Understanding GUID in Power Apps and Power Automate

Krish Kanakiya
Apr 15
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Article

What is a GUID?

A GUID stands for Globally Unique Identifier. It is a long string of letters and numbers that is unique every time it is created.

A GUID is a very special ID that is:

Always unique
Never repeated
Safe to use even when many people are working at the same time

It looks something like this:

3f2504e0-4f89-11d3-9a0c-0305e82c3301

Yes, it looks complex, but you don’t need to remember it—Power Apps and Power Automate handle it for you.

Why Do We Need GUIDs?

Imagine this situation:

You and 100 other users are using the same app
Everyone is creating records at the same time
How do we make sure each record is truly unique?
Names can be the same
Numbers can clash
Timestamps can collide

GUID solves this problem.

A GUID is so unique that the chance of duplication is almost zero—even across different apps, users, and systems.

Where Are GUIDs Used in Microsoft Tools?

You will mostly see GUIDs in:

Dataverse
SharePoint
Power Apps
Power Automate
SQL / APIs

In Dataverse, every record has a GUID by default. That GUID is the real identity of the record behind the scenes.

GUID in Power Apps

1. GUID as Record ID

In Dataverse tables:

Each row has a primary key
That primary key is a GUID

Even if you see a friendly column like Employee ID or Ticket Number, internally Dataverse uses GUID.

2. Creating a GUID in Power Apps

Power Apps provides a simple function:

GUID()

Example:

Set(varGUID, GUID())

Now varGUID holds a brand-new unique value.

Use cases:

Create unique request numbers
Link parent and child records
Temporary offline IDs
Integration with Power Automate or APIs

3. Using GUID While Saving Data

Example: Saving data to a collection or Dataverse

Patch(
    MyTable,
    Defaults(MyTable),
    {
        RequestID: GUID(),
        Title: "New Request"
    }
)

Here:

RequestID gets a unique value
No risk of duplicate records

4. Converting Text to GUID in Power Apps

Sometimes GUID comes as text (string).

Convert text to GUID:

GUID("a3f5c9e2-8b4d-4c1f-9a2e-7d6f12b45678")

This is useful when:

Receiving data from Power Automate
Working with APIs
Reading SharePoint or Dataverse IDs as text

GUID in Power Automate

Power Automate also uses GUIDs extensively—especially in Dataverse and integrations.

1. Creating a GUID in Power Automate

Use this expression:

guid()

Example: Use in Compose action

guid()

Each time the flow runs, it generates a new unique GUID.

Common uses:

Unique file names
Transaction IDs
Correlation IDs for logs
Passing IDs between systems

2. GUID When Working with Dataverse

In Dataverse actions:

Row ID = GUID
Update, delete, or get record always needs GUID

Example:

“Update a row”
You must pass the Row ID (GUID)

Even if you filter by another column, internally Power Automate uses GUID to identify the record.

GUID vs ID Number

Normal ID	GUID
Can repeat	Never repeats
Created manually	Auto-generated
Risk of conflict	Almost zero
Human-friendly	System-friendly

When Should You Use GUID?

Use GUID when:

You need unique identification
Multiple users create data at the same time
You integrate Power Apps + Power Automate
You work with Dataverse or APIs

Avoid GUID when:

The user needs to read or remember the value

Conclusion

GUID is a simple but powerful feature in Power Apps and Power Automate. It helps ensure every record has a unique ID, preventing duplicates and maintaining data integrity.