1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,880
So imagine you run a small business and meet a customer portal where people can log in,

2
00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,520
see their order history, and submit support tickets.

3
00:00:06,520 --> 00:00:11,480
But you're not a web developer 20 years ago you'd hire an agency, pay thousands, and wait months.

4
00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,040
Today there's a much simpler path.

5
00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,120
External websites aren't optional anymore.

6
00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,960
Customer portals, partner dashboards, and self-service sites are how business gets done.

7
00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:23,560
The problem is that traditional web development stays slow, expensive, and requires skills

8
00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,600
most small businesses just don't have.

9
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:26,320
What changed?

10
00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,000
Powerpages.

11
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,720
By the end of this episode, you'll understand what Powerpages actually is, how it connects

12
00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,760
to your business data and when you should use it.

13
00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,560
We'll break it down into eight clear building blocks, grab your coffee, and let's dive in.

14
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,440
What exactly is Powerpages?

15
00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:41,920
Here's the simplest definition.

16
00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,320
Powerpages is Microsoft's low-code platform for building external facing business websites.

17
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,960
That sounds like a mouthful, so here's the plain English version.

18
00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,000
Think of it as a storefront for your business data.

19
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000
You have a back office full of customer records, orders, and service cases.

20
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,560
Powerpages is the front door that lets your customers walk in and interact with that data.

21
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,160
Here's an important distinction you've heard of Power Apps.

22
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,040
That's for internal employees, an app for your sales team or warehouse staff.

23
00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:07,600
Powerpages flips that around.

24
00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,640
It's for people outside your company.

25
00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,320
Customers, partners, vendors, or the general public.

26
00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:17,000
Powerpages runs as a SaaS platform, which means Microsoft handles all the hosting, security,

27
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:18,200
updates, and scaling.

28
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:19,960
You just design the site and publish it.

29
00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,640
No service to manage and no security patches to install, so it's like having a professional

30
00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,120
web hosting team build right into your subscription.

31
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,200
But don't confuse Powerpages with WordPress or Squarespace.

32
00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:30,840
Those are for marketing websites.

33
00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,480
Blogs, landing pages, and online stores.

34
00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,640
Powerpages is different because it connects directly to your business data stored in Microsoft

35
00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:39,640
Dataverse, and that's the key difference.

36
00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:44,240
A WordPress site shows static content, but a Powerpages site shows live data from your business

37
00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:45,240
systems.

38
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,320
So when a customer submits a form, a record gets created in your database instantly.

39
00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,640
No manual entry, CSV exports, or copypaste.

40
00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,760
Powerpages isn't a traditional website builder.

41
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:56,800
It's a data-connected portal platform.

42
00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,480
And to really understand it, you first need to know where it came from.

43
00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,520
The rebrand, from Power Apps Portals to Powerpages.

44
00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,680
Before 2022, this product had a different name.

45
00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:07,760
Power Apps Portals.

46
00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,800
And honestly, that name caused a lot of confusion.

47
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,920
It was buried inside Power Apps there, so most people didn't even know it existed, making

48
00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:16,640
it feel more like a hidden feature than a real product you could rely on.

49
00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:19,960
Microsoft gave it its own identity at the build conference in May 2022.

50
00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,000
They announced Powerpages as a standalone product, making it the fifth member of the Power

51
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,480
Platform family alongside Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual agents.

52
00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,280
Finally, it got its own home page, its own licensing, and its own place in the line-up.

53
00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:34,280
Here's the good news.

54
00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,720
If you already had a Power Apps portal, nothing changed.

55
00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,840
Microsoft didn't force anyone to migrate.

56
00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,640
Your existing site automatically became a Powerpages site, and all the old features still

57
00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:43,640
work.

58
00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:45,400
Plus, you get access to the new ones too.

59
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:46,400
What improved?

60
00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:47,400
A lot.

61
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,400
Design Studio replaced the old clunky portal editor.

62
00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:51,640
Security got tighter.

63
00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:56,000
Sites are now private by default, so they aren't publicly discoverable until you explicitly

64
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,000
share them.

65
00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,480
Licensing became its own thing, separate from Power Apps, which made it easier to buy and

66
00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:01,480
easier to understand.

67
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,120
So now you know what Powerpages is and where it came from.

