Data Operations

Data operation steps interact with Dataverse data - creating, reading, updating, and deleting records.

Save Entity

Creates a new record or updates an existing record in Dataverse.

Parameter	Description
Entity	The entity record to save (with field values set)
Reload Entity After Save	Whether to reload the entity with server-generated values after saving

When Reload Entity After Save is enabled, the step returns the entity with any server-generated values (such as auto-numbers, calculated fields, or plugin-modified values).

Use Cases:

• Create a new Account when a lead is qualified
• Update Contact information after form submission
• Create related records as part of a workflow

Example:

SAVE ENTITY
  Entity: Account
  Data: {
    Name: "Contoso Ltd",
    Industry: "Technology",
    Revenue: 5000000
  }
  Reload Entity After Save: true
  → Store in variable: NewAccount

Delete Entity

Removes a record from Dataverse.

Parameter	Description
Entity	The entity type to delete from
Entity ID	The unique identifier of the record to delete

Use Cases:

• Remove temporary or draft records
• Clean up related records when parent is deleted
• Implement data retention policies

Example:

DELETE ENTITY
  Entity: Task
  Entity ID: TaskToDelete.Id

Modify Entity

Updates a specific set of fields on an existing record without replacing the whole entity. Where Save Entity persists a complete record, Modify Entity applies a set of property setters (each field is computed from an expression) to the record identified by the supplied entity.

Parameter	Description
Entity Logical Name	The entity type to modify
Entity	The record (or reference) whose fields are updated
Setters	The set of field assignments to apply, each defined by an expression

Example:

MODIFY ENTITY
  Entity Logical Name: account
  Entity: Customer
  Setters:
    creditonhold: true
    description: "Placed on hold on " + TODAY()

Get Entity by ID

Retrieves a single record by its unique identifier.

Parameter	Description
Entity Logical Name	The entity type to retrieve
Entity ID	The unique identifier of the record
Properties	The list of columns (attributes) to return

Returns: The record with the requested columns populated

Example:

GET ENTITY BY ID
  Entity Logical Name: contact
  Entity ID: ContactId
  Properties: [ firstname, lastname, emailaddress1 ]
  → Store in variable: CustomerContact

Execute Query

Retrieves records matching a query expression.

Parameter	Description
Query Expression	The query (entity, columns, filters, orders) to execute
Multiplicity	Single (first matching record), All (every matching record), or Sliced (a single page)
Paging	Page size / paging cookie, used when Multiplicity is Sliced

Returns: A single record (Single) or a collection of matching records (All / Sliced)

Example - Single Record:

EXECUTE QUERY
  Multiplicity: Single
  Entity: Account
  Conditions: AccountNumber == "ACC-001"
  → Store in variable: FoundAccount

Example - All Records:

EXECUTE QUERY
  Multiplicity: All
  Entity: Contact
  Conditions: ParentCustomerId == AccountId AND Status == "Active"
  → Store in variable: ActiveContacts

Execute Multiple Requests

Performs multiple data operations in a single batch for better performance.

Parameter	Description
Entities to Create	Collection of records to create
Entities to Update	Collection of records to update
Entities to Delete	Collection of records to delete

This step is particularly useful when you need to perform many operations at once, as it reduces the number of round trips to the server.

Example:

EXECUTE MULTIPLE REQUESTS
  Entities to Create: NewTasksList
  Entities to Update: ModifiedContactsList
  Entities to Delete: ObsoleteRecordsList

Add Entity Annotation

Adds a note or attachment (annotation) to a record.

Parameter	Description
Entity Logical Name	The entity type of the record
Entity ID	The record to annotate
Title	The note title/subject
Description	The note content
File Name	Name of the attached file (optional)
Content	Base64-encoded file content (optional)

A note becomes a document (file attachment) simply by supplying File Name and Content — there is no separate "is document" flag.

Example - Adding a Note:

ADD ENTITY ANNOTATION
  Entity Logical Name: account
  Entity ID: Customer.Id
  Title: "Credit Check Complete"
  Description: "Customer passed credit verification on " + TODAY()

Example - Adding an Attachment:

ADD ENTITY ANNOTATION
  Entity Logical Name: quote
  Entity ID: Quote.Id
  Title: "Signed Contract"
  File Name: "Contract_Signed.pdf"
  Content: FileContent

Add Item to Collection / Remove Item from Collection

Adds or removes a single item from a list (collection) variable in place.

Parameter	Description
Collection	The list variable to modify
Item	The item to add or remove

These steps are the explicit, first-class way to grow or shrink a collection variable during a flow (as opposed to reassigning it through Update Variable).

Example:

ADD ITEM TO COLLECTION
  Collection: SelectedProducts
  Item: CurrentProduct

REMOVE ITEM FROM COLLECTION
  Collection: SelectedProducts
  Item: DiscontinuedProduct

Best Practices

Use Reload Wisely: Only enable "Reload Entity After Save" when you need server-generated values. It adds an extra database call.

Batch Operations: When performing many similar operations, use Execute Multiple Requests instead of multiple individual Save/Delete steps.

Handle Missing Records: When using Get Entity by ID or Execute Query (Single), consider what happens if no record is found. Use a Condition step to check for null results.

Optimize Queries: Use specific filter conditions in Execute Query to minimize the number of records returned. Avoid retrieving more data than needed.