Azure Power Apps and DevOps Integration Guide

Power Apps is a low-code platform that enables users to create custom business apps quickly and efficiently. It's a game-changer for businesses that need to adapt to changing requirements fast.

In this section, we'll explore the integration of Power Apps with DevOps, which is a set of practices that emphasizes collaboration between software developers and other IT professionals. By integrating Power Apps with DevOps, businesses can streamline their app development and deployment processes.

Power Apps can be integrated with Azure DevOps, a comprehensive DevOps toolset, to automate tasks and improve collaboration. This integration allows users to manage their Power Apps projects within Azure DevOps, including version control, continuous integration, and continuous deployment.

With this integration, businesses can also leverage Azure DevOps' features such as automated testing, deployment, and monitoring to ensure their Power Apps are reliable and perform well.

To set up your Azure Power Apps environment, you'll need to configure it with the Application ID. This involves adding the Application ID as an Application User, which can be done in two ways.

You can review the article on Application user creation for step-by-step instructions. Alternatively, you can use the Power Platform CLI, which allows you to add the Application User with a simple command.

To ensure the added Application User has the necessary permissions, assign the system administrator role. This role is available from the security settings for the application user under "Manage Roles".

To set up your application in the Dev Environment, start by going to the Link to Create Power App and selecting the Dev environment option.

Make sure Dev environment is selected when creating the PowerApp. This is crucial for setting up your application correctly.

The next step is to go to the PowerPlatform Admin Portal and select the Dev Environment. This will ensure that you're working within the correct environment for development.

To confirm that you're in the Dev Environment, look for the Dev environment option selected when creating the PowerApp. This will help you avoid any confusion later on.

By following these steps, you'll be able to set up your application in the Dev Environment with ease.

To configure your environment with an Application ID, you must add it as an Application User in the Microsoft Power Platform environment you're connecting to. You can do this by reviewing the article on Application user creation or using the Power Platform CLI.

You'll need to ensure the added Application User has the system administrator role assigned, which is available from "Manage Roles" in the security settings for the application user.

There are two ways to add the Application ID, so you can choose the method that works best for you.

Here are the two methods:

By following these steps, you'll be able to configure your environment with the Application ID and start using the Microsoft Power Platform.

To configure a connection using a service principal, you must first have a Power Platform profile authenticated with the required permissions. This involves adding a Microsoft Entra ID application and an associated application user to the Dataverse environment.

You can create a service principal using the pac admin create-service-principal command. This command registers an Application object and corresponding Service Principal Name (SPN) in Microsoft Entra ID, and adds the application as an administrator user to the Microsoft Power Platform tenant.

The pac admin create-service-principal command has two parameters: environment and role. The environment parameter is required and specifies the ID or URL of the environment to add an application user to. The role parameter is optional and specifies the name or ID of the security role to be applied to the application user.

Here are the parameters for the pac admin create-service-principal command:

Once you've created the service principal, you can use the information displayed to configure the Power Platform service connection. This includes the Power Platform TenantId, Application ID, Client Secret, and Expiration.

Remember to keep the client secret safe and secure, as it can only be retrieved once and cannot be retrieved again after the command prompt is cleared.

You can use Git version control to edit canvas apps in Power Apps, which is an experimental feature. This allows multiple developers to work on the same app simultaneously.

To enable collaboration with Git version control, go to the Settings menu in Power Apps and turn on the show the Git version control setting in experimental features.

Once enabled, you'll need to connect Power Apps to a Git repository. To do this, navigate to the Git Version Control section of the settings menu and select Connect. This will prompt you to fill in the Git repository URL, branch, and directory name.

The Git repository URL is a web address that points to your repository, while the branch is the name of the default development branch. In Power Apps, you can only operate on the main branch. The directory name is the name of the folder where your Power Apps source code will be stored, and you must choose a name that doesn't already exist in the repository.

