Microsoft Power Platform Developer — knowledge map
The 48 core concepts of Microsoft Power Platform Developer and how they connect. Click a node in the map above to explore related terms and prerequisites; the list below indexes every concept with its definition and links to its prerequisites and related concepts.
Concepts (48)
Microsoft Dataverse
Power Platform’s secure, structured data store (tables) with types, relationships, and fine-grained security—more business-grade than Excel/SharePoint lists; the basis of model-driven apps.
Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft’s low-code/no-code platform for analytics, apps, automation, and conversation; even citizen developers can improve work. Integrates with M365/Dynamics 365/Azure.
Custom connector
A connector you define for a proprietary/internal REST API not covered by built-ins, so it can be called from Power Apps and Power Automate.
Prerequisites: Power Apps、Power Automate、Connectors (Power Platform)
Connectors (Power Platform)
Components linking to 1000+ external services (Microsoft 365, SQL, SaaS); standard and premium connectors (premium may need extra licensing).
Power Apps
A low-code tool to build business apps (act); canvas apps (UI-first, free design) and model-driven apps (Dataverse data-first, auto-generated layout).
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Related: Canvas app
Canvas app
A Power Apps app type where you place components on a blank canvas to design the UI freely; connects to many data sources (Excel/SharePoint/connectors) with fine control over the look.
Prerequisites: Connectors (Power Platform)
Related: Power Apps
Elastic table (Dataverse)
A NoSQL-style Dataverse table built on Azure Cosmos DB, suited to large data volumes, variable schema, and high-throughput writes, scaling horizontally via a partition key. It has more constraints than standard tables around row-level consistency guarantees and some relationship features, so it fits specific use cases like IoT logs.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Table (Dataverse)
Related: Virtual table (Dataverse)
Virtual table (Dataverse)
A table that fetches and displays data from an external system on the fly via a data provider, without copying it into Dataverse. It behaves like a standard Dataverse table in model-driven apps and relationships, but since the real data stays external, it consumes no Dataverse storage.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Table (Dataverse)
Related: Elastic table (Dataverse)
Custom API
A reusable custom operation (message) defined in Dataverse—bound (tied to a table) or unbound (table-independent), implemented by a plug-in. Distinct from a custom connector (which ingests an external API).
Prerequisites: Custom connector、Microsoft Dataverse、Connectors (Power Platform)
Open API definition (Swagger)
A spec describing a REST API’s operations/parameters/responses, used to define a custom connector. Different role from policy templates (which change runtime behavior).
Prerequisites: Custom connector、Policy template (custom connector)、Connectors (Power Platform)
Dataverse security scope (teams/business units/row sharing)
Dataverse access scoping: teams (groups of users) and business units (org hierarchy) scope security roles; row sharing shares individual records exceptionally.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Microsoft Teams、Security role (Dataverse)
Post Image (plug-in)
A snapshot of a target record's column values after an operation (after a Create or Update executes), configured on a Dataverse plug-in registration step. Used when plug-in logic needs to reference values that didn't exist before the operation, such as platform-generated IDs or calculated columns.
Prerequisites: Calculated column (DAX)、Microsoft Dataverse、Dataverse plug-in
Related: Pre Image (plug-in)
Power Automate
A tool to automate repetitive work (automate); a flow = trigger + actions; cloud flows (automated/instant/scheduled) and desktop flows (RPA, UI actions).
Prerequisites: Trigger
Environment variables (Power Platform)
Settings whose values differ per environment; shipped in a solution so endpoints/URLs change dev→prod without editing apps.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Power Platform
Power Apps component framework (PCF)
Lets pro developers build custom controls (code components) in code and add them to canvas/model-driven apps; a hallmark of fusion development.
Prerequisites: Power Apps
Power Platform Build Tools
CI/CD tools to automate export/import/test in Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions. Distinct from Pipelines (in-platform transport).
Prerequisites: Microsoft Power Platform
Client API object model
A JavaScript API to manipulate model-driven forms via formContext (form/attributes/controls) and executionContext (event info), registered on OnLoad/OnChange/OnSave.
Organization service (IOrganizationService)
A .NET SDK API for server-side/plug-in CRUD on Dataverse. Distinct from the client-side Dataverse Web API.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Related: Dataverse Web API
Dataverse plug-in
An extension that runs business logic server-side, synchronously/asynchronously, on Dataverse events (create/update). Distinct from client scripting (client/form UX).
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Client API object model
Power Fx
Power Platform’s declarative, Excel-like formula language for low-code logic, used mainly to express canvas-app behavior; easy to learn and reusable.
Prerequisites: Canvas app、Microsoft Power Platform
Table (Dataverse)
The unit that stores data in Dataverse (a set of rows); standard tables (e.g., Account) and custom tables (your own); formerly called entities.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Trigger
What starts a flow (e.g., email received, a time, a button press)—one per flow; actions follow the trigger.
