Efficient Deployments: Power Platform Pipelines Automation Guide

by HubSite 365 about Microsoft

Software Development Redmond, Washington

Citizen DeveloperPower DevOpsPower DevOpsM365 Release

Master application lifecycle management with Microsofts Power Platform Pipelines Automation for streamlined deployments.

Streamlining Deployments with Power Platform Pipelines Automation: A Closer Look

Power Platform Pipelines Automation represents a democratization in managing application lifecycle for Power Platform and Dynamics 365 customers. As per the recent blog post by Microsoft, this tool brings deployment automation capabilities into Managed Environments, being approachable for all administrators, developers and makers.

The blog post reveals two videos, one by Microsoft Mechanics and another from Power CAT Live that offer an inside view of pipelines and Managed Environments in action.

The process of moving solutions from development environments to production environments is often manual and leads to Integration and Deployment teams losing visibility and control over apps. Some organizations employ pro-dev and IT-centric tools such as Microsoft Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions for automated application lifecycle management which can be overly technical for non-technical users.

The role of this automation tool is to bridge the gap, making the process much simpler, faster, and cost-effective. The setup and running of pipelines can be performed entirely within Power Platform, with automated governance, visibility and safeguards to ensure high quality and speedy deployment of business solutions.

Administrators can quickly configure automated deployment pipelines and manage access and deployment activity across the organization. The setup is flexible enough to allow extensions based on business needs and evolutions in product capabilities. The environment is also set up in a way that connection mapping and variable assignments occur automatically, simplifying the deployment process for developers.

Professional developers have the ability to retrieve pipeline data and run pipelines using preferred tools, like the Power Platform command line interface (CLI). Additionally, the pipelines handle underlying tasks required, enabling developers to focus on the desired outcomes, without managing how it's accomplished.

Note, however, that this feature is still in preview, which implies that it may not be available in all regions at present. It's a part of Managed Environments and you will need one or more such environments to use this feature.

The tools offer reports for all deployment activities, access error and audit logs, retrieve backups of all solution files, and more. The blog post also points out areas for improvements and the forthcoming customized features.

Despite the potential of pipelines to streamline interfaces, deployments with approvals and adding custom logic and extensions, the aims of pipelines flexibility does not aim to compete with robust DevOps systems like Azure DevOps and GitHub, but to supplement them.

This enhancement contributes significantly to the sophistication of Power Platform ALM, while eliminating the need for external assistance.

Finally, the blog post ends on a note of thanks to the teams and leaders that have worked hard to deliver these capabilities.

A General View of Automated Deployment Pipelines

Automated deployment pipelines represent a significant development in application lifecycle management, particularly for Power Platforms. These systems offer streamlined deployments, enhance visibility and control, and reduce the heavy-lifting often associated with deployments. The Power Platform Pipelines Automation tool, as described in the blog post by Microsoft, is an excellent example of these capabilities. It underscores the strides in democratizing application lifecycle management, making it accessible for all users, regardless of their level of technical expertise.

Read the full article Preview: Streamlining Deployments with Power Platform Pipelines Automation

Power DevOps - Efficient Deployments: Power Platform Pipelines Automation Guide

Learn about Preview: Streamlining Deployments with Power Platform Pipelines Automation

Streamlining the deployment process with the Power Platform Pipelines Automation makes it easier for both developers and admins to collaborate and work harmoniously. Pipelines is designed to democratize Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) for Power Platform and Dynamics 365 users, by offering a simple, faster, cost-effective set up and maintenance solution to application deployment automation.

This advancement seeks to compensate for the lack of visibility and control when makers export and import solutions from development environments to production environments manually. It therefore offers a readily accessible solution for automated ALM; a viable alternative to other pro-dev and IT-centric tools such as Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions, which often require dedicated DevOps teams.

The advantage of the Power Platform Pipelines is that it can be set up and operated entirely within the Power Platform. It comes with built-in governance, visibility, and safeguards, ensuring that your business solutions are of high quality and meet market standards swiftly with minimal effort. It also mitigates the burden of heavy lifting and ongoing maintenance.

In just a few minutes, Admins can set up automated deployment pipelines and easily manage access and oversee all deployment activities within your organization from one convenient hub. With the opportunity to extend pipelines to meet business needs and product capabilities as they evolve, it's a flexible solution designed for business growth. The deployment of solutions is simplified for makers, requiring just a few clicks within their usual working environment. The system automatically sets up or maps connections in the target environment before deployment.

Alternatively, professional developers can retrieve pipeline information and run pipelines using their preferred tools such as the Power Platform command line interface (CLI). The need to manage the processes by which pipeline tasks are accomplished is eliminated, with developers only instructing the system on what they want to achieve.

Setting up automated deployment pipelines across your Power Platform environments has been made simpler. The creation of one environment that hosts all pipeline configuration and runs data spanning multiple other environments has proven to be a game-changer. You can then access error and audit logs, retrieve backups of all solution files, and much more, fostering overall development productivity.

Power Platform Pipelines is currently in preview and may not be available in your region yet. For users interested in this tool, one or more Managed Environments will be required. Note that a Power Platform ALM journey doesn't address every use case for every customer immediately. Its efficiency increases with each iteration and your feedback is invaluable, helping to prioritize what's most important to tackle next!

There is much excitement about the many other capabilities already in the works, including the ability to better custom-tailor pipelines to your organization's needs, deployments with approvals, and much more.

Finally, appreciation is due to the many teams and leaders that collaborated to deliver this exciting new feature, and to the customers and partners who have provided invaluable feedback. It's an ongoing journey and your feedback continues to be essential in shaping what comes next. Thank you for being a part of this journey and here’s to the upcoming holiday season!

You can gain more insights into the functionalities of pipelines on sites like Microsoft Mechanics, Power CAT Live, and on Microsoft Docs. These platforms offer a comprehensive overview, setup guides, and pipeline run instructions, essential for both beginners and experts in the field.

Keywords

Preview, Streamlining Deployments, Power Platform, Pipelines Automation, DevOps, Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Microsoft Technology, Software Development, Deployment Strategies.