It’s a bit like moving house, isn't it? You start in a temporary spot, get a feel for the place, and then, when you’re ready, you make it official. That’s essentially what happens with Power Pages websites. They have a lifecycle, and a key part of that journey is the conversion process, moving from one stage to another.
From Trial to Production: Making it Official
So, you’ve been building and testing your Power Pages website, perhaps using a trial environment. It’s been a great sandbox, a place to experiment without immediate consequences. But eventually, you’ll want to launch it for real, to your users, to the world. This is where the conversion from an 'evaluation' or 'trial' site to a 'production' site comes in.
How do you know it's time? Well, the system will usually give you a nudge. When you’re looking at your Power Pages sites in the Power Platform admin center, you’ll likely see notifications about trial expirations. That’s your cue.
To actually make the switch, you’ll need the right permissions – think System Administrator, Power Platform Administrator, or Dynamics 365 Administrator. Once you have those, you’ll find a clear option within the notification itself, or in the site’s details section, to 'Convert' or 'Convert to production'. It’s a straightforward click, and you’ll be asked to confirm. You might even get a chance to enable a content delivery network (CDN) at this point, which is a nice bonus for performance.
Just a heads-up: you can’t convert a site from a developer environment directly to production. And once it’s production-ready, it’s crucial to ensure it has the right licensing. Without adequate licenses, you could see performance issues down the line. It’s like moving into a new home and realizing you don’t have enough furniture – things just won’t work as smoothly.
Shifting Your Licensing Model: From Add-on to Capacity-Based
Beyond the trial-to-production move, there’s another significant conversion: changing your licensing model. If you're using Power Pages with an add-on license, you might consider switching to a capacity-based licensing model. This is a strategic decision, often driven by evolving needs and usage patterns.
The process, again, involves the admin center. You’ll navigate to Power Pages, identify the site with the 'Add-on' type, and then look for an option to 'Change license'. Confirming this change will initiate the conversion.
Before you hit that button, though, a few things to keep in mind. Your website will be temporarily unavailable for a few minutes during the license conversion. So, if it’s a critical business tool, you’ll want to plan this during a low-traffic period. Also, ensure your environment has the appropriate capacity available and assigned before you start the conversion. And yes, you’ll need administrative privileges for this too.
An important distinction here: this license conversion from an existing model to a capacity-based one can only happen in production environments. If you're in a trial environment, you'll need to convert it to production first, as we discussed earlier.
Understanding Add-on Portal Considerations
For those using add-on portals, there are specific timelines to be aware of. Trial add-on portals typically expire after 30 days. After expiration, they go into a suspension period for about seven days before being deleted. Crucially, you can convert these trial add-on portals to production during their configured or suspended state. It’s a window of opportunity to make that leap.
Production add-on portals, on the other hand, expire based on your purchased license period. The suspension period can vary. You can extend the license for a production add-on portal when it's in a 'configured' or 'suspended' state. If it’s suspended, extending the license can bring it back to a 'configured' state.
The key takeaway here is proactive management. To avoid losing functionality, always ensure you extend your license well before it expires. It’s about staying ahead of the curve and keeping your digital doors open without interruption.
Ultimately, these conversion processes are about flexibility and ensuring your Power Pages environment aligns with your current needs and future ambitions. It’s about making sure your website isn't just a temporary setup, but a robust, official presence.
