Building Admin — Power Apps Rebuild
A Power Apps rebuild of Building Admin, replacing a legacy Remedy-based system with a new database and mirrored business logic, plus new capabilities like instant file previews and live file updates the old platform never had.
Overview
- Project Name: Building Admin — Power Apps Rebuild
- Project Type: Legacy platform replacement
- Replaced: A legacy Remedy-based Building Admin system (ARSystem)
- Tech Stack: Power Apps (Canvas App), Power Automate, BuildingCRM (SQL Server)
- Status: Delivered
Building Admin had been running on a legacy Remedy-based platform (ARSystem), and losing the subject-matter experts who knew that platform made staying on it an operational risk beyond just an aging tech stack. As part of moving off Remedy, Building Admin was rebuilt as a Power Apps canvas app backed by a new BuildingCRM SQL database, with the existing business logic mirrored across deliberately so the rebuild changed the platform underneath the tool without changing how it behaved for the people already using it day to day.
The rebuild wasn't just a like-for-like port, though. It also added capabilities the legacy platform never had — instant file previews, so users can see a file's contents without downloading it first, and live file updates, so changes take effect immediately instead of requiring the delay the old system needed.
Architecture
Platform Migration
The legacy platform ran on Remedy's ARSystem, with a Remedy UI sitting on legacy infrastructure. The rebuild replaces every layer: ARSystem becomes BuildingCRM, the Remedy UI becomes a Power Apps Canvas App, and the legacy infrastructure becomes a dedicated LSN-CRMDEV SQL instance. BuildingCRM is now the system of record — the same role ARSystem used to play.
Business Capabilities Preserved
The migration deliberately kept three feature sets intact, since they're what the rest of Oxford's building operations and website ecosystem actually depend on:
- Contacts
- Website Administration
- Fact Sheets
Features Retired
Everything else on the legacy platform was decommissioned rather than carried forward:
- MAXX Admin
- Building Emergency
- Occupant Emergency Bulletin
- Security Admin
- Water Treatment
Integration Architecture
Building Admin was never a standalone tool — a range of downstream systems and workflows read building data, contacts, amenities, awards, marketing info, leasing roles, and fact sheets straight out of it, and every one of them had to keep working through the migration:
- 310.MAXX
- OASIS
- Lease-With-Us API
- Capital Approval
- Landlord Work Approval
- Self-Audit Workflow
- AR Provision & Writeoff
Key Features
- New Purpose-Built Database: Replaced whatever backed the legacy Remedy app with a dedicated database designed for the rebuild, rather than trying to keep the old data store in place underneath a new front end.
- Mirrored Business Logic: The rules and behaviours users relied on in the legacy tool were deliberately carried over, so the platform migration didn't change how the tool worked for its existing users.
- Instant File Previews: Added file previewing that didn't exist in the legacy platform, letting users see a file's contents without downloading it first.
- Live File Updates: File updates now take effect immediately, rather than requiring the delay or manual refresh the legacy platform needed.
Technologies Used
The platform the rebuild is delivered on, replacing the legacy Remedy-based application end to end.
Orchestrates the automation layer alongside the Canvas App — Cloud Flows that handle SQL updates, integrations, and notifications triggered by user actions.
Hosts BuildingCRM on the LSN-CRMDEV instance — the new system of record that replaced ARSystem.
Migration Program
Retiring Remedy wasn't just a front-end swap — it touched several workstreams at once:
- PowerApp front-end replacement
- Internal Remedy workflow migration
- Boomi process updates
- AR Provision migration to CRM
- Linked server changes
- Dependent application remediation
Operational Support Model
Support is split by layer, not by feature:
- PowerApps: application-level support.
- Power Automate: flow support.
- SQL Server: database support for BuildingCRM.
- Business Owners: own Contacts, Fact Sheets, and Website Data directly.
Key Outcomes
Business Drivers
- Remedy end-of-life and decommissioning.
- Loss of Remedy subject-matter experts.
- Operational risk reduction.
- Platform standardization on Microsoft's ecosystem.
Technical Outcomes
- ARSystem eliminated.
- BuildingCRM introduced as the new SQL platform.
- A PowerApps front end established.
- Power Automate introduced for orchestration.
- The integration ecosystem preserved end to end.
Organizational Outcomes
- Business continuity maintained throughout.
- Critical website and leasing integrations preserved.
- Reduced dependency on a legacy technology stack.
- A supportable solution aligned with Oxford's Power Platform strategy.
Outcome
Building Admin now runs on a modern, Oxford-owned Power Apps and BuildingCRM stack instead of an unsupported Remedy platform, with the same core functionality its users relied on plus new capabilities — file previewing and live updates — the old system never offered. Every downstream system that depended on Building Admin data — from OASIS and 310.MAXX to Lease-With-Us — kept working through the migration without disruption. Retiring the Remedy licence for Building Admin contributed to more than $200,000/year in licence cost savings.