AB-410 Which one when · Explained

Model-Driven vs Canvas vs Generative Pages: How to Choose

Three ways to build a Power Apps front end on the same Dataverse data, and how to choose: who uses it, on which device, and how much control you need.

8 November 2026 · 4 min read

Comparison of model-driven apps, canvas apps and generative pages, with what each is best for — Watch the lesson: Model-driven vs Canvas vs Generative Pages: Which One for Which Job | AB-410

A model-driven app, a canvas app, or a generative page? They can all use the same Dataverse data. The exam question is never “what is a canvas app”; it is “which one fits this job”. Three things decide it: who uses it, on which device, and how much control you need.

Table: model-driven is data-first for back-office work, canvas is design-first for focused mobile tasks, generative pages are AI-written pages inside a model-driven app — The comparison from the course, and how Pragati uses each one.

Type	What it is	Best for
Model-driven	data-first: forms, views and dashboards; desktop	back-office work on many records
Canvas	design-first: any layout, phone or tablet	a focused task on a phone, custom UI
Generative page	a page written by AI inside a model-driven app	a custom view or cockpit, built fast

Model-driven: when the data leads

You design the tables, forms and views; the app’s layout follows the data. It is ideal for people who work through many records all day. At Pragati, Claims Desk is model-driven, for claims handlers.

Claims Desk model-driven app showing a claim form — Claims Desk: forms and views generated from the Dataverse tables.

Canvas: when the screen leads

You place every control yourself, so it fits a phone and one specific task. At Pragati, Field Survey is a canvas app for surveyors on site.

Field Survey canvas app being edited in Power Apps Studio — Field Survey: a focused, mobile layout for one job.

Generative pages: when you need a custom view fast

A generative page is written by AI from a description, inside a model-driven app. It gives a custom view, such as a manager’s cockpit, without building a whole canvas app.

How to decide

Many records, desktop, standard forms? Model-driven.
One task, a phone, a custom layout? Canvas.
A custom view inside an existing model-driven app, quickly? A generative page.

They are not exclusive. One solution can, and often should, use all three on the same data.

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