Migrate website configuration

Power Pages website development involves several configurations and customizations to achieve a desired experience for website end users.

After you complete development or configuration of your website instance, you might want to migrate your latest website configuration from development to testing or the production environments.

Migration involves exporting the existing configuration from the source Microsoft Dataverse environment, and then importing it into the target Dataverse environment.

Prepare the target environment

Prepare the target environment if you're using the standard data model. An environment that uses the enhanced data model doesn't require these steps. You can proceed to transferring the website configuration.

Note

• Preparing the target environment is a one-time process. You need to provision a new website to install the managed Power Pages solutions on Dataverse and configure the Power Pages web application. This process also installs default website metadata which is replaced by the website metadata from your source environment.
• Ensure that the target environment's maximum attachment size is set to the same or greater size as your source environment.
• The Maximum file size setting in the system settings email tab in the environment system settings dialog box determines the maximum size of files.
• Note the difference between developer, trial, and production websites and developer, trial, sandbox, and production environments.
• You can migrate a trial, developer, or production website to another trial, developer, or production website on the same or another environment. You need to provision a production website on a sandbox or production environment.

1. Provision a new website in your target environment. Use the same website template that you used in your source environment. For example, if you provisioned a site by using the Dynamics 365 Customer Self-Service template in your source environment, provision the site by using the Dynamics 365 Customer Self-Service template in your target environment.

2. On the target environment, use the Portal Management app to delete the newly created website record. This action removes the default website configuration data from the target environment.

   

3. On the target environment, in Power Apps, delete the portal app. This action removes the website currently configured to render the default site.

   Note

   Don't delete the Portal Management app!

   

Transfer the website configuration to target environment

Transfer the site metadata from the source environment by using the Power Platform CLI, the Configuration Migration Tool, or solutions.

Reactivate site on target environment

After you transfer the website to the target environment, reactivate the website.

1. On the target environment, on the Power Pages home screen, select Inactive sites. You see the website you migrated to the environment.

2. Select Reactivate.

   

3. Enter the Reactivated website name and Create a web address or accept the default values.

4. Select Done.

5. The website updates from the source environment appear in this new target environment. Going forward, you can transfer configuration from your source to target environments by transferring the website configuration data.

Note

A website that appears in the Inactive sites list on the Power Pages home page also appears in the list of Active Websites in the Portal Management app.

Transfer website metadata

Solutions

If you configure your website by using the enhanced data model, you can transfer the website configuration by using Power Platform solutions. For more information, see Using solutions with Power Pages.

Note

Make sure the target environment also has the enhanced data model enabled.

Power Platform CLI

Transfer website configuration by using Power Platform CLI

Microsoft Power Platform CLI provides many features specifically for Power Pages. These commands allow you to download site configuration from a source environment and transfer it to a target environment. You can also incorporate these commands into your ALM processes.

1. Create Power Platform CLI authentication profiles to connect to both your source and target environments. Give the profiles names to easily identify the target and source environments.

   pac auth create --name [name] --url [environment url]
   

   Example

   pac auth create --name PORTALDEV --url https://contoso-org.crm.dynamics.com
   

2. When you create the authentication profiles, each profile has an associated index that you can determine by using the list command.

   pac auth list
   

   

3. Select the Power Platform CLI authentication profile connected to the source environment.

   pac auth select --index [source environment index]
   

   Example

   pac auth select --index 1
   

4. Determine the website ID for the source site.

   pac pages list

   

5. Download the website configuration data to your local workstation. Use the --overwrite option set to true if you previously downloaded website configuration to the same path.

   pac pages download --path [path] --webSiteId [website id]

   Example

   pac pages download --path c:\paportals\ --webSiteId db9db518-ea5c-ec11-8f8f-00224804e6cd

6. Select the Power Platform CLI authentication profile connected to the target environment.

   pac auth select --index [target environment index]

   Example

   pac auth select --index 2

7. Upload the website configuration data to the target environment.

   pac pages upload --path [path]

   Example

   pac pages upload --path "C:\paportals\portaldev"

Note

• The Power Platform CLI tool doesn't migrate Dataverse tables or table schema. Migration might fail with missing elements such as tables and fields when configuration data is mismatched with selected schema.
• During import, ensure the destination environment contains the same website template type already installed with any other customizations such as tables, fields, forms, or views imported separately as solutions.

Configuration Migration Tool

Transfer website configuration by using the Configuration Migration tool

Note

The preferred method to transfer website metadata is to use solutions or the Power Platform CLI.

To export configuration data, use the Configuration Migration tool and a website-specific configuration schema file. For more information about this tool, see Manage configuration data.

Note

• Use the latest version of the Configuration Migration tool. You can download the Configuration Migration tool from NuGet. For more information about downloading the tool, see Download tools from NuGet.
• The minimum solution version of websites supported by schema files for configuration migration is 8.4.0.275. However, use the latest solution version.
• Source and destination organizations must have the same default language for the migration to work successfully.

Schema files are available for the following website types:

• Websites created in an environment with Dataverse

  • Custom portal (Blank portal)
  • Custom portal (Blank portal) (for version 9.2.2103.x)
  • Custom portal (Blank portal) (for version 9.3.2201.x or higher)

• Websites created in an environment containing customer engagement apps (such as Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Service)

  • Custom portal (Blank portal)
  • Custom portal (Blank portal) (for version 9.2.2103.x)
  • Custom portal (Blank portal) (for version 9.3.2201.x or higher)
  • Community portal
  • Customer Self-Service portal
  • Partner portal
  • Employee Self-Service portal

The default schema files contain information about website tables, relationships, and uniqueness definitions for each entity. For more information, see Export website configuration data.

After exporting the configuration data, import it into the target environment. For more information, see Import website configuration data.

