Welcome to the Power Platform Glossary. This document aims to provide you with a comprehensive list of terms and definitions related to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and The Power Platform. This document is aimed and accommodates readers that may consider themselves beginners. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, this glossary will help you navigate through the jargon and understand key concepts.
Welcome to the Power Platform Glossary. This document aims to provide you with a comprehensive list of terms and definitions related to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and The Power Platform. This document is aimed and accommodates readers that may consider themselves beginners. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, this glossary will help you navigate through the jargon and understand key concepts.
How to Use This Glossary
- Search: If you’re looking for a specific term, use the Table of Contents at the top of the following page to quickly find it.
- Browse: If you prefer to explore the glossary, you can browse through the alphabetical list of terms. Each term is accompanied by a concise definition to give you a quick overview.
- Learn: Take your time to read through the definitions and examples provided. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and expand your knowledge.
Contributing to the Glossary
This glossary is a collaborative effort, and we welcome contributions from the community. If you come across a term that is missing or needs clarification, please let us know.
Document Scope and Origin
It’s important to note that this glossary document is not intended to be an exhaustive compilation of all terms related to the Power Platform. While we strive to include as many relevant terms as possible, it’s possible that some terms may not be covered.
Additionally, this glossary is not created by Microsoft and is subject to our expertise and available resources. The definitions and explanations provided are based on our knowledge and research. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, there may be occasional errors or omissions. The creators of this glossary are not responsible for any harm, or potential harm, that may be a result of the potential misinformation contained within this document.
Glossary Format
The following items listed in the glossary will follow a consistent format that will consist of:
- A one sentence definition of the item.
- A brief description, example, or more context to further understand the item.
- A link to a valuable resource that may provide more information.
Power Platform Glossary
Action
Definition: tasks that are started when a trigger is invoked, allowing users to perform operations such as Create, Update, Delete, or Assign.
Description: They enable users to compose business logic and perform various operations within Power Automate and Power Apps.
Additional Resource Link: Power Virtual Agents Glossary and Terminology – Carl de Souza
Activity Tables
Definition: a special kind of table that can only be owned by a user or team, and it represents something that can be scheduled and put on a calendar, such as an appointment or a phone call.
Description: It has certain shared properties like start and end dates, and it can be shown in the Timeline control
Additional Resource Link: Types of tables – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Advanced Find
Definition: a feature that allows users to search for rows and create personal views with advanced filters in Model-Driven Apps
Description: It provides a powerful way to explore data by specifying search criteria, such as column names, relational operators, and values. You can use it to create, edit, or save views using either the modern advanced find experience or the legacy advanced find search option.
Additional Resource Link: Advanced find – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
AI Builder
Definition: a Microsoft Power Platform capability that provides AI models designed to optimize business processes by automating tasks and extracting insights from data in Power Apps and Power Automate.
Description: It enables users to build custom models without coding or data science skills or choose from prebuilt models for common business scenarios.
Additional Resource Link: Overview of AI Builder | Microsoft Learn
App Designer
Definition: a modern “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) authoring experience that allows users to create and edit model-driven apps, enabling them to configure the navigation site map, tables, forms, and views relevant to their app.
Description: Changes made to the app are instantly reflected in the preview, providing users with a real-time view of how the app will appear to end-users when published.
Additional Resource Link: Overview of the model-driven app designer – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
App Navigation Experience
Definition: the way areas, groups, and subareas are presented in a model-driven app, also known as the site map.
Description: It plays a crucial role in guiding users through the app’s functionalities and providing a seamless and intuitive user experience.
Additional Resource Link: Model-driven app glossary of terms – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
Definition: the end-to-end process of managing the creation, deployment, testing, and maintenance of Power Apps, Power Automate (Flow), and Power BI solutions.
Description: It involves governance, development, and maintenance, and includes disciplines such as requirements management, software architecture, development, testing, maintenance, change management, support, continuous integration, project management, deployment, release management, and governance.
Additional Resource Link: Application lifecycle management (ALM) with Microsoft Power Platform – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Application Programing Interface (API)
Definition: a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.
Description: In the context of the Power Platform, the Power Platform API is a RESTful web API that enables you to access various services and resources within the Power Platform. It provides a way to interact with Power Platform services, such as Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, by allowing you to perform actions like reading data, creating new resources, updating existing resources, and more.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Power Platform API reference (preview) – Power Platform API | Microsoft Learn
AppSource
Definition: an online marketplace for business services and applications built on Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Power BI, and the Microsoft Power Platform.
Description: It offers thousands of cloud-ready solutions for Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and more.
Additional Resource Link: A Guide to Microsoft AppSource – CloudMoyo
Area Chart
Definition: a type of chart that emphasizes the magnitude of change over time by filling the area between the axis and line with colors to indicate volume.
Description: It can be used to draw attention to the total value across a trend and is available in Power Apps.
Additional Resource Link: Basic area chart – Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Asynchronous Workflow
Definition: a type of workflow that executes long-running operations independently of the main Microsoft Dataverse core operation, resulting in improved overall system performance and scalability.
Description: It features a managed first-in, first-out (FIFO) queue for the execution of asynchronous registered plug-ins, workflows, and operations such as bulk mail, bulk import, and campaign activity propagation.
Additional Resource Link: Asynchronous service (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Attribute
Definition: a specific piece of information or data that can be stored in a table or entity.
Description: Attributes are like columns in a table and can represent various types of data, such as text, numbers, dates, or even images. They allow you to organize and manage data within the Power Platform, enabling you to create powerful apps and automate business processes.
Additional Resource Link: Attribute table/entity reference (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Audit Logs
Definition: also known as audit history, the records that keep track of activities and changes made within the platform, such as creating or updating an app, changing permissions, or deleting an app.
Description: Audit logs are stored in Dataverse and can be viewed in the Audit History tab for a single record or in the Audit Summary view for all audited operations in a single environment. They help administrators and other privileged users answer questions like who created or updated a record, which fields were updated, and who was accessing the system.
Additional Resource Link: Manage Dataverse auditing – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Automated Flow
Definition: Flows triggered by predetermined events and run when the event occurs, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.
Description: For example, when a row is created, deleted, or updated in Dataverse, the flow will run if that is the trigger you chose.
Additional Resource Link: Power Automate Glossary – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Autonumber Column
Definition: a column that automatically generates alphanumeric strings whenever they are created, allowing makers to customize the format of these columns and rely on the system to generate matching values at runtime.
Description: Makers can choose from predefined autonumber types, such as string prefixed number or date prefixed number, or fully customize the desired format using string constants, incrementing numbers, formatted dates, or random alphanumeric sequences. To create an autonumber column, makers can follow the same steps to create a column and select “Autonumber” from the Data type drop-down list box.
Additional Resource Link: Autonumber columns in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Azure
Definition: a cloud computing platform and service provided by Microsoft that offers a wide range of cloud-based services, including virtual machines, databases, storage, and more.
Description: Azure provides a scalable and flexible infrastructure for building, deploying, and managing applications and services. It enables businesses to quickly provision resources, scale applications on demand, and pay only for what they use.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Power Platform on Azure | Microsoft Azure
Azure DevOps
Definition: a collaborative platform that provides automation tools to enable continual delivery and better value for customers, allowing organizations to create and improve products at a faster pace than traditional software development approaches.
Description: It supports a wide range of services, including source control, build and release management, testing, and more
Additional Resource Link: What is Azure DevOps? – Azure DevOps | Microsoft Learn
Bar Chart
Definition: a type of chart that emphasizes the magnitude of change over time by filling the area between the axis and line with colors to indicate volume.
Description: It can be used to draw attention to the total value across a trend and is available in Power Apps.
Additional Resource Link: Show data in a line, pie, or bar chart in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Bot Analytics
Definition: a set of tools that allow you to analyze the performance and usage of your bots created with Power Virtual Agents.
Description: These analytics provide insights into key performance indicators, such as engagement rate, resolution rate, escalation rate, and abandon rate, helping you understand how well your bots are performing. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology, you can identify the topics that have the greatest impact on your bot’s performance and make data-driven improvements.
