4 min read
Elastic Tables in Dataverse: When Cosmos-Backed Storage Beats Standard Tables
What Dataverse elastic tables are, how TTL, partitioning, and JSON columns work, and how to decide between elastic and standard tables.
Theme
Dynamics 365
Guides and insights for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Sales, Customer Service, and Copilot.
68 articles
4 min read
Feature Management in D365 Finance and Operations: Flags, States, and Custom Features
How the D365 F&O Feature management workspace works, what feature states mean for ALM, and how to ship your own X++ features behind flags.
7 min read
Business Process Flows in Dynamics 365: Branching, Stage-Gating, and the Limits Nobody Warns You About
A practical guide to designing branching Business Process Flows in model-driven Dynamics 365 apps, with stage-gating, automation hooks, the storage model, and hard limits.
7 min read
D365 F&O Data Entities: Composite, Computed, and Virtual Fields Explained
Data entities look like simple tables until you need a nested import, a derived column, or a field with no storage. Knowing the three advanced shapes is what makes integrations actually work.
7 min read
The Dataverse Plugin Execution Pipeline: Stages, Transactions, and Images Explained
How the Dataverse event pipeline actually works: pre-validation, pre-operation, post-operation stages, the transaction boundary, entity images, depth, and registration guidance.
6 min read
Client Scripting in Model-Driven Apps Done Right: formContext, Execution Context, and Async
Modern client-side scripting for model-driven apps using formContext over the deprecated Xrm.Page, with handler wiring, async Xrm.WebApi patterns, and maintainability tips.
7 min read
Choosing the Right Dataverse Column: Choice vs Choices vs Lookup vs Customer
A data-modeling guide to Dataverse column types: choice vs multi-select choices vs lookup vs polymorphic customer columns, local vs global choices, status reason, and a decision checklist.
7 min read
Real-Time vs Background Dataverse Workflows: Picking the Right Execution Model
How synchronous and asynchronous classic Dataverse workflows differ in execution, rollback, ordering, and performance, and where Power Automate now fits in.
6 min read
Bulk Operations with the Dataverse Web API $batch Endpoint
Construct multipart batch payloads, use changesets for transactional all-or-nothing writes, reference records across requests, and handle service protection limits.
5 min read
Extending Data Entities in D365 Finance & Operations Without Breaking Upgrades
Add fields, computed columns, and validation to standard D365 Finance & Operations data entities the upgrade-safe way — with X++ examples and the staging-table traps to avoid.
4 min read
Chain of Command vs Event Handlers: Extending D365 F&O the Right Way
When to use Chain of Command and when to use pre/post event handlers in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations — with X++ examples, a decision table, and the gotchas that trip up teams.
7 min read
Dataverse Plug-in Performance: Avoiding the Slow Plug-in That Times Out
A synchronous plug-in runs inside the user's transaction with a hard time limit. One slow query or external call can break saves for everyone. Here is how to keep plug-ins fast and safe.
6 min read
Customizing the Model-Driven Command Bar with Power Fx and the Modern Command Designer
Add buttons, write Power Fx visibility rules, target grid form and subgrid locations, pass the selected record, and know when you still need JavaScript libraries.
7 min read
Dataverse Auditing and Column Security: Governance for Sensitive Data
Enable auditing at org, table, and column level, read audit history, manage retention and storage cost, and lock down sensitive fields with column security profiles.
4 min read
Electronic Reporting in D365 Finance: Building Custom Formats Without Code
A practical guide to the Electronic Reporting (ER) framework in D365 Finance — data models, model mappings, and format configurations to produce custom files without X++.
7 min read
Designing a Lead-to-Opportunity Qualification Process in Dynamics 365 Sales
A practical guide to the lead lifecycle, what qualify creates, the Lead-to-Opportunity BPF, duplicate detection, lead scoring, and rep adoption tips.
4 min read
Financial Dimensions in D365 Finance: How They Really Work
Default dimensions, ledger dimensions, account structures, and the DimensionAttributeValueCombination table explained — with X++ patterns for reading and building dimensions in D365 Finance.
6 min read
Dataverse Many-to-Many Relationships: Native, Manual, and When to Use Each
Native N:N relationships are quick to set up and impossible to extend. A manual junction table is more work and far more flexible. Choosing wrong means a painful migration later.
7 min read
Queues and Case Management Fundamentals in Dynamics 365 Customer Service
A practical primer on case creation, the case resolution BPF, public and private queues, queue items, routing rules, SLAs, and parent-child cases.
4 min read
Number Sequences in D365 Finance & Operations: Setup, Pitfalls, and X++ Patterns
How the number sequence framework works in D365 Finance & Operations — continuous vs non-continuous, preallocation, cleanup, and X++ patterns for generating numbers on custom tables.
4 min read
D365 Finance & Operations Security: Roles, Duties, and Privileges Done Right
How the role-based security model in D365 Finance & Operations actually works — privileges, duties, roles, segregation of duties, and how to extend security without overlayering.
6 min read
Managed vs Unmanaged Solutions and Solution Layering in Dataverse
A clear mental model for solutions, the dev-test-prod ALM flow, managed properties, solution layers, layering holes, segmentation, and patches.
