Overview#
Before Pump installs the portal, there are some decisions to make about how it will work. This page covers those decisions, how to test the portal, what's done in your sandbox and in production, and a checklist for going live.
This page is part of the Pump Portal Admin Guide. Read Getting started with the Pump Portal first.
Decisions to make#
Pump will go through these with you before installing:
| Decision | Options |
|---|---|
| The portal's web address | A Microsoft address, for example yourcompany.powerappsportals.com, or your own, for example portal.yourcompany.com. Your own address needs a DNS change by your IT team. |
| The sender address | The shared mailbox (see Email). |
| Branding | Your logo, colours and name. Candidates know your company, not Pump, so the site and emails use your name. |
| Which compliance items candidates see | Which of your compliance item templates should appear in the portal, and the instructions candidates are given for each. |
| Reminder timings | When to remind candidates who haven't registered (3 and 7 days by default) and when to remind them about expiring items (90, 30, 7 and 1 days before by default). |
| Who on your team gets access | Which staff can invite candidates and send reminders, and which work compliance items (see Giving staff access). |
| Who to invite first | When the automatic invitations start, they invite every candidate with a current placement, an open offer or an application with a Status Reason of Short List or beyond. You might prefer to start with a smaller group. |
| Existing compliance items | Whether items you already have should appear in the portal for current candidates, or only new ones. |
Testing#
In your sandbox, your team tests with test candidates: Person records with email addresses your team can read, for example your own. Don't use real candidates' records in the sandbox. A sandbox is often a copy of your live data, so real candidates could get emails from it. Try each part: invite, register, upload a document, review it in Pump, send a reminder.
In production, before the automatic emails start, invite a small group of real candidates who are happy to help, for example a few you know well. Line them up early. They'll show whether the instructions and emails make sense to someone outside your team.
Sandbox and production: what's done where#
Everything is set up in your sandbox first and tested there, then set up in production. Pump installs the Pump Portal in both: you don't export it from the sandbox or import it into production yourself.
Some things are settings or data that belong to each environment, so they're done in both. Your own changes to the portal are made once, in the sandbox, and moved across.
| What | Sandbox | Production | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pump Portal | Installed first | Installed once you've signed off the sandbox | Pump |
| Shared mailbox | Its own mailbox, for example portal-test@ | Your real one, for example portal@ | Your Microsoft 365 administrator, or Pump |
| Approving the mailbox | Yes | Yes | Your Microsoft 365 administrator |
| Settings: sender, portal address, reminder timings (see Settings you can change) | Set | Set again: they don't carry across | Pump at install, you afterwards |
| The 7 email templates (see The emails candidates receive) | Installed and branded | Copied from your sandbox at install, so make wording changes there first | Pump |
| Staff access: roles and column security profile (see Giving staff access) | Your testers | Everyone who needs it | You |
| Show in Portal on compliance item templates (see Which compliance items candidates see) | Set | Set again: templates are data, not part of the portal | You, with our help |
| Your customisations: branding, list columns, form fields (see Before you customise the portal) | Made here | Moved across in your own customisation solution | You |
| Who can open the site | Only people you name | Only people you name, then everyone at go-live | Pump |
| Automatic emails (see Turning the automatic emails on) | Leave off, unless the sandbox only has test candidates | Turned on when you go live | You |
| Keeping the flows running (see Keeping the portal's flows running) | Not needed | Set up | Pump at install, you for any you turn on later |
Before you go live: checklist#
- Power Pages licence in place.
- Shared mailboxes created and approved, for the sandbox and production.
- Decisions made.
- Portal tested in your sandbox with test candidates (see Testing).
- Branding and email wording checked.
- Staff given access, and shown the Pump Portal User Guide.
- A small group of real candidates has tried it in production (see Testing).
- Agreed who's invited when the automatic invitations start.