What role does an Entity play in screen creation within OutSystems?

In OutSystems, an Entity functions as a crucial data source for the screens being created. Entities represent the data model of an application, encapsulating the data that needs to be displayed or manipulated in user interfaces. When developers create screens, they often bind these screens to entities so that users can view, edit, or interact with the underlying data seamlessly.

The importance of entities lies in their ability to organize data in a structured manner, facilitating data storage, retrieval, and management. When building screens, developers leverage the attributes of entities to present relevant data fields, enabling users to perform actions such as creating new records, updating existing ones, or deleting data.

This highlights how entities are integral to the functionality of the application rather than just a visual component, which would limit their role. They are also significantly more than a simple security feature or irrelevant to UI Flow; their purpose is primarily about data management and interaction within the user interface. Thus, using entities as a data source is fundamental in crafting dynamic and data-driven applications in OutSystems.