November 8, 2021 5 min read

Dataverse for Teams: Building Data-Driven Apps Inside Microsoft Teams

Dataverse Microsoft Teams Power Platform Low Code Data

Dataverse for Teams brings the power of a relational database directly into Microsoft Teams. Teams users can now build sophisticated data-driven applications without leaving their collaboration environment.

What is Dataverse for Teams?

Dataverse for Teams is a built-in, low-code data platform that comes with every Teams environment. It provides:

Relational data storage with business logic
Built-in security and compliance
Integration with Power Apps and Power Automate
No additional licensing for Teams users

Creating Your First Table

In Teams, go to Power Apps tab and create a table:

// Table definition (conceptual - done through UI)
{
  "name": "Project",
  "displayName": "Projects",
  "columns": [
    { "name": "Name", "type": "text", "required": true },
    { "name": "Status", "type": "choice", "options": ["Not Started", "In Progress", "Completed"] },
    { "name": "DueDate", "type": "dateOnly" },
    { "name": "Budget", "type": "currency" },
    { "name": "Owner", "type": "lookup", "relatedTable": "User" }
  ]
}

Building a Project Tracker App

Create a canvas app connected to your Dataverse table:

// App OnStart
Set(CurrentUser, User());
ClearCollect(
    MyProjects,
    Filter(
        Projects,
        Owner.Email = CurrentUser.Email
    )
);

// Gallery displaying projects
Sort(
    Filter(
        Projects,
        Status.Value <> "Completed" && DueDate <= Today() + 7
    ),
    DueDate,
    Ascending
)

// Form for creating new projects
SubmitForm(ProjectForm);
Notify("Project created successfully!", NotificationType.Success);
Navigate(HomeScreen, ScreenTransition.None);

Status indicator with conditional formatting:

// Status color based on due date
Switch(
    true,
    ThisItem.Status.Value = "Completed", Color.Green,
    ThisItem.DueDate < Today(), Color.Red,
    ThisItem.DueDate < Today() + 3, Color.Orange,
    Color.Blue
)

// Days remaining calculation
If(
    ThisItem.Status.Value = "Completed",
    "Done",
    Text(
        DateDiff(Today(), ThisItem.DueDate, Days),
        "[$-en-US]0"
    ) & " days left"
)

Creating Relationships

Define relationships between tables:

// Task table with relationship to Project
{
  "name": "Task",
  "columns": [
    { "name": "Title", "type": "text" },
    { "name": "Project", "type": "lookup", "relatedTable": "Projects" },
    { "name": "AssignedTo", "type": "lookup", "relatedTable": "User" },
    { "name": "Completed", "type": "boolean" }
  ]
}

// Displaying related tasks in project detail
Filter(
    Tasks,
    Project.Name = SelectedProject.Name
)

// Count of incomplete tasks
CountRows(
    Filter(
        Tasks,
        Project.Name = ThisItem.Name && !Completed
    )
)

Power Automate Integration

Create flows that respond to data changes:

# Flow definition (conceptual)
trigger:
  type: dataverse
  table: Projects
  event: create

actions:
  - type: teams
    action: postMessage
    channel: General
    message: |
      New project created: @{triggerBody()?['name']}
      Owner: @{triggerBody()?['owner/fullname']}
      Due: @{formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['duedate'], 'MMMM dd, yyyy')}

  - type: outlook
    action: sendEmail
    to: "@{triggerBody()?['owner/emailaddress']}"
    subject: "You've been assigned a new project"
    body: |
      Hi @{triggerBody()?['owner/firstname']},

      You've been assigned to the project "@{triggerBody()?['name']}".

      Due Date: @{formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['duedate'], 'MMMM dd, yyyy')}
      Budget: @{triggerBody()?['budget']}

      Access your projects in Teams.

