Power Platform Integration - AL-Go for GitHub

AL-Go for GitHub supports integration with Microsoft Power Platform, enabling you to deploy Business Central extensions alongside Power Platform solutions in a unified DevOps pipeline.

Overview

Power Platform integration allows you to:

Unified Deployment

Deploy Business Central apps and Power Platform solutions together

Environment Sync

Keep BC and Power Platform environments in sync

Automated Workflows

Automate solution deployment with GitHub Actions

Setup Requirements

Before connecting your repository to Power Platform, you need:

AL-Go repository (PTE or AppSource template)
Power Platform environment with Business Central integration
Business Central environment connected to Power Platform
Authentication credentials (service principal or username/password)

Username/password authentication is only supported for tenants that do NOT have multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled. Service principal authentication is recommended for production scenarios.

Setup Process

Connecting your GitHub repository to Power Platform involves two main steps:

Configure Authentication Context

Set up how GitHub authenticates to your Power Platform and Business Central environments.

Configure AL-Go Repository Settings

Define which Power Platform solutions and environments to deploy to.

Authentication Context

The authentication context is a JSON object stored as a GitHub secret that defines how to authenticate to both Business Central and Power Platform.

Naming Convention

Authentication contexts use this naming pattern:

<GitHubEnvironmentName>_AUTHCONTEXT

For example, if your GitHub environment is named Production, the secret would be PRODUCTION_AUTHCONTEXT.

Service Principal Authentication (Recommended)

Use a service principal with client secret for secure, automated authentication.

Create Service Principal

Follow the detailed setup guide to create a service principal with appropriate permissions for both Business Central and Power Platform.

Generate Authentication Context

Use BcContainerHelper to generate the authentication JSON:

# Install BcContainerHelper if not already installed
Install-Module BcContainerHelper -Force

# Gather service principal details
$ppClientId = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter client id"
$ppClientSecret = Read-Host -AsSecureString -Prompt 'Enter client secret'

# Generate authentication context
New-BcAuthContext -includeDeviceLogin | 
  New-ALGoAuthContext -ppClientSecret $ppClientSecret -ppApplicationId $ppClientId | 
  Set-Clipboard

The authentication context JSON is now in your clipboard.

Add as GitHub Secret

Navigate to your repository Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions
Create a new environment (e.g., “Production”)
Add the secret to the environment with name <EnvironmentName>_AUTHCONTEXT
Paste the JSON from your clipboard

Service principal authentication requires an Azure AD app registration with API permissions for both Dynamics 365 Business Central and Power Platform APIs.

Username/Password Authentication

For non-MFA tenants, you can use username/password authentication.

This method is less secure and only works for tenants without MFA enabled. Use service principal authentication for production environments.

# Install BcContainerHelper if not already installed
Install-Module BcContainerHelper -Force

# Gather credentials
$ppUserName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter Power Platform user name"
$ppPassword = Read-Host -AsSecureString -Prompt 'Enter Power Platform password'

# Generate authentication context
New-BcAuthContext -includeDeviceLogin | 
  New-ALGoAuthContext -ppUsername $ppUserName -ppPassword $ppPassword | 
  Set-Clipboard

AL-Go Repository Settings

Configure your .github/AL-Go-Settings.json file to define Power Platform integration.

Basic Configuration

{
  "type": "PTE",
  "templateUrl": "https://github.com/microsoft/AL-Go-PTE@main",
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "<PowerPlatformSolutionName>",
  "environments": [
    "<GitHubEnvironmentName>"
  ],
  "DeployTo<GitHubEnvironmentName>": {
    "environmentName": "<BusinessCentralEnvironmentName>",
    "companyId": "<BusinessCentralCompanyId>",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "<PowerPlatformEnvironmentUrl>"
  }
}

Configuration Properties

powerPlatformSolutionFolder
environments
DeployTo Settings

Power Platform Solution FolderSpecifies the folder containing your Power Platform solution files.

{
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "MyPowerPlatformSolution"
}

This folder should contain:

Solution files exported from Power Platform
Canvas apps, model-driven apps, or flows
Connection references and environment variables

GitHub EnvironmentsArray of GitHub environment names to deploy to.

{
  "environments": [
    "Production",
    "Staging",
    "Development"
  ]
}

Each environment must have a corresponding authentication context secret.

Deployment ConfigurationFor each environment, specify deployment details:

{
  "DeployToProduction": {
    "environmentName": "PRODUCTION",
    "companyId": "8d8e0b6a-4a1c-4c1e-9b0a-1234567890ab",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org12345678.crm.dynamics.com"
  }
}

Properties:

environmentName: Business Central environment name
companyId: GUID of the BC company to deploy to
ppEnvironmentUrl: Power Platform environment URL

Getting Power Platform Environment URL

Access Power Platform Admin Center

Navigate to https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com

Select Environment

Click on your target environment in the environments list.

