Target Audience: IT Administrators, Power Automate Developers, SharePoint Administrators
Objective: This guide outlines the necessary steps to set up the Production environment for Power Automate solutions and configure Microsoft Approvals. Only the essential roles, permissions, and licenses required for the solution's proper functioning are included. The SharePoint libraries and lists, along with the solution import process, will be handled later with the assistance of the QorusDocs support team.

• Section 1: Setting Up the Production Environment with Dataverse
• Section 2: Configuring Microsoft Approvals for the Production Environment
• Section 3: Setting Up Focused Inbox Rules for Microsoft Approvals Emails
• Section 4: Configuring Email Forwarding for Reminder and Escalation Emails
• Section 5: Future Solution Updates (Deploying and Testing in UAT)
• Next Steps: Importing Power Automate Solutions
• Conclusion

Prerequisites:

1. The QorusDocsServiceAccount is already set up with:
   • Microsoft 365 E3 license (without Teams)
   • Exchange license for sending approval emails.
2. System Customizer role assigned to the QorusDocsServiceAccount in the Production environment.
3. Environment Maker role for users responsible for creating the Production environment.
4. Access to the Power Platform Admin Center, Microsoft Power Automate Portal, and SharePoint Admin Center.

Section 1: Setting Up the Production Environment with Dataverse

Overview: The Production environment must be created and configured with Dataverse to ensure that Power Automate solutions function properly. Since no code changes will be made to the solutions, the use of a Test (UAT) environment is unnecessary unless future updates are deployed. The solutions will be configured using environment variables that point to libraries and lists in your SharePoint site.

Roles, Permissions, and Licenses:

• Environment Maker role for the user responsible for creating the Production environment.
• System Customizer role for the QorusDocsServiceAccount to configure and manage Power Automate solutions and Dataverse.
• QorusDocsServiceAccount with the Microsoft 365 E3 license and Exchange license to manage workflows and send approval emails.

Steps:

1. Create the Production Environment with Dataverse
   • Log in to the Power Platform Admin Center.
   • Navigate to Environments and click New.
   • Configure the following:
     • Name: "QorusDocs Production".
     • Type: Select Production.
     • Region: Choose your appropriate region.
     • Add a Database (Dataverse): Select Yes.
     • Language: Set your organization’s default language.
     • Currency: Choose the default currency.
   • Click Save and wait for the environment to be created.
2. Verify Dataverse Setup
   • In the Production environment, navigate to Dataverse and ensure that tables, apps, and flows can be created.
   • The System Customizer role assigned to the QorusDocsServiceAccount will allow it to manage Dataverse configurations and Power Automate solutions without additional administrative rights.

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Section 2: Configuring Microsoft Approvals for the Production Environment

Overview: Microsoft Approvals will be used in Power Automate workflows to automate the content review and approval processes. It must be set up in the Production environment before any solutions are imported.

Roles, Permissions, and Licenses:

• QorusDocsServiceAccount with the System Customizer role and Microsoft 365 E3 license to manage approvals and workflows.
• Power Automate per-user license for the QorusDocsServiceAccount to execute flows.

Steps:

1. Enable Microsoft Approvals in Production
   • Log in to the Power Automate Portal and select the Production environment.
   • Navigate to Data > Connections.
   • If Microsoft Approvals is not listed, click + New Connection, search for Approvals, and authenticate using the QorusDocsServiceAccount.
   • Test the connection by creating a simple flow with an approval step to ensure the Approvals connection is functioning properly.

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Section 3: Setting Up Focused Inbox Rules for Microsoft Approvals Emails

Overview: To ensure important approval-related emails are highlighted for users, the following steps will guide the Exchange Admin to configure the email system so that all emails from Microsoft Approvals always go to the Focused Inbox. Additionally, a rule will be created for specific subject lines to ensure that critical approval emails are given priority.

Roles, Permissions, and Licenses:

• Exchange Admin access is required to configure the transport rules.

