Power Apps: Create Dynamic PCF Forms

Key insights

• PCF components make forms dynamic by letting users build and change form layouts without altering the underlying Dataverse schema.
  Form definitions and responses save as JSON, so one form design works across model-driven apps, canvas apps, and Power Pages.
• Reusability and Performance: build a control once and deploy it across tables, forms, views, and apps for consistent behavior and fast native rendering.
  Components use caching and native hosting to keep interactions responsive.
• Technology: developers typically use TypeScript, React, and Fluent UI with a Node.js LTS environment to create PCF controls.
  These web technologies let teams deliver modern, accessible interfaces inside the Power Apps platform.
• Developer workflow: initialize a PCF project with commands like pac pcf init, install packages with npm install, preview with npm start, then build and push as a solution for deployment.
  Follow simple packaging steps to import the component into your environment.
• Testing and integration: use the local test harness to preview behavior, then add the component in the Power Apps form editor by dragging it onto a field and configuring properties.
  Enable PCF support in canvas apps if needed before importing.
• Common use cases: replace plain inputs with sliders, maps, calendars, or editable grids to improve data entry and visualization.
  PCF controls solve real adoption gaps and let organizations keep a single JSON-driven form definition across multiple app surfaces.

Overview of the Microsoft Community Demo

The Microsoft-authored YouTube demo, presented on a recent Microsoft 365 & Power Platform community call, highlights how a custom PCF component can create dynamic form experiences without altering the underlying Microsoft Dataverse schema. The presenter, Richard Wierenga of Blis Digital, shows how form definitions and responses are stored as JSON, enabling reuse across model-driven apps, canvas apps, and Power Pages. Consequently, makers can let end users build and modify form layouts while preserving a stable data model. This approach aims to reduce friction for both administrators and business users by separating form structure from schema.

What the Demo Shows

First, the demo walks through an interactive scenario where users assemble forms in a rich UI delivered by a Power Apps Component Framework control. The demo then demonstrates saving those layouts as JSON records in Dataverse, and shows how the same JSON definition renders consistently across different app surfaces. Moreover, the example underscores how this method avoids schema changes that often require solution updates and deployments. As a result, teams can iterate on user-facing forms more rapidly while keeping data contracts stable.

Technical Workflow and Requirements

Technically, building these components requires standard maker and Developer Tools such as Node.js (LTS), the Power Platform CLI, and a code editor. The presenter outlines a typical workflow: scaffold a PCF project, implement UI logic in TypeScript or React, test locally with the test harness, and package the component into a solution for import into Power Apps. After import, makers add the component to a form through the maker portal and configure its properties to bind to specific fields or metadata. In addition, the demo notes that for canvas apps you must enable the PCF feature in the environment before use.

Benefits and Tradeoffs

This pattern brings clear benefits: increased flexibility for front-end design, reuse across app types, and faster iteration without touching table schemas. Consequently, organizations can improve user experience and reduce the need for frequent solution deployments that carry change-management overhead. However, these gains come with tradeoffs. Building and maintaining custom PCF components requires developer skills and a testing discipline that some teams may not have in-house, so organizations must weigh the cost of that investment against the value of a more flexible UI.

Challenges and Governance Considerations

Furthermore, storing UI definitions in JSON introduces challenges around versioning, migration, and governance. For example, a change to how a component interprets JSON may require coordinated updates across apps that reuse the definition, which complicates rollout planning. Performance also deserves attention; rich client-side logic can improve interactivity but may add load time or memory demands on lower-end devices, so testing across realistic environments is essential. Security and accessibility should also be prioritized, because custom controls must respect data permissions and provide usable interactions for all users.

Implications for Makers and Organizations

In practice, teams should balance speed and control by adopting clear patterns: define ownership for shared JSON definitions, establish testing and rollback plans, and document component contracts to avoid accidental breakage. Moreover, organizations can lower friction by creating a small library of vetted components and training citizen developers on when to use them versus requesting official changes to the Dataverse schema. Finally, this approach can reduce reliance on external tools when done well, but it demands ongoing maintenance and governance to remain sustainable.

Conclusion

Overall, the Microsoft community demo offers a practical example of how a custom PCF component can empower end users to build dynamic forms while keeping the underlying data model stable. The approach delivers meaningful flexibility across model-driven and canvas surfaces, yet it also introduces development, performance, and governance tradeoffs that teams must manage. Therefore, organizations should pilot the pattern with clear controls and iterate based on real feedback to capture benefits without incurring undue risk. In short, the demo presents a compelling path forward for teams that want richer form experiences while preserving a stable data foundation.

Keywords

Power Apps Component Framework, PCF components tutorial, create dynamic forms PCF, dynamic form experience Power Apps, PCF form customization, Power Platform PCF, PCF field controls, dynamic form behavior PCF