Quick View Forms: The Secret Weapon in Dataverse UX

In the world of Microsoft Dataverse and Dynamics 365, delivering seamless, user-friendly experiences is no longer optional—it’s essential. One often-overlooked feature that quietly transforms how users interact with data is the Quick View Form.

Quick View Forms are like the Swiss Army knife of model-driven apps. They empower makers and architects to surface related data contextually, keeping users informed without overwhelming them. But why are they such a game changer? Let’s break it down.

What Are Quick View Forms?

A Quick View Form lets you embed a subset of fields from a related table (entity) directly into the main form of another table.

Imagine this:

When a user opens a Case, they instantly see key Account details—like Primary Contact, Credit Limit, and Account Status—without ever leaving the Case form.

It’s read-only, lightweight, and perfect for displaying critical information from related records.


Why Quick View Forms Are Game Changers


How Quick View Forms Work (Technical Deep Dive)

Relationship Based Rendering

  • Works with N:1 (many-to-one) or 1:1 relationships.

 Example: Contact → Account (many contacts belong to one account).

Read-Only UI Element

  • Displays data but doesn’t allow editing directly from Quick View.

Business Rules Support

  • Fields in Quick View forms can participate in form-level Business Rules.

Security Model Compliance

  • Respects Dataverse’s role-based security, meaning users see only what they’re allowed.

Step-by-Step: Adding a Quick View Form

  1. Go to Solution > Tables > Forms in Power Apps Maker portal.
  2. Create a new Quick View Form in the related table (e.g., Account).
  3. Add desired fields, save, and publish.
  4. Open the target table’s form designer (e.g., Case).
  5. Insert Quick View Form control and select the lookup field (e.g., Customer).
  6. Choose your published Quick View Form.
  7. Save and publish.

✅ That’s it—users now see related data on the form.

Limitations to Watch Out For


Developer & Architect Perspectives

Developer View

  • Eliminates need for fetchXml or Web API calls in JavaScript to pull parent data.
  • Reduces custom plugins for simple data visibility requirements.

Architect View

  • Encourages “Context First” design by bringing relational data together.
  • Helps maintain clean, modular app architectures.
  • Perfect for ALM pipelines because configurations are solution-aware.

Why You Should Start Using It

  • Speeds up user workflows
  • Keeps forms clean and lightweight
  • Reduces support tickets (users don’t have to navigate across forms)
  • Makes Dataverse apps feel “smarter” and more context-aware

Final Thoughts

Quick View Forms may look simple, but they pack a punch when it comes to enhancing user experience in Dataverse. For developers, they eliminate unnecessary API calls; for architects, they drive clean design; and for end users, they provide instant clarity.

So, the next time you’re building or enhancing a model-driven app, ask yourself

It’s a small feature that delivers big wins.

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