Append vs. Append To - What's the Difference?

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

1. You’re configuring a security role.

2. You see the privileges of ‘Append’ and ‘Append To’.

3. You look for information, hoping for some clarity.

4. Instead, every resource you find leaves you more confused than when you started.

And so the cycle repeats. Even the official documentation on MS Learn doesn’t do much to clear things up (at least for me):

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/security-roles-privileges

So, what does ‘Append’ and ‘Append To’ actually mean when working with Dataverse tables? Here’s the simple explanation:

• Append - Lets you populate Lookup fields on this table.

• Append To - Lets you populate Lookup fields if this is a related table.

Let’s break it down further with an example - check out the Dataverse form below:

Here are some observations:

1. This is a form for the Part table.

2. There is a Lookup column called Assigned Engineer to the Engineer table.

For a user to be able to populate or update the Assigned Engineer (Lookup) column, they would need:

• Append on the Part table.

• Append To on the Engineer table.

It's that simple! You should now have a clearer understanding of the difference between the Append and Append To privileges.

FAQ

1. In the above example, would security role configuration change if I added another Lookup column on the Part table to the same related table (Engineer)?

No, the security role configuration remains the same. If a user has Append on the Part table and Append To on the Engineer table, they can populate any number of Lookup columns to the Engineer table.

2. In the above example, would security role configuration change if I added another Lookup column on the Part table to a different related table?

Yes, you’ll need to grant Append To on the new related table to populate the new Lookup field.

3. Why do I need both Append and Append To privileges to populate a Lookup field?

Dataverse requires both privileges: Append for the table you’re working with and Append To for the related table, to ensure proper data security.

4. What happens if I have only Append on the primary table but not Append To on the related table (or vice versa)?

You won’t be able to populate the Lookup field. For example, if you have Append on the Part table but not Append To on the Engineer table, you can’t assign an Engineer to a Part. The column will have a padlock next to it to indicate you cannot populate it.

5. Do these privileges affect read access to related records?

No, Append and Append To control the ability to establish or change relationships, while read access is governed by the Read privilege.

6. If I don’t need to populate/update Lookup fields, can I skip granting Append or Append To?

Yes, if you only need to view data and not update Lookup fields, you only need Read privileges.

7. How do these privileges interact with business rules or automated workflows?

The privileges apply to any operation that modifies data, whether done manually, through business rules, or automated workflows. Ensure the roles assigned to the user or service account have the necessary Append and Append To permissions.

If you spot any inaccuracies or have suggestions for improvement, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Either leave a comment or feel free to message me on LinkedIn - your contributions will help to make these posts better and improve readability for future readers.