What are the benefits of copying an app without copying the data?

[cessnafrrg]

I am new with AppSheet and I noticed that there is an option to copy my app. While identical independent copies (with their own datasheets) may help distributing the app for different customers/companies, whats the benefits or use cases of copying an App without copying the data (still using the same underlying table? I have the following questions related to copying and licensing:

1. Does copying app without copying data help with app performance when, say, each copy is used by a different user type (i.e. one copy for vendors, another for managers etc.)

2. In the above scenario, if any user (i.e. admins) are common in both copies, do I need to pay separate license fees for each copy?

3. In prototyping phase will each copy (using the same underlying datasheets) have 10 free users?

4. Does each copy create a snapshot of all the logics? or do the changes in original app syncs with the copies automatically?

5. In general what are the use cases of copying an app without copying the data?

Thanks

[Joseph_Seddik · Accepted solution]

1. Does copying app without copying data help with app performance when, say, each copy is used by a different user type (i.e. one copy for vendors, another for managers etc.)

Possibly, or just for moving an app from development phase with dummy data to production. 

2. In the above scenario, if any user (i.e. admins) are common in both copies, do I need to pay separate license fees for each copy?

No. You are charged per user in your account, and each user can have any number of apps. 

3. In prototyping phase will each copy (using the same underlying datasheets) have 10 free users?

No. You have a total of 10 free users for any number of apps. 

4. Does each copy create a snapshot of all the logics? or do the changes in original app syncs with the copies automatically?

A snapshot at the time of creating the copy, after which they become independent apps.

[Joseph_Seddik · Accepted solution]

1. Does copying app without copying data help with app performance when, say, each copy is used by a different user type (i.e. one copy for vendors, another for managers etc.)

Possibly, or just for moving an app from development phase with dummy data to production. 

2. In the above scenario, if any user (i.e. admins) are common in both copies, do I need to pay separate license fees for each copy?

No. You are charged per user in your account, and each user can have any number of apps. 

3. In prototyping phase will each copy (using the same underlying datasheets) have 10 free users?

No. You have a total of 10 free users for any number of apps. 

4. Does each copy create a snapshot of all the logics? or do the changes in original app syncs with the copies automatically?

A snapshot at the time of creating the copy, after which they become independent apps.

[Steve · Accepted solution]

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@cessnafrrg wrote:

1. Does copying app without copying data help with app performance when, say, each copy is used by a different user type (i.e. one copy for vendors, another for managers etc.)

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It has no effect on app performance.

2. In the above scenario, if any user (i.e. admins) are common in both copies, do I need to pay separate license fees for each copy?

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License fees are attached to the account that owns the apps. The number of apps owned by the account has no bearing on the license fees.

3. In prototyping phase will each copy (using the same underlying datasheets) have 10 free users?

I'm not sure about this one.

4. Does each copy create a snapshot of all the logics? or do the changes in original app syncs with the copies automatically?

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Not clear what you mean here. A copy of the app includes all configuration of the original app, but does not include the revision history. A copy is a snapshot-in-time. Changes made to the original are not propagated to the copy; the two are independently-configured apps.

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