Power Platform In-built Deployment Pipelines

Power Platform’s In-Built Deployment Pipelines is another approach to deploy your solutions, connections, connection references, and environment variables from source environment to target environment.

For Azure DevOps pipelines deployment please refer:

Part-1 : https://asifwaquar.com/power-platform-deployment-using-azure-devops-part-1/

Part-2 : https://asifwaquar.com/power-platform-deployment-using-azure-devops-part-2-release/

Let’s first understand the basic difference between both approaches.

Now let’s try to implement it.

If you are planning to deploy your app solutions from source (Dev) environment to QA and Production environments. There are several steps to do that.

Environments: You need to create the environments (DEV,QA/PROD) to deploy your app solutions.

Additionally, it is recommended (though not mandatory) to have a dedicated environment, known as the Host Environment, to manage the Power Platform built-in pipelines. This environment can be managed by an administrator for better control and monitoring purpose.

Note :

  • All environments used in pipelines must have a Microsoft Dataverse database.
  • You must have a Power Platform administrator or Dataverse system administrator role to install the pipelines application.
  • All target environments used in a pipeline must be enabled as Managed Environments.

Step 1 : To create the all 4 environments (DEV/QA/PROD & Host).

  1. Go to https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/environments
  2. Click on the create button provide environment name, region, choose environment group (It’s useful to organise all of your environments), type of environment.
  3. Make sure you have selected Microsoft Dataverse because all environments used in pipelines must have a Microsoft Dataverse database.
  4. Choose environment as Managed environment because all target environment used in a pipelines must be managed.

Step 2 : Create the app in development environment and add to the solutions to package it.

  1. Go to the (https://make.powerapps.com/) and change the environment to development.
  2. Choose the option to start creating app (Blank, with share point, data verse etc.)

3. Create the app and choose the app type to create it. For demo purpose, I have chosen Blank app.

4. Add the new screen and link the data source. I am going to add new welcome screen.

5. Save the app and publish it.

Step 3 : After creating the application, In the Power Apps portal, navigate to the Solutions area. If you already have a solution, select it; otherwise, create a new one. This solution will contain the apps, flows, and components you wish to deploy.

1. Create solution and select publisher.

2. Add the app created in Step 2 to the solution. Click on the add existing and choose canvas app.

3. There will be two options displayed: Dataverse and Outside Dataverse. For the current canvas app, we have not selected Dataverse as the backend database, so the app will be displayed under the Outside Dataverse tab.

4. Click on publish all customisations button.

Step 4 : Enable Deployment Pipelines.

In the Power Platform Admin Center, under host environment Settings, enable the deployment pipeline feature if it’s not already enabled. This is necessary to start using the built-in deployment pipelines.

  1. Go to the power platform admin center environments. (https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/environments)
  2. Choose the host environment which was created in Step 1.
  3. Go to the resources option and click on Dynamics 365 Apps.

4. Now click on the install apps and choose power platform pipelines. Click next to install the power platform pipelines.

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