Power Platform & Dynamics CE

Understanding how the three automation engines interact—Plugins, Classic Workflows, and Power Automate—is essential for designing predictable, scalable, and conflict-free business logic in the Power Platform. Each automation type runs at different layers, at different times, and with different capabilities. When combined without rules, they create race conditions, duplicated logic, inconsistent data, and performance issues. This guide explains when each tool executes, what they are best suited for, how to avoid conflicts, and how to design the execution pipeline properly. 1. The Dataverse Automation Stack – High-Level View 2. What Runs Where? (Rules of Engagement) A. Plugins — “First Responders” (Synchronous or Asynchronous) Where they run:  Deep inside the Dataverse execution pipeline  Before or after the database commit Best for: Real-time validation Enforcing business rules Data transformation Preventing bad data from saving High-performance logic Complex parent/child relat...

In Microsoft Dataverse, every data operation—whether triggered by a form save, API call, plugin, or Power Automate flow—passes through a well-defined execution pipeline. Understanding this pipeline is not just a technical detail; it is the foundation for designing scalable, predictable, and maintainable business logic. This approach is called Pipeline-First Thinking, and it is a mindset every Power Platform architect and senior developer must adopt. What Is Pipeline-First Thinking? Pipeline-First Thinking means designing your custom logic based on where and how Dataverse processes your data. Instead of jumping directly into writing plugins or creating Power Automate flows, you first analyze: Which stage of the pipeline should run the logic? (Pre-Validation, Pre-Operation, Post-Operation, Async, etc.) What data is available at each stage? How will the logic behave inside a transaction? What are the impacts on performance, validations, and external integrations? By aligning business rule...

The Plugin Execution Pipeline is the sequence of events Dataverse/Power Platform runs when an operation occurs (Create, Update, Delete, SetState, Retrieve, etc.). Plugins are custom code that run inside that pipeline. Understanding how the pipeline works is fundamental for building correct, secure, performant, maintainable, and supportable solutions. Below I explain what the pipeline is, how it behaves, why it matters, common pitfalls, and practical recommendations. What the execution pipeline is — the essentials When an operation is invoked, Dataverse constructs an IPluginExecutionContext and executes registered plugin steps in the order defined by: PreValidation (before core platform validation) PreOperation (inside the database transaction, before platform operation) Platform Operation (the core create/update/delete that modifies the DB) PostOperation (after the platform operation, still part of the request but after DB change) A plugin step registers the Message (e.g., Update), Pri...

Modern business applications rarely operate in isolation. Organizations increasingly need their Microsoft Dataverse environments to interact with external systems such as CRMs, ERPs, banking systems, SAP, ServiceNow, payment gateways, logistics platforms, or AI-enabled services. Custom API in Datavers e acts as the perfect bridge—a controlled, secure, and scalable layer that connects Dataverse to external APIs.  What Does “Bridging Dataverse and External APIs” Mean? To “bridge” Dataverse with an external API means: Dataverse triggers a process (from a plugin, Power Automate, Canvas App, Model-Driven App, or even external systems) Custom API receives the request Custom API executes server-side code (Plugin) written in C# The code makes an outbound call to an external REST/SOAP endpoint Returns the processed result back to Dataverse , or updates records This creates a secure, governed, and high-performance integration layer—without exposing Dataverse directly to outside systems. Wh...

When designing Custom APIs in Dataverse, deciding between an internal or external strategy depends on your solution’s architecture, performance needs, and integration boundaries. Internal Custom APIs run entirely within Dataverse and are ideal when the business logic relies on CRM data, must follow Dataverse security rules, or benefits from unified auditing, plug-in execution, and transactional consistency. These are best suited for validations, entity operations, or orchestrations that must remain inside the platform. In contrast, external Custom APIs involve hosting logic outside Dataverse—such as Azure Functions, Web APIs, or cloud-based microservices—and are appropriate when the logic requires advanced computation, integrates heavily with external systems, or must scale beyond Dataverse’s plug-in limits. External APIs offer greater flexibility, but require secure authentication, lifecycle management, and monitoring. Ultimately, choosing between internal and external strategies depe...

Choosing between a bound and unbound Custom API in Dataverse depends on the scope and context of the business logic you need to implement. A bound Custom API is linked directly to a specific table or record, making it ideal when your logic operates on a single entity—such as approving an Opportunity, recalculating a Quote Line, or validating a Case—while also benefiting from inheriting the table’s security model and enabling easy form or ribbon integration. In contrast, an unbound Custom API runs at the organizational level and is not tied to any single table, making it the better choice for cross-entity operations, batch processing, orchestration logic, or reusable services such as compliance checks or data synchronization. In general, use a bound API when your logic is entity-specific and user-triggered, and choose an unbound API when your logic is global, shared, or not dependent on record context.  In Microsoft Dataverse, Custom APIs allow you to define your own operations that...

Custom APIs in Microsoft Dataverse allow developers and architects to create their own reusable, secure, and well-defined service endpoints that extend the standard Dataverse Web API. Instead of relying solely on out-of-the-box messages (like Create, Update, or Retrieve ), Custom APIs let you define your own business operations — complete with input and output parameters — that encapsulate complex logic and can be called from Power Automate, Power Apps, or external systems. These APIs are registered once and behave like native Dataverse operations, making them ideal for implementing domain-specific logic, integrating with external services, or simplifying client-side development. From a technical standpoint, a Custom API can be implemented through a plugin class, where the backend logic is written in C#. Developers can control security through privilege definitions and ensure consistency by centralizing key business rules. Custom APIs are particularly valuable in enterprise environmen...

In the fast-paced world of app development, testing often gets pushed to the sidelines. But in low-code platforms like Power Apps—where apps are rapidly built and deployed— ensuring quality becomes even more critical . Enter Power Apps Test Studio : Microsoft’s built-in tool for creating, automating, and running tests on Canvas apps. Whether you’re a developer, maker, or architect, this guide will show you why Test Studio should be a key part of your app lifecycle and how to use it effectively. Why Test Studio? As apps grow in complexity, manual testing becomes unsustainable. Test Studio helps you: Automate UI testing without external tools. Catch bugs early by validating changes before deployment. Integrate testing into DevOps pipelines for continuous delivery. Support data-driven testing to verify multiple scenarios. It’s a low-code approach to quality assurance , built for the Power Platform ecosystem. What Is Power Apps Test Studio? Test Studio is a visual, recorder-based...

Dataverse powers the heart of the Microsoft Power Platform, offering a rich relational data layer and a suite of tools for makers and developers. While low-code configurations can solve many business needs, there comes a point when complex business logic demands more. Enter Custom APIs—your way to encapsulate server-side logic in a secure, reusable, and solution-aware package. Combine this with Field Mapping—which ensures automatic data population between related tables—and you unlock a powerful pattern for building sophisticated enterprise apps. In this post, we’ll do a deep technical dive into: What Custom APIs and Field Mapping are Why they’re better together Real-world scenarios Best practices Pitfalls to avoid What is a Custom API? Custom APIs let you define your own operations in Dataverse, complete with input/output parameters and server-side logic. Unlike workflows or Power Automate flows, they’re built for high performance and enterprise ALM. Features of Custom APIs Entity-bou...