Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I about to build a model-driven app that has very normalized data, and I would also like to use Lookup columns for all dropdowns instead of Choice columns so that users have an easier time maintaining the values themselves.

Before I use this design approach, is there a limit on the number of tables that can be used in a model-driven app?

Categories:

Microsoft Dataverse with Power Apps

Hi, I hope this information will help you.

There is no hard limit on the number of tables in a model-driven app.
You can include dozens or even hundreds of tables in your app, depending on your design. Microsoft Dataverse is built to support complex relational models, and Lookup columns are a best practice for maintainable, user-friendly dropdowns.

Practical Considerations

While there's no strict cap, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Performance

• More tables = more metadata and relationships to load.
• Keep forms and views lean by only including necessary columns and relationships.

2. App Designer UI

• The App Designer can get cluttered with many tables.
• Use areas and subareas in the sitemap to organize navigation cleanly.

3. Offline Capability

• If you plan to use the app offline (e.g., mobile), each table must be added to the offline profile.
• More tables = larger sync payload.

4. Security Roles

• Each table may need its own permissions.
• Plan your security roles carefully to avoid complexity.

Your approach to use Lookup columns instead of Choice fields is solid:

• Lookup columns allow users to manage values via related tables.
• Choice fields are static and harder to maintain across environments.

Summary

Feature	Limit?	Notes
Number of tables	❌ No hard limit	Design for performance and usability
Lookup columns	✅ Recommended	Easier to maintain and localize
Offline support	⚠️ Needs planning	Add each table to offline profile
Security configuration	⚠️ Can get complex	Use role-based access control