CDS future and pricing

[mr-dang]

CDS is the fastest and most accessible datasource for me on the legacy preview. I want to continue using it, but that would be expensive. I want to confirm some details for CDS moving forward:

1. CDS still handles only 500 records when using aggregate operations. What are the prospects of CDS being able to handle the whole datasource or at least 1000 records at a time?
2. If I Filter an entity using more than one condition, there is a blue warning that states that there is a service limitation and that not everything might be pulled up. Will these limitations be lifted for paid plans?
3. The free plan for developers is currently in the works according to the blog. Will end-users need CDS capable accounts to test out apps that run on CDS?
4. What happens to accounts made during the preview? How long will our services continue now that PowerApps is in GA? 

[hpkeong]

Hi

I am also eagerly awaiting for the upcoming plan for us, esp from day one of PowerApps (Jan 2016).

Meantime, apart from various Plan (Free), Pan 1 and Plan 2, which needs further understanding to convince customer, there are still features which Productivity Apps shall not lack of (and also the main reason why did my customers hesitate on using PowerApps):

- No Printing Features (as of common ERP system)

- InStability of PowerApps (But, at the moment, even the Free Plan of using Excel in DropBox, though not secure, is better and more stable than CDS), where I always encounter with "red color alert" on server no response (though was told PowerApps team to be me, unfortunately hitting on transient time!!!)

- Unacceptable Android Mobile Apps loading speed (still easily more than 20 seconds).

[Just wonder, if Project Siena can publish with complete codes, and until now, all my Project Siena created Win 10 apps can still open instantly, why can't PowerApps does that!]

- Some other annoying bugs affecting Non-US user, esp. DATEPICKER (the most important FIELD of all data but NOT WELL DESIGNED by PG, to be frank)

Always hoping PowerApps Group, apart from designing various Business Plan (well, Microsoft needs income!), please remember not to forget the basic needs of apps:

- Apps Loading and Processing Speed

Hope PG keeps improving ... and best wishes.

[Steelman70]

Hi both, for me there are only two real points to be resolved before I can switch to PowerApps and CDS:

1) Being able to see queries of SQL Server and/or CDS (if and when CDS will have queries): this would resolve any issue of 500 lines limitation because you could pre-aggregate totals etc. in queries, especially if parametrised

2) Being able to view CDS data with a direct query (i.e. Power Query) from Excel, which would resolve 95% of the reporting and printing issues in my case

Let's keep supporting this, and best wishes to the PG

[hpkeong]

Hi Steelman

Thanks for pushing for betterment to PG together.

Yes, I do agree and in fact, PowerApps utilizes / reference to SQL syntax for writing formula. Wish earlier integration.

BTW, I am from another part of the world (not wealthy world) with most of the industries are still using Office 2010 and 2013. Rarely I see people upgrading to 2016 (due to poor internet connection which always affects and slow down the Excel opening speed).

Hence, PowerQueires (Get and Form) and PowerApps Add-in are almost not applicable to them.

With Printing features directly from PowerApps (as of normal ERP), surely the acceptance of PowerApps as the latest service sorftware will boost this newcomer.

Again, for PG's reference: PowerApps has facilitated the use of Mobile Apps (esp. Android, 85%), which is so common (to replace expensive PC) in our area (similar to that of China mainland). Direct printing support (from mobile) thru Wire-less environment is crucial and even more important (imagine a Canon Laser Wireless Printer, e.g.: LBP 6030W is only less than USD 100 here).

My appreciation to the team for their hardwork and I am full of confident, as Darshan has told me, that the feature is coming in Q4.

I will always keep my fingers crossed.

[jonoluk]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!  Your thoughts here are super helpful for us to know how best to move the product forward.  We're taking this feedback internally and are working to see how we can start lighting up some of the asks you've provided. 

It would be super useful as well if you could please post these ideas to our Ideas forum so other people can vote as well!  The Ideas forum is here: https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/PowerApps-Ideas/idb-p/PowerAppsIdeas.  having the community vote there on ideas is extremely helpful for us to know what to target next.

Thanks!

jono