Additional Resource Link: Report analytics, performance, and usage (contains video) – Power Virtual Agents | Microsoft Learn
Bubble Chart
Definition: a variation of a scatter chart in which the data points are replaced with bubbles, and an additional dimension of the data is represented in the size of the bubbles.
Description: It helps to analyze and present complex data in a visually appealing and understandable way, making it easy to compare three different values in one chart.
Additional Resource Link: Present your data in a bubble chart – Microsoft Support
Business Logic
Definition: the set of rules and processes that define how an application or system operates, automates tasks, and enforces data integrity.
Description: It allows you to create and apply logic and validations without writing code, making it easier to implement and maintain fast-changing and commonly used rules.
Additional Resource Link: Apply business logic in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Business Process Flow (BPF)
Definition: a set of stages and steps that guide users through predefined processes, ensuring consistent handling of tasks and data entry.
Description: It provides a streamlined user experience by displaying the stages and steps in a control at the top of the form, allowing users to advance to the next stage with the Next Stage button.
Additional Resource Link: Create a business process flow in Power Apps – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Business Rule
Definition: a server-side logic that allows users to apply logic and validations without writing code or creating plug-ins.
Description: It provides a simple interface to implement and maintain fast-changing and commonly used rules, such as setting or clearing values in columns, validating data, and displaying error messages.
Additional Resource Link: Create a business rule in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Business Unit
Definition: a logical grouping of related business activities or of people with related business activities.
Description: Business units are mapped to an organization’s departments or divisions and allow users to securely access data within their own business unit. They are used to control data access and ensure people see only the information they need to do their jobs.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit business units – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Button
Definition: a control that users can click or tap to interact with the app, allowing them to run one or more formulas when the button is clicked or tapped.
Description: By default, Power Apps creates a rectangular button with rounded corners, and its shape can be modified by adjusting its height, width, and radius properties.
Additional Resource Link: Button control in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Calculated Column
Definition: a column that can contain values resulting from simple math operations or conditional operations, such as greater than or if-else, without the need to write code.
Description: It allows users to automate otherwise manual calculations used in their business processes, such as calculating weighted revenue for an opportunity or automatically applying a discount based on order value. Calculated columns can be created using Power Apps‘ intuitive interface, and they support a wide range of functions and logical operations.
Additional Resource Link: Define calculated columns in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Canvas App
Definition: a business application that can be built without writing code, allowing users to design and customize the user interface by dragging and dropping elements onto a canvas.
Description: It provides a flexible and intuitive way to create apps that can run on various devices and platforms, integrating data from different sources and services
Additional Resource Link: Overview of building canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Card Form
Definition: a compact and mobile-friendly way to present information in model-driven apps, designed to display data for each row in a view.
Description: To create a card form, you can sign in to Power Apps, select the desired table, navigate to the Forms area, and add a card form. By adding columns to the card form, you can customize the information displayed and ensure it fits well on small screens.
Additional Resource Link: Create a card form with Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Channels
Definition: digital communication mediums that allow users to engage with a brand’s digital presence.
Description: A Channel may be email, SMS messaging, Teams Chat, Phone, etc.
Additional Resource Link: Platforms vs. Channels: What’s the Difference? | Braze
Chart
Definition: a visual representation of data that can be used to display information in line, pie, or bar format, allowing users to analyze and present complex data in a visually appealing and understandable way.
Description: Charts can be created within Power Apps by importing structured data and configuring the chart control properties.
Additional Resource Link: Show data in a line, pie, or bar chart in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Chart Category
Definition: refers to the x-axis of a chart, which displays textual or numeric values that represent different categories of data.
Description: The category axis can display both numeric and non-numeric values, while the y-axis represents the series axis, which only displays numeric values.
Additional Resource Link: Understand charts: Underlying data and chart representation (model-driven apps) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Chart Series
Definition: refers to the y-axis of a chart, which displays numeric values representing different series of data.
Description: It allows users to compare and analyze multiple series of data within a single chart, providing insights into trends, patterns, and relationships.
Additional Resource Link: Understand charts: Underlying data and chart representation (model-driven apps) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Choice
Definition: also known as an “Option Set”, is a column or field that allows users to select from a list of predefined options.
Description: Choices are commonly used in apps to ensure data consistency and provide users with a dropdown list of fixed values to select from. They can be created as either single selection (choice) or multi-selection (choices) columns.
Additional Resource Link: Choices function in Power Apps – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Choice Column
Definition: a column that can be included in a table to define a set of options, allowing users to select from a dropdown list of fixed values to ensure data consistency.
Description: It is also referred to as an option set or picklist and can be used to filter tables based on the choice field.
Additional Resource Link: Create and edit choices (picklists) overview for Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Collections
Definition: a special type of variable or data storage mechanism that allows users to manipulate data within Power Apps, acting like a table of values with columns and rows.
Description: Users can create, update, delete, and use collections as the data source for a gallery to view items within Power Apps.
Additional Resource Link: Working with Collections in Power Apps – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Column
Definition: a field within a table that stores specific types of data, such as text, numbers, or dates.
Description: Each table in Power Apps corresponds to a database table, and each table column in Power Apps corresponds to a column in the database table.
Additional Resource Link: Model-driven app glossary of terms – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Column Chart
Definition: a control that shows data as graphs with x- and y-axes, using vertical bars or columns to illustrate the value of each data point within the Canvas App.
Description: It is a grouped control that consists of a label for the title, the chart graphic, and a legend. The column chart control offers various properties such as grid style, height, hover border color, item color set, and more.
Additional Resource Link: Column chart and Line chart controls in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Column Security profile
Definition: a configuration that allows you to control access to specific columns in your data.
Description: Column security profiles are used to manage the permissions of users and teams to read, create, or write data in secured columns. They enable you to restrict access to sensitive information and ensure that only authorized individuals can view or modify specific columns.
Additional Resource Link: Column-level security – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Common Data Model
Definition: a shared data language used by business and analytical applications to enable consistency and interoperability across Microsoft Power Apps, Power BI, Dynamics 365, and Azure.
Description: It includes a metadata system and standardized, extensible data schemas that represent commonly used concepts and activities, simplifying data creation, aggregation, and analysis.
Additional Resource Link: Common Data Model – Common Data Model | Microsoft Learn
Condition
Definition: logic used to specify that a flow performs one or more tasks only if something is true or false.
Description: They allow you to create logic that evaluates data and makes decisions based on the result.
Additional Resource Link: Add a condition to a cloud flow in Power Automate (contains video) – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Context Variables
Definition: a temporary data storage mechanism that is specific to a screen or control, allowing users to store and manipulate data within the context of the screen or control where it is created.
Description: These variables can be created and modified in the screen’s OnVisible property or in the control’s OnSelect property.
Additional Resource Link: Understand variables in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Connection Reference
Definition: a solution component that contains a reference to a connection about a specific connector.
Description: It allows both solution-aware Canvas Apps and operations within a solution-aware Power Automate to bind to a connection reference instead of directly to a connection.
Additional Resource Link: Use a connection reference in a solution – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Connector
Definition: a proxy or a wrapper around an API that allows the underlying service to communicate with Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Power Apps, and Azure Logic Apps
Description: It provides a way for users to connect their accounts and leverage a set of prebuilt actions and triggers to build apps and workflows.
Additional Resource Link: Power Platform connectors overview | Microsoft Learn
Copilot
Definition: an AI-powered assistant in the Power Platform that helps you build apps and automate tasks by generating code based on your natural language prompts.
Description: With Copilot, you can describe what you want your app to do in plain English, and the AI-powered assistant will generate the code for you. It simplifies the app development process and empowers users to create powerful applications without extensive coding expertise.
Additional Resource Link: AI Copilot overview – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Custom Connector
Definition: a wrapper around a REST API that enables communication between Power Apps and external systems, allowing users to access and modify data in those systems.
