Increase performance in powerapps?

[drawser]

Hi,

I have been building a couple of apps at this point and as the apps them selfs get more eleborate and uses sharepoint lists that grows over time I do notice a lack in performance, mostly slow load times, both of objects/controls and overall data.

I have a couple of questions here

1. Does the overall number of controls in powerapps contribute to slower loadtimes? By that I mean when launching the app does it load each screen separately or will adding other screens to the app cause other screens to load slower as well?

2. Working with collections, does that help with load times? I tried replacing alot of gallery data sources with collections and there isn't really a noticeable difference.

3. Calculations, in some cases I need to do alot of calculations on items, alot of times I run them in the sharepoint list, would I be better of performing them whitin powerapps instead?

[WarrenBelz · Accepted solution]

Hi @drawser 

I will start the discussion and welcome further contributions as they are good questions. The below is only my experience from what I have needed PowerApps to do for me.

1.  Does the overall number of controls in Power Apps contribute to slower load times? By that I mean when launching the app does it load each screen separately or will adding other screens to the app cause other screens to load slower as well?
   Yes - the more controls, the higher the overhead. I always delete the star and error fields (I handle errors on submit) and any unwanted labels. I have noticed measurable improvements. On the flip side, screens with hidden multiple forms (pop-ups) are slow to load generally. The biggest impact I find is on mobile devices.
2. Working with collections, does that help with load times? I tried replacing a lot of gallery data sources with collections and there isn't really a noticeable difference.
   I use collections a lot for their speed once collected, particularly on mobile devices. You can also use the Concurrent function and also collect all necessary at App OnStart, where the users do not really notice "the hit", rather than between screens. They also are much faster searching a gallery based on them and drop-downs from collections are generally quicker to respond. The other bonus is that non-delegable queries will work perfectly.
3. Calculations, in some cases I need to do a lot of calculations on items, a lot of times I run them in the sharepoint list, would I be better of performing them within Power Apps instead?
   Not sure on these regarding SP calc fields as I do not use them, however I find Variables are a good place to store calculations (rather than hidden labels and the like)

I would be interested to see other opinions on this

[PowerAddict]

Just to add to what @WarrenBelz, for point #1, the loading of screens depends on how the controls are defined. What I mean by that is, if a control on Screen1 is dependent on a control in Screen2, then the app has to load screens 1 and 2 at the same time which is obviously worse than loading one at a time.

Also, read this article for ways to improve performance:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/performance-tips

Let me know if this helps.

---
If you like this reply, please give kudos. And if this solves your problem, please accept this reply as the solution.

Thanks!
Hardit Bhatia
The Power Addict
https://thepoweraddict.com

[drawser]

Thank you for your input

You have given me quite a few options to try out and mess around with

[drawser]

Thank you for that

I'm gonna check out that documentation

Never to late to better up your routines for building apps

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @drawser ,

So that this item can be closed and other users can find it more readily, please consider using Accept as Solution on the post from either @PowerAddict or myself that helped you the most.