All About Lookup Columns In Dynamics 365 Dataverse

At Cloud Experts AS, we’re passionate about helping businesses leverage powerful features like lookup columns in Dynamics 365 Dataverse (formerly Common Data Service). This out-of-the-box functionality allows you to create relationships between tables, enabling complex data models and seamless data linkage.

What Are Lookup Columns In Dynamics 365 Dataverse?

Columns store information within a record in a table and are a "field" in the database table. They are assigned specific data types upon creation.

Lookup Columns

These columns denote a relationship between two tables. For instance, an Account record might reference one Contact record in a lookup column known as "Primary Contact".

Customer Lookup Columns

Dataverse offers a unique version of a lookup column called "Customer." These columns are configured to reference related records from either the Contact or Account table. Two additional “lookup” type columns are automatically created to support the multifaceted Customer relationship.

How To Create A Custom Polymorphic Column?

1. Start by running the XRMToolBox.
2. Connect to the desired development environment.
3. Open the Polymorphic Lookup Manager tool.
4. Choose an existing solution where the custom field will be created (it’s recommended to avoid the "Default Solution").
5. Choose the Referencing Table in which the field will be created.
6. Choose “<Create new polymorphic lookup>” as the “Attribute”.
7. Fill in the desired Lookup Display name for the new field. The Lookup Schema name will be populated by the tool.
8. Choose the desired Referenced Tables (tables to be related), optionally using the Search feature.
9. Click on the “Create Polymorphic Lookup” option on the menu.

Want to see how our expertise at Cloud Experts AS can transform your business with Microsoft Dataverse? Contact us today to learn more!