Microsoft PowerApps

PowerApps is an initiative by Microsoft that allows developers and nontechnical users to build mobile applications from selectable templates. Using Microsoft Azure, the platform as a service offering, and built-on development tools that target nontechnical users (this suite of tools was formerly known as Project Siena), users can create, manage and share business apps on iOS, Android and Windows devices. Microsoft rolled out PowerApps in late 2015.

The objective of PowerApps is to enable business users to build new capabilities via apps, without requiring that they have code expertise. Microsoft touts an intuitive visual design for PowerApps, with drag-and-drop functionality and a familiar look and feel taken from applications like PowerPoint.

PowerApps has connections to various Microsoft-based and third-party applications, including Microsoft SQL Server, SharePoint and OneDrive in the Office 365 productivity suite, as well as Dropbox, Google Docs, SAP, Oracle and Dynamics CRM.

Application programming interfaces to enable these data connections, as well as the apps themselves, are hosted on Microsoft Azure.