Title: Feature Release Setup (preview)
Introduction
In Power Apps, configuring release channels is crucial for balancing stability with access to new features. Release channels allow app makers to choose update cadences that best fit their organization’s needs, whether they want regular, incremental updates or less frequent, more stable releases. The right configuration can ensure that new features and improvements are introduced thoughtfully, minimizing disruption.
Description
Power Apps offers a variety of release channels that cater to different needs:
• Monthly Channel: Updates are delivered every week, typically the fastest way to access new features and updates.
• Semi-Annual Channel: Updates are pushed less frequently, making it suitable for production environments needing higher stability.
Each environment, app, and user can be assigned a release channel to control when and how updates are received. This granularity helps organizations manage updates across different departments or roles, tailoring the release strategy based on users’ requirements.
Why Choose a Release Channel? Choosing the correct release channel depends on factors like testing requirements, user roles, and how critical app stability is to business operations. For example, development or test environments might use the Monthly channel to stay on top of the latest updates, while production environments might prefer the Semi-Annual channel to ensure that updates are well-tested before deployment.
Default and Custom Settings
•New apps and environments default to the Monthly Channel.
• Custom release channel configurations override the default settings, giving admins greater control over when updates occur.
How to Configure Release Channels?
Configuring a release channel involves specifying settings at different levels (environment, app, or user level
The release channel for model-driven apps can be changed in two primary ways:
• Environment channel
• App channel
In addition, the release channel can be overridden with either of these options:
•` User channel override
• Browser session channel override
Channel Release Order of Operations
The following order determines which setting controls the release channel:
1. URL Override: Takes highest priority.
2. User Channel Override: Applies if set.
3. App Release Channel: if set to a specific value like Monthly or Semi-annual, rather than auto).
4. Environment Release Channel: if set to a specific value like Monthly or Semi-annual, rather than Auto.
5. Default to Auto: Applies when both app and environment release channels are set to Auto.
Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring the Release Channel
1. Set the Environment-Level Channel:
o In Power Platform Admin Center, navigate to Environments.
o Select the target environment.
o In the settings ➔ Behavior, choose the desired release channel (Monthly or Semi-Annual).
2.App-Level Configuration:
o Open https://make.powerapps.com.
o Under Solutions open an existing solution containing a model-driven app.
o Open the app in the app designer.
o For app-level control, makers can go to the specific app settings in Power Apps.
o Under General Settings, there is an option to set the release channel.
o This ensures that the app follows a different update cadence than the environment default, if required.
3. User-Level Channel Changes:
o Individual users can modify their release channel settings by navigating to Settings in the Power Apps maker portal.
o This setting is beneficial for testing new features without impacting the entire environment or app.
4. Session-Level Adjustments (Browser-based):
o Users can modify the release channel for a single session by appending the ?channel=desiredchannel parameter in the URL (for example, ?channel=Monthly).
o This is useful for testing purposes without altering the overall settings.
5. Applying Changes
o Any change made to the release channel requires users to refresh their browser to take effect immediately.
o For larger environments, it’s advised to test updates in a dedicated environment before rolling out changes across all users.
Conclusion
Configuring release channels in Power Apps provides essential flexibility, allowing organizations to tailor update schedules based on stability and feature needs. This flexibility can help mitigate the risks associated with frequent updates while ensuring that users have access to the latest tools. By carefully managing release channels, organizations can enhance productivity and maintain control over their app’s user experience.
Thank you, Subhash for your valuable inputs to this blog.
D365 Feeds 