New PowerApps and Flow Licensing coming October 1, 2019

[Pstork1]

If you haven't seen the announcement yet about the Licensing changes that are coming to PowerApps and Flow starting on October 1, 2019 you really need to read the following Blog. This announcement was originally made at Inspire this year, but has undergone a number of significant changes.  Make sure you read this and understand what it means to you and your organization.

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/new-licensing-options-for-powerapps-and-flow/

[MagnusGöransson]

Great!

However, there are still questions out there. For example, what happens if my app need another connection to the same Azure SQL database, but to another table? That is in some ways a new connector. At least it is listed as a connector in the app.

Of if i need to connect the app to another Azure SQL database inside the same app that is already connected to a Azure SQL database?

Do we have any information on how the "per app/per user/per month/per etc"-licenses are bound to a specific app? Is that handled by the app maker or by the GA?

I understand that you dont have all the answers, but have you seen/heard anything regarding the above, Paul?

/Magnus

[dileeps]

It is based on connection type not on the connector itself. So if your app needs another connection to a different table, it is fine. Same with another SQL database itself.  As long as your App Id doesn't change, you can use it. 

As for licenses,

a) per user licenses are bound to a user like how all normal licenses work. They are not bound to any app.

b) Per app licenses are not bound to any user or app, they are bound to the environment where your app is present. They are like passes and get automatically consumed when a user who doesn't have any user license, uses an app enabled for per app passes.

[Pstork1]

The App is what is grandfathered in.  So adding another SQL connector to another table should be fine.  There are always going to be scenarios that are not specifically called out in the FAQs.  Its hard to cover every contingency.  But the exception is provided at the level of the App or Flow according to the FAQ, not a specific connector.

Assignment of the perApp license would be done like any other license, by the global admin, or someone the GA delegates that capability to.

[MagnusGöransson]

Thanks for clarification dileeps and Paul!

For the per app-licenses, is it possible that a citizen developer create an app that uses premium connectors and share it to a large amount of users that eventually start to use the apps and consumes all the available per app licenses available?

Or am I missing something? As far as i know we cannot prevent users from creating apps in the default environment.

/Magnus

[dileeps]

You will be able to prevent that because per app passes needs to be added to an environment. And as a Global admin, you will be able to control how much is added to each. This documentation would be live in few days.

[Pstork1]

@dileeps

One correction.  The per app licenses is $10 per app, per user, per month and is bound to both a specific app and a specific user.  But only user's who use the app need to be licensed.  So you could have one app with 10 users and another app with 20 users.  That would be 30 licenses and they would be assigned to specific users, although they can be re-assigned at any time.

[Pstork1]

For the App license - it needs to be assigned by someone with admin authority.  So a user would not be able to create an app that uses a premium connector under the app license, or share it, without approval.  An admin would have to assign the per app license to the app and to each user of the app.

[dileeps]

@pstork - so it is a bit different, per app passes are per user but they are not like user licenses which are pre-assigned to a specific user. They are assigned to an env like capacity.

Now, when a user use any app in that env which uses premium connector (which has opted in to use passes) and doesn't have a user license, they will automatically be tied to a per app pass. 

[DirectorMumbles]

This entire thing is a disaster and a good way to kill a promising platform

[AngryBatVoice]

@dileeps @Pstork1 

Wow.... thanks for the clarification. Good to know 

Any reason the documentation wasn't released... oh I don't know... BEFORE rolling out this convoluted system?

[BrianHFASPS]

Where is the interface to assign these licenses to an environment? Also my tenant doesn't have Per User as option to purchase.

How can the documentation for a new billing practice be release after the billing goes into effect?

[dileeps]

Documentation for licensing constructs has already been released and is listed here aka.ms/licensefaq as well as Billing and Licensing Guide. 

Documentation for how you perform actions in product is being updated now, this is not prepublished since this follows product changes, hence it is done in stagerred manner similar to how product changes rollout 

[BrianHFASPS]

Are the limitations being enforced as of yesterday but we can't actual control it or are the restrictions being rolled out in a staggerred fasion as well? Do the functions exist even if documentation doesn't?

[Pstork1]

@AngryBatVoice I agree it would have been nice to have the documentation a while ago.  But it was rolled out a couple weeks ago.

[BrianHFASPS]

Documentation of the licensing changes but not documentation of how to actually manage the new process.

[dileeps]

@BrianHFASPS  - documentation for licensing changes is out since August 30, 2019. 

As for changes, they are getting rolled out right now and will be done over the span of next two weeks

[Pstork1]

@BrianHFASPS - As the documentation says existing users with licenses are grandfathered in for either one year or until their current license expires.  So I suspect if you look in your tenant you will still see P1 and P2 licenses for sale.  Those can be purchased by existing users.  Brand new tenants spun up after October 1 will see the new licensing.  You are only see the new licensing associated with portals and app licenses that didn't exist in the past.

[JohnP2]

RIP PowerApps... it was nice knowing you. Once again f*cked over by MS!

[BrianHFASPS]

Actually I could see P1 / P2 as of 9/30 then yesterday had Per App but not Per User. The licenses don't seem to be grandfathered in that way. All of my license are included in my M365 / O365 bundles anyway.

[Pstork1]

If you owned either a P1 or a P2 license on 9/30 and you search for them you will find that they are still there and will be for the next year.  That's why the per user don't show up for you.  I have the same experience.