Sitemaps

A well‑designed sitemap helps users navigate your model‑driven app quickly and consistently. Good navigation design reduces training needs, supports reuse across teams and makes the app easier to maintain. The guidance below sets out best practice for configuring sitemaps.

Group related tables into logical sections

Sitemaps in model‑driven apps use three levels:

Areas
Groups
Subareas

Microsoft documentation states that areas contain groups and groups contain sub‑areas.

Best practice:

Group tables based on functional capability.
Keep group names short, meaningful and action‑oriented (for example: Contacts, Cases, Applications, Requests).
Avoid more than 5-7 items in a group and create additional groups only when necessary.

Separate configuration tables

Configuration tables should not sit alongside business data tables. To keep the main navigation simple:

Option 1: Add a dedicated “Configuration” group
Add a group within an admin‑focused area, containing:

Lookup/reference tables
Settings tables
Rarely‑used tables that only administrators need

Option 2: Create a separate configuration app
If you have a large number of configuration tables, or if you want to reduce clutter for business users, create a dedicated configuration model‑driven app that only administrators or support teams use.

This keeps the primary app focused, reduces confusion and avoids overwhelming end‑users.

Provide clear and consistent names

A subarea name should be:

Short (ideally 1-2 words)
Plain English
Aligned to the language users use day-to-day

Avoid jargon, prefixes, abbreviations or internal project names.

Use consistent and accessible icons

Every custom table added to the sitemap should have a custom SVG icon to match the style of Microsoft’s out‑of‑the‑box icons.

Best practice for custom icons:

Use SVG format
Use single‑colour black or dark grey to blend with Microsoft OOTB icons
Use a simple wireframe/line style (not filled, not multi‑coloured)
Typical size: 32x32 px (Microsoft scales icons automatically, but this size ensures compatibility)
Avoid highly detailed shapes - ensure clarity at small sizes

This creates a consistent look across the app and avoids jarring visual differences.

Security roles to control visibility

Model‑driven app navigation dynamically hides sitemap items when users lack the required table permissions. Privileges on the underlying table determine what appears in the sitemap.