Cannot Share Dataverse Connections

[Appmess]

I am new to Powerapps and Dataverse so this may be a user error.  That said, I created an app using Dataverse tables but I am unable to share the connections with my org.  Below is the error message I am getting when I click share.  Please let me know if you see anything obvious that is causing this issue. 

[ChrisPiasecki]

Hi @Appmess,

Connections like Dataverse can't be shared implicitly with your app because they explicitly require each user to establish their own connection and have security roles assigned to them.

More information about connections is described here.

---
Please click Accept as Solution if my post answered your question. This will help others find solutions to similar questions. If you like my post and/or find it helpful, please consider giving it a Thumbs Up.

[Appmess]

Thanks for the response Chris.  I read through the document you shared and I am still lost.  I don't have any custom connectors, on premise gateways, .... I just have a Dataverse table.  The article you linked here mentions Explicit sharing but I don't see any details on how to explicitly share.  Where do I manage the sharing for users assuming I want everyone in my org to have access to the table for the purpose of using the app. 

Just an aside comment here but if Dataverse was designed to work seamlessly with Powerapps why is it so complicated to use this data source when Powerapps is so simple?  

[EricRegnier]

Hi @Appmess,

There's a few things to consider, and I can understand that it can be a bit confusing at first. The platform is quite robust to support enterprise scale and therefore have lots of capabilities to consider to be scalable/flexible/governable/maintainable/etc...

1. The data model - this is a common problem why users cannot access/update data form canvas apps. The data is independent from the app so you have to setup the roles and privileges correctly. Power Apps is just one way of interacting with the data/Dataverse, but there are many more ways for example Power BI, Model-Driven App, APIs, etc. To ensure the security/privacy is not compromised, it's important to setup the security model correctly to ensure everyone has access to the proper data. This is not configured via the canvas app designer but through the Power Platform Admin Center (aka.ms/ppac). More info on Dataverse security: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-platform/admin/wp-security-cds 
   
   
2. The app - sharing the app doesn't mean sharing the tables and data behinds the scenes. It strictly about sharing that particialy front-end app. Users can still access the underlying data from other means as explained above. You can share apps for users to contribute to the development of the app (co-owners) or simply users of the app. When sharing the app, it convenentially lets you check and assign existing Dataverse security role(s) as per image below. It also lets you know what the app is using (eg Logic flow and Notifications). Depending on the type of data you might need to explicitly make sure the users will have access to it, for instance an Excel workbook.
   More about app sharing: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/canvas-apps/share-app-resources 
   

Hope this clarifies a little!

[Appmess]

Eric - your response makes sense but, unless I am missing some detail you included, I cannot follow through with your point #2.  When I try to share the Dataverse connection I am getting an error message stating I cannot share this connection.  I am trying to get to the bottom of why this error is occuring even though everyone keeps instructing me to explicitly share using this process/function. 

It would be great if someone could explain why this error is happening so I can share the connection. 

[EricRegnier]

You can't share a Dataverse connection. Simply share the app and let the user login and consent. It will create a connection for them behind the scenes... is this not working?