68
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,160
But how does it actually work under the hood?

69
00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,960
That's where Dataverse comes in, so the engine.

70
00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:09,960
Dataverse connection.

71
00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,000
Now here's where the pieces come together.

72
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,320
Powerpages isn't just a pretty website builder.

73
00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,280
The need that connects to something called Dataverse, Microsoft's Cloud Database, think of it as

74
00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,240
the filing cabinet in your back office that stores all your business data.

75
00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,720
Customer names, order histories, support tickets, inventory levels, everything.

76
00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,280
Powerpages is the front desk that lets customers walk in, look at those files and interact

77
00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,400
with them, but they never touch the filing cabinet directly because the front desk handles

78
00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:35,400
that.

79
00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,480
So when a customer logs into your portal and sees their order status, they're reading

80
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,760
data straight from Dataverse in real time.

81
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,920
And when they submit a form, a new record gets created in that same database instantly.

82
00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:46,480
How does this connection actually work?

83
00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,320
It uses a server to server connection or S2S for short.

84
00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:55,200
Powerpages talks to Dataverse through a dedicated Microsoft Entra app, which is Microsoft's

85
00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:56,640
identity service.

86
00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,960
Every Powerpages site gets its own unique app with its own certificate.

87
00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:03,240
It's secure, automatic, and you don't have to configure it manually.

88
00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:04,560
It just works.

89
00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:05,560
Why does this matter?

90
00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,080
Because it means your forms and lists are directly linked to live business data.

91
00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,400
There's no middleman, no CSV export, no manual sync, a customer submits a support request

92
00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,920
on your website, and boom, a case record appears in your Dynamics 365 system.

93
00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,200
Your team can start working on it immediately without any one typing data into a second

94
00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:22,200
system.

95
00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:23,720
Now there's an important update here.

96
00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,600
Microsoft recently introduced native Dataverse authorization in public preview and this

97
00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:28,840
is a big deal.

98
00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,720
In the old model, external users on your website weren't really Dataverse users.

99
00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,600
Their permissions were managed through a separate layer called web roles.

100
00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,880
It worked, but it wasn't always transparent.

101
00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,760
With native Dataverse authorization, those external users are now treated as actual Dataverse

102
00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,360
users and their permissions are enforced at the database level, just like internal employees.

103
00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,200
That means more granular security, better audit trails, and fewer gaps where Data could

104
00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:51,200
slip through.

105
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:52,600
It's a significant upgrade.

106
00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,200
Once you've got the foundation, you need to actually build the site.

107
00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,000
That's where the Design Studio comes in, building with the Design Studio.

108
00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:00,760
So what exactly is the Design Studio?

109
00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:05,400
It's the central hub where you build your Powerpages site and it's split into four workspaces.

110
00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,440
Each one handles a different part of the process.

111
00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:09,120
The first workspace is Pages.

112
00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:10,800
This is your drag and drop page editor.

113
00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,520
You add sections, text, images, forms and lists and you arrange them visually on the page

114
00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:15,880
without any HTML.

115
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,520
If you've used Wix or Squarespace before, the experience feels familiar.

116
00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:20,640
But here's the difference.

117
00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,080
Those forms and lists are connected to real Dataverse tables.

118
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:28,360
When you drop a form onto a page, you're not just creating a generic contact form.

119
00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,600
You're building a form that writes directly to your customer table or your order table.

120
00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:33,920
That's the magic of it.

121
00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,280
Next is the styling workspace.

122
00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:37,520
This controls the look and feel of your site.

123
00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:42,320
You apply global themes, choose fonts, pick colors, all point and click, no CS required.

124
00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,640
You can match your corporate branding in seconds.

125
00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:48,320
And if you want to get fancy later, you can still write custom CSS, but most people never

126
00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:49,320
need to.

127
00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:50,520
Then there's the Data workspace.

128
00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,040
This is where you manage the Dataverse tables and forms that power your site.

129
00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,160
You can create new tables, edit existing ones and build forms and views, or without leaving

130
00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,160
the Design Studio.

131
00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,920
In the old Power Apps portals, managing data and jumping into a separate app.

132
00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:03,920
Now it's all in one place.

133
00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,040
Think of it as your backstage area for the data that runs everything.

134
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,400
Finally, the setup workspace.

