Source control, build system and CI/CD pipelines

With the new native support for Git source control integration in Dataverse now available, we'll go beyond the basics. You'll learn how to manage Power Platform projects using monorepos in Git. We'll cover how to bring together all your assets—plugins, form scripts, PCFs, connectors and solution components. I'll guide you through setting up a build process with MSBuild and deploying solutions with Azure DevOps. I’ll demonstrate how to establish a proper workflow for multi-developer teams, including Git branching strategies, conflict resolution, PR quality checks, release management and automated deployment of code, infrastructure and configuration data.

This is a followup to my previous Code-first low-code sessions.

Power Apps test automation

We’ll dive into automated testing for both model-driven and canvas Power Apps, as well as Dataverse extensions. We’ll explore testing strategies, test-driven and behavioral-driven practices and review the current tools available for automating tests. With Microsoft’s Test Engine based on Playwright now delivering support model-driven apps and the older EasyRepro library built on Selenium, I’ll guide you through the pros and cons of each. I’ll also demonstrate an advanced acceptance test BDD setup with Gherkin, Reqnroll and EasyRepro, which can simplify test case authoring into natural language, making it accessible for more people. I’ll show how you can use tests as living documentation. You will get an overview where unit tests can be applied and which tools can help you with covering your codebase with tests.

Lessons learned from governance strategy projects

Managing low-code platforms like Power Platform requires a different approach compared to traditional enterprise solutions. Understanding these differences is important for gaining alignment among key stakeholders.

I'll share experiences from multiple projects to establish governance strategies and operating models for Power Platform. The topic isn’t about installing tools or configuring a tenant - it involves understanding organizational dynamics, IT requirements and regulatory needs. I’ll discuss how to secure executive buy-in, navigate compliance and meet IT security demands while enabling business users, internal professionals and external partners to participate.

We’ll explore the principles of bi-modal IT, focusing on differentiating governance based on solution risk levels - balancing agility for business users with enterprise-level oversight for critical systems. I’ll also highlight features introduced by Microsoft that can support governance discussions with IT security and enterprise architects. This session will provide recommendations to help you implement governance strategies and operating models

Code-first low-code developer workflow with VS Code, CLI, MSBuild and DevOps

Have you reached the point where you use Power Platform for complex projects, critical workloads and realize there's a need for more structured approach? Wondering if there's a way to apply best practices from professional software development?

ℹ️ Power Platform serves both citizen and pro-developers.
⚠️ However, gaps in toolsets can pose challenges for projects led by professional development teams.
❓ Is there a way to simplify and standardize the developer workflow?
🏁 By integrating familiar tools, we can streamline the process for professional developers, reduce the learning curve, enhance reliability, and appeal to an existing pro-developer community.

Design, develop, test, debug, deploy, and support your Power Platform workloads efficiently, just as seasoned developers do. Attend this session to discover methods and learn how to expedite your projects.

Boost, automate, and scale your low-code development with:
* Figma UI prototyping + import/export of solution component
* Visual Studio Code + MSBuild + Power Platform IDE tooling
* Power Platform CLI + .NET Template Engine (dotnet new) scaffolding
* Advanced debugging and automated testing techniques
* Multi-layered managed solution design
* Shared .NET and TypeScript libraries + monorepo build system
* Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline integration

If you resonate with the following challenges, this session offers solutions:
* High interaction cost - excessive clicking and loading times
* Slow UI prototyping and converting prototypes to real apps
* Difficulty in propagating and reverting changes across envs
* Conflicting with changes made by others
* Setting up a project structure and sharing code
* Long wait times for deployments
* Difficulty in managing a suitable versioning system
* Official tools not playing nice together
* Maintaining consistency in multi-developer teams
* Searching through code and refactoring

Disclaimer: This is the third revision of this session. With each iteration, I introduce fresh updates. If you've encountered this session elsewhere, I can confidently say it's worth revisiting.

Design, develop, test, debug, deploy, and support your Power Platform workloads efficiently, just as seasoned developers do. Attend this session to discover methods and learn how to expedite your projects.

Developer ALM lab - source control, build system and CI/CD

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to manage the lifecycle of Power Platform applications using the Dataverse Solution Framework. We’ll explore the out-of-the-box ALM features such as Power Platform Pipelines, Catalog for artifacts and the native Git integration. You will see where they work well and where you might need more advanced approaches. You’ll get hands-on experience creating your own setup, guided by experienced instructors.

We’ll show you how to manage projects in monorepos, combining plugins, form scripts, PCFs, connectors and solution components under one Git repository. You’ll see how to debug components, use MSBuild for build automation, deploy solutions using pipelines and maintain a proper development workflow with branching strategies, conflict resolution, code review and automated deployments of code, infrastructure and configuration data.

We’ll demonstrate how Azure DevOps and GitHub can be used with Power Platform solutions. You’ll learn how to make source control the single source of truth, which allows dev and test environments to be ephemeral helping you avoid inconsistencies. We’ll discuss how to segment solutions, move configuration data across environments, test your code and automate post-deployment tasks. By the end, you’ll know how to build, test, release and deploy a fully functioning Power Platform solution from source code.