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Replace pricey martech with Power Platform: Use cases and migration patterns

ssharepoint

2026-02-01

10 min read

Replace surplus martech with Power Platform: rebuild forms, approvals and light CRM to cut costs and centralize data in 2026.

When your martech stack is bleeding budget and integration headaches, build smarter — not buy more

Marketing and demand-gen teams keep accumulating point tools: forms, approval apps, light CRMs, event registration, micro-surveys. Each adds subscription fees, duplicate data, brittle integrations and security gaps. For technology leaders and SharePoint / Microsoft 365 admins tasked with consolidation, the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, connectors and SPFx integrations) is now a proven alternative to replace many pricey martech functions — cutting cost, centralizing data, and improving developer velocity.

Why 2026 is the right moment to act

Two trends accelerated in late 2024–2025 and continue into 2026 that make a Power Platform migration compelling:

Copilot-driven authoring — Copilot-driven authoring, better templates and improved ALM for Power Platform let small teams deliver “micro apps” in days, not months.
Enterprise consolidation pressure — Organizations are tightening martech budgets and demanding stronger security and unified customer data models (Dataverse, Graph-based access).

“Many teams are choosing to build fast, focused micro apps instead of buying another subscription.” — observed industry trend, 2025–26

Which martech functions map well to Power Platform

Not every martech product should be replaced. But several common functions — especially internal-facing or lightly customer-facing scenarios — are trade-offs that favor rebuilding with Power Platform.

1. Forms and surveys (replace Typeform, Formstack, SurveyMonkey)

Use case: lead capture, qualification forms, internal intake, event RSVPs where you need branding, conditional logic, and integrated workflows.

Power Apps canvas apps or Microsoft Forms for simple scenarios.
Power Automate flows to route, transform and enrich submissions (lookup in Dataverse, create lead records, notify Teams).
Dataverse or SharePoint lists for storage depending on scale and relational needs.

2. Approvals and contract workflows (replace standalone workflow tools)

Use case: marketing creative approvals, budget sign-offs, vendor onboarding, NDAs.

Power Automate has rich approval actions that integrate with Outlook, Teams and mobile notifications.
Combine with Dataverse for audit trails, retention and reporting.
Embed approval UIs in Teams channels or SharePoint using SPFx and Power Apps for a unified experience.

3. Lightweight CRM / lead management (replace entry-level HubSpot/Zoho tiers)

Use case: marketing-sourced leads, campaign list management, simple pipeline tracking without enterprise CRM complexity.

Dataverse provides a relational data model for contacts, accounts, and activities.
Power Apps gives a customizable UI for marketing and sales development teams.
Power Automate synchronizes leads to Dynamics 365 or to external CRMs with connectors or custom connectors for API-driven sync.

4. Event registration and simple ticketing

Integrated event registration, seat limits, QA workflows and post-event follow-up are easy with a combination of Power Apps, Dataverse, Power Automate and Teams integration.

5. Content gating and lightweight CMS pieces

For gated assets, landing pages embedded in SharePoint or Teams, use Power Apps or SPFx with Dataverse as the content store. This keeps content under Microsoft 365 compliance controls rather than proliferating third-party SaaS.

Migration patterns: choose the right approach for each function

Below are practical migration patterns and when to use them. Treat each martech function independently — you don’t need a full rip-and-replace.

Pattern A — Replace: Full rebuild inside Power Platform

Best for internal or low-volume external apps where you control the UI and processes.

Recreate data model in Dataverse or SharePoint (if simple lists).
Build a Power Apps canvas app and Power Automate flows to replicate business logic.
Use custom connectors if you need to integrate external systems or APIs.
Deploy via Solutions and manage ALM and CI/CD with GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps.

Pattern B — Integrate: Coexist with syncing

Use when the existing martech tool is still valuable for external-facing features (e.g., landing page builder) but you want centralized data:

Use the vendor API or a prebuilt connector to sync records to Dataverse virtual tables on a cadence.
Enrich records with Power Automate (augment lead scores, add owner fields).
Keep the vendor UI for public forms but use Dataverse for reporting, routing and workflows.