135
00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:09,600
This is your administrative hub.

136
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:14,240
You manage site details, run the go-live checklist, configure integrations, and handle

137
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:15,240
co-pilot settings.

138
00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,920
It's where you make sure everything is ready before you publish.

139
00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,680
And speaking of co-pilot, PowerPages has AI build right in.

140
00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,840
You describe what you want in plain English and co-pilot generates pages for you.

141
00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:30,960
For example, type, create a page for event registration with a form and a confirmation message.

142
00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:35,680
C-pilot builds the page, adds the form, connects it to a Dataverse table and sets up the confirmation

143
00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:36,680
logic.

144
00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,760
It's not perfect and you'll probably want to tweak things, but it gets you from zero to

145
00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:42,160
something usable in seconds instead of hours.

146
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,600
The great looking site doesn't matter if it's not secure.

147
00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:46,400
So let's talk about security.

148
00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:47,400
Security.

149
00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:48,400
Who sees what?

150
00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,000
Here's the thing that surprises most people.

151
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,800
When you create a PowerPages site, it's private by default.

152
00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,480
Nobody can find it, browse to it, or discover it in search engines.

153
00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,440
You have to explicitly decide to make it public.

154
00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,560
That's a big change from the old Power Apps portals where sites were public the

155
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,360
moment you created them.

156
00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,840
Microsoft flipped the default for a reason.

157
00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:08,240
Security should be opt in, not something you have to remember to turn on.

158
00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,320
So what protects your site once it's live?

159
00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:11,320
Several layers.

160
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,280
First, every PowerPages site comes with a web application firewall or WAF.

161
00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,680
Think of it as a security guard at the front door.

162
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,080
It sits in front of your site and blocks common attacks before they reach your server.

163
00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,040
SQL injection attempts, cross-site scripting, malicious bots.

164
00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:25,440
The WAF catches them all.

165
00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,400
Second, there's a content delivery network or CDN.

166
00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,440
Spades are page load times by serving content from servers close to your visitors.

167
00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,000
But it also absorbs traffic spikes and DDoS attacks.

168
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,480
These are enterprise-grade protections that Microsoft provides automatically.

169
00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:39,720
Then there's authentication.

170
00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:40,920
How do users log in?

171
00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,360
PowerPages supports multiple identity providers out of the box.

172
00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:47,680
Users can sign in with their Microsoft account, Google account, or LinkedIn account.

173
00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:51,720
Or you can configure a custom provider using standards like Samil or OpenID Connect.

174
00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,400
You decide which options to offer.

175
00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,240
For a customer portal, you might allow Google and Microsoft.

176
00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,240
For a partner site, you might require a specific corporate identity provider.

177
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,160
Now here's where the real security happens.

178
00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:08,360
At the data level, PowerPages uses table permissions to control who can read, write, or delete records.

179
00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,120
For example, you configure it so customers can only see their own support tickets, not

180
00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,120
anyone else's.

181
00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,160
That's row-level security.

182
00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:18,160
Each user sees only the records they're supposed to see.

183
00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,080
On top of that, there are page permissions.

184
00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,040
You can restrict access to entire pages.

185
00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,920
An admin dashboard page might only be visible to users with the administrator role.

186
00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:30,000
A public FAQ page might be visible to everyone, even people who aren't logged in.

187
00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,920
Those roles are called web roles, and you define them yourself.

188
00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:39,000
Common examples are customer, partner, administrator, and anonymous user.

189
00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,400
Each role gets different permissions.

190
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,680
A customer can read their own data and create new support tickets.

191
00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:47,800
A partner can see inventory levels and submit orders, and administrator can do everything.

192
00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,960
You assign these roles to users when they register or when you import them from your business

193
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:52,960
systems.

194
00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,640
And there's a new tool that makes security management even easier.

195
00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:57,000
It's called deep scan.

196
00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,120
Think of it as a security inspector for your site.

197
00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:03,080
You run it, and it scans your entire power pages site for vulnerabilities.

198
00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,600
It checks your table permissions, page permissions, and authentication settings.

199
00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,680
Then it gives you a report with specific guidance on how to fix any issues it finds.

200
00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:13,480
It's like having a security auditor built into the platform.

201
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:14,680
All of this sounds powerful.

