Partner portal with restricted access

A Partner Portal with restricted access in Power Pages is an online platform that allows external business partners, vendors, or affiliates to securely access relevant data and resources while protecting sensitive information. The portal offers controlled visibility of data based on the partner’s role and permissions.

This guide explains how to create a Partner Portal with secure and restricted access, leveraging Power Pages, Dataverse, Power Automate, and other Microsoft tools.

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1. What is a Partner Portal?

A Partner Portal is a web-based interface designed for business partners to access specific information and resources. Common features include:

• Access to shared documents, resources, and contracts
• Order and inventory tracking
• Sales and performance dashboards
• Communication tools (e.g., ticketing or messaging)
• Request forms (for support, returns, etc.)

The restricted access ensures that partners can only view and interact with data relevant to their business relationship.

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2. Benefits of a Partner Portal

• Secure Data Sharing: Only authorized partners can view and interact with data.
• Collaboration: Partners can collaborate on projects, manage orders, and track performance.
• Efficiency: Self-service access for partners reduces manual processes and dependency on internal staff.
• Customization: Tailored experiences based on the partner’s role, type, or region.
• Seamless Integration: Power Pages integrates seamlessly with Dataverse, Power Automate, and Microsoft 365 tools for automated workflows and analytics.

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3. Key Features of the Partner Portal

Feature	Description
Role-based Access	Different data and resources based on partner roles
Custom Dashboards	Personalized views, showing performance, orders, etc.
Document Management	Secure document upload, download, and sharing
Order Tracking	View and track order status, payment status, etc.
Communication	Integrated messaging or ticketing system
Request Forms	For product returns, support requests, etc.
Reporting	Data-driven insights into sales, orders, and performance

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4. Building the Partner Portal in Power Pages

Step 1: Plan the Data Model

1. Tables to Define in Dataverse:
   • Partners: Stores partner details like name, contact info, type, region.
   • Orders: Tracks orders placed by partners, status, payment info.
   • Documents: Stores contract documents, agreements, product specs.
   • SupportRequests: Captures support tickets or requests.
   • PerformanceReports: Tracks partner performance metrics (e.g., sales, inventory).
2. Relationships:
   • Each partner has many orders, support requests, and documents.
   • Orders are associated with products or services.

Step 2: Create Web Roles and Permissions

• Roles:
  • Partner: Basic access to orders, documents, and reports.
  • Senior Partner: Higher-level access to performance metrics and communication tools.
  • Admin: Full access to all portal features, including user management.
• Permissions:
  • Configure entity permissions in Dataverse for table access based on roles.
  • Use Portal Management to define what each role can view, edit, or create.

Step 3: Design the Portal

1. Create Web Pages:
   • Home: Overview of available tools, quick access to important data.
   • Orders: List of orders placed by the partner, with status updates.
   • Documents: Secure access to contracts and shared documents.
   • Performance Dashboard: Visual data of partner performance.
   • Support: Form to submit requests or contact support.
   • Settings/Profile: Area for partners to update contact information and preferences.
2. Web Roles Mapping:
   • Display specific web pages based on the user’s role.
   • Use Portal Management App to assign web roles to partners, ensuring the right level of access to data and features.

Step 4: Automate with Power Automate

1. Workflow Examples:
   • Order Confirmation: When an order is placed, trigger an email notification to the partner.
   • Support Ticket Notifications: When a support request is submitted, notify the assigned team via email.
   • Performance Report Generation: Trigger automated reports based on partner performance metrics.
2. Process Automation:
   • Automatically update order statuses or notify partners of new documents available.
   • Schedule reports and automatically deliver them to the appropriate partners.

Step 5: Security Configuration and Authentication

1. Authentication:
   • Use Azure AD B2B or Entra ID for external partners to log in with their corporate credentials.
   • Alternatively, configure local login via email and password or a custom identity provider for partners.
2. Secure Data:
   • Configure Table Permissions in Dataverse to ensure partners only see data relevant to them (e.g., orders, documents).
   • Implement SSL and HTTPS for secure communication.

Step 6: Customize the Portal UI/UX

1. Responsive Design:
   • Use Bootstrap to ensure the portal is mobile-friendly.
   • Customize the theme and layout according to the branding of your business and partners.
2. User Interface:
   • Provide a clean, intuitive layout for ease of navigation (e.g., tabs for Orders, Documents, and Support).
   • Include search and filtering capabilities for large datasets (orders, documents, reports).

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5. Example Use Case: Partner Order Management

1. Partner logs in: Using Azure AD or a custom authentication method.
2. Homepage: Displays orders placed by the partner with status indicators (pending, shipped, delivered).
3. Documents Page: Partner downloads the latest product catalog or contract.
4. Performance Dashboard: Visualizes metrics such as sales volume and revenue.
5. Support Page: Partner submits a ticket for a shipment issue.
6. Notifications: Emails are sent at each stage of the process (order status updates, support responses).

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6. Security Best Practices

• Use HTTPS and SSL: Ensure that all communications are encrypted.
• Role-based Access Control: Implement granular permissions to control what partners can access.
• Audit Logs: Track and monitor all actions in the portal for compliance and troubleshooting.
• Session Timeout: Set timeouts for inactive sessions to improve security.
• Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security during login for partners.

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7. Maintaining and Scaling the Partner Portal

1. Portal Monitoring:
   • Use Application Insights to track portal usage and diagnose issues.
   • Set up telemetry to monitor partner activities and ensure uptime.
2. Performance Optimization:
   • Utilize Dataverse virtual tables to pull external data without duplicating it in the portal database.
   • Enable caching for frequently accessed data to reduce load times.
3. Portal Rollouts:
   • Use ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) to deploy updates to the portal.
   • Use Azure DevOps for version control and CI/CD pipelines for smooth deployment processes.
4. Support and Feedback:
   • Provide a dedicated support channel for portal-related queries.
   • Collect feedback from partners to continuously improve the user experience.