Dataverse business events
A mechanism to publish business occurrences (e.g., "order confirmed") as events for subscribers. Distinct from CRUD table-operation events.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Power Platform Pipelines
Automates solution transport dev→test→prod within Power Platform. Different location from Build Tools (CI/CD in Azure DevOps/GitHub).
Prerequisites: Power Platform Build Tools、Microsoft Power Platform
Plug-in Registration Tool
A tool to register plug-in steps (message/table/stage/images) and destinations such as webhooks/Service Bus.
Policy template (custom connector)
A mechanism to change a custom connector’s runtime behavior (set/transform headers/URL/parameters) without code.
Prerequisites: Custom connector、Connectors (Power Platform)
Solution layers
When multiple solutions change the same component, layers stack and the top layer takes effect. Different from environment variables (externalize values).
Prerequisites: Environment variables (Power Platform)
Pre Image (plug-in)
A snapshot of a target record's column values before an operation (before an Update or Delete executes), configured on a Dataverse plug-in registration step. Used to detect what changed by comparing to pre-update values, or to capture pre-delete data for an audit log. A Create operation has no Pre Image, since there is no prior state.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Dataverse plug-in
Related: Post Image (plug-in)
Security role (Dataverse)
A role bundling create/read/update/delete privileges per table/column/row in Dataverse, assigned to users or teams to enforce least privilege.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Microsoft Teams
Rollup column (Dataverse)
A Dataverse column that automatically aggregates related child rows (sum, count, min/max, etc.). It recalculates on an asynchronous, periodic job rather than instantly, unlike a calculated column (same-row formula, evaluated immediately)—a common exam distinction.
Prerequisites: Calculated column (DAX)、Microsoft Dataverse、Column (Dataverse)
Calculated column (DAX)
A column precomputed per row and stored in the model; unlike a measure it is stored, so it can bloat the model—prefer source-side or measures.
Column (Dataverse)
A field on a table with a type (text, number, date, choice, lookup) and rules like required; formerly called a field.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Microsoft Teams
A collaboration hub for chat, meetings, calls, and teamwork; files are stored behind the scenes in SharePoint/OneDrive.
Delegation
Pushing filtering/sorting to the data source instead of the app, so large datasets work correctly and fast; using non-delegable functions may process only part of the data.
Business rule (Power Platform)
No-code logic for form show/require/simple validation without code. Not a substitute for a plug-in (server) or client scripting (code).
Prerequisites: Client API object model、Microsoft Power Platform
Child flows
Child flows in Power Automate that extract shared logic for reuse across flows.
Prerequisites: Power Automate
PCF code component
Power Apps component framework for building custom UI controls in TypeScript/JS. Lifecycle init/updateView/getOutputs/destroy, declared in a manifest, distributed via package→deploy→consume. Usable in canvas/model.
Prerequisites: Power Apps component framework (PCF)、Power Apps
Pre-loading
Fetching data at canvas app start to improve perceived performance. Different purpose from delegation (source-side processing).
Prerequisites: Canvas app、Delegation
IServiceEndpointNotificationService
A service to publish Dataverse events to a service endpoint (webhook/Azure Service Bus/Azure Event Hub).
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Dataverse Web API
An OData v4-based REST API to operate Dataverse over HTTP from any-language clients (Xrm.WebApi). Distinct from the server-side Organization service.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Webhook (Dataverse)
A destination that POSTs Dataverse events to any HTTP endpoint in real time, registered in the Plug-in Registration Tool. Choose vs Service Bus/Event Hub.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Plug-in Registration Tool
Data loss prevention policy (Power Platform)
Classifies connectors as business/non-business/blocked to prevent sensitive data from mixing or leaking through disallowed paths; applied per environment or tenant-wide.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Power Platform、Connectors (Power Platform)
Environment (Power Platform)
An isolated container for apps, flows, and Dataverse data—used to separate by department or Dev/Test/Prod; each has its own security boundary.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse、Microsoft Power Platform
Relationship (Dataverse)
Associations between tables—one-to-many (one parent, many children) and many-to-many (both sides many)—used to reference and filter related data.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Alternate keys
Uniquely identify Dataverse records by an external system’s key (e.g., order number), used when the GUID primary key is unknown externally.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Component (Power Pages)
Building blocks placed on pages—text, image, form, list (a view of Dataverse data), iFrame—arranged by drag-and-drop.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Dataverse
Solution (Power Platform)
A package bundling apps, flows, tables, etc., to move artifacts across environments (dev→test→prod); managed/unmanaged, the basis of ALM.
Prerequisites: Microsoft Power Platform