Introduction
This module has four exercises:
Exercise 1 - Create the app in Microsoft Power Apps. In this exercise, you'll create a standalone model-driven application that will apply the same Machine Order table that you created in Microsoft Dataverse.
Exercise 2 - Build a business process flow. In this exercise, you'll add a business process flow to the Machine Order to help guide the back-office worker through the task of managing the procurement of the requested device.
Exercise 3 - Modify forms and views. In this exercise, you'll modify the Machine Order form to add other columns.
Exercise 4 - Test the application. In this exercise, you'll test the application that you built.
About model-driven apps
Model-driven app design is an approach that focuses on adding components such as forms, views, charts, and dashboards to tables by using an app designer tool. Additionally, relationships connect tables together in a way that permits navigation between them and ensures that data isn't repeated unnecessarily.
By using the app designer with little or no code, you can compose apps that are simple or complex.
Model-driven apps are especially well-suited for processing driven apps that are data dense, and they make it easier for users to move between related records. For example, if you're building an app to manage a complex process, such as taking new employees through the onboarding process, managing a sales process, or managing member relationships in an organization (such as a bank), a model-driven app is a great choice.
While they're called model-driven apps, it's often simpler to think of them as data model-driven apps because, without a data model that's housed within Microsoft Dataverse, you can't create a model-driven app.
Table views - Views are what users see when they look at a list of rows from Microsoft Dataverse. Views define the columns that are visible and the criteria for inclusion of the rows in the display.
Table forms - When users drill down into a row from a table view, they'll use forms. You can create forms by using a visual drag-and-drop designer to place columns into the form that's structured into tabs and sections.
Business process flows - These flows are interactive visual guides to help the user through a business process. Business process flows use the concept of stages that contain steps. Stages are milestones in the process that need to be completed. Steps help highlight for users the data that they need to collect or tasks that they need to complete the stage to progress. You can create flows by using a visual designer and using drag-and-drop to compose the flow and establish branching conditions (different paths in the business process) that must be handled.