System columns

What it is

System columns hold values that the platform sets, not the user. Examples are an autonumber, Status and Status Reason, Created On, Created By, Modified On, Modified By and Owner. They are shown as plain read-only values, often in a section at the bottom of a form or in the header.

People can read them and sort or filter on them in views, but cannot type into them.

When to use it

Show created and modified details when people need to know who touched a row and when. Show an autonumber when you want a readable reference number, such as a ticket number.

Do not add them just to fill space. If a value must be edited, it is not a system column: use a normal column and a Field state such as locked.

Licensing and configuration

No extra licence. System columns exist on the table from creation. You add them to a form or view in the form designer or view designer like any other column. An autonumber is a text column with an Autonumber format, defined in the table designer with a prefix and a seed. Status and status reason are changed with the Deactivate and activate commands, not by typing.

Pitfalls

• Created On is the time of creation in Dataverse, not a business date. Data migrations can set it with a separate override column.
• Autonumber values are not reused, so deleted rows leave gaps.
• Showing Modified On in the form header hides when a lock or a flow changed the row.
• Read-only on the form does not stop a script, flow or import from changing a regular column.

Try it in the demo

1. Open the first accelerator and find the system columns on the form.
2. Try to click into the number, status and created fields and note they cannot be edited.
3. Save a change to another field and watch Modified On move.
4. Read the owner in the header.