Organizations adopting Microsoft Power Platform often encounter storage limitations when attempting to create Production or Sandbox environments in Dataverse. This guide outlines how licensing directly affects Dataverse storage availability and how to plan capacity effectively.
Default Storage: Business Basic and Developer Plan
Users with Microsoft 365 Business Basic or without a Power Apps license may still create Developer environments through the Power Apps Developer Plan. However, these environments:
- Are isolated for personal use
- Are not intended for production
- Do not contribute to tenant-wide capacity
According to Microsoft’s guidelines, Developer Plan environments offer:
| Feature | Limit |
|---|---|
| Database storage | 2 GB |
| Flow runs per month | 750 |
Despite the ability to build and test apps, Production or Sandbox environments cannot be created without additional licensed capacity.
Unlocking Storage with Power Apps Licenses
To create Dataverse environments beyond development purposes, organizations must assign Power Apps licenses. The following license tiers contribute storage at the tenant level:
Power Apps Per User (Premium)
- Database Capacity: 10 GB base + 250 MB per license
- File Capacity: 2 GB per license
Each tenant is granted a 10 GB base database capacity upon assigning the first Power Apps Premium (Per User) license. Additional licenses add 250 MB database and 2 GB file storage each.
Power Apps Per App
- Database Capacity: 50 MB per license
- File Capacity: 400 MB per license
This license type is ideal for narrowly scoped apps but contributes less storage than the Per User option.
Capacity Visibility
Administrators can view capacity allocation and usage via the Power Platform Admin Center under Capacity > Summary. Storage contributions are broken down by:
- Org (tenant) default base allocation
- User licenses (Per App and Per User)
- Add-on storage purchases
This view helps guide environment creation and plan for future app deployments.
Summary Table: License-Based Storage Contribution
| License Type | Database Capacity | File Capacity |
| Power Apps Per User | 10 GB base + 250 MB/license | 2 GB per license |
| Power Apps Per App | 50 MB per license | 400 MB per license |
Best Practices
- Start with a Per User license to unlock the initial 10 GB base storage.
- Add Per App licenses for lightweight scenarios where limited storage is sufficient.
- Monitor usage proactively through the Admin Center to avoid failed environment creation.
- Purchase add-on storage when scaling apps across teams or business units.
Understanding how Power Platform licenses impact Dataverse capacity is critical for planning, governance, and ensuring successful deployment of business applications at scale.
📎 For official documentation, visit: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/capacity-storage