Introduction to Pipelines for Power Platform | Deploy Solutions to Environments | Tutorial

Summary

This video introduces Power Pipelines, a feature within the Power Platform designed to streamline application lifecycle management. It simplifies deployment automation, allowing admins and developers to manage and configure pipelines across environments like development, testing, and production. The video covers how to set up environments, create and configure deployment pipelines, grant access for makers to deploy solutions, and track deployment history. The process helps makers efficiently move solutions from development to production, ensuring a seamless and controlled deployment experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Power Pipelines simplifies the application lifecycle management within the Power Platform by automating deployments across environments.
• 😀 Admins configure Power Pipelines using a model-driven app, while developers can use an intuitive UI to deploy solutions.
• 😀 A dedicated **Host Environment** is required for storing pipeline configurations, security, and run history.
• 😀 The **Host Environment** should be created in the same region as other environments involved in the pipeline.
• 😀 For healthy ALM (Application Lifecycle Management), it's recommended to have at least three environments: Dev, Test, and Production.
• 😀 The **Power Platform Pipelines** solution is installed in the Host Environment to configure and manage deployment pipelines.
• 😀 Each environment involved in the pipeline requires its environment ID, which must be noted and configured in the system.
• 😀 Pipelines are configured by associating development environments with deployment stages, such as moving from Dev to Test, then to Production.
• 😀 Stages in a pipeline can have dependencies, ensuring that a solution must first be deployed to Test before moving to Production.
• 😀 Security for running pipelines is managed within the Host Environment by assigning security roles and sharing pipelines with users.
• 😀 Makers can deploy solutions directly from the Dev environment to the Test and Production environments, and monitor progress at each stage.
• 😀 The deployment process is tracked in the **Run History**, capturing deployment details such as status, start/end times, and the user who initiated the action.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of Power Pipelines?

Power Pipelines aims to simplify application life cycle management within the Power Platform by bringing deployment automation capabilities into managed environments in a manner that is approachable for makers, admins, and developers.

Who can configure the pipelines in Power Pipelines?

Admins can configure the pipelines through a model-driven app experience, while developers can deploy their solutions directly from their development environments into QA and production environments.

What is a host environment in the context of Power Pipelines?

A host environment is a special-purpose environment that acts as the storage and management layer for all pipeline configurations, security, and run history. It is recommended to create this as a dedicated production environment separate from other environments in your tenant.

How many environments are recommended for a healthy Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) setup?

For healthy ALM, it is recommended to have at least three environments: Development (Dev), Test, and Production.

What role does Microsoft Dataverse play in Power Pipelines?

Microsoft Dataverse is required for the Power Pipelines experience. The host environment does not need to have managed environments enabled, but all environments involved in the deployment pipeline must have managed environments enabled.

What are the key steps to set up Power Pipelines?

The key steps include creating a host environment, installing Power Platform Pipelines in the host environment, configuring deployment pipelines, and setting up security roles to share the pipeline with makers.

What is the purpose of the 'Deployment Stages' in Power Pipelines?

Deployment stages define the sequence of environments through which a solution will pass. For example, a pipeline might move a solution from Dev to Test, and then from Test to Production.

How are environments added to a pipeline in Power Pipelines?

Environments are added to a pipeline by specifying the environment ID and assigning an environment type (e.g., Dev, Test, or Prod). This allows the pipeline to deploy solutions between these environments in a specific order.

How can access to a deployment pipeline be managed?

Access to the pipeline can be managed by assigning security roles within the host environment. Specific users can be granted deployment pipeline user roles and shared access to the pipeline to initiate deployments.

How does a maker deploy solutions through Power Pipelines?

A maker can select a solution in the development environment and initiate the deployment to the next stage (e.g., from Dev to Test, or from Test to Prod) using the Power Pipelines app. The deployment stages must be executed in order, and connections are automatically set up.