What type of data structure allows for the definition of relationships between records in D365?

In Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365), entities serve as fundamental data structures that define various types of data and their relationships. Entities can be thought of as database tables that hold records, but they also have the added capability to establish relationships with other entities. For instance, a "Customer" entity can be linked to an "Order" entity, allowing for better organization and retrieval of related records.

Entities not only encapsulate the fields and data types associated with a particular category of information but also support various relationships, such as one-to-many or many-to-many. This capability is crucial for creating a comprehensive data model, enabling users to navigate connected data intuitively.

While tables also represent a similar concept of organizing data, they do not explicitly cover the functionality of establishing relationships between records as entities do in the context of D365. Datasets refer to a collection of data points but lack the structural definitions and relationship capability provided by entities. Records are merely individual instances within an entity and do not function as data structures that define relationships.

Thus, the primary reason for choosing entities is their ability to define both the data and the interconnections among various records within an organizational framework.