Dataverse: Enable Multi-Select Lookup

Key insights

• Multi-Select Lookup
  Dataverse lookup fields don’t support multi-select out of the box, so you need a workaround to associate multiple related records from one form. Choose the approach that fits your security, maintenance and UI needs.
• Many-to-Many (N:N) relationship
  Create an N:N relationship between tables to store true relational links. This is the recommended and secure method because it uses built-in Dataverse relationships and works well for reporting and plugins.
• Subgrid
  Add a subgrid to the form bound to the N:N relationship to let users add or remove multiple related records directly from the record form. Subgrids are simple, stable, and require no custom client code.
• PCF Multiselect Lookup Control
  Install a community PCF control when you need a modern dropdown-style multi-select UI. PCF improves usability but may increase long-term maintenance and versioning work.
• Single-line text column
  PCF controls commonly store selections as JSON in a single-line text column, so create a sufficiently sized column and bind the PCF to it. Configure required parameters: link entity name, primary name attribute, ID (GUID) attribute, relationship name, and relationship entity name.
• Implementation steps & best practices
  High-level flow: create the N:N relationship, add a subgrid or import/configure the PCF, bind fields, publish customizations and test. Keep plugins or business logic ready to deserialize PCF JSON if needed, and consider future native features when choosing long-term solutions.

Overview: Video Summary and Context

In a recent YouTube tutorial, Dhruvin Shah [MVP] walks viewers through how to enable Multi-Select Lookup in Microsoft Dataverse for Model-Driven Apps. The video addresses a common limitation: lookups in Dataverse are single-value by default, and many users ask for ways to select multiple related records. Therefore, Shah demonstrates two practical approaches and explains the technical steps, tradeoffs, and configuration details for each method.

Methods Demonstrated: Subgrid vs. PCF

First, Shah shows a straightforward approach using a Many-to-Many relationship combined with a Subgrid on the form. This method relies on Dataverse's native relationship model and lets users add multiple related records via the subgrid UI, which is secure and well supported. Next, he introduces a community-built PCF (Power Apps Component Framework) multi-select lookup control that renders a modern dropdown-style selector and stores selections in a text column as JSON.

Step-by-Step Highlights from the Demo

The tutorial proceeds through practical steps: creating an N:N relationship, adding a subgrid to a form, and testing multi-select assignment using the subgrid. Then, Shah demonstrates importing a PCF solution, creating a single-line text column to hold serialized selections, and configuring the control with five key parameters: link entity name, primary name attribute, ID attribute, relationship name, and relationship entity name. He also shows switching to the classic form editor to add the PCF control and finally publishes the customizations to reveal the dropdown-style multi-select UI.

Technical Details and Configuration

Shah carefully explains how the PCF control binds to a single-line text field and how the control references relationship metadata to resolve records. For this reason, the control requires both the logical names of the link entity and relationship metadata so it can present and store selections correctly. In addition, he highlights the need to ensure the text column has sufficient length to hold the JSON array and to plan any server-side logic that will parse and act on the stored selections.

Tradeoffs: Usability, Security, and Maintenance

While the PCF control improves the user experience by offering a cleaner dropdown multi-select, Shah emphasizes tradeoffs such as increased customization complexity and potential maintenance burdens. For instance, community PCF components may not receive long-term vendor support and can break when the platform evolves, which means ongoing testing and occasional updates become necessary. Conversely, using a native Many-to-Many relationship with a subgrid trades some usability for a lower operational risk, because it relies on supported platform features and standard security models.

Challenges in Production and Integration

Shah notes several integration challenges that teams should anticipate, including handling the serialized selections in business logic, syncing many-to-many data with other systems, and ensuring consistent access control. Moreover, plugins or Power Automate flows often need to deserialize the stored JSON when using a PCF approach, which adds development and testing work. Therefore, successful implementation requires planning for deployment, monitoring, and backward compatibility with future platform updates.

When to Choose Each Approach

In the video, Shah recommends choosing the Many-to-Many subgrid route when security, stability, and platform support are top priorities, since it aligns with Dataverse data modeling. By contrast, he suggests the PCF multiselect control for scenarios where user experience and a compact, dropdown-style selector are more important than minimizing customization. Consequently, teams should evaluate their tolerance for maintenance overhead versus the need for a modern interface before selecting a path.

Best Practices and Final Advice

Shah closes the tutorial with practical best practices: document your chosen solution, test across environments, and create automated checks for platform updates that might affect custom controls. Additionally, he advises keeping business logic decoupled from UI implementation so that a future platform-native multi-select feature—if introduced—can be adopted with less rework. In short, balance current user needs with long-term maintainability when planning your implementation.

Newsroom Takeaway

Overall, the video by Dhruvin Shah [MVP] offers a clear, hands-on guide to enabling multi-select lookup behavior in Model-Driven Apps using either a safe native technique or a more polished custom control. Moreover, Shah’s stepwise demo and his discussion of configuration items and limitations give makers a realistic view of what to expect. As a result, teams can use his guidance to make informed choices based on usability requirements and operational risk.

Keywords

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