Model-Driven Apps: The Cure for a Business’s “Death by Excel” Problem

Let’s be honest.

Excel is one of the most powerful digital tools ever created.

Microsoft Excel has run finance teams, operations, projects, risk registers, asset tracking, compliance logs… you name it.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

When Excel becomes your system of record, your business starts to slow down.

Not immediately. Gradually. Quietly. Then painfully.

Multiple versions. Broken formulas. Copy-paste errors. Manual consolidations. No real-time visibility. No governance. No relationships between data.

That’s where Power Platform’s Model-Driven Apps come in.

Built on Microsoft Power Apps, Model-Driven Apps are not “fancy forms” or “Cloud spreadsheets”. They are data-first business applications built on a structured data model inside Microsoft Dataverse.

And that difference changes everything.

What Is a Model-Driven App (Really)?

A Model-Driven App is:

Driven by a structured data model (tables of data)
Built on relational tables (connected to each other)
Automatically generates a functional UI (magically displayed)
Designed for multi-user, real-time collaboration (can be opened by multiple people)

Instead of spending time designing screens first, you design the data properly.

Tables. Columns. Relationships. Rules.

Just like when you focused on building your Excel “systems”.

The app builds itself from that foundation.

Replacing What Excel Struggles With

1. Flat Sheets → Relational Tables

In Excel, everything is a sheet.

You might have:

A “Projects” tab
A “Customers” tab
A “Tasks” tab

But relationships are fragile — VLOOKUPs, XLOOKUPs, INDEX MATCH, and hope.

In a Model-Driven App:

Projects are a table
Customers are a table
Tasks are a table

And relationships are native.

A Task links to a Project. A Project links to a Customer.

No formulas. No broken references. No manual syncing.

Just structured, relational data.

2. Data Validation Lists → Central Configuration Tables

In Excel, dropdown lists are often:

Hardcoded
Copied between sheets
Maintained manually
Different in every file

In Model-Driven Apps, we use:

Lookup columns
Choice fields
Central configuration tables

Change a status once in a configuration table — and it updates everywhere.

That’s governance without effort.

3. Manual Totals → Rollups That Think For You

Excel totals depend on:

Ranges being correct
Rows not being deleted
Formulas not being overwritten

In Model-Driven Apps, rollup columns automatically calculate:

Total value of related records
Count of associated items
Aggregated metrics

If a related record changes, the rollup updates.

No “did someone break the formula?” panic.

4. Hidden Sheets → Subgrids That Show Context

Excel struggles with visibility across related data.

In a Model-Driven App:

Subgrids (a sub table related to a primary table) show related records directly with the form
Tabs organize complex information cleanly
Quick view forms pull related information instantly

Open a Project record and see:

All Tasks
Linked Customer contact details
Associated Risks
Related Documents

All in one place without clicking away. All live. All shared across the business.

5. Static Filters → Real-Time Views

In Excel:

You filter your own version
Someone else filters theirs
Reports are screenshots

In a Model-Driven App, views:

Filter data dynamically
Act like real-time reports
Can be shared across teams
Reflect live data instantly
Personal, saved or shared

And multiple users can work in the system at the same time.

No emailing files. No locking conflicts. No “who has the latest version?”

Multi-User Collaboration Like Excel Never Could

Excel was built for individual productivity.

Model-Driven Apps are built for organizational scale.

Role-based security
Audit history
Business rules
Process stages
Real-time updates

You’re not managing files anymore.

You’re managing structured business data.

Easy to Start. Hard to Think Bigger.

Here’s the surprising part:

It’s easy to get started.

Out-of-the-box:

You define tables
Add relationships
Configure forms and views
Publish

The interface is generated automatically.

No heavy UI (user interface) app design required.

The hardest part isn’t the technology.

It’s deciding what to improve.

Because once you stop thinking in spreadsheets and start thinking in systems, you realize:

This process could be automated.
That approval could be structured.
Those emails could be triggered.
That reporting could be real-time.

Excel Isn’t the Problem. Scale Is.

Excel is brilliant for:

Analysis
Modeling
Individual work

But when Excel becomes your CRM, asset register, compliance tracker, or operations system…

You’re building a business on fragile logic.

Model-Driven Apps provide:

Structure
Governance
Relationships
Automation
Real-time collaboration

And most importantly: confidence in your data.

If your business is suffering from “death by Excel,” the answer isn’t banning spreadsheets.

It’s elevating your data into a system designed for how businesses actually operate.

Kim Brian – Power Platform Solution Architect