What’s New with the Power Apps Test Engine: From Experimental to Enterprise-Grade

Since the release of the experimental Power Apps Test Engine in October 2022, we’ve made significant strides in enhancing its capabilities and aligning it with the Managed Operations Pillar. Our journey from the initial experimental phase to waves of new changes that will progressively rollout out with the Post Ignite milestones as we work towards Enhanced testing for Power Apps will be transformative, and we’re excited to continue to share the latest updates and innovations.

Expanding Coverage Beyond Canvas Apps

One of the most notable advancements is the expansion of the Test Engine’s coverage. Initially focused on canvas applications, the Test Engine now includes support for model-driven applications. This broader coverage is just the beginning, with a roadmap with an extensible provider model that includes extending support to other parts of the Power Platform, such as Power Automate and Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Building an End-to-End Process

At Ignite, we demonstrated the end-to-end process to plan, build, test, deploy, and monitor for enterprise-grade low-code applications. This comprehensive approach ensures that every stage of application development is seamlessly integrated, providing a robust framework for managing operations.

No Cliffs Extensibility Model

The no cliffs extensibility model is designed to bridge the gap between low-code and traditional code-first development. It allows organizations to leverage their existing investments in automated testing and CI while embracing the agility and speed of low-code development. This model ensures that there are no abrupt transitions or “cliffs” when moving between low-code and code-first approaches. Have a look at our Impacts on People, Process, and Tooling for further information.

New Provider Model

We’ve introduced a completely new provider model that enhances the Test Engine’s capabilities. This model not only increases coverage but also improves the overall efficiency and effectiveness of automated testing across different types of Power Apps and testing scenarios.

Authentication Changes

To enhance the security integration options of Test Engine, the newer updates introduced a new storage state provider that supports Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), enhancing security by leveraging the browser’s storage state. Our goal is to continue to update and align with Microsoft’s Security Framework Initiative (SFI) and enables the use of modern authentication mechanisms. if this is an area of interest for you have a look at the Security Architects role for more security related topics.

Role of Automated Testing in Business Processes

Automated testing plays a crucial role in building effective processes that support different teams and priorities spanning many different roles and responsibilities across Business, Technical and Risk and Compliance roles. By integrating automated testing into the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) framework, businesses can ensure that their applications are reliable, scalable, and maintainable. This integration is essential for maintaining the business context and ensuring that low-code testing is both efficient and effective. The Power CAT Engineering team is collaborating with the Test Engine team with CoE Starter Kit Test Automation ALM to adopt new Managed features of the platform that can provide examples and learnings as we are Executing CoE Starter Kit Test Automation update process.

Innovations in Data Simulation and Power Fx

We’ve introduced several innovations to enhance the testing process. Data simulation capabilities allow for more accurate and comprehensive testing scenarios. Additionally, the use of the Power Fx integration helps unify and abstract testing across the Power Platform, making it easier for developers to create and manage tests.

Open Source and Ring Deployment Model

The Test Engine now follows an open-source model with a Ring deployment approach. This model allows users to join as early adopters, participate in regular updates with experimental features, or be part of feature deployments. This flexible approach ensures that users can choose the level of engagement that best suits their needs.

Transformational Role of Generative AI

Finally, the transformational role of Generative AI cannot be overstated. By leveraging Generative AI, we’ve setting a path to make it possible to put testing in the hands of a wider audience through a record and replay process. Our goal is to enable this to be another set of tooling and processes that can help democratizes testing, making it accessible to more users and enhancing the overall quality of applications.

We are excited about these advancements and look forward to continuing to innovate and improve the Power Apps Test Engine. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with automated testing in the Power Platform.

Summary

Since the release of the experimental Power Apps Test Engine in October 2022, we’ve made significant strides in enhancing its capabilities and aligning it with the Managed Operations Pillar. Our journey from the initial experimental phase to waves of new changes that will progressively roll out with the Post Ignite milestones has been transformative. We are excited to continue sharing the latest updates and innovations, including expanding coverage beyond canvas apps, building an end-to-end process, introducing a new provider model, and enhancing security with Multi-Factor Authentication.

We look forward to walking through these new changes at the Powerful Devs conference, where we will delve deeper into these advancements and explore how they can benefit your organization.