Steps:

1. Log in to the Exchange Admin Center:
   • Navigate to Mail flow > Rules and create a new rule.
2. Configure the rule for all emails from Microsoft Approvals:
   • Condition: If the sender is flow-noreply@microsoft.com.
   • Action: Set the header X-MS-Exchange-Organization-BypassFocusedInbox to true.
   • Save and activate the rule.
3. Add an additional rule for specific subject lines:
   • Create a new rule.
   • Condition: If the sender is flow-noreply@microsoft.com and the subject line contains "Please review:" or "Please approve:".
   • Action: Set the header X-MS-Exchange-Organization-BypassFocusedInbox to true.
   • This ensures that emails with these specific subject lines are prioritized in the Focused Inbox.
4. Test the rules:
   • Send test emails from flow-noreply@microsoft.com with the appropriate subject lines to verify that they are directed to the Focused Inbox.
   • Ensure that only the emails matching the specified criteria are affected.

By following these steps, important Microsoft Approvals emails will be consistently delivered to the Focused Inbox for all relevant users, ensuring timely attention and action.

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Section 4: Configuring Email Forwarding for Reminder and Escalation Emails

Overview: As part of the Power Automate workflow, the QorusDocsServiceAccount will send both reminder and escalation emails to the designated Reviewers or Subject Matter Experts. These emails must be automatically forwarded to the content management team. A rule will be created to forward only these specific emails based on their subject lines.

Roles, Permissions, and Licenses:

• QorusDocsServiceAccount with Microsoft 365 E3 license and Exchange license to send and manage emails.
• Access to Exchange Admin Center to set up forwarding rules for emails.

Steps:

1. Identify Reminder and Escalation Emails
   • The QorusDocsServiceAccount will send two types of emails:
     • Reminder Emails: Sent to remind Reviewers/Subject Matter Experts to complete a review or approval.
     • Escalation Emails: Sent when the review or approval has failed or is overdue.
2. Create Forwarding Rule for Reminder and Escalation Emails
   • Log in to the Exchange Admin Center.
   • Navigate to Mail Flow > Rules and create a new rule.
   • Configure the rule as follows:
     • Condition: If the subject line contains "Reminder -" or "Failure -".
     • Action: Forward the email to the content management team’s inbox (or group).
   • Save and activate the rule.
3. Test Email Forwarding
   • Send test emails with subject lines that match "Reminder -" and "Failure -" from the QorusDocsServiceAccount to verify that they are correctly forwarded to the content management team’s inbox.
   • Ensure only these specific emails are forwarded, and other emails remain unaffected.

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Section 5: Future Solution Updates (Deploying and Testing in UAT)

Overview: Although no changes to the code of the Power Automate solutions are planned at this stage, QorusDocs may provide updated versions of the solution in the future. When such updates occur, the updated solution should first be deployed to a UAT (Test) environment for validation before being moved to Production.

Roles, Permissions, and Licenses:

• System Customizer role for the QorusDocsServiceAccount in both UAT and Production environments to manage updates and configurations.

Steps:

1. Create a UAT Environment (If Needed for Future Updates)
   • If a new version of the solution is released, create a UAT environment using the same steps as for Production.
   • Name the environment QorusDocs UAT and ensure that Dataverse is included.
2. Deploy and Test the Updated Solution in UAT
   • Import the updated solution into the UAT environment.
   • Configure environment variables in UAT to point to test libraries and lists.
   • Test the updated solution to ensure it functions correctly and that no issues occur during workflow execution.
3. Deploy the Tested Solution to Production
   • Once testing is complete and the solution has been validated, import the updated solution into the Production environment.
   • Reconfigure environment variables in Production to point to the live libraries and lists.

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Next Steps: Importing Power Automate Solutions

Once the Production environment is fully configured, the next phase will involve importing and publishing Power Automate solutions. This includes preparing SharePoint libraries and lists, setting up metadata fields, and finalizing workflows. These tasks will be covered later in the onboarding process, towards the end of the Content Sprint, and the QorusDocs support team will provide detailed guidance to ensure the solutions are properly deployed and functioning.

The steps for importing and publishing solutions, as well as configuring workflows, are included in the documentation that will be provided. This will be referenced when the QorusDocs support team assists with the final deployment stages.

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Conclusion

By following this guide, you will have successfully set up the Production environment with Dataverse and Microsoft Approvals, ensuring readiness for importing and publishing Power Automate solutions. The System Customizer role ensures that the QorusDocsServiceAccount can manage the necessary workflows without requiring additional administrative rights. Additionally, the forwarding rules for reminder and escalation emails ensure that the content management team stays informed. In the event of future updates, the UAT environment will be used to test the updated solution before deployment to Production. The QorusDocs support team will assist with importing, publishing, and configuring the workflows during the onboarding process to ensure smooth operations across your environments.

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