Description: Custom connectors are used to connect Power Apps with external web services, such as RESTful API endpoints, that are not natively supported by the platform.
Additional Resource Link: Custom connectors overview | Microsoft Learn
Custom Table
Definition: a user-defined table that can be created in Microsoft Dataverse to store data specific to an organization.
Description: These tables can be used alongside standard tables to model and manage business data within an app. To create a custom table, you can add or customize key components such as columns, relationships, views, and forms.
Additional Resource Link: Tables in Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Custom Visuals
Definition: fully customizable, open-source data visualization tools that allow users to create stunning data visualizations based on well-known JavaScript libraries such as D3, jQuery, and even R-language scripts.
Description: These visuals can be tested, debugged, and packaged into redistributable visuals for use with all Power BI products. You can share the data visualizations you’ve created within your organization, deliver them to your clients and customers, or share them with the world on AppSource.
Additional Resource Link: Power BI Custom Visuals – Data Visualization Tools | Power BI (microsoft.com)
Dashboard
Definition: an interactive interface that provides a comprehensive view of your business by displaying important data through charts and graphs, helping you understand key performance indicators (KPIs) and track your progress.
Description: It can be customized to show visualizations and insights into resources such as environments, apps, Power Automate flows, connectors, connection references, makers, and audit logs. To create or edit a dashboard, you can use the Power Apps platform and tailor it to your specific requirements.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit model-driven app dashboards – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Date and Time Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store both date and time values, and can be used in many standard table columns.
Description: Depending on the column behavior, the values can be displayed in the current user’s local time, date only, or date and time. You can change the behavior of an existing custom date time column from user local to date only or time-zone independent.
Additional Resource Link: Behavior and format of the Date and Time column in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)
Definition: a formula expression language used in Analysis Services, Power BI, and Power Pivot in Excel.
Description: It enables developers to create sophisticated calculations, custom measures, and data models that enhance data analysis capabilities within Power BI.
Additional Resource Link: Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) Reference – DAX | Microsoft Learn
Data Connectors
Definition: interfaces that allow the underlying services to communicate with Microsoft Power Platform, enabling users to leverage data from various sources.
Description: These connectors provide tables of data or actions, allowing users to connect apps, workflows, or dashboards with common data sources such as Salesforce, Office 365, Twitter, Dropbox, SharePoint, and SQL Server.
Additional Resource Link: Data Connectors in Microsoft Power Platform (cynoteck.com)
Data Lake
Definition: a centralized repository that ingests and stores large volumes of data in its original form, allowing for various analytic needs.
Description: It captures both relational and non-relational data from different sources without having to define the structure or schema of the data until it is read. Data lakes enable organizations to consolidate and store all types of data, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data, in a single, scalable location.
Additional Resource Link: Introduction to Data Lakes | Databricks
Data Modeling
Definition: the process of analyzing and defining different data types and their relationships to create a structured representation of data.
Description: It involves understanding how data is captured, stored, and used within your business, and creating visual representations of data using text, symbols, and diagrams.
Additional Resource Link: Designing your data structure – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Data Visualization
Definition: a way to present data in a graphical format, making it easier to understand and analyze. They enable users to create interactive and visually appealing charts, graphs, and other visual representations of data.
Description: With Power BI, you can transform raw data into actionable insights, share them across your organization, and make data-driven decisions.
Additional Resource Link: Data Visualization | Microsoft Power BI
Dataflows
Definition: a self-service, cloud-based, data preparation technology that enables customers to ingest, transform, and load data into Microsoft Dataverse environments, Power BI workspaces, or your organization’s Azure Data Lake Storage account.
Description: Dataflows allow you to easily ingest, cleanse, transform, integrate, enrich, and schematize data from a large and ever-growing array of transactional and observational sources. They simplify data preparation and help you get more value out of your data by reusing your data preparation work in subsequent reports, apps, and models.
Additional Resource Link: Power Platform Dataflow : A Powerful Integration Tool
Decimal Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store decimal numbers and is used to represent precise values with a fixed number of digits.
Description: It can be used to store financial data, such as currency amounts, percentages, or other values that require decimal precision.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Desktop Flow
Definition: a feature that broadens the existing robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities in Power Automate, enabling users to automate repetitive desktop processes.
Description: It allows users to automate simple or complex rule-based tasks on their workstations, interact with everyday tools like email and Excel, and work with modern and legacy applications. To create a desktop flow, users can launch the Power Automate application, design the flow using the intuitive flow designer, and save it.
Additional Resource Link: Introduction to desktop flows – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Dependencies
Definition: the relationships between different solution components that prevent certain operations, such as deleting or uninstalling a component, if other components depend on it.
Description: Dependencies are automatically created by the solutions framework to ensure the integrity of the system and prevent operations that could lead to an inconsistent state. They help maintain the relationships between components and ensure that required components are not deleted or uninstalled while other components still reference them.
Additional Resource Link: Dependency tracking for solution components (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Display Name
Definition: the text that the designer shows in most of the design-time screens.
Description: It is non-unique, so multiple objects can have the same display name. You can change the display name of an object, but you can’t change its name.
Additional Resource Link: Solved: What is the difference between Display Name and Name? – Power Platform Community
Duration Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store durations and is used to represent time intervals in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
Description: It can be used to calculate the difference between two dates or times, perform time-based calculations, and track the duration of events.
Additional Resource Link: Solved: Duration conversion issues – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Dynamics 365
Definition: a suite of intelligent business applications that help organizations manage and streamline their operations, including sales, customer service, finance, and more.
Description: Dynamics 365 revolutionizes customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) by applying intelligence to all forms of data. It enables organizations to evolve from reactive business decisions to proactive insights that allow employees to accelerate business results.
Additional Resource Link: Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics 365 – Training | Microsoft Learn
Dynamics 365 Customer Service
Definition: a comprehensive and flexible customer care solution that brings together a range of features such as self-service experiences, live customer engagements, collaborative agent experiences, business process automation, advanced telephony, and fraud prevention capabilities.
Description: It allows you to configure all the features of customer support, operations, and agent experiences through the new app, manage core customer service and other features, such as service terms, service scheduling, and all the channels in Omnichannel for Customer Service.
Additional Resource Link: Welcome to Dynamics 365 Customer Service | Microsoft Learn
Dynamics 365 Field Service
Definition: a comprehensive and flexible business application helps organizations deliver onsite service to customer locations.
Description: The application combines workflow automation, scheduling algorithms, and mobility to set up mobile workers for success when they’re onsite with customers fixing issues.
Additional Resource Link: Overview of Dynamics 365 Field Service (contains video) – Dynamics 365 Field Service | Microsoft Learn
Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
Definition: a flagship ERP suite by Microsoft that automates and unifies business processes across finance, supply chain, manufacturing, warehouse, inventory, and human resource domains.
Description: It helps enterprises handle critical business functions such as finance, accounting, production, warehousing, and transportation management. The solution empowers people to make fast, informed decisions by unifying global financials and operations, adapting quickly to changing market demands, and driving rapid business growth.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations – Confiz
Dynamics 365 Marketing
Definition: a comprehensive marketing automation solution that enables businesses to create personalized marketing experiences, orchestrate customer journeys, and gain insights from data using real-time AI capabilities.
Description: It allows you to tailor real-time customer journeys, segment target audiences, and create personalized content to boost customer engagement and drive business growth.
Additional Resource Link: Customer Insights and Journeys| Microsoft Dynamics 365
Dynamics 365 Project Operations
Definition: a comprehensive application that enables project-centric businesses to drive success, profitability, and collaboration by providing visibility, agility, and enhanced project management capabilities.
Description: It allows businesses to manage the entire project lifecycle, from prospects to payments to profits, by simplifying time tracking, optimizing resource utilization, and streamlining project financials.
Additional Resource Link: Project Operations | Microsoft Dynamics 365
Dynamics 365 Sales
Definition: a comprehensive solution that enables salespeople to build strong relationships with their customers, take actions based on insights, and close deals faster.
