Brian Knight's class for new Power Platform administrators. It covers administration topics, including licensing, app development, data storage, security, and the Center of Excellence toolkit.
Brian Knight from Pragmatic Works, a Power Apps MVP with 19 years of experience, introduces a class aimed at new Power Platform administrators, covering essential administration topics to help them manage their environments effectively. The class guides participants through tuning environments before opening them up to their entire company, addressing licensing, app development, data storage, environmental strategy, solutioning, security deployments, data loss prevention, and monitoring of Power Platform solutions. Additionally, it highlights the importance of the Center of Excellence toolkit for managing large or medium-sized ecosystems, aiming to equip administrators with the knowledge to secure, govern, and guide their internal customers towards making better decisions within their Power Platform environments.
Course Outline ( Free Preview)
Getting Started - Class Files
Module 00 - Power Platform Administration Essentials
In this video, Brian Knight introduces the fundamentals of Power Platform administration, focusing on preparing environments for company-wide use and ensuring effective governance. He emphasizes the importance of understanding licensing, app development, data storage, and environmental strategies to manage the Power Platform efficiently. Key concepts such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), solutioning, and the Center of Excellence toolkit are highlighted as essential tools for administrators to secure and optimize their Power Platform environments.
Module 01 - Critical Decisions
In this module, Brian explores the foundational aspects of building applications within the Power Platform, focusing on decision-making regarding data storage and application types. He highlights the importance of understanding the licensing implications and usability consequences of using different connectors and databases, such as premium connectors like SQL Server and Dataverse, versus free connectors like SharePoint. Brian also delves into the specifics of Canvas applications, Model Driven apps, Power Pages, and Power Apps for Teams, emphasizing the need for choosing the right tool based on the application's requirements and the user's technical proficiency.
Module 02 - Environment Setup Strategies31 min.
In this module, Brian emphasizes the critical importance of environment setup within the Power Platform, highlighting it as one of the most pivotal decisions for developers. He explains that environments serve as containers for assets across development, QA, and production stages, and underscores the significance of choosing the right type of environment—such as production, sandbox, or trial—to ensure efficient governance and resource utilization. Brian also introduces key concepts like Dataverse, security mechanisms, and the implications of environment capacity on tenant resources, urging students to consider these elements carefully in their Power Platform projects.
Module 03 - Power Platform Solutioning22 min.
In this module, Brian introduces the concept of solutions in Power Apps, emphasizing their role in streamlining the development process and ensuring successful migration between environments. He explains how solutions package apps, flows, chatbots, and Power BI assets into a single file, highlighting the importance of managed and unmanaged code for different stages of development. Brian also covers the significance of publishers and environment variables in solutions, underlining their utility in defining ownership and facilitating configuration across environments.
Module 04A - Deploying a Solution15 min.
In this tutorial, Brian guides students through the process of promoting a solution from a development environment to a QA environment, emphasizing the importance of version control and the distinction between managed and unmanaged solutions. He demonstrates how to export and import solutions, and introduces the concept of patching for minor updates, ensuring students understand the critical steps for deploying applications within PowerApps. Brian also highlights the significance of the solution checker and the role of dependencies in ensuring a smooth deployment process.
Module 04B - Migrating the Data9 min.
In this video, Brian introduces the Configuration Migration Tool as a preferred method for migrating data between environments in the Power Platform, emphasizing its ability to package data objects into a zip file for deployment. He demonstrates the process of creating a schema, exporting data, and then importing it into a new environment, highlighting the importance of the Power Platform CLI tool for these operations. Key terminology includes "Configuration Migration Tool," "schema," "Power Platform CLI tool," and "data migration," underscoring the practical steps for data management across development and production environments.
Module 04C - Pipelines12 min.
In this module, Brian introduces the concept of automating the migration process of data and solutions using pipelines, emphasizing the ease and efficiency it brings to administrators. He explains how pipelines facilitate one-click deployments, approvals, and backups, streamlining the transition from development to QA environments. Key terms such as "managed environments," "Power Platform Pipelines," and "deployment pipeline" are crucial for students to understand the automation of solution migrations.
Module 05 - Dataverse and Power Platform Security26 min.
In this module, Brian delves into the intricacies of securing applications and data within the Dataverse environment, highlighting the importance of understanding and implementing various security roles such as Environment Maker, Basic User, and System Admin. He emphasizes the flexibility and control that custom security roles offer, allowing for tailored access and permissions on tables and data, crucial for safeguarding sensitive information. Brian also introduces the concept of field-level security and the use of service accounts for broader automation processes, underscoring the significance of these mechanisms in maintaining robust security protocols.
Module 06 - Data Loss Prevention11 min.
Brian discusses the importance of implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies in the Power Platform to manage and restrict the types of connectors that can be used within an organization's environments. He emphasizes the need for a blended approach, creating tenant-wide restrictive policies while allowing more flexibility in development, QA, and production environments. Critical terminology includes "DLP," "tenant-wide policy," and "environmental groups," highlighting the balance between security and functionality in application development.
Module 07 - Monitoring Power Platform18 min.
In this session, Brian delves into the intricacies of logging, auditing, and monitoring within the Power Platform, emphasizing the significance of tracking app and flow activities for enhanced security and compliance. He introduces key tools such as the App Insights integration for detailed analytics and the importance of managing audit trails and log space to maintain system efficiency.
Module 08 - Dataverse Data Management7 min.
Brian discusses managing data within Dataverse, emphasizing the importance of controlling data expenditure and cleaning up data frequently. He introduces two main methods for data management: using data flows to import data from various sources and creating connections to external data sources to leave data in place. Brian also highlights the significance of bulk record deletion jobs for maintaining data hygiene and managing Dataverse's capacity efficiently.
Module 09 - Center of Excellence Toolkit13 min.
Brian introduces the Center of Excellence Toolkit for Power Platform, a comprehensive solution designed to manage and monitor Power Platform environments, apps, and flows. He highlights its capabilities in providing analytics, governance, and nurturing campaigns to streamline Power Platform adoption and maintenance. Key features include a dashboard for insights, administration tools for control, and governance strategies to ensure compliance and efficiency.
Module 10 - Class Wrap Up1 min.
In this course, Brian guides students through the foundational steps of setting up a secure and well-governed Power Platform environment, emphasizing the importance of proper layout and governance. He encourages learners to engage with the community via a Discord channel for personalized advice on environment setup, highlighting the value of shared knowledge and support. Brian's closing remarks underscore the goal of creating a stable and secure Power Platform experience, fostering a better learning and development environment for all users.
Brian Knight is the owner and founder of Pragmatic Works and is a serial entrepreneur, starting up other companies. Brian is a contributing columnist at several technical magazines and does regular webcasts. He is the author of more than 16 technical books. Brian has spoken at hundreds of technical and business conferences around the world. He has received a number of awards from the state, governor, and press like the Business Ambassador Award (Governor) and Top CEO (Jacksonville Magazine).
