ALM for Power Pages - Rishan Solutions

With the increasing adoption of Power Pages (formerly known as Power Apps Portals), organizations now rely more than ever on robust, scalable, and secure websites built directly on the Microsoft Power Platform. These websites serve external users—customers, partners, vendors—with access to data, services, and digital workflows. However, as the complexity of these portals grows, so does the need for structured development, testing, and release processes.

This is where Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) becomes crucial.

In this guide, we’ll explore how ALM applies to Power Pages, including environment setup, solution packaging, portal deployment, DevOps automation, and governance. Whether you’re a developer, architect, or admin, this article will help you understand the end-to-end lifecycle management of Power Pages.

What is ALM in the Context of Power Pages?

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of an application—from initial design and development, through testing and deployment, to maintenance and updates.

For Power Pages, ALM includes:

Managing multiple environments (dev, test, prod)
Packaging portal configurations and code into solutions
Automating deployment via pipelines
Tracking changes and managing version control
Ensuring secure and consistent releases

It allows development teams to collaborate effectively, enforce quality, and deploy reliably.

1. Core Components of Power Pages ALM

Power Pages consist of various elements that need to be included in ALM processes:

a. Dataverse Components

Portals are built on Microsoft Dataverse. Components like forms, views, tables, columns, and business logic (workflows, plugins) are stored in Dataverse solutions.

b. Portal Configuration

Portal-specific components include:

Web Pages
Web Templates
Content Snippets
Site Settings
Web Roles & Permissions
Entity Lists & Entity Forms

These are also stored in Dataverse and can be included in solutions.

c. Web Files and Assets

Media files such as images, stylesheets (CSS), JavaScript, and Liquid templates are stored as Web Files and managed through Portal Management App or source control.

d. Portal Content (HTML + Code)

This includes static content, dynamic Liquid logic, and layout files—stored as Web Page and Web Template records.

2. Environments Strategy

A strong ALM strategy starts with defining clear environments:

Development – for building and testing new features
Testing/UAT – for internal user testing
Staging/Pre-Prod – mirrors production environment
Production – live portal

Each environment should have its own Power Platform environment and, ideally, a dedicated Power Pages site.

3. Solution Management for Power Pages

Portals are deployed via Power Platform solutions. You should:

Package all portal-related Dataverse components into unmanaged solutions in dev.
Export solutions as managed for test and production.
Maintain a clear solution structure and naming convention.

Tip: Use layered solutions—e.g., Base Solution + Feature Layers + Configuration Layers—to make management easier.

4. PAC CLI and Power Pages ALM

The Power Platform CLI (PAC CLI) provides commands under pac paportal to download, upload, and manage portal files outside the Dataverse GUI.

a. Download Portal Files

pac paportal download --path ./MyPortal/ --websiteId <GUID>

b. Upload Portal Files

pac paportal upload --path ./MyPortal/

These allow you to edit portal content using a code editor (e.g., VS Code), and source-control changes.

5. Source Control and Git Integration

Source control is essential for modern ALM. Store the following in Git:

Portal source (HTML, Liquid, JS, CSS)
PAC CLI scripts
ALM pipeline configurations (YAML)
Solution folders (decomposed using pac solution unpack)

Benefits include:

Team collaboration
Branching and pull requests
Rollbacks and audit history
Better change tracking

Use .gitignore to exclude metadata, backups, and deployment outputs.

6. CI/CD Pipelines with Power Pages

ALM becomes powerful when automated using CI/CD pipelines.

a. Tools You Can Use:

Azure DevOps
GitHub Actions
Power Platform Build Tools
Power Platform CLI (PAC CLI)

b. Typical Pipeline Stages:

Pull Source Code from Git (portal + solution)
Pack Solution using pac solution pack
Import Solution into target environment
Upload Portal Code using pac paportal upload
Run Solution Checker
Run Automated Tests (optional)
Notify Team or Gate Deployment

Sample Azure DevOps YAML Snippet:

- task: PowerPlatformToolInstaller@0

- task: PowerPlatformImportSolution@0
  inputs:
    authenticationType: 'PowerPlatformSPN'
    solutionInputFile: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/PortalSolution.zip'
    importAsHoldingSolution: true

- script: |
    pac paportal upload --path $(Build.SourcesDirectory)/MyPortal
  displayName: 'Upload Power Pages Content'

7. Testing in ALM for Power Pages

Testing helps ensure that changes don’t break functionality.

a. Manual Testing

Use UAT environments for validating layout, permissions, and business logic.

b. Automated Testing Options

UI Automation: Selenium, Playwright
Power Platform Test Studio: Limited but useful for low-code testing
APIs: Test portal data via Dataverse Web API or custom endpoints

Tip: Use Power Pages authentication (Azure AD B2C, OAuth) to simulate real-user interactions.

8. Managing Configuration Data

Often, portals use reference data like content snippets, lookups, or web roles. Use the pac data command or tools like Configuration Migration Tool to manage these.

Example:

pac data export --environment "dev" --schemafile ./schema.json --datafile ./data.zip
pac data import --environment "test" --datafile ./data.zip

9. Security and Role-Based Deployment

Security should be maintained across environments:

Keep Web Roles and Table Permissions part of solutions.
Validate permissions after deployment.
Use conditional logic or site settings to toggle dev features.

10. Governance and Best Practices

a. Use Naming Conventions

Standardize names for components like web pages, templates, and snippets.

b. Keep Custom Code Modular

Use reusable web templates and Liquid components to avoid duplication.

c. Maintain Documentation

Document portal architecture, codebase structure, dependencies, and deployment steps.

d. Audit Changes

Use source control history and manual notes to track who changed what and why.

e. Schedule Regular Solution Checker Scans

Incorporate into pipeline or run manually using:

pac solution checker --path ./MySolution

11. Handling Portal Identity Providers in ALM

Portals can use:

Azure AD
Azure AD B2C
Local logins

These are configured using Site Settings and Identity Provider records. While most can be deployed via solutions, sensitive configuration (e.g., secrets) may require post-deployment scripts or manual configuration.

12. Backup and Recovery

Always backup:

Portal source files (pac paportal download)
Solutions (unmanaged in dev, managed in prod)
Configuration data

Use environment backups in Power Platform Admin Center for full snapshots.

13. Limitations to Watch Out For

Not all portal settings are solution-aware (e.g., web file attachments)
Portal themes and styling via CSS may need to be managed manually or scripted
Caching delays can impact testing post-deployment—use /_services/about to flush cache
Site metadata such as bindings or custom domains are not deployable—must be set manually

14. ALM Tools Ecosystem

Tool	Purpose
PAC CLI	Scriptable portal and solution management
Portal Management App	GUI-based record edits
Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions	CI/CD automation
Configuration Migration Tool	Data migration
Solution Packager	Source control readiness
ALM Accelerator for Power Platform	ALM templates and governance
Power Pages Design Studio	Low-code editing of portal UI

15. Real-World Scenario: Contoso Portal ALM Pipeline

Contoso, a company with a public customer portal, follows this ALM strategy:

Dev team builds portal components in a dev environment
All portal code is downloaded using pac paportal download and committed to Git
When ready, a PR triggers a CI pipeline:
- Packs the solution
- Runs Solution Checker
- Uploads portal source to test environment
After UAT, a release pipeline pushes the same artifacts to production
The team documents each deployment and rolls back using backups if needed

The result: stable releases,

reduced bugs, and traceability across teams.