1. What Is Dataverse?

Microsoft Dataverse (formerly Common Data Service) is Microsoft’s cloud-based, secure, scalable data platform that underpins the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power BI) and Dynamics 365.

It provides:

• A relational database built on Azure SQL.
• Standardized schema (Common Data Model) for business data.
• Security, governance, and compliance built-in.
• Seamless integration across the Microsoft ecosystem.

Think of Dataverse as the “database + business logic layer” for all Power Platform solutions.

---

2. Dataverse Architecture Overview

🔹 Core Components

Layer	Description
Data Storage	Built on Azure SQL and Azure Blob for file data.
Business Logic Layer	Business rules, workflows, plugins, and custom logic.
API Layer	REST, OData, and SDK APIs for developers.
Security Layer	Role-based and record-based access control.
Integration Layer	Connectors for Power Platform, Dynamics, Azure, and external apps.

🔹 Types of Data Storage

• Tables (Entities) – structured data (rows/columns)
• Files and Images – stored in Azure Blob via File/Image columns
• Logs and Telemetry – stored separately for auditing and analytics

---

3. Tables (Entities) in Dataverse

Dataverse stores data in tables. Each table has columns (fields) and rows (records).

Types of Tables

1. Standard Tables – e.g., Account, Contact, Opportunity.
2. Activity Tables – e.g., Email, Task, Appointment.
3. Virtual Tables – connect to external data (SQL, SharePoint, API).
4. Custom Tables – created by users for specific business needs.

Table Relationships

• 1:N (One-to-Many)
  Example: One Account → Many Contacts.
• N:1 (Many-to-One)
  Example: Many Contacts → One Account.
• N:N (Many-to-Many)
  Example: Many Contacts ↔ Many Marketing Lists.

---

4. Data Types in Dataverse

Category	Data Type	Description
Text	Single Line, Multiple Lines	Textual data
Number	Whole, Decimal, Floating	Numeric data
Date/Time	Date Only, Date and Time	Temporal values
Lookup	Lookup	Relationship reference
Choice	Option Set	Predefined dropdown
Boolean	Two options	Yes/No
File/Image	File, Image	Binary data
Calculated & Rollup	Derived values	Auto-calculated fields

---

5. Security Model in Dataverse

Security Layers:

1. Role-Based Security
   • Access based on roles (System Admin, Salesperson, etc.)
2. Record-Based Security
   • Ownership model: User, Team, or Organization.
3. Field-Level Security
   • Control visibility/editing at the field level.
4. Business Units
   • Define hierarchical data boundaries.

Sharing

• Share individual records with specific users/teams.

---

️ 6. Business Logic Capabilities

Dataverse includes powerful no-code and pro-code logic features:

Logic Type	Tool	Description
Business Rules	Power Apps Designer	Enforce validation or set field values dynamically
Workflows (Classic)	Dynamics 365	Legacy automation
Power Automate	Cloud Flows	Event-driven automation
Plugins (C#)	SDK/Visual Studio	Advanced custom logic
Real-Time Workflows	Server-side sync	Immediate processing
Business Process Flows	Power Apps	Step-based user guidance

---

7. Integration Options

Dataverse is designed for interoperability.

Out-of-the-box Connectors:

• Power Automate / Power Apps Connectors
• Azure Logic Apps
• Power BI
• Dynamics 365 Applications

API Integration:

• Web API (OData v4)
  CRUD operations using REST.
• Organization Service (C# SDK)
  Strongly-typed operations.
• Dataverse Connector for Azure Functions / Synapse Link

Virtual Tables:

• Surface data from SQL, SharePoint, or Custom APIs in real-time.

---

8. Developer Features

Tool/Feature	Description
Plugins	C# classes for event-based logic
Custom Actions	Define custom messages callable via API
JavaScript Web Resources	Client-side form logic
PCF Controls	Custom UI components for forms/grids
Azure Functions/Webhooks	Extend with external serverless logic
Solution Management	Package and deploy apps, flows, and tables

---

9. Data Access and APIs

Web API (REST)

• URL:
• https://<org&gt;.crm.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.2/
• Example:
• GET accounts?$select=name,revenue
• POST contacts

SDK (C#)

var account = new Entity(“account”);

account[“name”] = “Contoso Ltd.”;

service.Create(account);

---

10. Administration and Governance

Area	Tool	Description
Environment Management	Power Platform Admin Center	Create, backup, restore environments
Data Policies	DLP	Control connector usage
Auditing	Dataverse Auditing	Track record changes
Compliance	Microsoft Trust Center	GDPR, ISO, HIPAA
Backup & Restore	Environment Backups	Automated and manual options

---

11. Analytics and Reporting

1. Power BI Dataverse Connector
   • Real-time analytics on Dataverse tables.
2. Dataverse Search
   • Full-text search across records.
3. Advanced Find / Modern Views
   • Query and export data.
4. Azure Synapse Link
   • Export data to Azure Data Lake for big data analytics.

---

12. Solutions and ALM (Application Lifecycle Management)

Types of Solutions

• Unmanaged: Editable; used during development.
• Managed: Locked; used for deployment to production.

ALM Tools

• Power Platform CLI (pac)
• GitHub Actions / Azure DevOps Pipelines
• Environment Variables and Connection References

---

13. Licensing Overview (2025)

License	Includes Dataverse?	Notes
Power Apps per app/user plan	✅	Full Dataverse access
Microsoft 365	⚠️	Limited Dataverse for Teams
Dynamics 365	✅	Full access via assigned app
Dataverse for Teams	✅	Lightweight, limited features

---

14. Best Practices

✅ Use standard tables where possible.
✅ Keep plugins lightweight and offload heavy logic to Power Automate or Azure Functions.
✅ Use Solutions for deployment.
✅ Apply naming conventions and documentation.
✅ Regularly review audit logs and storage usage.
✅ Use column-level security for sensitive data.

---

15. Common Real-World Use Cases

Industry	Example Application
Healthcare	Patient record management
Education	Student and course tracking
Construction	Project, bid, and contract management
Banking	Loan and customer relationship tracking
Public Sector	Citizen service portals

---

16. Learning and Certification Path

Level	Certification	Code
Beginner	Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals	PL-900
Intermediate	Power Platform Functional Consultant	PL-200
Advanced	Power Platform Developer	PL-400
Architect	Solution Architect Expert	PL-600