Copy Environment URL

Copy the Environment URL from the details panel. It will be in the format:

https://orgXXXXXXXX.crm.dynamics.com

Getting Business Central Company ID

Open Business Central

Navigate to your Business Central environment.

Access API

Navigate to:

https://api.businesscentral.dynamics.com/v2.0/<tenantId>/<environmentName>/api/v2.0/companies

Find Company ID

Locate your company in the JSON response and copy the id value.

Alternatively, use PowerShell to retrieve the company ID:

Get-BcEnvironments | 
  ForEach-Object { Get-BcEnvironmentCompanies -bcAuthContext $authContext -environment $_.name }

Complete Setup Example

Here’s a complete example configuration:

File Structure

MyALGoRepo/
├── .github/
│   ├── AL-Go-Settings.json
│   └── workflows/
├── MyApp/
│   └── app.json
└── MyPowerPlatformSolution/
    ├── solution.xml
    └── other solution files...

AL-Go-Settings.json

{
  "type": "PTE",
  "templateUrl": "https://github.com/microsoft/AL-Go-PTE@main",
  "country": "us",
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "MyPowerPlatformSolution",
  "environments": [
    "Production",
    "Test"
  ],
  "DeployToProduction": {
    "environmentName": "PRODUCTION",
    "companyId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org98765432.crm.dynamics.com"
  },
  "DeployToTest": {
    "environmentName": "TEST",
    "companyId": "87654321-4321-4321-4321-210987654321",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org-test.crm.dynamics.com"
  }
}

GitHub Secrets

Create these environment secrets:

PRODUCTION_AUTHCONTEXT (in Production environment)
TEST_AUTHCONTEXT (in Test environment)

Each containing the authentication context JSON generated earlier.

Deployment Workflow

Once configured, AL-Go automatically deploys both Business Central and Power Platform components:

Trigger Deployment

Deployments can be triggered by:

Publishing a release
Running the “Publish To Environment” workflow manually
Automatic deployment on successful CI/CD (if configured)

AL-Go Deploys BC Apps

AL-Go compiles and deploys Business Central extensions to the specified environment and company.

AL-Go Deploys PP Solutions

If a Power Platform solution folder is configured, AL-Go deploys the solution to the specified Power Platform environment.

Verify Deployment

Check both Business Central and Power Platform environments to confirm successful deployment.

Advanced Configuration

Multiple Power Platform Solutions

If you have multiple Power Platform solutions, you can specify an array:

{
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": [
    "Solution1",
    "Solution2"
  ]
}

Environment-Specific Solutions

Deploy different solutions to different environments:

{
  "DeployToProduction": {
    "environmentName": "PRODUCTION",
    "companyId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org98765432.crm.dynamics.com",
    "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "ProductionSolution"
  },
  "DeployToTest": {
    "environmentName": "TEST",
    "companyId": "87654321-4321-4321-4321-210987654321",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org-test.crm.dynamics.com",
    "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "TestSolution"
  }
}

Skip Power Platform Deployment

To deploy only Business Central apps without Power Platform solutions:

{
  "DeployToProduction": {
    "environmentName": "PRODUCTION",
    "companyId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
    "skipPowerPlatformDeployment": true
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Authentication failed to Power Platform

Common causes:

Service principal doesn’t have required permissions
Client secret has expired
Username/password authentication used with MFA-enabled tenant
Incorrect tenant ID or client ID

Solutions:

Verify service principal has Dynamics 365 and Power Platform API permissions
Regenerate client secret and update authentication context
Switch to service principal authentication
Double-check all IDs in authentication context

Power Platform environment URL not found

Common causes:

Incorrect environment URL format
Environment doesn’t exist or has been deleted
Service principal doesn’t have access to environment

Solutions:

Verify URL format: https://orgXXXXXXXX.crm.dynamics.com
Check environment exists in Power Platform Admin Center
Grant service principal System Administrator role in Power Platform

Business Central company ID invalid

Common causes:

Company ID is not a valid GUID
Company doesn’t exist in the specified environment
Incorrect environment name

Solutions:

Verify company ID format: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
List companies using BC API or PowerShell
Confirm environment name matches exactly

Solution deployment failed

Common causes:

Solution folder doesn’t exist
Invalid solution files
Missing dependencies in target environment
Solution requires manual configuration steps

Solutions:

Verify folder path is correct relative to repository root
Export solution again from Power Platform
Deploy dependent solutions first
Review solution import logs in Power Platform

Best Practices

Use Service Principals

Always use service principal authentication for production environments instead of username/password

Separate Environments

Maintain separate GitHub environments for development, test, and production

Version Control Solutions

Store Power Platform solutions in source control using solution files, not just deployed solutions

Test Deployments

Always test deployments in non-production environments before deploying to production

Security Recommendations

Security best practices:

Rotate service principal secrets regularly
Use separate service principals for different environments
Grant minimum required permissions to service principals
Enable audit logging in Power Platform
Review deployment logs for suspicious activity
Store authentication contexts as environment secrets, not repository secrets

Solution Management

Export Unmanaged Solutions

During development, work with unmanaged solutions in your development environment.

Version Solutions

Update solution version numbers before exporting for deployment.

Export as Managed

Export solutions as managed solutions for deployment to test and production environments.

Store in Repository

Commit solution files to your repository for version control and automated deployment.

Integration Scenarios

Scenario 1: BC Extension with Power Apps UI

Deploy a Business Central extension with a Power Apps canvas app that extends the BC UI:

{
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "BCExtensionUI",
  "environments": ["Production"],
  "DeployToProduction": {
    "environmentName": "PRODUCTION",
    "companyId": "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012",
    "ppEnvironmentUrl": "https://org98765432.crm.dynamics.com"
  }
}

Workflow:

AL-Go deploys BC extension
AL-Go deploys Power Apps solution
Power Apps connects to BC using data connector

Scenario 2: Automated Power Automate Flows

Deploy BC extensions with Power Automate flows for automation:

{
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "BCAutomationFlows",
  "environments": ["Production"]
}

Use case:

BC extension raises events
Power Automate flows respond to events
Automate notifications, approvals, data sync

Scenario 3: Multi-Environment ALM

Manage application lifecycle across environments:

{
  "environments": ["Development", "Test", "Production"],
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "EnterpriseSolution"
}

Deployment pipeline:

Develop in Development environment
Deploy to Test for validation
Promote to Production after approval

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Enable telemetry to monitor Power Platform deployments:

{
  "PartnerTelemetryConnectionString": "<your-app-insights-connection-string>",
  "powerPlatformSolutionFolder": "MySolution"
}

Track:

Deployment success/failure rates
Deployment duration
Authentication issues
Solution import errors

See the Telemetry documentation for details on monitoring AL-Go workflows.

Next Steps

Service Principal Setup

Detailed guide for creating service principals

Azure KeyVault

Store authentication contexts securely in KeyVault

CI/CD Workflows

Automate deployments with GitHub Actions

Enable Telemetry

Monitor Power Platform deployment performance

Getting Started

Setup & Configuration

Core Workflows

Development

Deployment

AppSource Publishing

Advanced Topics

Migration

​Overview

Unified Deployment

Environment Sync

Automated Workflows

​Setup Requirements

​Setup Process

​Authentication Context

​Naming Convention

​Service Principal Authentication (Recommended)

​Username/Password Authentication

​AL-Go Repository Settings

​Basic Configuration

​Configuration Properties

​Getting Power Platform Environment URL

​Getting Business Central Company ID

​Complete Setup Example

​File Structure

​AL-Go-Settings.json

​GitHub Secrets

​Deployment Workflow

​Advanced Configuration

​Multiple Power Platform Solutions

​Environment-Specific Solutions

​Skip Power Platform Deployment

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

Use Service Principals

Separate Environments

Version Control Solutions

Test Deployments

​Security Recommendations

​Solution Management

​Integration Scenarios

​Scenario 1: BC Extension with Power Apps UI

​Scenario 2: Automated Power Automate Flows

​Scenario 3: Multi-Environment ALM

​Monitoring and Diagnostics

​Next Steps

Service Principal Setup

Azure KeyVault

CI/CD Workflows

Enable Telemetry

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Setup Requirements

Setup Process

Authentication Context

Naming Convention

Service Principal Authentication (Recommended)

Username/Password Authentication

AL-Go Repository Settings

Basic Configuration

Configuration Properties

Getting Power Platform Environment URL

Getting Business Central Company ID

Complete Setup Example

File Structure

AL-Go-Settings.json

GitHub Secrets

Deployment Workflow

Advanced Configuration

Multiple Power Platform Solutions

Environment-Specific Solutions

Skip Power Platform Deployment

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Security Recommendations

Solution Management

Integration Scenarios

Scenario 1: BC Extension with Power Apps UI

Scenario 2: Automated Power Automate Flows

Scenario 3: Multi-Environment ALM

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Next Steps