Here's a summary of the required fields:

After connecting your Power Apps to a Git repository, you can view the source code in Azure Dev Ops. This allows you to conduct a code review, edit the raw code, rename variables and collections, and more. To do this, navigate to the folder where your app's source code is stored and select the YAML file for the screen you edited in Power Apps.

When you're working on a feature, it's essential to save and sync your changes manually to avoid pushing unfinished code onto other developers' screens. To do this, press the sync button on the top menu of Power Apps Studio, which commits your changes to the repository and merges them with the existing code.

Azure DevOps allows you to automate your build, test, and deployment process as a CI/CD platform. This enables you to store Power Apps source code in source control and collaborate on components.

Power Apps CI/CD pipelines can be created in Azure DevOps by adding steps such as Power Platform Publish Customizations and Power Platform Export Solution. These pipelines can be used to export and unpack a Power Apps unmanaged solution, and then store the extracted files into source control.

To create a pipeline, you can use the Azure DevOps interface to add steps such as Power Platform Tool Installer, Power Platform Publish Customizations, and Power Platform Export Solution. This will allow you to automate the build, test, and deployment process for your Power Apps solution.

A pipeline can be created to build a Power Apps managed solution by adding necessary steps such as Power Platform Tool Installer, Power Platform Pack Solution, and Power Platform Import Solution. This will generate a managed solution that can be deployed to a user environment like UAT or Production.

Here are the steps to create a pipeline to build a Power Apps managed solution:Power Platform Tool InstallerPower Platform Pack SolutionPower Platform Import SolutionPower Platform Export SolutionBuild Artifact

CI/CD is a crucial aspect of Power Apps development and deployment. Azure DevOps provides a platform for automation tools to enable continual Power Apps delivery and better value for customers.

Azure DevOps Pipeline is a mechanism to implement CI/CD to continuously build, test, and deploy Power Apps. This pipeline can be created to automate the build, test, and deployment process, making it easier to manage Power Apps development and deployment.

A CI/CD pipeline can be created to export and unpack a Power Apps unmanaged solution, and then store the extracted files into source control. This pipeline can include steps such as Power Platform Tool Installer, Power Platform Publish Customizations, Power Platform Export Solution, Power Platform Checker, Power Platform Unpack Solution, and Command Line Script.

Here are the steps to create a CI/CD pipeline:

Once the pipeline is created, it can be saved, queued, and run. The pipeline should verify that the expected Power Apps files (master copy) appear in the source control repository, provided the checker reports no errors.

A CI/CD pipeline can also be created to build a Power Apps managed solution. This pipeline can include steps such as Power Platform Tool Installer, Power Platform Pack Solution, Power Platform Import Solution, and Power Platform Export Solution.

Here are the steps to create a managed solution pipeline:

Once the pipeline is created, it can be saved and run. The pipeline should verify that it has created a Power Apps managed solution (zip file).

Finally, a CI/CD pipeline can be created to deploy a Power Apps managed solution to a user environment. This pipeline can include steps such as Power Platform Who Am I Task, Power Platform Pack Solution, and Power Platform Import Solution.

Here are the steps to create a deployment pipeline:

Once the pipeline is created, it can be saved and run. The pipeline should verify that it has been deployed to the user environment (UAT, Production).

The YAML Code Generator is a powerful tool in Power Apps. It allows us to generate YAML code for our apps, making it easier to work with CI/CD and pipelines.

To use the YAML Code Generator, you can refer to the Power Apps YAML Code Generator section. Unfortunately, there's no additional information provided on how to use it in the article section facts.

However, I can tell you that I've used the PA version number in the version comment to preserve the PA version <> GIT commit relationship, as mentioned in the Power Apps YAML Code Generator section.

The YAML Code Generator can be a game-changer for developers working on Power Apps projects. With it, you can automate tasks and streamline your workflow.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when working with the YAML Code Generator:

As a developer, I can attest that the YAML Code Generator is a valuable tool in our toolkit. With it, we can focus on writing code and building apps, rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

To get the most out of the YAML Code Generator, be sure to explore the Power Apps YAML Code Generator section and other related resources.