Introducing Dataverse
Many companies start with Power Platform with a clear idea: “We need a quick app to solve this,” or “We want to automate the vacation approval process.”
And with Microsoft Power Platform and its Power Apps and Power Automate tools, you can create apps and flows to automate processes using these low-code tools.
But many times, at first everything works correctly, but with the passage of time, situations such as the following arise:
- The app is slow
- The data doesn’t add up
- Every change to be made to the solutions costs more
- Errors appear that are not easy to explain or fix
And all this comes from the fact that the problem is not in the app, it is in how the data was used, and specifically, its storage when creating it.
What is Dataverse?
Microsoft Dataverse is a cloud-based data platform that allows you to securely store and manage data used by solutions built with Microsoft Power Platform.
Using Dataverse on Power Platform, you’re making a solution that:
- Scalable
- Secure
- Integrated
- Ready to grow
So when we don’t use Dataverse or when we don’t use it correctly, the following happens:
- Excel that stays “forever”
- SharePoint Forced Beyond Its Limit
- Duplicate and uncontrolled data
Result: Solutions Apps, Automations are created well and work for a while, but they don’t survive.
Using Data in Building Solutions
This is what will make the project solid and last over time
On many occasions, what happens is that you decide where to save the data for later use, only thinking about speed, not the long term.
“We started using Excel, which is easy.”
“We do it with SharePoint, and then if necessary we change it.”
The problem is that this decision conditions the entire life cycle of the solution a lot. And changing it later usually involves redoing much of the work.
What we do differently in real projects
At Creativity Spark, we work on this point from the beginning, because we know that it is where success is defined when developing solutions with the Power Platform.
When designing with Dataverse, we focus on:
1. Understand the business before the technology
We don’t design tables. We design:
- Processes
- Relationships
- Information flows
2. Model to grow, not to “muddle through”
- Structures ready to evolve
- Reusable data between applications
- Future integration with other systems
3. Reduce complexity from the start
A good data model allows you to:
- Simpler apps
- More stable automations
- Lower maintenance cost
4. Avoid mistakes that cost months later
The problems we see most often:
- Duplication of information
- Non-existent or poorly planned relationships
- Poor performance
In a real case, this is a typical scenario:
A company that starts with an internal application.
Usual approach:
- A single table
- Duplicate data
- No clear structure
Result:
- Works fast at first
- Becomes difficult to maintain within a few weeks
Dataverse approach (well thought-out):
- Separate tables (Entities): e.g., employees, posts, amounts,…
- Clear relationships
- Structure designed for automation
Result:
- Scalable
- Easy to evolve
- Ready to grow
The real difference in implementing Power Platform is not just about creating apps or flows with Artificial Intelligence easily and quickly.
It is to build solutions that:
- Sustain the growth
- Integrate with your ecosystem
- Don’t force you to start from scratch in 6 months
The difference is not in the interface. It’s at the base.
At Creativity Spark, we help companies design solutions on Power Platform by doing it right from the start.
Not only the data, but also the architecture, and of course, the scalability.
If you’re starting a project or want to overhaul an existing one, there’s never been a better time to get it right. Contact us to know more, Creativity Spark.