It's time to move from InfoPath and SharePoint Designer to PowerApps and Flow

For many years, I've worked with InfoPath and SharePoint Designer to build systems and processes for clients that use SharePoint, a web-based collaboration tool that is integrated into Microsoft Office, for their customer relationship management system and project management repository.  In the last couple of years, it has been transitioning to SharePoint Online and most recently using tools like PowerApps and Flows.  When PowerApps and Flow were first introduced, they lacked features and functionality that was present/utilized in the tools that are now considered old and out of date.  Fast forward to today and now PowerApps has taken on lots of the functionality that InfoPath was used for.  Microsoft Flow can handle a lot of the workflows that seemed to only be possible through SharePoint Designer, a strong coding background and lots of patience.  

CMS Wire posted an article titled, The Evolution of the SharePoint Citizen Developer and in it they talk about the upcoming sunset of InfoPath and SharePoint Designer.  InfoPath has been "going away" for quite some time now and there is now a firm date.  I have mixed feelings about the lost of two of my favorite SharePoint tools.  As a Mac users, being able to use PowerApps and Flows through a browser without having to install Windows OS on my machine or keep a PC for the sole purpose of SharePoint development, is pretty great.  However, I still wonder if features and functionality will be lost.  I'm excited by how much PowerApps and Flows have evolved since the first I used them.  One comment in The Evolution of the SharePoint Citizen Developer speaks to the learning curve. As someone who develops in a few different content management systems, proprietary and open source, SharePoint was always one where it kinda felt like I had to think of things opposite to everything else.  I will take note of this as I begin the process of converting or should I see re-imagining the flows and forms taking them from InfoPath and SharePoint Designer to PowerApps and Flow.

I'd love to know your thoughts of the CMS Wire post.  I found it helpful especially the list of primary Microsoft Tools past and present, did you? Are you using other tools/apps to replace SharePoint Designer and InfoPath? I'm curious to know your experience, add a comment below or contact us.

For additional information:

• Transform your InfoPath form to PowerApps
• Microsoft Flow Documentation