{"id":350,"date":"2022-02-07T15:08:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T15:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/crmc\/?p=350"},"modified":"2022-02-07T15:08:52","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T15:08:52","slug":"modern-sharepoint-and-the-power-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/crmc\/modern-sharepoint-and-the-power-platform\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern SharePoint and the Power Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Like Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, SharePoint has always been a platform to define data and create applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, SharePoint suffered from different ways of implementing requirements and having an API which was much more \u2018multi-headed\u2019 than the simpler and debatably stronger Dynamics API.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SharePoint had and has the Server-side API, the Client Object Model, and the REST API working alongside Custom themes, web parts and applications \u2013 whereas Dynamics 365 had simplified supported ways of handling customisations, a single API until OData and REST, and a core model for handling plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This made Dynamics a (very debatably) better platform for building and deploying business applications, and ultimately lead to aspects of Dynamics growing into the Power Platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the SharePoint Team have not been idle, and this has changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old style team sites still exist in SharePoint, but these have been replaced with newer communication sites that have a common user interface and supported ways of customisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This changes SharePoint from a develop-first platform to a supported-customisation-first platform in a similar fashion to Dynamics; and so provides a more robust way of working \u2013 this combined with SharePoint\u2019s web parts for news and content as well as standard documents and Links makes SharePoint a much stronger and supported application for Intranets and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Particularly given the link up with Microsoft Teams but that will be the focus of another article!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1 – Building a Page in SharePoint with out-of-the-box Web Parts alongside Custom Web Parts in the App Catalogue built via SharePoint Foundation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ability to use SharePoint as a user-first application instead of a IT-first development platform enables better content management and so a higher level of engagement and user adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft define this new approach and their reasons for the changes between \u2018old-SharePoint\u2019 and \u2018new-SharePoint\u2019 here: https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sharepoint\/dev\/solution-guidance\/portal-branding<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be improved with data models built using SharePoint lists to combine good content management and presentation with the custom data we track in lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This starts for Intranets and collaboration \u2013 but can then grow in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the advent of the Power Platform, we can embed Canvas applications in SharePoint to connect users to our bespoke apps \u2013 and we can also use SharePoint lists as the datasource for these Canvas apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a very powerful way of delivering smaller lightweight apps at a lower Canvas app License cost, and then making easily accessible via our SharePoint Intranet or a Microsoft Teams tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Figure 2 – Using a SharePoint Page to host a simple Canvas App showing a Contacts List <\/strong><\/em>from Dynamics<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a very powerful way of delivering smaller lightweight Apps at a lower Canvas App license cost, and then making easily accessible via our SharePoint Intranet or a Microsoft Teams Tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this mean? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n