Pattern C — Hybrid: Replace core workflows but keep specialized features

Ideal when specific advanced features in the vendor product are critical (e.g., advanced analytics or deliverability) but core workflows can migrate.

Pattern D — Virtualize: Use Dataverse virtual tables / Azure SQL

When you must access existing data live without copying, create virtual tables or use APIs to surface records into Power Apps and Power Automate. This avoids duplication while enabling unified UIs.

Technical architecture and practical examples

Below are actionable architecture patterns with sample artifacts to accelerate your build.

Choosing a data store: Dataverse vs SharePoint vs Azure SQL

Dataverse: Best for relational models, rich metadata, business rules, and enterprise governance. Use when you need audit history, role-based security and Power Apps model-driven apps.
SharePoint lists: Good for simple forms, small datasets and teams already comfortable with lists. Cheaper but limited for relational scenarios and large volumes.
Azure SQL: Use when you need SQL features, complex queries, or heavy bulk operations. Pair with virtual tables or custom connectors.

Example: Replacing a marketing form + approval flow

Scenario: Replace a Formstack intake form and a separate approvals tool. Requirements: conditional form logic, routing to approvers based on department, audit trail, Teams notification.

Data model: Create Dataverse table IntakeRequest with fields: RequestId (GUID), Title, Requestor (Dataverse lookup to Users), Department, Priority, Status, Attachments.
UI: Build a Power Apps canvas app for submission with conditional fields and validation.
Automation: Power Automate flow triggered on Dataverse record creation — uses Start and wait for an approval action, updates the Dataverse record status, posts to a Teams channel, and stores the approval audit in a related ApprovalHistory table.

// Sample HTTP webhook payload for an external form service to post into Power Automate
{
  "title": "New Intake",
  "requestorEmail": "alice@contoso.com",
  "department": "Product Marketing",
  "answers": {"q1":"yes","q2":"no"}
}

Power Automate will receive the HTTP request (when an incoming webhook trigger is used), parse the payload, call the Dataverse connector to create the record, and then start the approval step.

Example: Lightweight CRM lead capture and sync to Dynamics or HubSpot

Goal: Capture MQLs in Dataverse, run enrichment, sync qualified leads to enterprise CRM.

Dataverse tables for Lead, LeadSource, Campaign.
Power Automate flow to enrich leads using 3rd-party API (phone validation, firmographic lookup via connector).
Conditional flow to sync to Dynamics 365 via the Dynamics connector or to HubSpot through a custom connector/API.

Governance, security and ALM

Replacing martech with Power Platform increases your control — but you must enforce governance to avoid new technical debt.

Governance checklist

Environment strategy: dev/test/prod separation and per-team environments.
Solution management: package components in Solutions for transport across environments.
Dataverse security: use row-level security and field-level security where required.
API access control: manage custom connectors and OAuth app registrations in Azure AD.
Monitoring: enable Power Platform monitoring, retention policies, and automated alerts for failed flows.

ALM and CI/CD

Use the Power Platform Build Tools and GitHub Actions/Azure DevOps pipelines to export/import Solutions, apply environment variables, and run integration tests. Treat Power Platform artifacts as first-class code.

Cost and licensing: how to estimate savings

Real cost benefits depend on current spend and how many capabilities you replicate. Use this pragmatic approach:

Inventory current martech spend per function (monthly & annual), including add-ons for APIs, seats and overages.
Estimate Power Platform licensing needed — per-app or per-user plans, plus Dataverse capacity and add-ons.
Calculate integration and migration effort (hours * blended rate) and one-time development cost.
Project ongoing savings from cancelled subscriptions, reduced integration maintenance, and lower data egress fees.

