What is Party List datatype in simple terms.

[minimalelement]

I have 3 columns in the Customer Visit (renamed appointment table) entity which has the type Party List. I want to know how this column works. Where is it connected to? When a new record is added into this table, automatically a new record is getting added in the Activity table in my env. What is that connection? 

The Activity table has a relationship to the Activity Party table. What is this relation? How can I filter and see the data which is there in the Activity Party table?

Thank you in advance!

[Jmanriquerios]

Hi @minimalelement 

It is a relationship that is created to use various fields such as to sender activities, this relationship is created with the users, account and contact table

[ivan_apps]

If I remember correctly and ActivityParty is just a polymorphic lookup to multiple possible activity types. Think of an email “to” line, it is a lookup to GAL entries for multiple people. The fact that you can select multiple, similar to a multi-select lookup is what makes it different than a normal lookup. Also that it’s tied to only activities.

Take a look here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/developer/data-platform/activityparty-entity

[minimalelement]

Okay. Correct me if my understanding is wrong. Does that mean In the Activity Party table there will be a normal lookup to the Activity table? Can I filter the Activity Party table with a specific Activity from the Activity table?

[ivan_apps]

I believe the activity party table will have pointers to the other activities from your primary table. Kind of an intersect table that will point you all the items in the ‘party’.

i dont recall if its a standard lookup or simply a GUID that points to the activities. If its a standard lookup you could probably use the $expand criteria in power automate to retrieve the fields from the related activity to help you filter. 
otherwise you’d query the Activity Party table for all associated activities, then filter the resultset based on your criteria.

[Jmanriquerios]

Hi @minimalelement 

You can see the activities table as an aggregation table or perhaps an aggregate view, in this table you will not have forms, only views, and you will be able to filter by type of activities only if you use Model Driven Apps for Canvas Apps the TypeActivity field is not available

[minimalelement]

I found the relationship. The three tables in the scene here are Appointment, Activity, and Activity Party. The Appointment table (appointment) is a specific type of activity. The Activity table (activity pointer) serves as a common base table that includes generic fields applicable to all activity types (such as tasks, emails, phone calls, and appointments). 

So when a record gets added into Appointment table, a new record gets added to the Activity table. And the associated parties for that specific activities, which here are the Customer/Accounts appointments will be stored in the Activity Party table. 

If we use a flow to filter out Activity Party table with a normal Appointment GUID lookup, we will get the related records for the specific appointment.

[AllanDeCastro · Accepted solution]

Hello

If I try to summarize:

Party List Data Type:

• In simple terms, the Party List data type is used in Dynamics 365/Dataverse to represent multiple entities (such as contacts, accounts, or users) that are involved in a particular activity or record.
• It allows you to associate multiple entities with a single record. For example, a meeting (an activity) might involve multiple participants (contacts, users).

Columns with Party List Type in Customer Visit (Appointment Table)

• When you have columns of the Party List type in the Customer Visit (renamed to Appointment) table, these columns can store multiple entities (like multiple customers or attendees) that are associated with each appointment.
• For example, if an appointment involves multiple customers, their information will be stored in these Party List columns.

Connection and Automatic Record Addition

• When a new record is added to the Appointment table, a corresponding record is automatically created in the Activity table.
• This automatic creation happens because activities (such as appointments) are generally tracked in the Activity table in Dynamics 365/Dataverse to manage and monitor them.
• The Activity table serves as a central repository for all types of activities, including appointments, emails, phone calls, etc.

Relationship Between Activity Table and Activity Party Table

• The Activity table has a relationship with the Activity Party table.
• Activity Table: Contains general information about the activity, such as the type, date, and subject.
• Activity Party Table: Stores detailed information about the parties involved in the activity, leveraging the Party List data type.
• Each record in the Activity Party table represents a link between an activity (from the Activity table) and an entity (like a contact, account, or user).

In brief:

• Party List data type allows multiple entities to be associated with a single record.
• Columns with Party List type in the Appointment table store these associations.
• A new record in the Appointment table creates a corresponding record in the Activity table due to built-in activity tracking.
• The Activity table relates to the Activity Party table, which stores detailed information about the parties involved.
• To filter and see data in the Activity Party table, use Advanced Find, FetchXML queries, or custom views and reports.