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Create a canvas app from Azure SQL Database

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In this article, you'll use data in your Azure SQL Database to create an app with Power Apps in minutes. You'll have a fully functional app with your data that you can customize to fit your business needs and share on any device.

Prerequisites

  • Your browser must have pop-ups enabled.
  • You need an Azure subscription.
    If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a free account.
  • You need access to an existing SQL database.
    If you don't have an existing SQL database, create a new database.
  • You must allow Azure services access to SQL Database server in firewall settings.
  • The SQL database table must have at least one column with text data type.

Create an app from Azure portal

Tip

You can also create an app that uses Azure SQL database from Power Apps. For more information, read SQL Server connector for Power Apps.

  1. Sign in to Azure portal.

  2. Go to your SQL database.

  3. Select Power Apps.

    Power Apps option in SQL database options.

  4. Select Get started.

  5. App name is autofilled, but you can change it if necessary.

  6. Enter a SQL authentication password and if necessary, change the autofilled username.

    Note

    If you want to use Microsoft Entra Integrated authentication instead of SQL authentication with Azure SQL database, create an app from Power Apps instead, and use SQL Server connector.

  7. Select a table from the dropdown list that you want to use to create the app.

  8. Select Create.

    Specify the information for your app.

    The Power Apps Studio opens in a new tab. If the pop-up is blocked, update the browser to allow pop-ups and try again. Once created, you'll have a three-page app with data from your SQL database.

Accessing your app

To access the created app again, go to Power Apps.

App environment and region

The app you create with this method uses the default environment for the tenant and deploys to the region of this environment. You can find the region of a deployed app or your tenant's default environment from the admin center. To review all apps in a specific environment, go to Power Apps, select the Environment from the ribbon, and then select Apps on the left.

App access to SQL Database server

You can configure Power Apps access to Azure SQL Database server using the Azure portal, or stored procedure sp_set_firewall_rule.

To configure access using the Azure portal, sign in to the Azure portal, and go to your SQL Server. Select Firewalls and virtual networks and set the control Allow Azure services and resources to access this server to ON. Select Save to submit changes.

You can also use stored procedure sp_set_firewall_rule with IP address 0.0.0.0 to allow Azure services access to your SQL Database server.

Limitations

  • The app name can include only letters, numbers, hyphens, parentheses, or underscores.
  • Creating an app from Azure portal requires SQL authentication.
  • You can select only one table while you're creating a canvas app from the Azure portal. Customize the app after the app is created if you want to add more tables and other data sources by adding more data connections.
  • Power Apps can't connect to SQL Database using VNet Service Endpoints. For more information, read allowing access through VNet Service Endpoints.

Other considerations

  • The access of the app to SQL Database is implicitly shared to all users that you share this app with. Ensure the SQL authentication credentials have appropriate access for reading and writing data.
    For example, you can create a separate app that connects to the same SQL Database with different SQL authentication credentials to segregate read and read/write access.
  • Review throttling limits, delegable functions and operations, known issues, and limitations of the SQL Database connector this feature uses for performance considerations.
  • Create an app from Power Apps when you need to create an app for a non-default environment and a different region for the tenant using data from SQL Database.

Next steps

As a next step, use Power Apps studio to customize the app by adding additional controls, images, and logic to better suit your business needs.

Design the canvas app interface in Power Apps

See also