Description: It allows you to keep track of your accounts and contacts, nurture your sales from lead to order, and create sales collateral.
Additional Resource Link: Welcome to Dynamics 365 Sales | Microsoft Learn
Elastic Tables
Definition: a user-defined table that can be created in Microsoft Dataverse to handle large volumes of data in real-time, offering unique capabilities for flexible schema, horizontal scaling, and automatic removal of data after a time-period.
Description: To create an elastic table, you can sign into Power Apps, select Tables, and create a new table with advanced options. Elastic tables are designed to handle scenarios where large volumes of data need to be imported, stored, and analyzed without scalability, latency, or performance issues.
Additional Resource Link: Create and edit elastic tables (preview) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
End-to-End Testing
Definition: a software testing technique that verifies the functionality and performance of an entire software application from start to finish by simulating real-world user scenarios and replicating live data.
Description: It ensures that all components of the application work together correctly and that the application delivers the expected output as a unified entity.
Additional Resource Link: What is End-to-End Testing? E2E Testing Full Guide – Katalon
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Definition: a type of software system that helps organizations automate and manage core business processes for optimal performance.
Description: ERP software coordinates the flow of data between a company’s business processes, providing a single source of truth and streamlining operations across the enterprise. It’s capable of linking a company’s financials, supply chain, operations, commerce, reporting, manufacturing, and human resources activities on one platform.
Additional Resource Link: What Is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)?—Microsoft Dynamics 365
Entity (Power Apps)
Definition: also known as tables, sets of records that store data in a database, and they can be prebuilt or custom.
Description: They enable users to create and populate tables with data using Power Query.
Additional Resource Link: Entity table/entity reference (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Entity (Power Virtual Agents)
Definition: units of information that represent certain types of real-world subjects, such as phone numbers, zip codes, cities, or even people’s names.
Description: They enable bots to recognize relevant information from user inputs and save it for later use. Power Virtual Agents provides prebuilt entities that cover commonly used information types, such as age, colors, numbers, and names. Additionally, you can create custom entities to teach the bot domain-specific knowledge.
Additional Resource Link: Create and use entities (contains video) – Power Virtual Agents | Microsoft Learn
Environments
Definition: also refered to as “tenants”, a space to store, manage, and share your organization’s business data, apps, chatbots, and flows.
Description: It serves as a container to separate apps that might have different roles, security requirements, or target audiences. You can choose to build your apps or chatbots in a single environment or create separate environments for different purposes. Typically, a system will have at least one development, one testing, and one production environment.
Additional Resource Link: Environments overview – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Excel Templates
Definition: a customizable analysis tool that allows users to create and share data-driven reports, forecasts, and visualizations using Microsoft Excel.
Description: With Excel templates, you can analyze and present your data in a standardized format, making it easier to collaborate and gain insights. To create an Excel template, you can select existing data, customize the columns and properties, and download the template file for further customization.
Additional Resource Link: Create and share data analysis Excel templates – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Field
Definition: a column within a Dataverse table that stores data and has different data types such as text, number, date, phone, email, file, and image.
Description: Fields are used to represent and store information in the underlying data model of the Power Platform
Additional Resource Link: Model-driven app glossary of terms – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
File Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store binary data, such as files, notes, or attachments, and provides capabilities for uploading, viewing, modifying, or deleting the file.
Description: It is primarily used to store a single file but can also be used to store other forms of binary data. To create a file column, you can use Power Apps and define the column using the designer.
Additional Resource Link: File columns (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Filtering
Definition: the process of finding records in a table that satisfy specific criteria, such as matching one or more conditions, and discarding those that don’t.
Description: It involves using functions like Filter, Search, and LookUp to perform operations on tables and return results based on the specified criteria.
Additional Resource Link: Filter, Search, and LookUp functions in Power Apps (contains video) – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Float Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store floating point numbers, which are used to represent fractions or values that are typically compared using greater than or less than operators.
Description: The difference between decimal and float numbers is that decimal numbers are stored exactly as specified, while float numbers store an extremely close approximation of the value.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Flow
Definition: also known as Power Automate, a sequence of actions that can be triggered by an event or condition, enabling users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.
Description: Flows can be created using Power Automate, and they allow users to connect different applications and services to perform complex operations and data manipulations.
Additional Resource Link: Use Power Automate pane – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Form
Definition: a user interface element that allows users to view, enter, and edit data in a structured manner, providing a seamless experience for data entry and retrieval.
Description: Forms can be customized to include various controls such as text boxes, drop-down lists, date pickers, and buttons, enabling users to interact with data in a user-friendly way. To create a form, you can use Power Apps and design it according to your specific requirements, making it an essential component for building apps and data-driven solutions.
Additional Resource Link: Build a Dynamic Form in Power Apps – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Form Component
Definition: a code component that can be created using the Power Apps component framework to enhance the user experience for users working with data on forms, views, dashboards, and Canvas App screens.
Description: These components can be used to replace or transform existing elements on a form, such as columns, lists, or tables, and provide a more tailored and interactive interface for data entry and retrieval.
Additional Resource Link: Power Apps component framework overview in Microsoft Dataverse(contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Funnel Chart
Definition: a visualization tool that helps track the flow of data through different stages, such as sales conversions or customer journeys, by displaying the relative sizes of each stage.
Description: It provides a visual representation of the progression and conversion rates between stages, allowing users to identify bottlenecks and analyze the health of a process.
Additional Resource Link: Sample charts (model-driven apps) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Gallery
Definition: a control that contains other controls and shows a set of data, such as multiple contacts with each item displaying contact information.
Description: It can be used to show multiple records from a data source and each record can contain multiple types of data.
Additional Resource Link: Gallery control in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Global Choice
Definition: a type of column that allows users to select from a predefined set of options.
Description: It can be used in different columns and is useful when you have a standard set of categories that can apply to more than one column. You can create and edit global choices using the solution explorer or the modern experience.
Additional Resource Link: Create and edit global choices for Microsoft Dataverse using solution explorer – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Global Variable
Definition: a single row variable that exists across all Power Apps, allowing you to use it on any screen.
Description: It can be used to store and share data between different screens, forms, or components, providing a way to pass information throughout your app.
Additional Resource Link: Understand variables in Microsoft Power Fx – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Governance
Definition: the set of policies, processes, and procedures that organizations establish to ensure the effective and secure use of the Power Platform.
Description: It aims to enable business groups to focus on solving business problems efficiently while complying with IT and business compliance standards.
Additional Resource Link: Security and governance considerations in Power Platform – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Instant Flow
Definition: a type of flow that can be triggered manually or on-demand, such as when a user clicks a Flow button in the mobile app.
Description: It allows users to automate repetitive tasks, generate documents, track approvals, and more, from inside a stage in a business process. To create an instant flow, users can add it as a step in a business process, build the flow using the Power Automate application, and save it.
Additional Resource Link: Create instant flows in business process flows – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Interactive Dashboard
Definition: a fully configurable, security-role based interface that provides real-time workload information across multiple streams, enabling users to take action directly from the dashboard.
Description: It can be a one-stop workplace for app users, such as service reps, to see workload information and track progress.
Additional Resource Link: Create and configure model-driven app interactive experience dashboards in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Language Code
Definition: an identifier used to represent a specific language, such as English, Spanish, or French, and is used to define the language settings for various components and features.
Description: It helps users interact with the Power Platform in their preferred language and enables multilingual support for apps and solutions.
Additional Resource Link: Language function in Power Apps – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
License
Definition: the model for Microsoft Power Platform, which enables users to create and run apps, bots, and custom websites across data sources that extend beyond Microsoft 365, such as Salesforce and on-premises and custom data sources
Description: A license is what gives a system the right to use a component of the Power Platform.
Additional Resource Link: Licensing overview for Microsoft Power Platform – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Line Chart
Definition: a visualization tool that helps track the flow of data through different stages, such as sales conversions or customer journeys, by displaying the relative sizes of each stage.
Description: It provides a visual representation of the progression and conversion rates between stages, allowing users to identify bottlenecks and analyze the health of a process.
Additional Resource Link: Show data in a line, pie, or bar chart in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Logical Name
Definition: the unique name of a column or entity used by the system to access data in Microsoft Power Platform.
Description: It is defined in the entity metadata and can be used to retrieve the string value that describes the entity type.
Additional Resource Link: Logical Names – Power Platform Community
Lookup Column
Definition: a column type in Microsoft Dataverse that can store references to records in another table, allowing you to establish relationships between tables and retrieve related data.
Description: It provides a way to link records across tables and access information from related entities, enabling you to create powerful data models and build apps with rich data interactions.
Additional Resource Link: Create a relationship between tables by using a lookup column – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Low-Code
Definition: a software development approach that uses minimal coding to build websites, applications, and processes, making it easier for non-programmers to create completed apps rapidly.
Description: With low-code development platforms, users can leverage visual tools, drag-and-drop functionality, and automation to create apps with less coding than traditional code-first development.
Additional Resource Link: Low-Code Development Platform | Microsoft Power Apps
Machine Learning
Definition: the science of training machines to analyze and learn from data the way humans do, using mathematical models to identify patterns within data and make predictions.
Description: It is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) and is often used to uncover insights, improve data integrity, enhance user experience, reduce risk, and anticipate customer behavior.
Additional Resource Link: What is machine learning? | Microsoft Azure
Main Form
Definition: a fundamental building block of any model-driven app and is used by all devices used to run them.
Description: It can be rendered using a web browser, Dynamics 365 for phones, Dynamics 365 for tablets, or Dynamics 365 for Outlook, and its design adjusts to accommodate the device.
Additional Resource Link: Use the model-driven app main form and its components in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Managed Solution
Definition: a finalized solution that can be distributed and installed, allowing users to deploy apps and customizations across different environments.
Description: Managed solutions are used in non-development environments such as test, UAT, SIT, and production environments, and can be serviced independently from other managed solutions.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Many-to-Many Relationship
Definition: allows multiple rows from one table to be associated with multiple rows from another table, creating a reciprocal and non-hierarchical relationship.
Description: It is established using a relationship table that stores the necessary values to define the relationship between the two tables. This type of relationship is useful for scenarios where multiple records need to be linked between tables, such as associating multiple competitors with an opportunity in the Dynamics 365 Sales app.
Additional Resource Link: Create many-to-many table relationships in Microsoft Dataverse overview – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Admin Portal
Definition: a unified portal that allows administrators to manage environments and settings for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents, and customer engagement apps.
Description: It provides a centralized location to configure and monitor various aspects of the Power Platform, such as user access, security, and data integration. For more information about the Microsoft Admin Portal, you can visit the Power Platform admin center.
Additional Resource Link: Administer Microsoft Power Platform – Power Platform
Microsoft Dataverse
Definition: also refered to as the Common Data Service (CDS),a cloud-based data management solution that allows users to securely store and manage data used by business applications.
Description: It provides a structured and secure data storage and management platform for building apps, workflows, websites, intelligent virtual agents, reports, and analytics.
Additional Resource Link: What is Microsoft Dataverse? – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Dynamics
Definition: a suite of business applications that help organizations manage their operations, finances, sales, customer service, and more.
Description: It includes various modules such as Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Finance, and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. These applications are designed to streamline business processes, improve productivity, and provide insights to drive informed decision-making.
Additional Resource Link: What is Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Learn
Definition: provides online training courses, documentation, and videos to help users effectively analyze data, build apps, automate processes, and create virtual agents using Microsoft Power Platform.
Description: It offers learning paths and certifications to advance your skills and knowledge in Power Platform. You can explore the various learning resources available on the Microsoft Learn website to get started with Microsoft Power Platform
Additional Resource Link: Power Platform on Microsoft Learn | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Office
Definition: a suite of software applications developed by Microsoft that includes programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Description: It allows users to create, edit, and manage various types of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and emails for personal and professional use. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Microsoft Office has become one of the most widely used productivity suites in the world, helping individuals and organizations streamline their work and enhance their productivity.
Additional Resource Link: A Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office – Investintech.com
Microsoft Outlook
Definition: an application used to manage emails, calendars, tasks, and contacts, helping users stay organized and communicate effectively.
Description: It provides features such as composing and sending emails, scheduling appointments, creating tasks, and storing contact information.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Outlook for Beginners – University of Florida
Microsoft Teams
Definition: a messaging app for teams where all conversations, meetings, files, and notes can be accessed by everyone, all in one place.
Description: It enables instant messaging, audio and video calling, rich online meetings, mobile experiences, and extensive web conferencing capabilities.
Additional Resource Link: Introducing Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Support
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Definition: the first version of a product that has core functionality and is released to gather customer feedback for further improvements.
Description: It allows product teams to learn from user experiences and iterate on new features, leading to better versions of the product.
Additional Resource Link: Minimum Viable Product (MVP): What Is It and How to Build One? – Hotjar
Model Driven App
Definition: a type of app that combines various components such as dashboards, forms, views, charts, and business processes to provide a user-friendly interface for data-driven solutions.
Description: It uses the Unified Interface client, which offers a responsive and accessible design across browsers and mobile devices.
Additional Resource Link: Build your first modern model-driven app – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Multi-stream Dashboard
Definition: a fully configurable, security-role based interactive experience dashboard in the Power Platform that delivers workload information across multiple streams, or multiple tables, in real time.
Description: It can display data in real time over multiple data streams, with no limit on how many streams you can configure on the dashboard.
Additional Resource Link: Create and configure model-driven app interactive experience dashboards in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Definition: a subset of artificial intelligence that focuses on making computers understand human language, whether it is written, spoken, or scribbled.
Description: It enables computers to analyze and learn from data, identify patterns, and make predictions, leading to applications like speech recognition, sentiment analysis, summarization, and translation.
Additional Resource Link: What is Natural Language Processing? Definition and Examples | Coursera Articles
Number Column
Definition: a column in the Power Platform that stores numerical data and can be used to perform calculations, comparisons, and aggregations on numeric values.
Description: It can be used to represent various types of numbers such as whole numbers, decimal numbers, or currency values.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Omnichannel
Definition: a robust application that extends the power of Dynamics 365 Customer Service to enable organizations to instantly connect and engage with their customers via channels like Live Chat, voice, and SMS.
Description: It provides a modern, customizable, high-productivity app that allows agents to engage with customers across different channels, offering contextual customer identification, real-time notification, integrated communication, and agent productivity tools.
Additional Resource Link: Introduction to Omnichannel for Customer Service | Microsoft Learn
One-to-Many Relationship
Definition: a type of table relationship where many rows in one table can be associated with a single row in another table, allowing users to link and display related data across tables.
Description: For example, in a sales scenario, a one-to-many relationship can be used to show a sales header and its related sales lines.
Additional Resource Link: Solved: one to many relationships – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
OneDrive
Definition: a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft that allows you to securely save files and photos online and access them from any device.
Description: It offers features like file backup, sharing, collaboration, and syncing across devices.
Additional Resource Link: OneDrive Tips for Beginners & Pros – Microsoft Community Hub
Personal View
Definition: a customizable view that allows users to define their own filters, columns, and sorting options to display data in a tabular form on a grid page.
Description: It is available only to the user who created it unless shared with others.
Additional Resource Link: Create and manage personal views on a grid page – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Phone Number Column
Definition: a column that stores phone number data and can be used to format, validate, and perform calculations on phone numbers in Power Apps.
Description: It allows users to define custom formatting rules and apply input masks to ensure consistent data entry.
Additional Resource Link: Solved: How to format the phone number in a text input – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Pie Chart
Definition: a visual chart of data that displays relative values as slices of a circular pie, where each slice represents a proportion of the whole.
Description: It is commonly used to make comparisons between groups and show the distribution of a categorical variable.
Additional Resource Link: Show data in a line, pie, or bar chart in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Plain Text Column
Definition: a column that stores text data and can be used to display unformatted text in Power Apps.
Description: It is commonly used for storing information such as names, addresses, or descriptions.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Plug-in Assembly
Definition: a compiled class within an assembly built to target .NET Framework 4.6.2 that can be used to customize or extend Microsoft Dataverse data processing with custom business logic.
Description: Each class in a plug-in project that is registered on an event pipeline step must implement the IPlugin interface, which defines a single IPlugin.Execute method.
Additional Resource Link: Introduction to Microsoft Power Platform for developers
Plug-in Step
Definition: a registered event pipeline step that identifies the conditions under which a plug-in should be executed in Microsoft Dataverse.
Description: To register a Plugin Step, you can use the Power Platform Tools extension for Visual Studio.
Additional Resource Link: Quickstart: Create a plug-in using Power Platform Tools
Portal App
Definition: a customizable website that allows external users to interact with data stored in the Microsoft Dataverse, and it can be designed and edited using the Power Pages design studio.
Description: With the support of progressive web app technology, Portal Apps can provide multiplatform support and create an app that works on various platforms and form factors.
Additional Resource Link: What are Power Pages? – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Power Apps
Definition: a suite of apps, services, and connectors, as well as a data platform, that provides a rapid development environment to build custom apps for your business needs.
Description: It allows users to create apps that can be used across various devices and platforms, enabling businesses to streamline processes, automate tasks, and improve productivity.
Additional Resource Link: What is Power Apps? – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Power Apps Admin Center
Definition: a unified portal for administrators to manage environments and settings for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, and Power Virtual Agents.
Description: It can be accessed from the Power Apps website and provides a comprehensive set of tools and features for managing and configuring Power Platform resources.
Additional Resource Link: Administer Microsoft Power Platform – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Power Apps Maker Portal
Definition: the main site for building apps in the Power Platform, where users can manage CDS entities, create apps, import and export data, and perform various tasks related to app development.
Description: It offers a left navigation pane with options to create different types of apps, access learning resources, and manage app-related activities.
Additional Resource Link: Get started with Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Power Automate (Flow)
Definition: a tool that enables businesses to automate repetitive tasks, create workflows between different applications, and automate tasks within a single application, such as creating a daily report in Excel.
Description: It offers low-code drag-and-drop tools, hundreds of pre-built connectors, thousands of templates, and AI assistance, making it easy to automate repetitive tasks.
Additional Resource Link: Power Automate | Microsoft Power Platform
Power BI
Definition: a data visualization platform used primarily for business intelligence purposes.
Description: It is designed to be used by business professionals with varying levels of data knowledge, and its dashboard is capable of reporting and visualizing data in a wide range of different styles, including graphs, maps, charts, scatter plots, and more. With Power BI, you can transform raw data into actionable insights, share them across your organization, and make data-driven decisions.
Additional Resource Link: Why use Power BI | Microsoft Power Platform
Power BI Dashboard
Definition: a single page that tells a story through visualizations, and it’s a feature of the Power BI service.
Description: It provides an interactive and consolidated view of data, allowing users to monitor their business and see important metrics at a glance.
Additional Resource Link: Intro to dashboards for Power BI designers – Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Power BI Desktop
Definition: a free application that allows users to connect to, transform, and visualize data from multiple sources, enabling them to create interactive reports with visual analytics.
Description: With Power BI Desktop, users can develop deep, actionable insights for a broad range of scenarios, save time with data modeling tools, and create stunning reports with interactive data visualizations.
Additional Resource Link: Power BI Desktop—Interactive Reports | Microsoft Power BI
Power BI Mobile
Definition: a native mobile application that allows users to securely access and view live Power BI dashboards and reports on any device, including Windows, iOS, and Android.
Description: With Power BI Mobile, you can monitor your business, access on-premises data stored in SQL Server or data in the cloud, and stay on top of key performance indicators (KPIs) and reports. The app also offers features such as natural language query, geographic location filtering, annotation, and push notifications for personal data alerts.
Additional Resource Link: Mobile | Microsoft Power BI
Power BI Service
Definition: the software as a service (SaaS) part of Power BI, which is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to help you create, share, and consume business insights in the way that serves you and your business most effectively.
Description: In the Power BI service, dashboards help you keep a finger on the pulse of your business by displaying tiles that you can select to open reports for exploring further. You can create workspaces where you and your colleagues can collaborate on reports and dashboards, bundle and distribute them as apps, and share the datasets themselves.
Additional Resource Link: What is the Power BI service? – Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Power Platform
Definition: a suite of low-code tools that enables users to create customized business solutions, analyze data, automate processes, and build virtual agents.
Description: It consists of five product areas: Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Pages, which can be used individually or together. With its intuitive interface and extensible capabilities, the Power Platform empowers users to drive positive business outcomes and achieve their goals more efficiently.
Additional Resource Link: What is Microsoft Power Platform? | Microsoft Power Platform
Power Platform Admin Center
Definition: a unified portal for administrators to manage environments and settings for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power Virtual Agents, and customer engagement apps.
Description: It provides capabilities such as managing environments, analytics, billing, settings, resources, and help and support.
Additional Resource Link: Administer Microsoft Power Platform – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Power Query
Definition: a data transformation and data preparation engine that enables users to connect to various data sources, apply transformations, and load the transformed data into a destination.
Description: It comes with a graphical interface called Power Query Editor, which allows users to interactively build queries and apply transformations to their data.
Additional Resource Link: Power Query documentation – Power Query | Microsoft Learn
Power Virtual Agent
Definition: flexible chatbots with artificial intelligence (AI) at your disposal.
Description: They allow employees to create their own bots, enabling personnel to concentrate on difficult requests and high-value interactions by automatically resolving common customer and internal concerns.
Additional Resource Link: What is Power Virtual Agents? – Power Platform Geeks (devoworx.net)
Prefix
Definition: the beginning of a schema name that helps identify columns that are custom for your solution.
Description: It is a mechanism to avoid naming collisions and allows solutions from different publishers to be installed with few conflicts.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Process
Definition: an orchestrated sequence of steps designed to achieve specific tasks, goals, or outcomes, ensuring that each role player has the right information at the right time to perform the required actions.
Description: It provides a streamlined user experience that guides people through defined processes, reducing the need for training and ensuring consistent data entry.
Additional Resource Link: Overview of the types of flows in Power Automate(contains video) – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Public View
Definition: a general-purpose view that can be customized and accessed by all app users, allowing them to review table records and use it in subgrids or as a list in a dashboard.
Description: App makers can create and configure public views using Power Apps, making them available for users to see the most suitably presented and filtered version of the table they are investigating.
Additional Resource Link: Create and edit public or system model-driven app views with Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Publisher
Definition: a person or team/group that creates and manages solutions in Power Apps and Power Automate.
Description: Publishers help identify custom entities with unique prefixes, enabling customization and extension of Microsoft Dataverse data processing.
Additional Resource Link: Publisher in Power Platform – Power Platform Community
Quick Create Form
Definition: a streamlined data entry experience that appears when creating a new row from a lookup or subgrid, allowing users to quickly enter data with full support for logic defined by form scripts and business rules.
Description: It consists of a single three-column tab with a single section, where fields and spacers can be added.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit model-driven app quick create forms in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Quick Find
Definition: a tool to search for records across multiple tables and find the information they are looking for by matching search terms to words in a column within a table.
Description: It supports single table quick find, where matches are found within a single table, and multiple-table quick find, which searches up to 10 tables and returns the search results grouped by table.
Additional Resource Link: Quick Find – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Quick View Form
Definition: a template that allows users to view information about a related table row within a form for another table row, providing a simplified layout for reading purposes only.
Description: It can be added to another form as a quick view control, enabling users to see the necessary information without navigating to a different record form.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit model-driven app quick view forms in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Radar Chart
Definition: a visual chart of data that displays relative values as slices of a circular pie, where each slice represents a proportion of the whole.
Description: It is commonly used to make comparisons between groups and show the distribution of a categorical variable.
Additional Resource Link: Solved: Create radar chart in Canvas App – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Real-Time (Synchronous) Workflow
Definition: a type of workflow process that is executed synchronously on the Common Data Service (CDS) platform, triggered by events such as record creation, update, or deletion, and ensures that the form the user is on will wait until the workflow completes.
Description: It allows users to automate business processes without a user interface and initiate automation that doesn’t require any user interaction.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Dataverse real-time workflows – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Relevance Search
Definition: an AI-based fuzzy search feature in Microsoft Dataverse that helps users quickly find information across multiple tables, providing fast and comprehensive results sorted by relevance.
Description: It offers benefits such as fast and accurate search, suggested results as you type, better matching, and the ability to search across documents stored in Dataverse.
Additional Resource Link: Configure Dataverse search to improve search results and performance – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Additional Resource Link: Administrator analytics and reports for Microsoft Power Apps – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Rich Text Column
Definition: a column that stores text data and can be used to display unformatted text in Power Apps.
Description: It is commonly used for storing information such as names, addresses, or descriptions.
Additional Resource Link: Use the rich text editor control in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Roadmap
Definition: a strategic plan that defines a goal or desired outcome and includes the major steps or milestones needed to reach it.
Description: It serves as a communication tool, helping articulate the strategic thinking behind both the goal and the plan for getting there.
Additional Resource Link: Roadmap Basics: What is a Roadmap? – ProductPlan
Rollup Column
Definition: a column in the Power Platform that contains an aggregate value computed over the rows related to a specified row, allowing users to obtain insights into data by monitoring key business metrics.
Description: It offers a wide selection of aggregate functions such as SUM, COUNT, MIN, MAX, and AVG, and supports full filter support for aggregation.
Additional Resource Link: Define rollup columns with Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Row-Level Security
Definition: allows you to restrict data access for given users by defining filters within roles, restricting data access at the row level.
Description: It is a powerful feature that enables you to control record access in many different ways, such as user-level access, hierarchical security, and access teams. For more information about Row-level security (RLS) with Power BI, you can visit the official documentation.
Additional Resource Link: Row level security on Dataverse Table – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
Scheduled Flow
Definition: a type of flow that is set to be triggered when a specific time is reached.
Description: It allows users to automate repetitive tasks, generate documents, track approvals, and more, from inside a stage in a business process. To create a scheduled flow, users can build the flow using the Power Automate application and save it.
Additional Resource Link: Run flows on a schedule in Power Automate – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Schema Name
Definition: the unique name of a table or column used by Microsoft Dataverse to store and manage data.
Description: It is typically a Pascal cased version of the logical name of the table or column.
Additional Resource Link: Table definitions in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps
Security Group
Definition: a way to control user access to specific environments and apps.
Description: It allows you to manage which licensed users can be members of a particular environment and provides controlled access to different parts of the Power Platform.
Additional Resource Link: Control user access to environments: security groups and licenses – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Security Privilege
Definition: the permissions and access rights assigned to users in order to control their ability to view, create, edit, or delete data and perform specific tasks within the Power Platform.
Description: Security privileges are defined by security roles, which can be assigned to users to determine their level of access and control over data and resources.
Additional Resource Link: Security roles and privileges – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Security Role
Definition: a set of complex level associated permissions that determine available actions, access, and rights users have within Power Platform environments and solutions.
Description: It controls access to restricted data and functions and is customized based on the company’s security requirements. You can assign users to security roles using the new, modern UI or the legacy UI.
Additional Resource Link: Security roles and privileges – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Segmented Solution
Definition: a way to distribute solution updates with selected entity assets, such as entity fields, forms, and views, rather than entire entities with all the assets.
Description: It allows you to include only the components that you’ve added or changed with the entity, such as a new custom field or adding a form.
Additional Resource Link: Use segmented solutions in Power Apps – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
SharePoint
Definition: a collaboration system that uses workflow applications, “list” databases, and other web parts and security features to empower business teams to work together.
Description: It gives the company using the platform the ability to control access to information and automate workflow processes across business units.
Additional Resource Link: What is SharePoint? – Microsoft Support
Single-stream Dashboard
Definition: a focused view of data that displays a stream/list of data charts and tiles on the right-hand side, providing a more detailed view of a given entity.
Description: It is typically helpful for monitoring fewer but more complex or escalated cases, making it suitable for Tier 2 service leads or managers.
Additional Resource Link: Create and configure model-driven app interactive experience dashboards in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Sitemap
Definition: the manner by which users move between tables in a model-driven app, allowing them to navigate and perform tasks within the app.
Description: It is a fundamental aspect of the user experience and helps users understand the relationship between different areas, groups, and tables in the app.
Additional Resource Link: Create a model-driven app site map in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Sitemap Area
Definition: a top-level section of the site map that allows users to switch between different areas within a model-driven app, providing a navigation mechanism for accessing various groups and tables.
Description: It helps users understand the relationship between different areas, groups, and tables in the app, enabling them to perform tasks and navigate efficiently.
Additional Resource Link: Create a model-driven app site map in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Sitemap Designer
Definition: a tool in the Power Platform that allows app designers to create and edit site maps for model-driven apps, enabling users to navigate between tables and perform tasks within the app.
Description: It provides a tile-based design canvas where components can be dragged and dropped, and changes can be previewed and published instantly.
Additional Resource Link: Create a model-driven app site map in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Sitemap Group
Definition: a logical grouping of tables, custom pages, and other components within an area of a model-driven app’s site map, allowing users to navigate between different groups and tables.
Description: It helps organize related components and provides a structured way to present and access data within the app.
Additional Resource Link: Create a model-driven app site map in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Sitemap Subarea
Definition: a component that can be added to a sitemap group, allowing users to navigate between different tables and perform tasks within a model-driven app.
Description: It provides a way to organize and present related components within a group, enhancing the user experience and facilitating efficient navigation.
Additional Resource Link: Create a model-driven app site map in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Slicer
Definition: a filtering tool that allows users to narrow down the portion of the dataset shown in other report visualizations.
Description: It is displayed on the report page and enables users to interactively filter data by selecting values from a dropdown list.
Additional Resource Link: Slicers in Power BI – Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Solution
Definition: a mechanism for implementing application lifecycle management (ALM) in Power Apps and other Power Platform products
Description: It can contain one or more apps as well as other components such as site maps, tables, processes, web resources, choices, flows, and more. Solutions are used to deploy to any environment that isn’t a development environment for that solution.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Solution Components
Definition: anything that can be included in a solution and represents something that you can potentially customize.
Description: To view the components included in a solution, open the solution you want, and the components are listed in the Components list.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Solution History
Definition: a record of operations performed on a solution, such as import, export, or uninstall, and displays information like solution version, publisher, operation type, start and end time, and status.
Description: To view the history of a solution, sign into Power Apps, select Solutions, choose the desired solution, and click “See history” on the command bar. Each solution history row is read-only and includes details like solution name, start and end time, version, publisher, operation, suboperation, and result.
Additional Resource Link: View the history of a solution – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Solution Layers
Definition: the ways different solution updates are interacting with entity assets, such as entity fields, forms, and views.
Description: The solution layers provide the information related to the different updates made to a component, and which solution the updates came from
Additional Resource Link: Solution layers and merge behavior – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Solution Version
Definition: a number that helps keep track of the functionality contained in a particular solution release and is used to determine if code being imported is a solution or a patch.
Description: When you create a new version, you will be asked to enter the version number.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Sorting
Definition: a function used to sort a table based on a formula, while the SortByColumns function can sort a table based on one or more columns.
Description: Sorting can be performed in ascending or descending order, and multiple columns can be used for sorting.
Additional Resource Link: Sort and SortByColumns functions in Power Apps – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Spacer
Definition: a component that can be added to a page to create space between sections, allowing for different layout and design options.
Description: It helps organize the content and components of a page, providing flexibility in terms of spacing and visual appeal.
Additional Resource Link: Add spacers | Microsoft Learn
Standard Table
Definition: also known as out-of-box tables, are included with a Power Platform environment, such as Microsoft Dataverse, and can be customized.
