Delete Modes
Delete Mode is configured during profile creation (Step 6) or in the Edit Profile dialog. This setting determines how records deleted in Dataverse are handled in your target database and affects data integrity:
| Mode | Description |
| Soft Delete (Recommended) | Mark records as deleted (IsDeleted = true) but keep them in the database. Best for audit trails and historical data. Records also receive a _deleted_utc timestamp. |
| Hard Delete | Physically remove records from the database when they are deleted in the source. Use when you need the target to exactly mirror the current source data. |
Choosing a Delete Mode
Soft Delete (Recommended) is the best choice for most scenarios:
• Analytics and Reporting: Preserves historical data for trend analysis and point-in-time queries
• Audit Compliance: Maintains a complete record of all data that ever existed
• Data Recovery: Accidentally deleted source records can still be found in your target
• Downstream Systems: Allows dependent systems to handle deletes gracefully
Hard Delete is appropriate when:
• Storage is a concern and you need to minimize database size
• Downstream systems require an exact mirror of current source data
• Data retention policies require physical removal of deleted records
• You're syncing to a system that cannot handle soft-deleted records
Filtering Soft-Deleted Records
When using Soft Delete mode, add a filter to your queries to exclude deleted records:
SELECT * FROM dbo.account WHERE IsDeleted = 0
This returns only active records, matching what you would see in Dataverse.
| ⚠ Important: Choose your delete mode before running the first synchronization. Changing the delete mode after initial sync may cause data inconsistencies. |