Power Platform ALM and Governance Strategies

Working with Environments in the Power Platform

This chapter introduces how environments can be used to separate your development, acceptance and production environments. It also explains how you configure environment security so that only approved users can create and manage environments.

• Overview of the Power Platform
• The Role of Environments in the Power Platform
• Creating and Managing Environments
• Securing Environments with Data Loss Prevention Policies
• Managed Environments
• Dataverse Git Integration
• LAB: Creating Environments

Working with Solutions in the Power Platform

Solutions are used by app makers and developers to package related customizations together so that they can be managed and deployed as a single unit. We will see what components can be added to a solution and how they are the essential building blocks of your environment.

• Working with Solutions in Environments
• Default Solutions in an Environment
• Creating Solutions and Solution Publishers
• Creating Canvas Apps and Power Automate Flows inside a Solution
• Importing and Exporting Solutions
• Managed versus Unmanaged Solutions
• Solutions and Managed Properties
• Connecting Solutions to Git
• Versioning Solutions

Working with Connection References and Environment Variables

In this chapter you will learn about Connection References and Environment Variables and how they can be used to solve the issue of connecting to separate development/acceptance/production data sources without having to make major changes in a Power Automate Flow or Canvas App.

• Connection References in Power Automate
• Connection References in Canvas Apps
• Connection References in Solutions
• Environment Variables in Power Automate
• Environment Variables in Canvas Apps
• Environment Variables in Solutions
• Importing Solutions with Connection References and Environment Variables
• LAB: Working with Connection References and Environment Variables

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) with the Microsoft Power Platform CLI

When developing larger apps and flows it is important to separate your development, acceptance and production environments. In this chapter you will learn how to implement ALM in the Power Platform CLI.

• The Microsoft Power Platform CLI
• Application Lifecycle Management with the Power Platform CLI
• Managing Environment Variables and Connection References with the CLI
• Exporting and Importing Solutions with the CLI
• Managing Power Apps Code Apps with the CLI
• LAB: Automate ALM with Power Platform CLI Scripts

Working with Service Principals in the Power Platform

You do not want your business-critical apps and flows to be owned by a personal Microsoft 365 account. Likewise, when using the Power Platform CLI to create Deployment Pipelines, you do not want to run them with your Microsoft 365 account. In this chapter you will learn how to create and use Service Principals to own and deploy Power Platform artifacts.

• Which artifacts are actually user-owned?
• What are Service Principals?
• Creating and Configuring a Microsoft Entra ID Application Registration
• Using Service Principals in Canvas Apps and Power Automate Flows
• Working with Service Principals in the Power Platform CLI
• LAB: Configure and Use Service Principals for improved ALM Practices

Working with Deployment Pipelines in the Power Platform

Pipelines in the Power Platform aim to democratize application lifecycle management (ALM) for Power Platform and Dynamics 365 customers. They bring ALM automation into the service in a manner that's more approachable for all makers, admins, and developers.

• Configuring Deployment Pipelines
• Exporting Solutions with Pipelines
• Extending Pipelines with Approvals
• Extending Pipelines with Service Principals
• Deploying Solutions with Personal Pipelines
• LAB: Configuring Pipelines with Service Principals

Using Git and Azure DevOps for Source Control and ALM

Git integration in the Power Platform enables modern source control and collaborative development for makers and pro developers. By connecting environments to repositories, teams can manage changes, track versions, and streamline application lifecycle management (ALM) using familiar DevOps practices.

• Understanding Git and Azure DevOps for ALM
• Prerequisites for Enabling Git Integration
• Connecting Environments and Solutions to Git Repositories
• Environment Binding vs Solution Binding
• Working with Source Control in Power Platform Solutions
• Combining Git Integration, Deployment Pipelines and the CLI

Working with On-Premises Data Sources

Companies don't always store all their data in the cloud. If you want to build Canvas Apps or Power Automate Flows that access on-premises data sources, you'll need to install and configure a Data Gateway.

• Online vs. On-Premises Data Sources
• Installing and Configuring a Data Gateway
• Using a Data Gateway in Canvas Apps and Power Automate
• LAB: Accessing On-Premises Data Sources using a Data Gateway

Working with the Center of Excellence Toolkit

The Microsoft Power Platform CoE Starter Kit is a collection of components and tools that are designed to help you get started with developing a strategy for adopting and supporting the Microsoft Power Platform. In this chapter you will learn how to install and configure the Center of Excellence Toolkit and how it can be used to make sure your organization is following best practices for the Power Platform.

• Center of Excellence Component Overview
• Configuring the Center of Excellence Starter Kit
• Using the Center of Excellence Components