The Rise of Low-Code Development 

In a world where businesses must innovate quickly to stay competitive, traditional software development can be time-consuming and costly. This is where low-code development steps in; empowering both IT professionals and business users to create solutions with minimal coding. Microsoft Power Platform is leading this revolution. 

Low-code, full freedom…but only if you’re prepared 

Canvas Apps now offer an impressive level of flexibility: custom layouts, dynamic flows, deep integration, … So, everything is possible. The image shows this clearly: multiple screens, branching paths, different levels of interaction. And that’s not a problem. That’s the power of Canvas Apps. But with this freedom comes a challenge: without proper structure and planning, your app can quickly become unmanageable. You don’t want to build a “spaghetti app”, you want to build a tool that grows with your business.

• That’s why it’s essential to:
• Define a clear flow and user journey before you start dragging and dropping
• Build on a solid Dataverse model — forms in Canvas Apps rely heavily on it for create/update logic

Use Power Automate to handle logic that goes beyond Dataverse or involves external systems (like SAP)

With the right foundations, even the most complex Canvas App stays efficient, maintainable, and powerful

Real-World Impact: Case Study – John Cockerill 

John Cockerill, a leader in industrial services, needed a digital solution for workforce management, facing challenges like paper-based work slips, decentralized data, and manual payroll calculations. With Power Apps and Power Automate, Business Eléments Reply implemented two applications: 

• digiTime: A Canvas App that allows workers to clock in and out via barcode scanning. 
• digiTImeKeeping: A timesheet management solution that integrates seamlessly with SAP. 

The flexibility of Microsoft Power Platform has been one of the major strengths in delivering evolving solutions. By combining Canvas Apps and Model-Driven Apps, we have been able to shape the applications to the needs of John Cockerill, ensuring that the solution can evolve as business requirements change. The choice between a Canvas App and a Model-Driven App offers a flexible approach to application design, giving users more control over functionality and user experience.  

By progressively implementing a custom connector, we enabled a seamless integration, adding new functions step by step and successfully tackling the challenge of integrating with SAP. This facilitated a flexible integration between Power Platform and SAP, capable of adapting to the business’s evolving needs. 

The low-code revolution has begun, are you ready to transform your business? 
 

More information, visit: Low Code – Business Elements