Internal company intranet with role-based content

Creating an internal company intranet with role-based content using Power Pages offers a secure, scalable, and customizable solution for sharing information tailored to specific user roles (e.g., HR, Sales, IT, Management). This guide explains the step-by-step implementation using Dataverse, Web Roles, Table Permissions, and Power Pages features.

Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Company Intranet with Role-Based Content in Power Pages

Step 1: Define Your Intranet Content Strategy

Start by organizing the types of content and which roles should access each.

Examples of Role-Based Sections:

HR: Policies, onboarding, job postings
IT: Software guides, troubleshooting, request forms
Sales: Targets, training, lead generation resources
Management: Reports, strategic updates, internal communications

Define roles such as:

HR User
IT User
Sales Rep
Manager
Admin

Step 2: Setup Dataverse Tables

Design a flexible schema to store intranet content and relate it to roles.

Tables to Create:

IntranetContent
- Title
- Body (HTML/Text)
- File Attachment (optional)
- Published Date
- Category (HR, IT, Sales, etc.)
- Web Role (lookup or option set)
WebRole (Use existing system table or custom reference if needed)
User (Contact)
- Use existing portal contact records
- Ensure each contact is associated with a Web Role
ContentCategory(optional)
- For filtering content by sections/tabs on the intranet

Step 3: Create Web Roles

Navigate to Power Pages Management > Security > Web Roles.

Steps:

Create a Web Role for each user type: HR User, Sales User, IT User, etc.
Assign the web role to appropriate contacts manually or via automation
Ensure “Authenticated Users” web role exists for general access control

Step 4: Set Table Permissions

This ensures that users can only access content appropriate to their role.

Steps:

Go to Power Pages > Security > Table Permissions
For IntranetContent, set:
- Scope: Global
- Permission Type: Read
- Web Role Filter: Select the matching Web Role for each permission set

For example:

HR User Role → Read permission on content where Category = HR
Sales User Role → Read permission on content where Category = Sales

This allows filtering visibility by role and content category.

Step 5: Add Role-Sensitive Logic in Web Pages

You can conditionally render sections on the intranet page using Liquid templates.

Example: Show Sales Content to Sales Role

{% if user.roles contains 'Sales User' %}
  <h2>Sales Team Resources</h2>
  <p>Here is your latest pitch deck and targets.</p>
{% endif %}

Loop Through Role-Based Content:

{% fetchxml roleContent %}
<fetch>
  <entity name="intranetcontent">
    <attribute name="title" />
    <attribute name="body" />
    <filter>
      <condition attribute="webrole" operator="eq" value="{{user.webroleid}}" />
    </filter>
  </entity>
</fetch>
{% endfetchxml %}

{% for content in roleContent.results.entities %}
  <h3>{{content.title}}</h3>
  <div>{{content.body}}</div>
{% endfor %}

Step 6: Create Navigation Based on Role

Modify the navigation menu to show links based on a user’s web role.

Example:

<ul class="nav">
  {% if user.roles contains 'HR User' %}
    <li><a href="/hr-section">HR Portal</a></li>
  {% endif %}
  {% if user.roles contains 'Sales User' %}
    <li><a href="/sales-section">Sales Hub</a></li>
  {% endif %}
</ul>

Step 7: Design the Portal UI

Customize the Power Pages layout using themes, CSS, and sections.

Intranet UI Elements:

Dashboard: Quick links based on role
Announcement Banner: Show internal notices
Quick Search: Search by title/content
Document Download Section
Feedback Form (can feed into Dataverse)

Use Bootstrap or custom styles for a responsive layout.

Step 8: Assign Users to Roles

Option 1: Manual Assignment

Go to Contacts in Dataverse
Assign Web Role under Portal Contact Details

Option 2: Automate with Power Automate

When a user signs up or is created in Azure AD
Evaluate their AD group or job title
Assign appropriate Web Role automatically

Step 9: Add File Uploads and Downloads

Enable secure file sharing using the Notes/Attachments feature or Azure Blob Storage integration.

Allow downloads by attaching files to the IntranetContent records
Use Liquid or JavaScript to display download buttons only to authorized users

Step 10: Testing and Launch

Test Scenarios:

Login as different users and confirm content visibility
Check navigation filters
Validate content downloads
Test permissions with users outside assigned roles

Use private preview mode in Power Pages to test with dummy data before launch.

Bonus Enhancements

Announcement Bar: Show internal updates, dismissible alerts
Search Bar: Keyword search over content
Calendar Integration: Embed events for HR or company-wide activities
Analytics Dashboard: Track page visits and most accessed documents
Multilingual Support: Add content in different languages