Automated task assignment flow:

trigger:
  type: dataverse
  table: Tasks
  event: update
  condition: "@equals(triggerBody()?['completed'], true)"

actions:
  - type: dataverse
    action: listRecords
    table: Tasks
    filter: "project/id eq '@{triggerBody()?['project/id']}' and completed eq false"
    outputVariable: remainingTasks

  - type: condition
    expression: "@equals(length(outputs('remainingTasks')?['body/value']), 0)"
    true:
      - type: dataverse
        action: updateRecord
        table: Projects
        id: "@{triggerBody()?['project/id']}"
        data:
          status: "Completed"
      - type: teams
        action: postMessage
        message: "Project @{triggerBody()?['project/name']} completed!"

Business Rules

Implement validation and automation with business rules:

// Validation rule: Budget must be positive
If(
    ThisItem.Budget <= 0,
    Notify("Budget must be greater than zero", NotificationType.Error);
    false,
    true
)

// Auto-set status based on dates
If(
    ThisItem.DueDate < Today() && ThisItem.Status.Value <> "Completed",
    Patch(
        Projects,
        ThisItem,
        { Status: { Value: "Overdue" } }
    )
)

// Calculated column: Project health score
With(
    {
        taskCompletion: CountRows(Filter(Tasks, Project.Name = ThisItem.Name && Completed)) /
                       Max(CountRows(Filter(Tasks, Project.Name = ThisItem.Name)), 1),
        budgetHealth: If(ThisItem.Spent <= ThisItem.Budget, 1, 0.5),
        timeHealth: If(Today() <= ThisItem.DueDate, 1, 0.7)
    },
    Round((taskCompletion + budgetHealth + timeHealth) / 3 * 100, 0)
)

Security and Permissions

Dataverse for Teams inherits Teams security:

// Check user permissions
Set(
    IsOwner,
    LookUp(Projects, Name = SelectedProject.Name).Owner.Email = User().Email
);

Set(
    IsTeamOwner,
    // Team owners have elevated permissions
    User().Email in TeamOwners
);

// Conditional UI based on permissions
If(
    IsOwner || IsTeamOwner,
    DisplayMode.Edit,
    DisplayMode.View
)

// Filter data based on user role
If(
    IsTeamOwner,
    Projects,
    Filter(Projects, Owner.Email = User().Email)
)

Migrating to Full Dataverse

When you outgrow Teams, upgrade to full Dataverse:

# Export solution from Dataverse for Teams
$teamEnvId = "your-teams-environment-id"
$solution = Get-AdminPowerAppEnvironmentSolutionPackages `
    -EnvironmentName $teamEnvId `
    -SolutionName "ProjectTracker"

Export-AdminPowerAppEnvironmentSolutionPackage `
    -EnvironmentName $teamEnvId `
    -SolutionName "ProjectTracker" `
    -SolutionPath ".\ProjectTracker.zip"

# Import to full Dataverse environment
$prodEnvId = "your-production-environment-id"
Import-AdminPowerAppEnvironmentSolutionPackage `
    -EnvironmentName $prodEnvId `
    -SolutionPath ".\ProjectTracker.zip"

Best Practices

Design for Teams context: Users interact in Teams, so keep the experience native
Use relationships wisely: Normalize data but don’t over-engineer
Leverage Team membership: Use existing Teams security model
Plan for growth: Design tables that can migrate to full Dataverse

// Pattern: Centralized configuration
// Create a Settings table for app configuration
LookUp(Settings, Key = "MaxProjectsPerUser").Value

// Pattern: Audit trail
// Add CreatedBy, CreatedOn, ModifiedBy, ModifiedOn to all tables
Patch(
    Projects,
    ThisItem,
    {
        ModifiedBy: User(),
        ModifiedOn: Now()
    }
)

// Pattern: Soft delete instead of hard delete
Patch(
    Projects,
    ThisItem,
    {
        IsDeleted: true,
        DeletedBy: User(),
        DeletedOn: Now()
    }
)

Dataverse for Teams democratizes data platform capabilities. Teams users can now build real applications with proper data management without needing IT involvement for simple use cases.