Understanding the Hidden Property for Choice Datatype in Dataverse / Dynamics 365

Dataverse provides a flexible way to manage data through choice (option set) fields. One of the newer enhancements is the Hidden property, which allows administrators to hide specific choice values from selection while retaining them in the system.

To see it in action,

Navigate to Dataverse Table Designer in the Power Apps Maker Portal, and select the Choice (Option Set) field.

Here we have selected the Origin choice field of the Case table.

We have selected the Twitter choice value.

Click on a particular choice value and open Additional Properties, check the Hidden checkbox, and save and publish the changes.

After applying these settings,

• Hidden choice values will not appear in dropdown lists when users create or update records.

Existing records with hidden values will still display them in forms and views.

We can see the option greyed out for the record having that existing hidden value.

• Business rules and workflows can still reference hidden values.
• The hidden choice remains in the metadata and can be retrieved using FetchXML, OData, or SDK queries.
• Power Automate flows triggered on record updates will still recognize hidden values.

We can use this new feature for the deprecating values that should no longer be used but still need to exist in historical data. Also, we need to communicate changes to users to prevent confusion when certain values disappear from selection lists. And finally, we should consider data migration and cleanup if a value should never be used again.

Thus, the Hidden property for choice fields in Dataverse provides a powerful way for us to manage choice options dynamically without affecting existing records. By leveraging this feature, we can ensure a smoother transition when phasing out obsolete values while maintaining data integrity.

Hope it helps..