Note

• The Configuration Migration tool uses schema to export and import configuration data. The tool doesn't migrate Dataverse tables or table schema. Migration might fail with missing elements such as tables and fields when configuration data doesn't match the selected schema.
• During export, ensure the source environment contains website tables as specified in the Configuration Migration tool schema file. You can still alter the schema files to add, remove, and modify tables and attributes to migrate a subset of configuration data.
• During import, ensure the destination environment contains the same website type already installed with any other customizations such as tables, fields, forms, or views imported separately as solutions.

Export website configuration data

You can export website configuration data from a source system by using website-specific configuration schema files.

1. Download the Configuration Migration tool and extract it to the desired folder.

2. Download the website configuration schema file by using the links provided earlier for your website template type.

3. Double-click the DataMigrationUtility.exe file in the <your_folder>\Tools\ConfigurationMigration folder to run the Configuration Migration tool. Choose Export data in the main screen, and then select Continue.

   

4. On Login, enter your authentication details to connect to your Dataverse environment. If you want to export data from multiple organizations in the Dataverse environment, select the Display list of available organizations check box, and then select Login.

5. If you select the Display list of available organizations check box, the next screen prompts you to choose the organization that you want to connect to. Select a Dataverse environment to connect to.

   Note

   If you don't have multiple organizations, this screen isn't displayed.

6. In Schema file, browse and select the website-specific configuration schema file to use for the data export.

7. In Save to data file, specify the name and location of the data file to export.

   

8. Select Export Data. The screen displays the export progress status and the location of the exported file at the bottom of the screen once the export is complete.

   

9. Select Exit to close the tool.

Import website configuration data

1. Run the Configuration Migration tool, select Import data on the main screen, and then select Continue.

   

2. On Login, enter your authentication details to connect to your Dataverse environment. If you want to export data from multiple organizations in the Dataverse environment, select the Display list of available organizations check box, and then select Login.

3. If you select the Display list of available organizations check box, the next screen prompts you to choose the organization that you want to connect to. Select a Dataverse environment to connect to.

   Note

   • If you don't have multiple organizations, you don't see this screen.
   • Make sure the portal solution is already installed for the organization where you plan to import the configurations.

4. The next screen prompts you to provide the data file (.zip) to import. Browse to the data file, select it, and then select Import Data.

   

5. The next screen displays the import status of your records. The data import runs in multiple passes to first import the foundation data while queuing up the dependent data, and then import the dependent data in the subsequent passes to handle any data dependencies or linkages. This action ensures clean and consistent data import.

6. Select Exit to close the tool.

Create new website using migrated data

If the migration process updates an existing website, you see the updates in the target environment.

If the migration is for a new website, the migrated website appears in the Inactive sites tab on the Power Pages home page.

1. On the target environment, on the Power Pages home screen, select Inactive sites. You see the website you migrated to the environment.

2. Select Reactivate.

   

3. Enter the Reactivated website name and Create a web address or accept the default values.

4. Select Done.

Tenant-to-tenant migration

To move a Power Pages site to another tenant, export the site as part of a solution, delete or reset the site in the source tenant, and then import and activate the site in the target tenant environment.

Important

Use the Power Platform Tenant-to-tenant migrations article for environment-level prerequisites and move steps.

Plan the move

Identify the tenant-specific configuration that you need to reconfigure. Site connections, app registrations, authentication providers, integrations, and some admin settings don't transfer in a ready-to-use state.

Move the site configuration

1. Export the site configuration and customizations as part of a solution. To transfer additional configuration data, use the website metadata transfer steps in this article.

2. Delete or reset the site in the source tenant before you move the environment.

3. Complete the environment-level move by following the Power Platform Tenant-to-tenant migrations guidance.

4. Import the site solution into the target tenant environment.

5. Activate the imported site from the Inactive sites tab in Power Pages. For activation steps, see Reactivating site on target environment.

6. Reconfigure tenant-specific connections, integrations, runtime features, site data, and admin settings.

7. Convert the site to production after migration is complete.

Reconfigure connections and integrations

After you activate the site in the target tenant environment, manually reconfigure the connections and integrations that depend on tenant-specific resources.

• Reconfigure site connections because the app registration for the portal host-to-Dataverse connection changes.
• Configure the custom domain and associated SSL certificate.
• Reauthenticate the SharePoint connection.
• Reconfigure Power BI workspace authentication and update workspace IDs referenced in site code.
• Confirm whether Power Automate cloud flow GUIDs are retained after the move. Reconfigure flow references and connections as needed.

Reconfigure runtime features

Review and reconfigure runtime features that depend on tenant identity, app registrations, or service connections.

• Configure authentication providers, especially providers that depend on the source Microsoft Entra tenant.
• Reconfigure Microsoft Copilot Studio agents.
• Reconfigure cloud flows.
• Reconfigure external apps.

Migrate site data

Migrate site data that isn't transferred with the site configuration.

• Migrate the authenticated site users, including Dataverse contact records and site-specific data records.
• Migrate other site data required for the target site experience.

Reconfigure admin settings

Some admin settings return to their default values after migration. Review and configure these settings in the target tenant environment.

• Configure AI features for the target site.
• Reconfigure other features that revert to default values, such as SharePoint, Power BI, and governance settings.
• Reconfigure content delivery network (CDN) and web application firewall (WAF) settings.

Note

Before you go live, validate all pages, permissions, user access, and integrations in the target tenant environment.

See also

• Power Pages support for Microsoft Power Platform CLI
• Using solutions with Power Pages
• Enhanced data model
• Tenant-to-tenant migration of a Power Platform environment
• Tenant-to-tenant migration of model-driven apps in Dynamics 365 such as Sales, Customer Service, Marketing, Field Service, and Project Service Automation