|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +layout: post |
| 3 | +title: "Unlocking Seamless Access: How to Ensure Users Can Create Connections for Copilot Studio Agents" |
| 4 | +date: 2025-11-14 |
| 5 | +categories: [copilot-studio, tutorial, governance] |
| 6 | +tags: [power-platform, agents, connection-references, connections, dataverse] |
| 7 | +author: jpapadimitriou |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +# Unlocking Seamless Access: How to Ensure Users Can Create Connections for Copilot Studio Agents |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +## Introduction |
| 14 | +One of the most common challenges in Copilot Studio deployments is ensuring that users can create and use **connections** for agents in the correct environment. Without proper configuration, users may encounter permission errors or fail to access required resources. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +This blog post provides a **step-by-step guide** to: |
| 17 | +- Sync users from **Entra ID security groups** into Dataverse. |
| 18 | +- Create and configure **Dataverse security teams**. |
| 19 | +- Assign the right roles so users can create and use connections for Copilot Studio agents. |
| 20 | +- Troubleshoot common issues and automate sync for large environments. |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +--- |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +## Why This Matters |
| 25 | +Connections are the backbone of Copilot Studio agents. If users lack permissions, agents cannot function properly. By aligning **Entra ID groups**, **Dataverse teams**, and **security roles**, you ensure a smooth experience for every user. |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +--- |
| 28 | +> [!NOTE] |
| 29 | +> You can create a mock security group to test the tutorial end-to-end. We will be explaining how to do so below. |
| 30 | +
|
| 31 | +## Step 1: Verify Entra ID Security Group Membership |
| 32 | +1. Go to **Microsoft Entra admin center** (**https://entra.microsoft.com/**). |
| 33 | +2. Navigate to **Groups → Security Groups**. |
| 34 | +3. Create a new group and give it a distinctive name. |
| 35 | +>  |
| 36 | +
|
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +--- |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +## Step 2: Create Corresponding Security Teams in Dataverse |
| 41 | +1. Open **Power Platform Admin Center (PPAC)** (**https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/**). |
| 42 | +2. Select the environment where your Copilot Studio agent resides. |
| 43 | +3. Go to **Settings → Users + Permissions → Teams**. |
| 44 | +4. Click **New Team**: |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +>  |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +5. Assign appropriate **security roles** to this team (e.g., *Environment Maker*, *Basic User*, or custom roles granting connection creation). |
| 49 | +>  |
| 50 | +
|
| 51 | +--- |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +## Step 3: Force Sync Users into Dataverse |
| 54 | +By default, sync happens periodically. In order to make sure the latest changes regarding additions/removals of users are reflected immediately you need to force sync: |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +### Option A (manual): Power Platform Admin Center |
| 57 | +- Navigate to **Users** in the environment (**Manage → Environment → RespectiveEnvironment → User - See all**). |
| 58 | +- Click **Refresh** for the affected user(s). |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +### Option B (automated): Triggered Power Automate Flow(s) that force syncs users (addition/removal) |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +* Go to **https://make.powerautomate.com/** |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +* Create a new **Automated cloud flow** and use the trigger |
| 65 | + **Office 365 Groups – When a group member is added or removed**. |
| 66 | +>  |
| 67 | +
|
| 68 | +* Choose the Entra Security Group you want to monitor. |
| 69 | +>  |
| 70 | +
|
| 71 | +* Add **Power Platform for Admins – Force Sync User** |
| 72 | + - **Environment:** select the target environment |
| 73 | + - **ObjectId:** use the trigger’s `User Id` dynamic value |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +>  |
| 76 | +
|
| 77 | +* Then add **Dataverse – Perform a bound action**: |
| 78 | + - **Table:** `teams` |
| 79 | + - **Action:** `SyncGroupMembersToTeam` |
| 80 | + - **Row ID:** the GUID of the Dataverse Team linked to your security group |
| 81 | +>  |
| 82 | +
|
| 83 | + You can find it in the Dataverse team's URL (highlighted here): |
| 84 | +>  |
| 85 | +* Save and enable the flow. |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +* Final flow should look like this: |
| 88 | +>  |
| 89 | +
|
| 90 | +And that's it. Now whenever you add/remove a user from the Entra ID security group, the automated cloud flow will be triggered, syncing the latest changes to the connected Dataverse security team. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +### Testing the flow |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +* Adding a new user to the Entra Security Group: |
| 95 | +>  |
| 96 | +
|
| 97 | +* This will trigger our automated flow. |
| 98 | +* The **Force Sync user** action will get the newly added user's details and push them to the respective Dataverse Security Team. |
| 99 | +* Finally the **Perform a bound action** will update the Teams table by syncing the latest changes based on the Team ID provided. |
| 100 | +>  |
| 101 | +
|
| 102 | +>  |
| 103 | +
|
| 104 | + |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +## Step 5: Confirm Agent Connection Usage |
| 108 | +- In **Copilot Studio**, open the agent. |
| 109 | +- Verify that the agent uses the correct **connection reference**. |
| 110 | +- Ensure the user can run the agent without permission errors. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +--- |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +## Best Practices |
| 115 | +- Always use **Azure AD Security Group Teams** for scalable permission management. |
| 116 | +- Assign roles at the **team level**, not individual users. |
| 117 | +- Periodically audit team memberships and roles. |
| 118 | +- Automate sync using PowerShell for large environments. |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +--- |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +## Outcome |
| 123 | +Following these steps ensures that: |
| 124 | +- Users added to Entra ID security groups are synced into Dataverse. |
| 125 | +- Users removed to Entra ID security groups are also removed from linked Dataverse security teams |
| 126 | +- They inherit the correct permissions via security teams. |
| 127 | +- They can create and use connections required by Copilot Studio agents. |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +--- |
| 130 | + |
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