Missing Read privilege in Entity Permission

When working with Power Pages (formerly Power Apps Portals), one of the most common errors that leads to data not being displayed, or functionality breaking (like Entity Lists not loading), is due to missing Read privileges in Entity Permissions. This is critical, especially when anonymous or authenticated users are expected to view data.

Below is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to understanding and fixing the “Missing Read Privilege in Entity Permission” issue.

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Understanding Entity Permissions

Entity Permissions are the foundation of the security model in Power Pages. They determine whether a user (through a Web Role) can Read, Create, Write, Delete, Append, or Append To specific Dataverse entities via forms, lists, or other components in the portal.

If a user tries to access a form, list, or embedded data that involves an entity without proper permissions, especially Read access, the portal will block the request and often display errors like:

• “You do not have permissions to view this data”
• Empty lists or forms
• Access denied or unexpected behaviors

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Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Identify the Entity and Operation

First, determine which entity is involved and what the portal component is trying to do:

• Entity List: Requires at least Read permission on the entity.
• Entity Form (Read Only): Requires Read.
• Entity Form (Edit): Requires Read + Write.
• Entity Form (Create): Requires Create.

For example: If your portal home page shows a list of products but nothing is displaying, the Product entity must have Read permission assigned.

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Step 2: Go to Portal Management App

1. Open Power Apps > Apps > Portal Management.
2. Launch the Portal Management App.

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Step 3: Create or Update Entity Permission

1. In the Portal Management app, navigate to: Security > Entity Permissions.
2. Click + New to create a new Entity Permission (or open an existing one if already set up).
3. Fill in the following:
   • Name: e.g., Product - Read Permission
   • Entity Name: Select the target entity (e.g., Product)
   • Scope:
     • Choose Global for most read-only operations.
     • Use Contact, Account, or Self if access is restricted per user.
   • Privileges:
     • Check Read (and others like Create/Write/Delete if needed).
4. Save the permission.

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Step 4: Assign Web Roles to Entity Permission

1. In the Entity Permission record, scroll to Web Roles.
2. Click + Add Existing Web Role.
3. Select the appropriate Web Roles (e.g., Authenticated Users, Administrators, or custom roles).

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Step 5: Link Entity Permission to Portal Component

1. If using Entity List, go to Entity Lists > your list > ensure the Entity Permissions setting is enabled.
2. If using Entity Form, open the Entity Form and check the Use Entity Permissions box.
3. Save and publish.

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Step 6: Assign Web Role to User (if authenticated access)

1. Go to Portal Management > Contact.
2. Open the contact record of the portal user.
3. In the Web Roles section, add the required Web Role.

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Step 7: Clear Portal Cache

Changes to entity permissions or web roles might not reflect immediately. You should clear the cache:

1. Go to Power Pages Studio > your site.
2. Click Portal Actions > Clear Cache.

Or add /_services/about at the end of your portal URL to force a metadata refresh.

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Notes on Scopes

Scope	Description
Global	Grants access to all records of the entity.
Contact	Grants access to records associated with the user’s contact.
Account	For records linked via the user’s associated account.
Self	Only for the user’s own contact record.

For public lists/forms like a product catalog, use Global with Read permission.

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Common Scenarios

Component	Minimum Permission Needed
Entity List	Read
Entity Form (View)	Read
Entity Form (Edit)	Read, Write
Entity Form (Create)	Create
Related Entities in Form	Append, Append To

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Example Use Case: Product Catalog

1. Entity: Product
2. Web Role: Authenticated Users
3. Component: Entity List
4. Steps:
   • Create Entity Permission: Product - Read
   • Scope: Global
   • Privilege: Check Read
   • Assign to Web Role: Authenticated Users
   • Enable “Entity Permissions” in the Entity List settings
   • Clear cache