If you're in IT and trying to manage Power Platform — specifically how access and permissions work — you're not alone. A lot of teams roll out Power Apps or Power Automate without really understanding what happens behind the scenes. Then, as usage grows, things break down: users get access to things they shouldn't, solutions aren't secure, and apps stop behaving as expected.

This blog breaks down how Power Platform roles work, what changes when Dataverse is enabled, and how you can structure access to protect your solutions without making things overly complicated.

Environment Roles: Who Does What?

In Power Platform, environments are where your apps, flows, and data live. Each environment has its own set of roles, and these are the most important ones:

• System Administrator – Full control over everything in the environment, including security roles, settings, users, and data.
• Environment Maker – Can create apps, flows, and resources in the environment. Doesn’t have access to manage data unless they’ve been given permissions separately.
• User – Can use apps and flows but cannot create or manage them.

A good rule of thumb? Keep the number of System Admins low — ideally just a few trusted IT leads. Assign Environment Maker only to those actively building solutions. Everyone else? Stick with app-level or table-level permissions.

What Changes When You Use Dataverse?

Dataverse is Microsoft’s secure, structured data platform behind Power Apps. When Dataverse is turned off, managing access is simple: users get into apps and flows based on what’s shared with them. That’s it.

But when you turn Dataverse on, the security model changes — and for good reason. Dataverse supports fine-grained, role-based access control. You now have to manage:

• Table permissions (CRUD – Create, Read, Update, Delete)
• Business units
• Security roles assigned through Azure AD and within the environment

With Dataverse, giving someone access to the app doesn’t automatically give them access to the data. You need to explicitly assign roles that define what tables they can access and what they can do.

Understanding CRUD Permissions in Dataverse

When setting up permissions in Dataverse, it’s not just about who can open the app — it’s about what they can do with the data.

For each table, you control whether users can:

• Create new records
• Read existing records
• Update existing data
• Delete records

You define these controls inside security roles, and roles are assigned to users or teams. You can set access by table, column, row, and even by business unit. It’s flexible — but it requires planning.

Business Units: Structuring Access Across Teams

If your company has multiple departments or regions, you can use Business Units in Dataverse to separate data access logically. Think of business units like folders — each department can only see and manage the data inside their “folder,” unless they’re given access across units.

For example:

• HR sees only HR data
• Finance sees only Finance data
• Admins or power users can be given access across multiple business units if needed

This setup gives you better control when scaling up across departments.

Environment Access vs App Access: What's the Difference?

This part often confuses teams. Just because someone can use Power Apps or Power Automate doesn’t mean they should have access to an environment.

If a user just needs to use an app or trigger a flow — they don’t need environment access. They only need the app shared with them and any necessary data permissions.

Only give someone Environment Maker access if:

• They’re building apps or flows
• They need to manage connections, APIs, or settings
• They’re part of a development or governance team

Keeping your environment secure starts with keeping access tight.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Protecting Your Data

Another key piece of the puzzle is Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies. These let you control which connectors can be used together — so people can’t accidentally (or intentionally) move sensitive data out of your environment.

For example:

• Block combinations like “Outlook + Dropbox” or “SharePoint + Twitter”
• Prevent users from connecting business data to personal storage accounts

You can define Tenant-level DLP policies or Environment-level policies, depending on how you want to isolate risk. It’s a must-have if your company works with sensitive or regulated data.

How HarjTech Helps Teams Manage Power Platform Security

At HarjTech, we help companies set up Power Platform with the right structure from day one. That includes:

• Designing and configuring environment roles
• Setting up Dataverse security roles and table access
• Structuring business units for better data governance
• Implementing DLP policies that protect sensitive data
• Training IT and business teams on how to manage access properly

We’ve worked with public and private sector clients where compliance, security, and scalability matter — and we bring that expertise to every project.

Final Thought

Power Platform is powerful — but without the right access structure, it can create more problems than it solves.

Take time to define who should do what, when to use Dataverse, and how to control access at the right level. And if you need help designing that structure, HarjTech is here to help.