#PowerPlatformTip 74 – ‘Elevated Permissions’

💡 Challenge

You want to run data connections in PowerApps with elevated permissions, allowing users with limited access to perform actions they normally couldn’t, like creating items in a SharePoint list they only have read access to.

✅ Solution

Use Power Automate flows to run data connections in PowerApps with elevated permissions. This approach allows you to impersonate as an admin or a different user, similar to the Impersonation Step action in SharePoint designer workflows.

🔧 How It’s Done

Here’s how to do it:

1. PowerApps Security
   🔸 Understand how PowerApps security works with data connections and sharing.
   🔸 Ensure connectors and app sharing roles are configured correctly.
2. Power Automate Integration
   🔸 Call a Power Automate flow from Power Apps using the V2 connector.
   🔸 Build the flow to connect to data sources with elevated permissions.
3. Impersonation
   🔸 Use the “Run-only users” setting in your flow to specify an admin or service account.
   🔸 Grant only the intended users permission to trigger the flow.

🎉 Result

You’ve successfully set up PowerApps to run data connections with elevated permissions, allowing users to perform actions beyond their normal permissions!

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Enhanced User Experience: Users can perform actions in PowerApps beyond their normal permissions, improving their experience and productivity.
🔸 Security & Flexibility: This approach maintains security while providing flexibility in how data connections are run in PowerApps.
🔸 Seamless Integration: PowerApps and Power Automate work together seamlessly, opening up new possibilities for app functionality.

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🎥 Video Tutorial

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🛠️ FAQ

1. How do I grant elevated permissions without exposing credentials?
Use the ‘Run-only users’ setting in Power Automate: the flow runs under its owner’s credentials, so app users don’t need to know service account details.

2. Can any user trigger the flow with elevated rights?
Only users explicitly added as run-only users can trigger the flow; the Power Apps V2 connector enforces this access control.

3. Are there any licensing requirements for elevated flow execution?
The flow executes under the owner’s license; ensure the owner has the required connector and premium licenses so the flow can run with elevated permissions for all users.