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Power Platform Community / Forums / Power Apps / Import Using Excel Tem...
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Import Using Excel Template to Dataverse Table with Microsoft Entra ID Lookup Field Fails

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Posted on by 31
I get "The lookup reference could not be resolved" when attempting to import a record that contains data that would go to a Lookup field that is linked to the ' Microsoft Entra ID' table. Can this be resolved?
I have the same question (3)
  • Jonathan Manrique Profile Picture
    2,695 on at

    Verify that the Display Name in Entra ID matches exactly how you are writing it in the Excel file. If it is not exactly the same, it will fail, which is what the error message is telling you.

  • Verified answer
    11manish Profile Picture
    1,196 on at
    This is a very common Dataverse import limitation, especially when dealing with lookups to Microsoft Entra ID (Users table).
     
    Root cause (why your import fails)
    The error:
    “The lookup reference could not be resolved”
    happens because during Excel import into Microsoft Dataverse:
     
    Lookup fields do NOT reliably resolve by Display Name for Users (systemuser)
    What you're doing:
    • Mapping lookup using Display Name = "John Fitch"
    Why it fails:
    Display Name is:
    • Not guaranteed unique
    • Not the primary lookup key used internally
    • Dataverse cannot match it during import
    Correct ways to resolve User (Entra ID) lookup
     Use Primary Email (recommended)
    In your Excel file, replace:
    • John Fitch
    with:
    • john.fitch@company.com
    Then map lookup using:
    • Primary Email (internalemailaddress)
    This is:
    • Unique
    • Supported in import
    • Most reliable

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