202
00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:15,680
But who pays for it?

203
00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:16,680
Let's talk licensing.

204
00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:17,680
Licensing and costs.

205
00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:18,840
Let's talk money.

206
00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,000
The old licensing model for Power Apps portals was a mess.

207
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,920
It was bundled with Power Apps licenses in a way that made it almost impossible to know

208
00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,640
what you were actually paying for.

209
00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,960
You had to buy add-ons and navigate a maze of ski use, not exactly beginner-friendly.

210
00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,320
Then in 2023, everything changed.

211
00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,440
PowerPages now has its own standalone licensing.

212
00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,080
It's a per-website per month model based on just two things.

213
00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:44,240
How many authenticated users you have and how many anonymous visitors come to your site.

214
00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:45,240
That's it.

215
00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:46,240
Just two numbers.

216
00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:47,560
You've got two plans to pick from.

217
00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:50,640
PowerPages authentication covers anyone who logs in.

218
00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:54,520
You can use your partners or employees and you pay per user per month.

219
00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,680
PowerPages anonymous covers public visitors browsing your site without logging in and you

220
00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:01,320
pay per site per month based on traffic volume.

221
00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:05,320
If your site has both public pages and logged in areas, you'll likely need both.

222
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,440
But the pricing stays transparent and predictable.

223
00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,840
You can try it for free.

224
00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,120
Microsoft offers a 30-day trial with full access to all features.

225
00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:14,960
That means a real PowerPages site with real data of a storage.

226
00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,080
You can build, customize and test everything.

227
00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,040
When the trial expires, your site gets suspended but not deleted.

228
00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,840
You have seven days to convert it to a paid subscription.

229
00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,280
If you don't, the site is removed but nothing is lost permanently as long as your data is

230
00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:27,520
backed up in dataverse.

231
00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:28,640
Here's the bottom line.

232
00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,840
Say you need a customer portal for a hundred users.

233
00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,680
The cost is predictable and scales with your needs.

234
00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:37,640
You're not paying for a web development team, server hosting or security monitoring.

235
00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:38,640
Those are all included.

236
00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,520
You just pay for the platform and Microsoft handles the rest.

237
00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:42,520
Enough theory.

238
00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,280
Let's look at real companies using PowerPages today.

239
00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:46,680
Real-world use cases.

240
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:48,440
Let me give you a concrete example.

241
00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:54,040
The South Calgary Primary Care Network supports over 70 member clinics and more than 300 healthcare

242
00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:55,040
professionals.

243
00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:59,800
They needed to collect monthly data from every clinic, patient visits, screenings, access

244
00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:00,800
metrics.

245
00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,000
Before PowerPages, this was a total mess.

246
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,280
Spreadsheets flying around by email, manual data entry and support tickets every time someone

247
00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:08,680
forgot their password.

248
00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:11,640
So they built the medical home hub using PowerPages.

249
00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,640
Clinics log in, fill out their monthly forms and the data goes straight into dataverse.

250
00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,920
No custom development, no third party vendor, just a secure portal that works.

251
00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,440
Support tickets dropped and clinic staff spend less time wrestling with logins and more

252
00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:24,440
time with patients.

253
00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:25,760
That's the real value.

254
00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,760
Partner collaboration works the same way.

255
00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,480
Imagine a manufacturing company sharing inventory data with its suppliers.

256
00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,520
In the old days that meant phone calls, emails and spreadsheets.

257
00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:39,000
With PowerPages, the supplier logs into a secure portal, sees real-time data and updates

258
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,640
delivery timelines themselves.

259
00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:45,040
Everyone stays aligned and you get no more, I thought you sent that email conversations.

260
00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,680
And their self-service for external contractors, volunteers or gig workers.

261
00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,960
An HR portal with a submit time sheets and update profiles or a volunteer management site

262
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:54,680
for signing up shifts.

263
00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:59,120
These people are part of your extended workforce but don't have access to your internal systems.

264
00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,800
PowerPages gives them a front door without exposing your entire network.

265
00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:07,400
Public registration covers event management, community programs and volunteer signups.

266
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:11,480
A city government might let residents register for summer camps or a nonprofit might handle

267
00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:12,680
donor signups.

268
00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:15,600
The key is that every registration goes straight into dataverse.

