Custom Connectors in Power Platform: Unleashing Integration Superpowers

The Power Platform is a suite of applications, connectors, and a data platform (Dataverse) that provides a rapid development environment to build custom apps for your business needs. One of the most powerful features of this platform is the ability to create custom connectors. In this blog, we will explore what they are, why they are beneficial, and how to set one up in your Power Platform environment.

What are Custom Connectors?

Custom connectors allow you to connect the Power Platform and various external services, programs, and APIs. Using REST APIs or SOAP APIs, you can build your own connection that can be used in your Canvas Apps, Power Automate flows, Logic apps, and more. This extends the functionality of the Power Platform beyond the already well-established 600 pre-built connectors.

Why use Custom Connectors?

Although the number of pre-built connectors offered by the Power Platform is expansive, it is limited. Custom connectors come to the rescue by allowing you to create a personalized connection to any service that has a public-facing API or a private API that you build on your own. This allows you to improve the connection between your Power Platform applications, your legacy applications, and other popular applications that are not connected to the Power Platform natively.

How to Create a Custom Connector?

Creating a custom connector involves several steps:

Identify the API: The first step is to identify the web service you want to connect to and understand its API structure. Some APIs are more expansive than others. Make sure to read the documentation and check for things like request limits, data structure, and other useful tools that the API might offer.

Setup Security: Determine the authentication method required by the API, whether it’s API key, OAuth, Basic, etc.

Define Actions: Define the actions that the connector will perform, such as GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE. Most APIs will have all of the actions defined within the documentation.

Create the Connector: In Power Apps, within the Power Platform, there is a feature called “Custom Connectors.” Using this feature, you will be able to define the connector’s settings, including the base URL, authentication parameters, actions, and security. You have options such as using an OpenAPI file, importing a Postman collection, or creating one from scratch.

Test the Connector: Before deploying, test the connector to ensure it’s working as expected. Make sure to test all of the functionality defined in your custom connector. Test the authentication and all of the available HTTP requests, such as GET, POST, PUT and DELETE. Finally, make sure that the custom connector is available for use in Power Automate, Canvas Apps, etc.

Recent Updates and Best Practices

Microsoft continuously updates the Power Platform, and recent enhancements have made deploying custom connectors even easier. Check out some of the most recent enhancements below:

Add existing custom connectors to a solution. This allows for better application lifecycle management (ALM) and easier deployments.

Use Environment Variables: You can now externalize environment-specific settings like API endpoints and OAuth details, which simplifies management across different environments.

Securely Store Secrets: Integration with Azure Key Vault means you can securely store OAuth settings and other sensitive information.

Conclusion

Custom connectors are revolutionary for businesses looking to leverage the full potential of the Power Platform. They offer a flexible and powerful way to connect to any service, providing endless possibilities for automation and app development. With the latest updates, custom connectors are more powerful than ever before, proving to be an essential feature of any Power Platform developer toolkit.

Reach out to Beringer today!

Do you need assistance with creating your own custom connector in Microsoft Power Platform? Contact us today!

Beringer Technology Group, a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Business Applications, specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution also provides expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing, Email Security Implementation and Training, Unified Communication Solutions, and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment.