BEGINNING MICROSOFT DATAVERSE : exploiting microsoft's low-code database for the power... platform

Understand the role that Dataverse plays in the low-code revolution that helps businesses gain advantage from being more agile with technology. This book shows you how to use Dataverse to solve business problems by describing the layers of a solution in the Power Platform and the options that exist at each layer so you can make informed decisions as you develop your solutions. The book shows how Dataverse is a central piece of the Microsoft Power Platform and helps tech-savvy professionals move nimbly and seize the day when opportunities present themselves. The book starts out by covering the platform in terms of its layers so you can orient yourself with the features that exist at each level and what that means to you as a developer. You will learn how to work inside the data layer to design tables to store data and relationships and manage how it all works together. You will learn how to apply business logic and validation in the business layer to ensure data integrity and enforce process compliance. You will learn how to design interfaces in the presentation layer to allow users to interact with your data and processes in user-friendly applications. And you will learn how to utilize third-party integration tools to create seamless connections between your solution and legacy systems so you can develop enterprise-grade tools in record time. What You Will Learn Understand the layers of Dataverse and the features at each layer Create tables and relationships to store data and manage interactions Build applications to allow users to interact with your data using logical interfaces Design business logic and workflows to ensure data integrity and automation Configure security to control access to data and prevent unauthorized access Explore the options for integration with third-party systems Who This Book Is For Microsoft Power Platform users who want to learn how to access the power of the Power Platform and leverage Dataverse to build powerful, robust, and resilient tools; power users and citizen developers who are looking for tools to quickly build scalable business solutions that don’t require a strong developer background; pro developers who want to learn how to utilize use the Power Platform to speed up the development cycle and deliver value to customers faster than ever before Table of Contents 4 About the Author 8 About the Technical Reviewer 9 Introduction 10 Chapter 1: Microsoft Power Platform 14 Power Platform Today 14 Power Apps 14 Power Automate 16 Power BI 18 Power Virtual Agents 18 Dataverse 18 Dataverse and Power Platform 19 Power Platform Environments 19 The Problem That Environments Solve 20 Environment Types 20 Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) 22 Solutions 23 Solution Types 23 Deployment 24 Manually Exporting a Solution 24 Manually Importing a Solution 27 Automated Deployments 28 Solution Layers 30 Last One Wins 31 Unmanaged Layers 32 Resolving Unmanaged Layers 33 Summary 33 Chapter 2: Data Layer 34 Tables 34 Creating a Table 35 Table Types 37 Standard 37 Custom 37 Activity 38 Virtual 39 Record Ownership 39 Other Advanced Table Options 40 Configuring a Custom Table 41 Columns 43 Adding Columns 43 Advanced Column Types 48 Alternate Keys 50 Relationships 52 Relationship Types 53 One-to-Many 53 Many-to-One 53 Many-to-Many 54 Creating Relationships 55 One-to-Many/Many-to-One Relationships 56 Many-to-Many Relationships 61 Summary 62 Chapter 3: Business Logic Layer 63 Business Rules 63 Limitations 63 Canvas Apps Support 64 Column Type Support 64 Building Business Rules 64 Building the Rule Logic 65 Business Rule Scope 69 Saving and Activating 69 Dataverse Processes (Power Automate) 70 Business Process Flows 70 Cloud Flows 77 Desktop Flows 88 Summary 88 Chapter 4: Security Layer 89 Security Roles 89 Creating Security Roles 89 Applying Security Roles 92 Teams 95 Team Types 95 Owner Teams 95 User-Created Access 95 Auto-Created Access (System-Managed) 96 Group Teams (Azure AD Security and M365) 97 Creating Teams 98 Owner Team Setup 98 User-Created Access Team Setup 102 Group Team Setup 103 Auto-Created Access Team Setup 105 Business Units 109 Business Unit Hierarchy 109 Hierarchical Security Model 110 Matrix Security Model 111 Business Units from Azure AD 112 Cascading Permissions in Business Unit Permissions 112 Record Inheritance 115 Considerations for Inheritance 116 Permissions Flow Downstream 116 One Parent Relationship per Table 117 Hierarchy Security 119 Manager Hierarchy 120 Position Hierarchy 122 Setting Up Hierarchy Security 123 Configuring Manager Hierarchy 126 Configuring Position Hierarchy 127 Column Security Profiles 130 Setting Up Column Security 131 Creating the Column Security Profile 132 Adding Users and Teams to Profile 134 Configuring Field Permissions 136 Auditing 138 Enabling Auditing 138 Advanced Audit Settings 140 Enabling Auditing of Tables 142 Summary 143 Chapter 5: Presentation Layer 144 Apps 144 Canvas Apps 145 User Interface Design 146 Creating a Canvas App 148 Components 155 Data Connections 157 Model-Driven Apps 158 Building a Model-Driven App 158 Navigation Elements 160 Pages 164 Sharing Model-Driven Apps 164 Forms 166 Form Types 167 Editing Forms 168 Editing Fields 170 App Layout 171 Custom Pages 172 Creating a Custom Page 172 Add Custom Page to Model-Driven App 173 Reports 175 Dataverse Reports 175 Power BI Reports 183 Summary 185 Chapter 6: Integration with Third-Party Tools 186 Connectors 186 Out-of-the-Box Connectors 187 Microsoft Published 187 Verified Publisher 187 Independent Publisher 187 Custom Connectors 187 Licensing 197 Virtual Tables 198 Dataverse for Teams 202 Get Started 202 Navigating the Interface 204 Dataflows 206 Dataflows vs. Virtual Tables 206 Creating a Dataflow 207 Summary 213 Chapter 7: Planning Your Solution Design 214 Organizing Thoughts 214 Compare to Current 215 Keep a Steady Course 216 What I Am Hearing Is... 217 Stay on the Path 218 Developing Your Structures 219 Mapping the Data 219 Fields and Forms 221 Don’t Skimp on the Details 223 Walking the Process 224 Preparing for Workshop 224 Mapping the Current State 225 Interrogate the Process 226 Improve the Process 227 When in Doubt, Throw It Out 227 Assume, but Do Not Forget 228 Find the Root Cause 228 Build with the End in Mind 230 Summary 230 Index 231