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Power Pages - General Discussions
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Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

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Posted on by 240

Hi,

I have created a portal that contains a multiple step forms in a sandbox environnement and i need to move it to a prod environnement.

For that i have created a dev environnement (for now but i will convert it to production) and i export my solution and the portal with the pac command.

 

My first question is :

 

* i have a notification in my sandbox environnement that tells me to convert my portal as production environnement. Is it possible to convert to avoid the licencing cost for this environnement that is acting as dev environnement ?

 

* When my production environnement will start, how can i update the portal that in dev to prod environnement without flush the data that are in the prod environnement ?

 

* what is the best solution or more secure to migrate a portal to prod ? MCT? 

 

thanks for your answers

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  • ragavanrajan Profile Picture
    7,036 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    @ALP2 - I am glad it helped you in someway. Wishing you a great day and happy new year 🎊🎈

  • ALP2 Profile Picture
    240 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    I would like to thanks all of you. You helped me a lot and i learnt so much. 

    @ragavanrajan What can i say...since the early hour of the morning i'm stuck with this...i saw youtbe videos on this but the never said to delete the default weblink. 

    After your post i deleted the link and i see tour tip is working but to be sure that it s working, i added and remove some configuration on my dev portal, i import them, i deleted the default weblink and each time i saw the changes on my prod.

     

    I'm so happy...thank you so much

     

     

  • Verified answer
    ragavanrajan Profile Picture
    7,036 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    Sorry let me explain the steps @ALP2 

     

    In portal management - the prod site 

     

    1.  Under content > Web link sets 

    2. Choose the default ( select the prod site). Picture below for reference 

     

     

     

    ragavanrajan_0-1673389468613.png

     

     

    3. Hit delete button 

     

    It is safe to delete the web link set. Once deleted. 

     

    ------------
    In Design Studio

    1. Pres sync configuration and preview the website. And press "Ctrl+F5" 

     


    Hope it helps. 
    ------------

    If you like this post, give it a Thumbs up. Where it solved your request, Mark it as a Solution to enable other users to find it.

  • ALP2 Profile Picture
    240 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    Could you explain "delete the default weblink" ? Do you mean the website that is in active website ? 

  • ragavanrajan Profile Picture
    7,036 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    Hi @ALP2 

     

    Maybe try this 

     

    Step 1: Connect to Portal Record mover (dev environment) 

    Step2: Uncheck the following entities > Note, Forum Notification, Page Notification, Invitation

     

    ragavanrajan_0-1673384324327.png

     

    Note: You can also choose which website and get only active records

     

    ragavanrajan_1-1673384900098.png

    Step 4: Export it as .xml record

     

    Step 5: In Destination  system > Select import records > choose the xml file 

     

    Step 6. Then press ok > it will start migrating

     

    Top Tip: You can only choose the filter to get records created on or after > so it will move only those records

     

    Imp Tip: Once migrated, please delete the default weblink set ( Portal management) 

     

    Hope it helps. 
    ------------

    If you like this post, give it a Thumbs up. Where it solved your request, Mark it as a Solution to enable other users to find it.

     

     

  • ALP2 Profile Picture
    240 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    sorry @Fubar I click too fast on accept solution.

    Now my DEV portal and PROd match

    However, i have strange behavior because sometimes my changes on the dev portal are not visible on the prod after the export.

    Exemple : 

    I have hidden a page on the dev portal, i transfer/export the change to the prod. I reloaded the cache, no change.

    Sometimes it's works but it's not often

     

    An another strange behavior is in the portal management app (DEV side), i have one multiple steps forms

     

    ALP2_0-1673382481752.png

    In the prod side, after import, the forms is duplicated. 

    ALP2_1-1673382611185.png

    Maybe my process with xrmtoolbox is wrong

    Let me explain what i do :

    * connect to the dev environnement

    * load items

    * select all

    * untick multiplestep form session (because it gives me a lot of error during the export step)

    * retrieve records

    * export or transfer

     

    * connect to prod portal

    * import 

     

    No errors during the transfer. 

     

    Then i switch to the prod portal, i select modify on the portal apps and 90% most of the time the changes are not effective. 


    In the dev portal, i have no sub pages.

    ALP2_2-1673383404323.png

     

    in the prod, after 3 or 4 import, the sub pages are still here

    ALP2_3-1673383512642.png

     

     

    I'm missing somtehing but what ? 

     

  • Verified answer
    Fubar Profile Picture
    7,964 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    From an ongoing development point of view, no. - you may have needed to do what you did to get things going but I would not do this each time. (one of the issues it looks like you had is that you had previously setup a Portal in Prod that may not have been the same as what you have in Dev etc)

     

    Each time you roll into Prod you do not want to be deleting and recreating the portal.

    Even if you delete the Portal itself, there is usually no need to uninstall and re-install the Portal App itself.

    For an existing setup, my ongoing usual roll-in to Prod, is just (except usually have a Test and Pre-Prod environment before doing it in Prod:

    • Export Solution file (only needed if structural changes)
    • Export Portal Changes (I generally use XrmToolBox for this as if gives more control over just selecting individual items or items created/changed after a date, but in the past have used the Configuration Migration Tool)
    • Import Solution file (if structural changes)
    • Import Portal Changes
    • Clear the Portal Cache (a.k.a. as Sync the portal in the new interface), so the Portal updates show on the Portal straight away with only a slowing of the portal during the cache clearing

     

  • ALP2 Profile Picture
    240 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    I think i understand now.

    I have deleted the default portal app and i created a new portal apps and i ticked Use data from an existing web and i selected my portal that i export form dev to pord.

    It 's working well.

     

    So if i can resume, these is my steps :

    * export the solution model driven apps that i use as a bckend app to manage records

    * import the solution in the prod environnement as managed

    * export or transfert the portal from dev to prod

    * deleted the default portal apps

    * create a newportal apps and tick the box use daa from an existing web site

     

    Is my procedure good ?

     

    ALP2_0-1673271705148.png

     

  • ALP2 Profile Picture
    240 on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    thanks @OliverRodrigues it's very interesting.

    I 've not implemented pipelines for azuredevops uet. It's in my to-do list. I ve just created COE environnement with some DLP restrictions but i know I ve a lot of work to do.

     

    For the moment, portal record movers will be sufficient. It s very powerful.

    I have a question :

     

    * I move my dev portal in the production environnement but now i see two website. the default and the new one.

     

    ALP2_0-1673024777254.png

     

    if i click on the portal application, it opens the default website.

     

    So i go to the settings and i change the default web site 

     

    ALP2_3-1673025863187.png

     

    and i restart it but it's not working.

    My portal app is always linked to the default website 😞

     

     

  • oliver.rodrigues Profile Picture
    9,319 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Best practice for migrating a portal with dataverse form dev to prod

    * i have a notification in my sandbox environnement that tells me to convert my portal as production environnement. Is it possible to convert to avoid the licencing cost for this environnement that is acting as dev environnement ?

     

    > You can convert that to PROD at any time, assuming it's used as DEV, and that Portal is pointing to a Sandbox environment, you should have no issues when it comes to licensing

     

    * When my production environnement will start, how can i update the portal that in dev to prod environnement without flush the data that are in the prod environnement ?

     

    > DEV should be your source for Portal configuration, when moving the data via CLI or other tools, this will only move Portal data and not your business/transactional data

     

    * what is the best solution or more secure to migrate a portal to prod ? MCT? 

     

    > If you are doing manual, I personally like XrmToolbox - Portal Records Mover. If you are looking for automation / pipelines, I would look into using the official CLI: Overview of Power Pages ALM | Microsoft Learn

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