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Unpack Power Platform Magic: Your Essential Guide to Solutions!
Key insights
Solutions are essential for effective Power Platform development and administration, allowing components of an app/flow/bot/site to be managed collectively. They are often misconceived as ‘boxes’ holding components, when they are actually lists that can contain components that also exist in other solutions—similar to players in multiple fantasy football teams.
Solutions come in two forms: cloud and artifact. The cloud form involves related Dataverse Tables, while artifacts are zipped files containing XML, JSON, and media files. Understanding these states is crucial for efficiently managing Power Platform components.
The Default Solution is inherent and includes all components, but it cannot be exported. Deleting an unmanaged solution keeps the components intact in the default solution; however, if you delete a managed solution, the components are also removed from the default solution.
Managed solutions are typically read-only, although customizations are possible through solution layers. These layers are a sequence of changes above the managed base and dictate which version is executed, potentially complicating the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM). Managed properties can limit this but have their exceptions.
Dependencies and visibility in solutions can create challenges. Dependencies arise when a component references another not present in the solution, possibly causing import failure. Visibility, on the other hand, is universal within a solution, but you can't see what isn't shared with you, leading to potential overlap and conflict during sharing or exporting.
The sharing components feature makes it easier to manage flows, connection references, and environment variables, as everything is stored in Dataverse tables. Yet, some sharing cannot be done within the solution and must be accessed through advanced settings on the Power Apps platform.
- The SolutionComponents table acts as a bridge between solution records and its components, holding key details about each.
- The ConnectionReferences table lists all connectors, and Environment Variables are split into definition and value tables, linked by a schema name.
Artifact files contain important details about a solution, such as customization.xml with the solution's contents, solution.xml with key solution information, and content_types.xml listing the types of files included. These artifacts are pivotal in the deployment and update process of Power Platform solutions.
Key Features of Solutions
Default Solution: The default, unexportable solution includes all system solutions and is the primary home for component development within the environment. It’s also crucial to note, removing an unmanaged solution doesn't delete its components, as they remain part of the default solution.
Unlike the default solution, the Common Data Service Default Solution has special storage procedures, showing up in flows' Solution sections like personal solutions, while the default will not.
The discussion on deception between managed and unmanaged solutions reveals the intricacies of solution layers and the potential chaos with application lifecycle management (ALM).
Managed and Unmanaged Solutions: While managed solutions are meant to be read-only, their components can still undergo changes through additional customization or solution layers. However, to prevent these changes, it's necessary to adjust each component's 'Managed Properties.'
Solution Layers: These layers act like versions of your solution, recording changes over the base managed layer, with the newest ones taking precedence over others. This hierarchy can complicate things when importing updated solutions over existing layers. Therefore, it's generally advisable to avoid direct edits in production environments.
Visibility: Solutions, by default, are visible to all users, which might lead to dependency issues. Managing these requires understanding peer dependencies and potential impacts on exporting solutions.
Dependencies and Sharing Components: Dependencies in solutions often arise when referencing external components, which can cause import failures. Two views provide insight into dependencies: the ‘Show Dependencies’ option in the solution and the Solution checker, which helps to identify missing components.
Sharing components is essential and is simplified by the fact that all components reside in Dataverse tables, thus promoting ease of sharing changes, especially with Connection References and Environment Variables.
Read the full article Everything you didn't know you needed to know about Power Platform Solutions
People also ask
What are solutions in Power Platform?
Solutions in Power Platform are a set of tools and services that enable users to create, manage, and deploy applications that interact with data from various sources. They are designed to help organizations analyze data, automate processes, and develop complex business solutions leveraging Power BI for analytics, Power Apps for application development, Power Automate for process automation, and Power Virtual Agents for building chatbots. Solutions help in organizing and managing customizations and components from a single environment that can be transported across different environments or as templates.
What does a Microsoft Power Platform developer do?
A Microsoft Power Platform developer is responsible for creating and configuring applications using the Power Platform suite. Their role involves analyzing business needs, designing solutions using Power Apps, automating workflows with Power Automate, creating data visualizations with Power BI, and developing virtual agents with Power Virtual Agents. They work closely with business stakeholders to transform processes and solve complex business problems with minimal coding, leveraging the platform's robust capabilities for rapid development and deployment of applications.
How do I become a power app developer?
To become a Power App developer, you should start by gaining an understanding of the core components of Microsoft Power Platform. Learn the basics of Power Apps, study common data service environments, and familiarize yourself with connectors and gateways. It's beneficial to have a fundamental knowledge of data modeling, design, and development principles. Microsoft provides official learning paths and certification programs, such as the Power Platform Fundamentals and Power App Maker Associate certifications. Hands-on experience through building apps and engaging with the Power Apps community can also be invaluable avenues for learning and growth in this field.
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