Question 19

Explanation

Below is the App Designer example of a Model-driven app called “Fundraiser.”

As you can see, there are two tables: Donation and Fundraiser. Each table also contains four assets:

• Forms – Defining how users will see and interact with the data

• Views – A list view of the rows for each table

• Charts - Showing the data in a meaningful, visual representation

• Dashboards – Providing an insightful, graphical overview of the data

By selecting the Play button in the top right, the app is put into Play mode. You can see it then looks completely different and shows the data based on the choices made in the design process.

Understand the needs of the user

With model-driven apps, the name says it all. Your primary design goal is to get your Microsoft Dataverse data model in order. With that in place, you can connect Power Apps, and a model-driven app will be created for you from that model.

Model-driven apps are created using the App Designer. You will choose the entities, dashboards, business process flows, forms, and other components that you want to make available in your app, and then the app will be created for you. This means you will need to spend more time understanding what your user needs than how it is going to look.

Data model

As you begin the data modelling process, there are a couple of important questions to ask yourself:

• What type of data will your solution be storing and or collecting?

• How will this data relate or coincide with the other data you are working with?

These questions are important when designing a model-driven application because of how model-driven applications function. Remember, model-driven applications use a metadata-driven architecture. This means a large portion of the model-driven app is based on how your data is modelled, and there is no need to write custom code to alter the app design.

You can view the app metadata by reviewing the Table in Microsoft Dataverse.

You can also view the app Play mode to see a preview of what the app will look like.

In the example above, for the Fundraiser table, there are several pieces of data being collected, such as:

• Name

• Fundraiser Goal

• Owner

• Total Donations

• Created On

As you think about your data model, also think about data types. When adding columns to your table in Microsoft Dataverse, the data type you choose will determine how users enter and view that in your model-driven app. Choices show as dropdowns, currency shows with currency symbols, while decimal numbers don’t. These little changes in the table can have a profound effect on how your user experiences your app.

The screenshot below shows examples of columns and the different data types they could have using the Fundraiser example again.

Important: If a column needs to be changed to a different data type, (i.e. text column to a choice column), then you will need to delete that column and recreate with the correct data type. This will cause you to lose any data associated with that column.

Business Logic

When incorporating business logic in your app, there are two primary options available. You can set Business Rules on your Microsoft Dataverse tables or you can build Business Process Flows.

With Business Rules, you will define behaviours at the data layer. This is great for setting conditions for when a field is required, setting a default value, or even showing or hiding a field based on criteria. An example could be a table for tracking expenses. You could have a column for type of travel and then build a business rule that dictates that if a user chooses automobile then the mileage field is required, else it is optional. This gives you the power to make sure you maintain data consistency in all scenarios.

Business process flows are used to guide users through using your app. These workflows can provide visuals on next steps based on the status of the data and facilitate other actions that you want to occur as the user uses the app. Business Process Flows let you bring automation to your app and make it more of a guided experience than just a place to enter data.

Dashboards

A common output need for apps is to visualize the data. For this requirement, you can implement dashboards with custom filters and visual graphics to tie all this data together right in your app. When creating your dashboards, make sure they are simple for your users to consume without overwhelming them with all the data. Provide high-level snapshots of your data and allow them to use filters to dive deeper into the data if needed.

Additional third-party solutions and app accelerators

It is also important to know about the different App accelerators and third-party solutions available to you. Depending on the industry you are in, Health, Financial, Banking, Education, Non- Profit, Automotive, or Media, Microsoft has released a number of accelerators or foundational components to assist you with quickly standing up your solution.