Many Power Apps fail for one simple reason: SharePoint Lists are not a database. They’re designed for content and collaboration—not multi-table relationships, delegation, or large-scale filtering. This episode breaks down the architectural mismatch that causes apps to stall at 2,000 records, show incomplete results, and slow to a crawl behind blue delegation banners. You’ll learn why SharePoint becomes unreliable past 5,000 items, how non-delegable formulas silently cap results, and when Dataverse becomes the only platform that can scale. If you’ve struggled with performance, delegation, or governance, this episode will show you exactly why—and how to fix it. Why SharePoint Breaks Power Apps SharePoint is excellent for documents and simple lists, but Power Apps need:

• server-side filtering
• relational data modeling
• reliable delegation
• audit and security controls

SharePoint’s limitations cause:

• non-delegable queries (Search, OR, multi-column filters)
• 500–2,000 record caps
• slow galleries and inconsistent results
• fragile lookup modeling
• performance drops near the 5,000-item List View Threshold

In short, SharePoint stores data, but Power Apps can’t query it reliably at scale. Measurable Failure Modes You’ll learn the three signals that your SharePoint-backed app is already in trouble: 1. Delegation Warnings The blue banner isn’t optional—it means Power Apps is filtering client-side and only seeing a fraction of your data. 2. Slow Screen Loads When queries can’t delegate, the client downloads extra data and processes it locally, creating lag and inconsistent results. 3. Record Count Limits Lists can technically hold millions, but Power Apps can’t query them meaningfully once filters stop delegating. Anything past the threshold becomes invisible. Why Dataverse Fixes It Dataverse is built as a true data engine for Power Apps. It offers:

• full delegation for complex filters
• server-side query execution
• proper relationships and lookups
• row- and field-level security
• built-in auditing and compliance
• better performance with 2025 Power Apps runtime improvements

With Dataverse, the 2,000-record limit disappears because logic runs on the server where the data lives. Cost Reality: “Free SharePoint” Is Not Free SharePoint seems free, but you pay heavily in:

• Power Automate workarounds
• non-delegable formula hacks
• governance gaps
• performance troubleshooting
• incomplete results and user mistrust

Dataverse licensing is predictable; SharePoint workarounds accumulate endlessly. When to Move to Dataverse Use Dataverse when:

• record counts exceed ~100,000
• you need multi-column search or compound filters
• you have more than 1–2 lookups per record
• offline/mobile matters
• security must be granular
• delegation banners appear during prototyping

If any of these are true, SharePoint becomes a bottleneck—and an eventual rewrite. Migration Summary A simplified migration path:

1. Map SharePoint lists → Dataverse tables and relationships
2. Define security roles, field-level rules, and auditing
3. Clean and load data into Dataverse (parents → children)
4. Replace SharePoint connectors in apps/flows
5. Rewrite non-delegable formulas into delegable patterns
6. Pilot, cut over, and retire SharePoint lists

Key Takeaway SharePoint Lists are great for content—not as a backend for production Power Apps.
Dataverse is the platform that delegates, scales, and governs correctly.

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