This is an alternative approach to solve the problem described in my blog post here:

https://selfservice-bi.com/2016/11/19/solving-real-world-scenarios-with-microsoft-flow/

This time I’m using PowerApps to „win“ the challenge. All of this is done in three easy steps:

Step 1:

For testing purposes, it is enough to sign up for a free plan here:

https://vatlayer.com/

Step 2:

Then you need to set up a custom connector in PowerApps. I found the wizard very easy to use and after some trial and error I ended up with a working solution:

Step 3:

Last thing to do is setting up a new Canvas app. For my test I only needed a TextInput control to insert the VAT Number, a Button to call the api and a Gallery to show the results. Basically, all of this is up and running with only one single line of code:

If have to say I’m once again very impressed how easy it is to work with PowerApps. I was able to integrate an api service, create a custom connector and build a running demo solution in about 1 h. I must admit I found this article very helpful:

https://blog.portiva.nl/2018/01/22/building-powerapps-using-data-from-a-custom-connector/

From here of course I will go on and enhance my little program. For example, I will store the results of the check in the SQL database. And if the check is returning false there should be another button to send an e-mail to my client asking for the correct VAT no. Or send a notification to someone responsible within my company.