A form is the layout used to view and edit a single record. Every table can have multiple forms, and Dataverse picks which one to show based on form order and the current user’s security role.
Form types
- Main form — the full record detail view, with tabs, sections, subgrids, and the full column set. What you see when you open a record normally.
- Quick Create form — a lightweight panel for creating a new record without leaving the current page (e.g. adding a new Contact while looking at an Account). Shows only the most essential fields.
- Quick View form — a read-only snippet of a related record’s fields, embedded inside another table’s main form (e.g. showing a Contact’s phone number directly on the Opportunity form via its Contact lookup).
Structure: tabs, sections, columns
Main forms are built from tabs (top-level groupings, sometimes shown as a left-hand nav in newer layouts), which contain sections, which contain the actual fields arranged in one, two, or three columns. Fields, subgrids, and even embedded Power BI tiles or canvas app components can be placed into any section.
Multiple forms per table
You can create several main forms for the same table — for example, a simplified form for a “read-only” role and a full form for administrators — and control which roles see which form via the form’s assigned security roles. Dataverse automatically shows the correct one; there’s no extra logic required.