Tip: Many organizations find replacing several overlapping point tools with a small number of Power Platform apps reduces recurring SaaS spend and lowers integration maintenance by 30–60% over 2 years. Your mileage will vary; run a pilot to validate your assumptions.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Overbuilding: Don’t try to recreate every advanced feature of a vendor product. Replace core value and keep the vendor for specialized functions if needed.
Poor data design: Avoid treating Dataverse or SharePoint as a dumping ground — model relations thoughtfully and plan for indexing and performance.
License mismatch: Validate whether per-user or per-app plans are more cost-effective for your user base before committing.
Insufficient governance: Without enforcement, citizen devs can create dozens of uncontrolled apps. Use admin policies and environment quotas.

Migration playbook — step-by-step

Assess — inventory tools, usage metrics, integrations, data residency and compliance needs.
Prioritize — select 2–3 high-value, low-risk candidates for initial replacement (forms, internal approvals, one lead list).
Design — create data model, security model and integration plan. Choose Dataverse, SharePoint or Azure SQL.
Build — use Power Apps + Power Automate templates; apply Copilot suggestions to speed development.
Test — integration, performance, and security testing in staging environment.
Deploy — move via Solutions and automated CI/CD; train users and provide runbooks.
Measure — compare time-to-process, error rates, license count, and cost before and after.
Iterate — expand to the next candidate using lessons learned.

Real-world pattern: micro-apps for rapid wins

In 2025 many teams began shipping “micro apps” — narrowly scoped Power Apps solving a single workflow. These micro apps are low risk and high visibility. Example wins include:

A two-week Power Apps intake app that replaced three point tools (form, ticket system, approval tool), reducing vendor licenses and consolidating data into Dataverse.
An event-registration app that pushed attendee lists to Teams, automatically created follow-up tasks, and eliminated the event SaaS provider for internal meetups.

Advanced strategies for scale and integration

Custom connectors and Graph API

When you need functionality outside of built-in connectors, build a custom connector that wraps the vendor API. For Microsoft 365 interactions, favor Microsoft Graph to access users, teams, mailboxes and SharePoint content.

SPFx and embedded experiences

Use SPFx web parts or Teams tabs to embed Power Apps, surface Dataverse reports, or host SPFx controls that call Power Automate flows. This creates a seamless user experience inside portals your users already use.

AI augmentation

By 2026, Copilot and AI-assisted suggestions in Power Apps and Power Automate have drastically cut build time. Use AI for content enrichment (summarization, classification), lead scoring or automating routine approvals, but log decisions and provide human override.

Checklist: Is a martech function a candidate for replacement?

Is the tool primarily internal-facing or lightly customer-facing?
Are fewer than ~50k unique interactions/month (scale threshold varies)?
Can required integrations be achieved via connectors or custom APIs?
Does your organization already have Power Platform licensing and governance?
Are there compliance or deliverability features that the vendor uniquely provides? If yes, consider a hybrid approach.

Actionable takeaways

Start with a 30–60 day pilot replacing one martech function (forms or approvals) to validate cost, user acceptance and integration complexity.
Model costs precisely: include Microsoft licensing, Dataverse capacity needs and migration labor.
Use Dataverse for relational needs and SharePoint for lightweight lists; don’t conflate convenience with scalability.
Implement governance: environment strategy, solution ALM, and approval controls to avoid new sprawl.
Leverage custom connectors and Graph API to keep integrations robust and maintainable.

Conclusion — replace judiciously, consolidate confidently

Power Platform is not a universal replacement for every martech product, but in 2026 it is the most pragmatic option to reclaim budget, centralize data, and reduce integration debt for many common martech functions like forms, approvals and lightweight CRM. By choosing the right migration pattern, enforcing governance, and leveraging modern Power Platform tooling and AI-assisted development, IT and marketing can deliver faster, safer and cheaper solutions — and avoid adding another subscription to the pile.

Ready to get started?

If you’re evaluating candidates in your martech stack, start with a short pilot: pick one function (forms or approvals), build a Power Apps + Dataverse prototype, and validate integration to your CRM and Teams channels. Need a migration checklist, architecture review or a pilot blueprint for your environment? Contact our team for a tailored 30-day pilot plan and cost-savings estimate.

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