Power Platform: Dataverse, what is it, and how does it help?

by | Feb 25, 2026 | Copilot Studio, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power Platform

Microsoft Dataverse, formerly known as the Common Data Service (CDS), is the service where data is stored in the Power Platform. This is a key aspect of the Power Platform.
Traditional relational databases often require dedicated administrators and complex setups, but Dataverse simplifies things. It manages the infrastructure for you and includes features such as governance, security and auditing.

Core Architecture

In this section, I will provide an idea of Dataverse architecture, and here we go:

Dataverse runs on Azure, so it is considered a cloud-based data service that lets us store and manage data. Yes, but where is my data stored? The answer is simple. There are three storage types in Dataverse:
  • Database: Stores transactional table data.
  • File: Stores unstructured data, such as notes and attachments.
  • Log: Tracks data changes for audit purposes.
To increase your Dataverse storage, you can buy and assign business licenses for apps like D365 Sales, Customer Service, or Project Operations. You can also add more storage by purchasing Dataverse capacity add-ons, such as Database, File, or Log.
Now, let’s match the storage type to the corresponding cloud services.
Dataverse Storage Type Underlying Cloud Service Description
Database Azure SQL Database
This includes table definitions, data in rows and columns, metadata, relationships, and indexes.
File Azure Blob Storage
Attachments like images, PDFs, documents, and videos linked to notes or emails are also included.
Log Azure SQL Database
This also includes audit logs, plug-in trace logs, changes to field values, and updates to security roles.
Now that we are exploring Dataverse further, let’s look at the different types of tables you can use.
Table Type Description
Standard Out-of-the-box tables such as Account, Contact, User, etc.
Custom User-created table to store custom business data.
Activity Ready-to-use activity tables for appointments, tasks, emails, etc.
Virtual Customizable tables to pull data from various sources such as SharePoint, SQL, APIs, etc.
Elastic Designed to store very large datasets.

After discussing the different types of tables, we will now explore the types of relationships you can apply.

Relationship type Definition
1:N A primary (parent) table can link to many rows in a related (child) table.
N:1 A child table can have multiple rows, each of which connects to a single row in a parent table.
N: N Also, one table can have many rows that connect to many rows in another table.

 

In this section, I will present several basic Dataverse data types using the following tables.

Text

This stores letters, numbers, and symbols as easy-to-read string values.

Data Type Format Storage
Single Line of Text Plain text String
Multiple Lines of Text Memo Text
Rich Text HTML Text
Email Email format StringType
Phone Phone format StringType
URL Web link StringType
Numeric

This holds whole or decimal numbers that you can use for calculations and measurements.

Data Type Storage
Whole Number Integer
Decimal Number Decimal
Floating Point Number Float
Financial

This keeps currency values accurate for money data and transactions.

Data Type Storage
Currency Money + Currency table
Date and Time Data

This records specific dates, times, or both for tracking when events happen.

Data Type Storage
Date Only Date
Date and Time DateTime
Boolean

This shows a simple true/false or yes/no value.

Data Type Storage
Yes/No Bit
Choice

This allows users to pick from a set list of options.

Data Type Storage
Choice (Option Set) Integer
Choice (Multi-select) Integer array
Lookup/Relationship

This connects a record to another table, creating a link between them.

Data Type Storage Relationship Type
Lookup GUID Many-to-One
Customer GUID Account or Account
Owner GUID User or Team
File & Media

This holds uploaded files, images, or other types of content within a record.

Data Type Storage Location Max Size
File Azure Blob 128 MB
Image Azure Blob 30 MB

 

Summary

Microsoft Dataverse is the core data storage solution for Power Platform. Unlike traditional relational databases that require complex setups and dedicated administrators, Dataverse takes care of the hard work for you. It manages the infrastructure and includes governance, security, and auditing features by default.
468
Share This