Describe application lifecycle management
Application lifecycle management (ALM) is a cyclical paradigm for the development, governance, and maintenance of applications, as illustrated in Figure 2-10. Power Platform supports an ALM strategy that uses Power Apps, Power Automate, and Common Data Service components packaged as a solution.
FIGURE 2-10 The lifecycle of an application
By packaging the components of an ALM strategy as a solution, administrators can import them into the Common Data Service in other environments. This allows developers in those other environments to access the ALM components when developing their own apps and flows.
Describe business process flows
Business process flows are tools that allow administrators to ensure that users follow specific procedures when performing certain tasks. For example, order entry operators working in a call center might use a business process flow to ensure that they gather all the necessary information from the caller and record it in the correct places.
A business process flow organizes a task by breaking it down into a series of stages, with each stage consisting of multiple steps. When a developer creates a new business process flow, a working canvas appears like that shown in Figure 2-11. The stages run horizontally across the canvas and the steps vertically beneath each stage. The developer can drag and drop flow elements from the Components list in the right pane onto the canvas at any appropriate location.
FIGURE 2-11 Canvas for creating a business process flow
When users run a business process flow, they see an interface like that shown in Figure 2-12, in which the flow leads them through its stages, providing text boxes and drop-down lists in which they can supply the necessary data. The developer can configure the flow to not permit users to proceed to the next stage until they have completed the present one. This ensures that all the required elements of the business process are completed.
FIGURE 2-12 Business process flow user interface
Business process flows, by themselves, do not provide any advanced intelligence. They are designed to guide users through a series of tasks—typically involving data entry—and bring them to a specific outcome, such as the completion of an order entry or a customer interaction.
However, it is possible for developers to use business process flows to apply data supplied by users to forms that initiate automation using business rules, Common Data Service workflows, and form scripts. Business process flows can trigger server events based on the data supplied by the user, such as the generation of email messages.
On the client side, user input can trigger the appearance or disappearance of fields, automatic movement to the next stage of the flow, or a shift to a different flow altogether. For example, when a user indicates in an order entry flow that a customer requires a product installation, the focus can shift to a scheduling flow. After the scheduling of the installation is complete, the focus can shift back to the order entry flow for completion.
There are limits to the size and complexity of business process flows, including the following:
■ A business process flow can have no more than 30 stages.
■ A single entity can have no more than 10 business process flows activated at one time.
■ A single business process flow can involve no more than five entities.