Description: These tables are designed to track information in the form of rows (records) and include columns such as company name, location, products, email, and phone.
Additional Resource Link: Types of tables – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Subgrid
Definition: a component in Power Apps that allows users to view related or unrelated records in a tabular format within a form.
Description: It can be added and configured using the form designer¹. For more details, you can refer to the Microsoft Learn documentation on how to add and configure a subgrid component on a form.
Additional Resource Link: Add and configure a subgrid component on a form – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
System Dashboard
Definition: a dashboard that an app-builder or administrator creates and shares with multiple end-users.
Description: System Dashboards are designed to be viewed by most users (subject to security) and will be automatically shared to all users, unlike User Dashboards.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit model-driven app dashboards – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
System View
Definition: a special type of view in Power Apps that is owned by the organization and is associated with specific tables.
Description: It is visible within the solution explorer and everyone has organization-level access to read records for the view.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit a model-driven app view in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Tab
Definition: a component in Power Apps that allows users to create a tabbed form experience, making it more organized and easier to use.
Description: Users can group different fields of a form into separate tabs and display them based on their navigation.
Additional Resource Link: How to create Tabbed Forms in Power Apps – YouTube
Table
Definition: also known as an “entity”, a collection of rows (records) that store information, such as company name, location, products, email, and phone, and can be customized.
Description: Tables can be categorized into different types, including standard tables (out-of-box tables), activity tables, virtual tables, and elastic tables.
Additional Resource Link: Types of tables – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Table Metadata
Definition: the information stored in the system on the table itself.
Description: Table Metadata may include things like the column schemas, the properties of the table (like is the table audited), etc.
Additional Resource Link: Tables and metadata in Microsoft Dataverse – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Table Relationship
Definition: the association between two tables that defines how they are related to each other, including the representation of relationships in the application and the actions performed on related records.
Description: It allows users to efficiently retrieve related data and define formal relationships between tables.
Additional Resource Link: Table relationship definitions – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Team
Definition: a group of users that can collaborate and share business objects across business units.
Description: It can include users from other business units and a user can be associated with more than one team.
Additional Resource Link: Teams in Dataverse – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Text Area Column
Definition: a type of column that can contain text characters and has several format options that change the presentation of the text.
Description: It is still considered a single line of text but can be displayed across multiple lines and the height of the field on the form can be increased.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Timeline
Definition: a control used to capture activities like notes, appointments, emails, phone calls, and tasks to ensure that all interactions with the related table are tracked and visible over time.
Description: It helps app users see all activity history and provides an easy way to view information related to a table, such as accounts or contacts.
Additional Resource Link: Add and configure the timeline control in Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Trigger
Definition: an event that starts a cloud flow, such as receiving an email or creating a new item in a SharePoint list.
Description: It plays a crucial role in the Power Automate system, serving as the starting point for a flow that automates tasks and connects different services.
Additional Resource Link: Power Automate Glossary – Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
Trigger Phrase
Definition: sets of words or phrases that indicate when a specific topic should be triggered in a chatbot.
Description: They typically capture the way an end-user would ask about a problem or issue, allowing the chatbot to understand and respond accordingly.
Additional Resource Link: Trigger phrases best practices – Power Virtual Agents | Microsoft Learn
Unit Testing
Definition: a process where developers test individual units or components of an application to ensure each component of the software’s code functions as intended.
Description: It helps check whether a specific function or feature of your app is working correctly.
Additional Resource Link: Testing Phase – Planning a Power Apps project – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Unmanaged Solution
Definition: a type of solution used in development environments to make changes to your application, where you can add, edit, update, remove, delete, and test any of the components of the solution.
Description: It is not intended to be distributed or installed and allows you to customize all the elements or components in the solution without any restriction. When an unmanaged solution is deleted, only the solution container of any customizations included in it is deleted, while all the unmanaged customizations remain in effect and belong to the default solution.
Additional Resource Link: Solution concepts – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Definition: a type of testing performed by the end user or the client to verify/accept the software system before moving the software application to the production environment.
Description: It is done in the final phase of testing after functional, integration, and system testing is done.
Additional Resource Link: Testing Phase – Planning a Power Apps project – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
User Dashboard
Definition: a dashboard that an end-user creates themselves.
Description: Users can create their own personalized dashboards to suit their specific needs and preferences, while system dashboards are designed for broader use and can be shared with multiple users.
Additional Resource Link: Create or edit model-driven app dashboards – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
User Experience (UX)
Definition: the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and overall interaction between users and Power Apps.
Description: It involves understanding users’ needs, creating intuitive interfaces, and optimizing the overall experience to ensure users can accomplish their tasks efficiently and effectively.
Additional Resource Link: UX and UI Design Guidance? – Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
User Interface (UI)
Definition: the visual elements and controls that enable users to interact with apps and systems, providing a seamless and intuitive experience.
Description: It encompasses the design, layout, and functionality of the interface, ensuring ease of use and accessibility across devices.
Additional Resource Link: About Unified Interface – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Variable
Definition: sets of records that store data similar to tables in a database, and they can be prebuilt or custom.
Description: They enable users to create and populate tables with data using Power Query.
Additional Resource Link: Understand variables in canvas apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
View
Definition: a visual representation of data from one or more tables, allowing users to filter, sort, and display specific records based on defined criteria.
Description: It provides a way to organize and present data in a meaningful and customizable manner, enabling users to focus on relevant information.
Additional Resource Link: Create and edit public or system model-driven app views with Power Apps – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Virtual Table
Definition: also known as virtual entities, enable the integration of data residing in external systems by seamlessly representing that data as tables in Microsoft Dataverse, without replication of data and often without custom coding.
Description: They replace previous client-side and server-side approaches to integrating external data, which required customized code and suffered from numerous limitations, including imperfect integration, data duplication, or extensive commitment of development resources.
Additional Resource Link: Get started with virtual tables (entities) (Microsoft Dataverse) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Web Resource
Definition: a virtual file stored in the Microsoft Dataverse database that can be retrieved using a unique URL address.
Description: It represents files such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and images that can be used to extend the Dataverse web application. You can use web resources in form customizations, the SiteMap, or the application ribbon by referencing them using URL syntax.
Additional Resource Link: Web Resources (model-driven apps) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Whole Number Column
Definition: a column type that stores integers without decimal places.
Description: There is a range of -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. It is commonly used when you need to store whole numbers, such as counts, quantities, or identifiers.
Additional Resource Link: Column data types in Microsoft Dataverse (contains video) – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Word Template
Definition: used to create standardized documents in customer engagement apps, such as Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Marketing, and Project Service Automation, by generating documents automatically populated with data.
Description: These templates can be created in Word and imported into the apps, allowing users to generate documents with one click.
Additional Resource Link: Use Word templates to create standardized documents – Power Platform | Microsoft Learn
Workflow
Definition: an automated sequence of steps that can be used to initiate automation without user interaction, with two types being background workflows and real-time workflows.
Description: Background workflows are used for automation that doesn’t require user interaction, while real-time workflows are used for automation that requires immediate user interaction.
Additional Resource Link: Microsoft Dataverse real-time workflows – Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
I want to thank you for your assistance and this post. It’s been great.
What i do not understood is actually how you’re not really much more well-liked than you might be now. You are very intelligent. You realize thus significantly relating to this subject, made me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it抯 one thing to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs outstanding. Always maintain it up!
Thank you! Feel free to share the posts to whoever you think may benefit from it!
Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you make running a blog look easy. The full look of your site is great, let alone the content!
Oh my goodness! an amazing article dude. Thank you Nonetheless I am experiencing problem with ur rss . Don抰 know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting an identical rss downside? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx
I am continuously looking online for tips that can aid me. Thanks!
I am really impressed with your writing abilities and also with the format in your blog. Is that this a paid theme or did you modify it your self? Anyway keep up the nice high quality writing, it is rare to peer a great weblog like this one nowadays..
This is a theme that came with the blog hosting. Thanks!
Comments are closed.