Power Platform Power Pages Websites
Internal apps serve employees. Power Pages serves everyone else. Customers, partners, and applicants can sign in to a secure website that reads and writes data in Dataverse.
What Power Pages Does
Power Pages is a low-code website builder. Makers design pages visually, connect forms and lists to Dataverse tables, and control who sees what. Use it for support portals, event registration, application forms, and partner directories.
Visitor (outside company)
|
v
+-------------------------+
| Power Pages website |
| Home | Services | Forms|
+------------+------------+
| secure connection
v
+-------------------------+
| Dataverse |
|Cases | Contacts | Events|
+-------------------------+
^
|
Internal staff use model-driven app
The Design Studio
The design studio has four workspaces.
- Pages: add pages, sections, and components such as text, images, buttons, and forms.
- Styling: set fonts, colors, and themes.
- Data: view and edit the Dataverse tables behind the site.
- Set up: manage authentication, web roles, and site settings.
Forms and Lists
A form collects data from visitors and saves it as a row in a table. A list displays rows, such as open support cases, with search and paging. Both components bind to a Dataverse table and view, and no code is required.
Authentication
Visitors can sign in with local accounts or with providers such as Microsoft Entra ID, Azure AD B2C, Google, or Facebook. Anonymous visitors see public pages only. Signed-in visitors reach private pages.
Security: Web Roles and Table Permissions
Power Pages follows a deny-by-default approach. Data stays hidden until you grant access.
Web Roles
A web role groups users, for example Customer or Partner. Assign users to roles and attach permissions to the role.
Table Permissions
A table permission states which rows a role can read, create, update, or delete. Scopes narrow the access.
| Scope | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Global | All rows in the table |
| Contact | Rows linked to the signed-in contact |
| Account | Rows linked to the contact's company |
| Parent | Rows linked through a parent record |
| Self | Only the contact's own record |
A customer who opens My Cases sees only cases linked to their contact record, because the contact scope filters the rows.
Liquid Templates
Liquid is a small template language for dynamic content. It displays the user name, loops through records, and shows content to certain roles.
{% if user %}
Welcome back, {{ user.fullname }}
{% else %}
Please sign in
{% endif %}
Layman Example: A Gated Community
A residential complex has a public road, a visitor gate, and private homes. Anyone can walk along the road, which matches anonymous pages. A guard checks names at the gate, which matches sign-in. Each resident opens only their own door, which matches table permissions. Power Pages builds the same layers for a website.
Publishing and Maintenance
- Preview the site in desktop and mobile views.
- Run the built-in site checker to detect security and performance issues.
- Select Sync to apply changes to the live site.
- Connect a custom domain through the admin center when you are ready for launch.
- Monitor usage and errors through the Power Pages management tools.
Good Practices
- Grant the smallest permissions that let each role complete its work.
- Test every page while signed out and while signed in as each role.
- Write clear privacy and terms pages before collecting personal data.
- Add accessible text for images and strong contrast for readability.
Performance and Accessibility
Compress images before upload and avoid pages packed with large pictures. Use heading levels in order, add alternative text to images, and keep forms short with clear labels. Test the site on a phone and with a keyboard only. Fast, readable pages keep visitors on the site and help people who use assistive tools complete every task.
Key Takeaways
Power Pages combines a visual builder, Dataverse data, and strict role-based security. Plan the permissions first, and the portal stays both friendly and safe.