269
00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,800
So your team sees attendance numbers in real-time without manually importing CSV files.

270
00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:22,600
Now you might be thinking why not just use a regular website for these things.

271
00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,840
A regular website from WordPress or Squarespace can show information but it can't connect

272
00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:28,440
to your live business data.

273
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:33,120
When someone submits a form, the data goes into a separate database from your CRM or ERP.

274
00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,880
Someone has to export it, transform it and import it elsewhere.

275
00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:37,880
Manual work.

276
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:39,160
And that's where errors creep in.

277
00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:40,480
PowerPages skips all that.

278
00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,240
The form writes directly to the same database your internal systems use and because it integrates

279
00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,760
with Power Automate you can trigger workflows when data changes.

280
00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:53,040
A customer submits a support request and approval workflow starts automatically and email

281
00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,360
notification goes out and the ticket gets created in your helpdesk system or without anyone

282
00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:58,840
lifting a finger.

283
00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,400
PowerPages is already powerful today and Microsoft keeps pushing it forward.

284
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:04,400
What's next?

285
00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,480
SBA, AI agents and more.

286
00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,040
Let's talk about what's coming next for PowerPages.

287
00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,200
In February, 2026, Microsoft added support for single page applications.

288
00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:14,200
Why does that matter?

289
00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,320
If you want more than a template, you now have a lot more flexibility.

290
00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,120
A single page app works like Gmail or Google Maps.

291
00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,120
Click something and the page doesn't reload.

292
00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:23,840
It just updates the content on the fly.

293
00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,960
So now developers can build custom interfaces with React, Angular or View and run them directly

294
00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:29,960
on PowerPages.

295
00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,000
The built-in templates are no longer your only option.

296
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,040
You get a fully custom user interface and data verse remains your back end.

297
00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:40,160
All developers get the freedom they need and the low-code platform still works.

298
00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:41,160
Both sides win.

299
00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,280
Then in April 2026, server logic went live.

300
00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,080
This lets you run JavaScript on the server for custom business rules.

301
00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:51,240
No more wrestling with liquid templates or calling external services.

302
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,240
Administrators can also restrict outbound calls from the server logic layer to stay compliant

303
00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,520
with internal security policies.

304
00:13:57,520 --> 00:13:59,320
Enterprise control without the complexity.

305
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,040
Now let's talk about AI agents.

306
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:02,560
This is where things get interesting.

307
00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:08,520
In the 2026 release wave 1 demo, Microsoft showed an AI agent that can code from a description.

308
00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:12,800
A developer described a site in plain English and the event registration site for a community

309
00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,120
race series.

310
00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:18,400
The agent listened, generated a step-by-step plan and then built the entire site.

311
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:22,880
It created eight pages, seven data verse tables with proper relationships, web roles for

312
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:28,440
volunteers, coaches and organizers and authentication all from a single conversation.

313
00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,480
The agent didn't just generate code, it built the structure of the site, created the database

314
00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,520
schema, set up security and deployed everything.

315
00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,080
A task that used to take a team weeks now takes minutes.

316
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:39,560
So where does that leave us?

317
00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:43,760
Powerpages is becoming a full web application platform, not just a portal builder.

318
00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,360
It started as a way to put Dynamics 365 data on the web.

319
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,160
Now it supports custom SBAs, server site logic and AI power site generation.

320
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,640
The line between low code portal and professional web application is getting thinner.

321
00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,160
Here's the thing about powerpages.

322
00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,360
This Microsoft's platform for building secure data-driven external websites without writing

323
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:03,360
code.

324
00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:05,040
But when you need to go pro, you can.

325
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,400
It connects to your business data in data verse, enterprise security is built in and it scales

326
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,560
from a simple customer portal to a full custom web application.

327
00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:18,480
If you have an external facing need, a customer portal, a partner site, a self-service hub, start

328
00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,760
a free trial today at Powerpages.

329
00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,800
Microsoft.com, you get 30 days of full access, build something real and see how it feels.

330
00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,800
Subscribe to Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets for more plain English breakdowns.

331
00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,600
Drop a comment if you've used Powerpages.

332
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:31,600
What did you build?

333
00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:32,600
I'd love to hear your story.

334
00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,080
That's your knowledge nugget for today.

335
00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:35,240
Until next time, keep learning.