps provides a more advanced, enterprise-grade integration service. For mission-critical workflows, you can build a Logic App to handle complex orchestration, integrate with a wider range of services, and leverage robust monitoring and DevOps capabilities. You can even have a Power Automate flow call a Logic App to handle a specific, highly-structured part of a workflow.
Secure and Scalable Data with Azure Services
The Power Platform’s Dataverse is an excellent data store, but for data-heavy applications, you can connect to Azure’s specialised data services.
- Azure SQL Database: For enterprise applications with high-volume, transactional data needs, connecting a Power App directly to an Azure SQL Database provides the scalability and performance you require. You get the benefit of a familiar relational database with the ease of a low-code front end.
- Azure Blob Storage: Dealing with large files, images, or documents? Storing them in Azure Blob Storage and simply referencing them in your Power App is a best practice for performance and cost.
Streamlining the Development Lifecycle with Azure DevOps
For professional developers, maintaining control and structure is crucial. Azure DevOps provides the tooling to manage the entire application lifecycle, even for Power Platform solutions. Using the Power Platform Build Tools for Azure DevOps, you can:
- Source Control: Store your Power Platform solution components (apps, flows, custom connectors) in an Azure Repos Git repository. This allows for proper versioning and collaboration.
- Automated Deployment: Create CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines to automatically move your solutions from development to testing and then to production. This ensures consistency and reduces manual errors.
This fusion of low-code and pro-code creates what’s known as a “fusion development team.” It empowers business users to innovate rapidly with the Power Platform while professional developers provide the secure, scalable, and governed framework that enterprise solutions demand.
Ready to bridge the gap between low-code and pro-code to build your next enterprise solution? Flyte is here to help.
Our team of experts specialises in creating bespoke applications that leverage the full power of both the Microsoft Power Platform and Azure. Whether you have a complex business process that requires custom code or a data-heavy application that needs a scalable backend, we have the skills and experience to deliver.
We’ll work with you to understand your unique business needs and design a solution that is not only powerful and efficient but also secure and easy to maintain. Let’s build something remarkable together. Contact us today to discuss your project and discover how Flyte can turn your vision into a reality.