Lesson 2.1 · M2 Get Started with Microsoft Dataverse

Dataverse Essentials

Dataverse is the structured data layer under the Power Platform. Before Lab 2 has you build a table, it helps to know what tables, columns, and relationships actually mean here.

8 min read

Why not just use a SharePoint list?

You'll actually use both in this course. SharePoint lists are quick and familiar, and Lab 3 uses one for exactly that reason. Dataverse is the step up: it enforces column data types and relationships more strictly, supports row-level security, and — most relevant to Lab 7 — every column has a stable logical name you can filter on in a trigger, independent of what you rename the display label to.

Tables, columns, rows

  • Table — a structured collection of records, equivalent to a database table. Lab 2 creates a custom Opportunity table.
  • Column — a field on that table with a defined data type: text, number, date, currency, choice, or lookup.
  • Primary column — every table's required "name" column, shown wherever the record needs a human-readable label.
  • Row — one record. In Lab 2's Opportunity table, each row is one sales opportunity.

Column types you'll use

Single line of text — short strings like names or subjects
Multiple lines of text — longer free-form notes
Date and time — with a Date-only display option
Currency — stores an amount with currency formatting
Choice — a fixed dropdown list, each option backed by a numeric value
Lookup — a reference to a row in another table, forming a relationship

Relationships

A lookup column is how one table points at another. In Lab 2, adding an Account lookup column to Opportunity lets each opportunity reference an existing account record — the same pattern behind customer/order, or task/project relationships in any relational system.

Logical names — why Lab 7 needs them

Every column gets two names: a display name (what you see in the UI, and can rename anytime) and a logical name (an internal, prefixed identifier set once and never changed automatically). Dataverse triggers in Power Automate — the kind Lab 7 builds — filter on logical names, not display names, so that renaming a column later doesn't silently break your flows.