![\"Power](\"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/How-to-Use-the-Search-Rows-Preview-Action-in-Power-Automate-for-Smarter-Dataverse-Queries.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If you often build automation flows in Power Automate, you\u2019ve probably used the \u201cList rows\u201d action to pull data from Microsoft Dataverse. It\u2019s useful for basic data retrieval\u2014but when your data grows or you need to search across multiple tables, it starts to hit limitations.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where the \u201cSearch Rows (Preview)\u201d action comes in. It lets you perform fast, intelligent, and relevance-based searches across multiple tables in Dataverse\u2014all within a single flow. In this blog, you\u2019ll learn when and how to use it, how it differs from \u201cList rows,\u201d and how it can make your flows more efficient and scalable.<\/p>\n
You might already know that the \u201cList rows\u201d action works well for straightforward queries. But as your data grows, so do its challenges:<\/p>\n
If your goal is to find records based on a search term\u2014like finding Leads, Contacts, or Accounts that match a keyword\u2014\u201cList rows\u201d isn\u2019t built for that.<\/p>\n
The \u201cSearch Rows (Preview)\u201d action in the Microsoft Dataverse connector changes how you retrieve data. Instead of structured OData filters, it uses Dataverse Search\u2014a full-text, relevance-based search engine.<\/p>\n
This means you can search for a keyword across multiple tables, apply filters, and instantly retrieve records that match your search intent.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what makes it powerful:<\/p>\n
To implement this in Power Automate, follow these steps:<\/p>\n
1. Enable Relevance Search<\/strong>: Ensure that Relevance Search is enabled in your Dataverse environment. This is a prerequisite for using the “Search rows” action.<\/p>\n 2. Create a New Flow<\/strong>:<\/p>\n 3. Add the “Search rows” Action<\/strong>:<\/p>\n 4. Configure the Action<\/strong>:<\/p>\n 5. Process the Results<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Understanding the “Search rows” Action<\/strong><\/p>\n The “Search rows” action offers several advantages:<\/p>\n Comparison: “Search rows” vs. “List rows”<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Can I use \u201cSearch Rows\u201d to search across Leads, Contacts, and Accounts at once?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes. That\u2019s one of its biggest advantages\u2014it can query multiple tables in a single search.<\/p>\n Does it support fuzzy or partial matches?<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. The \u201cFull\u201d query syntax supports fuzzy search and even regular expressions.<\/p>\n Is it available in all environments?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s in Preview<\/strong>, so availability might vary depending on your Dataverse region and updates.<\/p>\n Should I replace \u201cList rows\u201d entirely?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not necessarily. Use \u201cSearch Rows\u201d for keyword and relevance-based searches; use \u201cList rows\u201d for structured OData queries.<\/p>\n When Should You Use \u201cSearch Rows\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n You should use \u201cSearch Rows (Preview)\u201d when:<\/p>\n It\u2019s an ideal choice for customer lookup flows, data synchronization, AI-driven automation, and search-based notifications.<\/p>\n The \u201cSearch Rows (Preview)\u201d action brings a smarter, faster, and more flexible way to work with Dataverse data inside Power Automate. By combining it with dynamic filters, conditions, and AI-powered logic, you can create intelligent automation flows that scale easily and deliver results faster.<\/p>\n So, the next time you\u2019re building a flow that needs to search, match, or filter data dynamically, skip the \u201cList rows\u201d hassle and give \u201cSearch Rows\u201d a try \u2014 you\u2019ll notice the difference immediately.<\/p>\n Next Step: Automate Smarter with Power Platform Experts<\/p>\n If you\u2019re exploring ways to build intelligent Dataverse flows or optimize Power Automate performance, our team can help.<\/p>\n Reach out to Inogic for tailored Power Platform solutions that integrate AI, Dataverse, and Dynamics 365 automation seamlessly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you often build automation flows in Power Automate, you\u2019ve probably used the \u201cList rows\u201d action to pull data from Microsoft Dataverse. It\u2019s useful for basic data retrieval\u2014but when your data grows or you need to search across multiple tables, it starts to hit limitations. That\u2019s where the \u201cSearch Rows (Preview)\u201d action comes in. It\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1913,1985,2361],"tags":[1975],"class_list":["post-42571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft-power-platform-services","category-power-automate","category-technical","tag-power-automate"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42571\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"Power](\"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1Power-Automate-for-Smarter-Dataverse-Queries.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"Power](\"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2Power-Automate-for-Smarter-Dataverse-Queries.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"Power](\"https:\/\/www.inogic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3Power-Automate-for-Smarter-Dataverse-Queries.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n Feature \/ Aspect<\/strong><\/td>\n Search Rows<\/strong><\/td>\n List Rows<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n \n Purpose<\/strong><\/td>\n Performs a relevance-based search<\/strong> across multiple tables using Dataverse search.<\/td>\n Retrieves records from a specific table<\/strong> with filter\/query conditions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Search Method<\/strong><\/td>\n Uses Dataverse search index<\/strong> (full-text search, supports multiple columns).<\/td>\n Uses OData query<\/strong> against a single entity\/table.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Scope<\/strong><\/td>\n Can search across multiple tables<\/strong> (if enabled).<\/td>\n Works only on one table<\/strong> at a time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Fields Queried<\/strong><\/td>\n Searches across indexed searchable fields<\/strong> (defined in Dataverse).<\/td>\n Returns only fields you explicitly select<\/strong> via $select.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Filtering Options<\/strong><\/td>\n Limited filtering; focus is on keyword\/relevance.<\/td>\n Rich OData filters ($filter, $top, $orderby, $expand).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Use Case<\/strong><\/td>\n Best for user-driven keyword searches<\/strong> (e.g., search by name, email, text).<\/td>\n Best for system queries, workflows, and data retrieval<\/strong> with precise filters.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Performance<\/strong><\/td>\n Optimized for search but depends on indexing.<\/td>\n Optimized for structured queries; predictable results.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Example<\/strong><\/td>\n Search \u201cCortana\u201d across Contacts, Accounts, and Leads at once.<\/td>\n Get all Contacts where city = ‘Mumbai’ and createdon > 2024-01-01.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Best Practices for Using \u201cSearch Rows\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Q&A: Quick Answers for AI Search & Readers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n