M365-003 / SOURCE CONTROLLED
Power Pages and Dataverse fit assessment
Power Pages is a candidate to prove, not a conclusion to defend. The assessment must test public journeys, internal operations, data/security needs and whole-of-life support.
● CONTROLLEDOWNER / SYSTEM 8REVIEW / MONTHLY
Conditions that support fit
- External users need structured, identity-aware forms and case interactions.
- Dataverse can represent the core records, relationships, ownership and audit requirements cleanly.
- Internal teams benefit from model-driven operations rather than a wholly bespoke back office.
- Required integrations fit supported APIs, events and controlled extension points.
- The operating organisation can own environments, solutions, licensing and release management.
Proof-of-capability spikes
| SPIKE | QUESTION TO ANSWER |
|---|---|
| External identity | Can required user types register, recover access and be governed safely? |
| Complex transaction | Can the hardest business journey handle drafts, validation, attachments and exceptions? |
| Security model | Can table permissions and roles prevent cross-record disclosure? |
| Integration | Can the highest-risk external service meet latency, failure and audit needs? |
| Operations | Can staff manage cases, corrections and escalations without hidden workarounds? |
Architecture variants
- Power Pages + Dataverse: external portal with Dataverse as the operational system of record.
- Model-driven app + Power Pages: external journeys plus a governed internal case-management surface.
- SharePoint + Power Platform: useful where document collaboration is central and transaction complexity is bounded.
- Custom Azure application: stronger when UX, scale, integration or domain logic exceeds low-code boundaries.
- Hybrid transition: staged replacement while legacy evidence remains controlled and readable.
Rejection or escalation triggers
- Security depends on brittle table-permission exceptions.
- Critical journeys require extensive client-side or plug-in code to remain usable.
- Licensing is disproportionate to verified usage and service value.
- Integration, data-residency, accessibility or performance requirements cannot be demonstrated.
- The target team cannot support ALM, environment governance and incident recovery.
Decision record
Record the tested journeys, evidence, constraints, licensing assumptions, residual risks and reasons for selecting or rejecting each option. A successful prototype proves only the tested slice; it does not remove the need for an operating model.