Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

We are using Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse and need to reliably order multiple updates that may occur within the same second.
The built-in ModifiedOn system column appears to have only second-level precision.
1- Does Dataverse support storing ModifiedOn with millisecond or microsecond precision?
2- If not, is there a Microsoft-recommended pattern for uniquely ordering updates that occur within the same second?
3- When data is exported through Azure Synapse Link, is any additional timestamp precision available that is not exposed through Dataverse?
4- Are there alternative system fields (version number, row version, change tracking metadata, etc.) that should be used instead?

Categories:

Microsoft Dataverse with Power Apps

Hi,

ModifiedOn is generally exposed with second-level precision, so it's not a reliable field for ordering multiple updates that occur within the same second. Azure Synapse Link doesn't typically provide additional timestamp precision beyond what's available in Dataverse for this scenario.
For reliable sequencing, many teams use the Dataverse version number (VersionNumber) or row version-related metadata rather than ModifiedOn. These values are designed for change tracking and are better suited for determining update order when timestamps are identical.
If your requirement is strict ordering of changes, I'd recommend testing with:

VersionNumber
Dataverse Change Tracking metadata (if enabled)
Any row version/concurrency fields available in your export

Those options are generally more reliable than relying on ModifiedOn when multiple updates can occur within the same second. If precise event sequencing is a hard requirement, it may also be worth introducing a custom audit or sequence mechanism rather than depending solely on timestamps.

Thanks & Regards,

Manoj Annavajjala