Component Placement Decision Tree

Use this guide to determine which LP-ALM layer a Power Platform component belongs in. Start at the top and follow the matching branch. When in doubt, check .ai/layers.md.

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Primary Decision Tree

START: I have a Power Platform component to place in a layer.
│
├── Does it CONTROL WHO CAN ACCESS data (security role, field profile)?
│   └── YES → _Security
│
├── Does it DEFINE DATA STRUCTURE (table, column, relationship, view, form)?
│   └── YES → _Core
│       │
│       ├── Is it an environment variable DEFINITION (name, type, default value)?
│       │   └── YES → _Core
│       │
│       └── Is it an environment variable VALUE (actual value for a specific environment)?
│           └── YES → _Config  ⚠️ (never committed, never in pipeline)
│
├── Does it PROCESS OR MOVE DATA (flow, connection, connector)?
│   └── YES → _Automation
│
├── Does it DISPLAY DATA TO A USER (app, site map, dashboard, PCF)?
│   └── YES → _UI
│
└── Is it ENVIRONMENT DATA (user record, team record, business unit)?
    └── YES → NOT a solution component. Deploy manually as environment configuration.

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Detailed Decision Rules by Component Type

Tables and Columns

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this a custom table?	Yes	_Core
Is this a custom column on a custom table?	Yes	_Core
Is this a custom column on a standard Dataverse table?	Yes	_Core
Is this a calculated or rollup column?	Yes	_Core
Is this a global option set (shared choice)?	Yes	_Core
Is this a table key (alternate key)?	Yes	_Core
Is this a table relationship (1:N, N:1, N:N)?	Yes	_Core

Views and Forms

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this a system view (active records, inactive records, lookup view)?	Yes	_Core
Is this a main form?	Yes	_Core
Is this a quick view form?	Yes	_Core
Is this a quick create form?	Yes	_Core
Is this a card form?	Yes	_Core
Is this a chart associated with a table?	Yes	_Core

Security Components

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this a custom security role?	Yes	_Security
Is this a field security profile?	Yes	_Security
Is this a column security profile-to-column binding?	Yes	_Security
Is this a user record?	Yes	NOT a solution component
Is this a team record?	Yes	NOT a solution component
Is this a business unit?	Yes	NOT a solution component

Automation Components

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this a cloud flow (automated, instant, or scheduled)?	Yes	_Automation
Is this a business process flow?	Yes	_Automation (if workflow-driven) or _UI (if display-only)
Is this a connection reference?	Yes	_Automation
Is this a custom connector?	Yes	_Automation
Is this a desktop flow?	Yes	_Automation

UI Components

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this a model-driven app?	Yes	_UI
Is this a canvas app?	Yes	_UI
Is this a custom page?	Yes	_UI
Is this a site map?	Yes	_UI
Is this a shared dashboard?	Yes	_UI
Is this a PCF (Power Apps Component Framework) control?	Yes	_UI
Is this a web resource used for display/rendering in a form?	Yes	_UI
Is this a web resource that defines column validation logic?	Yes	_Core

Environment Variables

Question	Answer	Layer
Is this the schema definition of an env var (name, type, default)?	Yes	_Core
Is this the current value of an env var for a specific environment?	Yes	_Config ⚠️

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Edge Cases and Ambiguous Components

Business Process Flows (BPFs)

BPFs live in an ambiguous space between automation and UI. Use this rule:

Does the BPF trigger actions (send emails, update records, call flows)?
  YES → _Automation

Does the BPF only guide users through stages (visual progress indicator)?
  YES → _UI

Does it do both?
  → _Automation (automation takes precedence)

Web Resources

Does the web resource define or validate data (JavaScript that sets/validates column values)?
  YES → _Core (it is schema-adjacent behavior)

Does the web resource render something (icons, custom visualizations, help content)?
  YES → _UI

Charts

Is the chart defined at the table level (system chart, visible in views)?
  YES → _Core

Is the chart embedded in a dashboard (shared dashboard)?
  → Dashboard goes in _UI; the chart definition stays in _Core

Connection References

Connection references are always _Automation — even when a canvas app uses them.

The canvas app (_UI) references a connector, which points to a connection reference (_Automation). The canvas app does not own the connection reference. The app and the connection reference are in different layers with a clean dependency.

PCF Controls

PCF controls are always _UI — even when they render table data.

A PCF control renders data — it does not define data structure. The column the PCF control is bound to belongs in _Core. The control itself belongs in _UI.

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The Schema Contamination Test

Before committing any changes to the _UI solution, run this test:

# Check for schema contamination in _UI
$uiSrcPath = "./solutions/{ProjectCode}_UI/src/Entities"
if (Test-Path $uiSrcPath) {
    $items = Get-ChildItem -Path $uiSrcPath -Recurse -File
    if ($items.Count -gt 0) {
        Write-Warning "SCHEMA CONTAMINATION in _UI: $($items.Count) entity files found."
        $items | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "  Move to _Core: $($_.Name)" }
    } else {
        Write-Host "Clean: No schema found in _UI."
    }
} else {
    Write-Host "Clean: No Entities directory in _UI."
}

If this script reports any files, do not commit. Move the affected components to _Core in the Dev environment, then re-export and re-unpack.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

_Security  → Who can access what
_Core      → How data is structured
_Config    → What the values are (never committed)
_Automation → How data flows and is processed
_UI        → How data is presented