Polymorphic Lookup

Polymorphic Lookup is a Power Platform ToolBox (PPTB) tool for creating and managing Dataverse polymorphic lookup columns.

A polymorphic lookup is a single lookup column that can reference multiple target tables.

Who this tool is for

Use this tool when you want to:

• add a new polymorphic lookup column to a table,
• change which target tables an existing polymorphic lookup can reference,
• update lookup metadata,
• or delete an existing polymorphic lookup attribute.

Prerequisites

• Access to a Dataverse environment through PPTB
• Permissions to customize tables/columns and publish customizations
• An unmanaged solution (for organizing your changes)

Main workflow

1. Open the tool and connect to your Dataverse environment.
2. Select an unmanaged Solution.
3. Select a Table from that solution.
4. Select an Attribute:
   • Create new lookup to create a new polymorphic lookup
   • an existing polymorphic lookup to update or delete

The tool shows a busy indicator while loading or applying operations.

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Create a new polymorphic lookup

1. In Attribute, choose Create new lookup.
2. Enter:
   • Lookup display name
   • Lookup schema name (suffix; publisher prefix is shown automatically)
   • optional Description
   • Required Level
3. Select one or more Referenced tables.
4. Click Create lookup.

What happens:

• The tool creates the polymorphic lookup attribute.
• Target relationships are created from your selected referenced tables.
• Customizations are published.

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Update an existing polymorphic lookup

1. Select an existing lookup in Attribute.
2. Change metadata as needed:
   • Display name
   • Description
   • Required level
3. Update Referenced tables:
   • add new tables,
   • remove tables that should no longer be targets.
4. Click Update lookup.

What happens:

• Metadata is updated.
• Added/removed target relationships are applied.
• Customizations are published.

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Delete a polymorphic lookup (full attribute delete)

1. Select an existing lookup in Attribute.
2. Click Delete lookup.
3. Confirm the prompt.

What happens:

• The full lookup attribute is deleted from the table.
• Customizations are published.

Warning: This is destructive. Deleting a lookup removes the attribute and its references.

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UI behavior and guardrails

• Schema name is only editable when creating a new lookup.
• In update mode, the tool compares current vs selected target tables and applies only the delta.
• Action buttons are disabled when required input is missing.
• A busy indicator shows when the tool is executing an operation.

Troubleshooting

Not connected

• Select an active Dataverse connection in PPTB.
• Reopen the tool if needed.

No tables in solution

• Verify the selected solution is unmanaged.
• Verify the solution contains table components.

Operation fails

• Check the Activity log panel for details.
• Confirm your account has metadata customization and publish permissions.
• Retry after refreshing the selected table/attribute.

Changes do not appear

• Confirm publish completed successfully.
• Refresh metadata in your Dataverse app or maker portal.

Support

If you find an issue or want to suggest an improvement, open a GitHub issue in this repository.