Dataverse data import options

  • 5 minutes

Microsoft Dataverse provides several methods for importing data into Dataverse tables:

  • Data import wizard

  • Import from Excel in model-driven apps

  • Import data from Excel in Power Apps maker portal

  • Dataflows

Data import wizard

The Data import wizard can be accessed from the Power Platform admin center. Select your environment and then select Settings > Data management > Data import wizard.

This opens the Imports page where you can see the results of previous imports. Selecting Import Data from the action bar starts the wizard.

The Data import wizard can import into any Dataverse table and supports the following file types:

  • CSV

  • TXT

  • XML Spreadsheet 2003 (.xml)

  • Excel (.xlsx)

  • Zip (with one of the above types)

After loading the file, you can select the table to import the data into, and then map the columns in the file to the columns in the Dataverse table.

Screenshot of mapping fields in the Data import wizard.

The Data import wizard supports simple column to column mapping and also handles mapping of choice values and mapping lookup columns.

The advantages of the Data import wizard are:

  • Mapping of choice values by label.

  • Mapping of lookup columns by name not guid.

The disadvantages of the Data import wizard are:

  • Performance - only imports 10-20 records at a time.

  • Can't transform data so must perform cleansing and transformation outside the system.

The Data import wizard can also import multiple tables from a ZIP file that contains a file for each table.

Import from Excel in model-driven apps

The Import from Excel in model-driven apps is similar to the Data import wizard but requires a Data Import Template created from the Power Platform Admin Center under Settings > Templates > Data import templates.

The Import from Excel in model-driven apps imports a single file into a single table from the command bar in a model-driven app and has the same advantages and disadvantages as the Data import wizard.

The Import from Excel in model-driven apps supports the following file types:

  • CSV

  • XML Spreadsheet

  • Excel

The Import from Excel in model-driven apps supports simple column to column mapping and also handles mapping of choice values and mapping lookup columns.

Screenshot of mapping fields in Import from Excel.

The Import from Excel in model-driven apps feature can also import from Exchange contacts into the Contact table.

Import data from Excel in Power Apps maker portal

The Import data from Excel in Power Apps maker portal is a basic import that doesn't allow anything but simple column mapping. It doesn't support mapping of choice values or mapping or lookups or relationships.

The Import from Excel in Power Apps maker portal supports the following file types:

  • CSV

  • Excel

Screenshot of Import data from Excel in the maker portal.

Import data from Excel in Power Apps maker portal is covered later in this module.

Dataflows

The Import data in Power Apps maker portal creates a Dataflow that can be used to connect to multiple data sources, clean and transform the data, and import into Dataverse tables.

The Import data in Power Apps maker portal uses PowerQuery to perform the Extract, Transform, and Load processing.

Screenshot of Power Query.

The advantages of Dataflows are:

  • Mapping of choice values by label and number.

  • Clean and transform data.

  • Can run manually or on a schedule.

The disadvantages of Dataflows are:

  • Doesn't support mapping of lookup columns.

Dataflows are covered later in this module.