Learn with the Nerds: Power Pages Beginner to Pro

Brian Knight and Matt Peterson walk you through building a complete Power Page website, from creating data tables to securing sensitive information. Whether you're an experienced developer or a beginner, Power Pages is designed to be a low-code solution, allowing anyone to create a fully functional website with secure forms and data management. In under two hours, attendees will gain hands-on experience in creating a live, fully functioning Power Page.

Introduction to Power Pages

Power Pages is part of the Power Platform, designed to help users build data-driven websites quickly without requiring advanced coding skills. In today's session, Brian and Matt cover the basics of Power Pages, from setting up a development environment to creating data tables and implementing security features.

Setting Up the Environment

Before diving into Power Pages, you need to set up a Power Platform Developer environment. Microsoft offers free Developer accounts with the necessary capabilities to get started, including access to Dataverse, which is used to store your data securely.

• Sign up for a free Developer account at Power Apps Developer Plan.
• Ensure that you have the necessary permissions and environment setup to start building.

Creating Data Tables and Forms

The first step in building a Power Page is creating the data structure. Using Dataverse, you can create tables to store data, such as project details or proposal submissions. Matt and Brian demonstrate how to:

• Create a project table to store the list of requests for proposals.
• Set up a proposal table for users to submit bids on these projects.
• Configure forms that allow internal and external users to enter and view data.

They also emphasize the importance of avoiding common pitfalls such as using plural names for tables, which can cause issues later in development.

Securing the Data

One of the key features of Power Pages is its ability to expose data to external users while maintaining security. Matt and Brian walk you through configuring row-level security (RLS) and setting up security roles for different types of users. In this example, they focus on ensuring that only authorized users can access or modify specific data.

• Implement role-based access control (RBAC) for managing permissions.
• Define security roles for different types of users (e.g., vendors, admins).
• Ensure that sensitive data is not exposed to unauthorized users.

Building the Power Page

Once the data structure and security are in place, you can move on to building the Power Page itself. Matt demonstrates how to use templates to quickly create a Power Page layout, which can be customized further. Key steps include:

• Choosing a starter template to kickstart your site.
• Editing the header, text, and styling to fit your brand's needs.
• Adding pages for users to view or submit proposals.

Creating Views and Forms

After building your data tables, the next step is creating views to display your data and forms to collect user input. Matt and Brian show how to:

• Create views to filter and display proposals based on specific criteria (e.g., pending, approved, rejected).
• Design forms for internal staff to review proposals and for external users to submit their bids.

They also cover the importance of ensuring the form is user-friendly and that sensitive fields, such as the proposal status or internal comments, are hidden from external users.

Publishing and Previewing the Power Page

Once everything is in place, it's time to preview and publish your site. Matt and Brian demonstrate how to:

• Preview the site to check that all data and forms are displaying correctly.
• Publish the site and make it available to external users.
• Test user roles and permissions to ensure that the right users have access to the appropriate data.

Conclusion

Power Pages offers a powerful way to create secure, data-driven websites without extensive coding. By following the steps outlined in this session, you can create a site that securely collects and displays data, all while minimizing the need for development expertise. 

Don't forget to check out the Pragmatic Works' on-demand learning platform for more insightful content and training sessions on Power Pages and other Microsoft applications. Be sure to subscribe to the Pragmatic Works YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on the latest tips and tricks.