Managing Apps and Users in Power Platform

Managing Apps and Users in Power Platform

• Power Apps and Power Automate (unlike Power BI) can modify data sources, requiring more careful user privilege management.

Managing Apps

• The Power Apps portal's "Apps" page allows app selection, editing, running, configuration, sharing, exporting, addition to Teams, and run history viewing.

Managing Users

• Power Platform tools leverage Azure Active Directory for user authentication and access control.
• User creation and management generally use the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Administrators assign licenses to users via the "Manage product licenses" button.
• Available licenses depend on purchased tenant subscriptions.
• Some licenses are bundled (e.g., with Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365).
• Standalone Power Platform subscriptions are available for greater capabilities.
• Security roles are assigned via the Dynamics 365 user management center.
• Security roles combine access levels and data permissions to specific resources, essential for model app users, primarily in Dynamics 365.
• Important Note: Security role management may be moving to the Power Platform admin center; check for updates.

Environments

• When an Azure AD tenancy is created, a default environment (named after the tenant) is also created.

• Environments contain apps, flows, and associated data.

• Environment usage is displayed prominently.

• Environment access is limited to users in the associated Azure AD tenancy.

• Environments are tied to the tenant's location.

• A single Microsoft Dataverse database is allowed per environment.

• Data is restricted to apps and flows within the same environment.

• Administrators can create multiple environments.

• The "Environments" page (in Power Platform admin center) lists current environments.

• New environments can be created with specific names, types, and regions.

• Environments also support default language and currency values.

• Option to create an associated Dataverse database.

• Several reasons to create multiple environments:

  • Team, department, or location separation.
  • App and flow development/testing versus production.

• Environment types:

  • Production (for permanent use, requiring license and storage).
  • Sandbox (development/testing, supports "copy" and "reset" functions)
  • Trial (short-term testing, 30-day limit, single user)
  • Developer (single user, Community Plan license required).

• An environment selector tool is available in the Power Apps and Power Automate portals.