4 min read
Recurring Integrations and the REST API in D365 Finance & Operations
Move files in and out of D365 Finance & Operations reliably using the recurring integrations REST API — enqueue, dequeue, acknowledge, and the status polling patterns that keep data flowing.
4 min read
Extensible Data Security (XDS) in D365 Finance & Operations: Row-Level Security That Scales
How to build extensible data security policies in D365 Finance & Operations to filter records by user context — with a worked example, query constructs, and the performance pitfalls to avoid.
7 min read
Managing D365 Finance & Operations Environments with LCS and Database Refreshes
Practical D365 Finance and Operations LCS guide for environment tiers, database refreshes, bacpac exports, restores, and sandbox governance.
6 min read
Building a Power Pages Portal Backed by Dataverse: Forms, Lists, and Permissions
How to build a Power Pages site over Dataverse — pages, basic vs advanced forms, lists, table permissions, web roles, anonymous vs authenticated access, and Liquid.
7 min read
Grounding a Copilot Studio Agent on Your Dataverse Data Without the Hallucinations
How to ground a Copilot Studio agent on Dataverse and other knowledge sources, keep answers cited and security-trimmed, test for hallucination, and choose tools vs knowledge.
6 min read
Table and Form Data Source Events in D365 F&O: A Practical X++ Reference
Practical D365 F&O X++ event handler guide for table CRUD events, form data source events, ordering caveats, and when to use CoC.
7 min read
Business Units, Teams, and Ownership: Modeling Dataverse Security Without the Sprawl
A practical guide to Dataverse business units, owner vs access vs group teams, ownership and access levels, hierarchy security, and modeling org structures without BU sprawl.
6 min read
Building and Deploying D365 Finance & Operations Packages with Azure DevOps
Build and deploy D365 Finance and Operations packages with Azure DevOps, hosted build pipelines, LCS Asset Library, and release safeguards.
7 min read
Views, Charts, and Dashboards in Model-Driven Apps: Design That Stays Fast
Practical design guidance for model-driven app views, charts, and dashboards: view types, filtering and sorting, chart aggregation, interactive dashboards, performance, and security.
6 min read
Surviving OData Throttling in D365 Finance & Operations Integrations
Design resilient D365 Finance and Operations OData integrations with 429 handling, Retry-After, batching, backoff, jitter, and DMF fallbacks.
6 min read
Building Custom Workflows in D365 Finance & Operations from Scratch
Step-by-step D365 Finance and Operations workflow framework guide covering categories, types, approvals, event handlers, and submit code.
6 min read
Scaling Batch Processing in D365 Finance & Operations: Groups, Threads, and Parallel Tasks
How to scale D365 F&O batch: batch groups bound to servers, max threads per AOS, splitting work into parallel tasks with SysOperation, task dependencies, and troubleshooting.
5 min read
TempDB vs InMemory Temporary Tables in X++: When to Use Which
Clear X++ guide to TempDB vs InMemory temporary tables in D365 F&O, with joins, indexes, set-based operations, and performance tradeoffs.
7 min read
Dual-Write vs Virtual Entities vs OData: Choosing the Right F&O–Dataverse Pattern
Compare dual-write, virtual entities, OData, and DMF for Finance and Operations to Dataverse integration with latency and failure tradeoffs.
7 min read
Configuring Purchase Requisition Approval Workflows in D365 F&O Without Code
A hands-on guide to building approval workflows in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations using the workflow editor, with conditional routing, escalation, and delegation.
6 min read
Low-Code Plug-ins in Dataverse: Server-Side Logic Without C#
Learn when to use Dataverse low-code plug-ins with Power Fx for transactional server-side logic, and when C# plug-ins or flows still win.
7 min read
Building a Balance Sheet and P&L with Financial Reporting in D365 Finance
How to build financial statements in Dynamics 365 Finance using row, column, tree and report definitions, with practical tips on dimension sets and performance.
6 min read
Writing Your First Dataverse Plug-in in C#: A Complete Walkthrough
Build a first Dataverse C# plug-in with IPlugin, pipeline stages, Target handling, tracing, registration, and production-safe practices.
6 min read
Query-Based vs RDP SSRS Reports in D365 Finance & Operations
When to use query-based versus Report Data Provider SSRS reports in Dynamics 365 F&O, the full component stack, and an X++ sketch of an RDP class and data contract.
6 min read
Business Rules vs Power Fx vs Plug-ins: Where to Put Dataverse Logic
A practical Dataverse logic placement guide comparing business rules, Power Fx, JavaScript form scripts, and C# plug-ins for scale.
6 min read
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales: What It Does and How to Configure It
Configure Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales with practical guidance on summaries, email drafting, meeting prep, data readiness, and governance.
6 min read
Inventory Costing Methods in D365 Supply Chain: FIFO, Average, and Standard
A practical breakdown of inventory costing in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management with item model groups, physical vs financial updates, inventory close, and a FIFO example.
6 min read
Model-Driven App Forms: Customization Patterns That Scale
Design scalable model-driven app forms with tabs, sections, quick views, business rules, form scripts, security, and performance patterns.
6 min read
Alternate Keys and Upsert in Dataverse: Reliable Integrations Without Duplicates
Use Dataverse alternate keys and Web API upsert to build idempotent integrations that match business identifiers, avoid duplicates, and simplify retries.
6 min read
Calculated and Rollup Columns in Dataverse: Patterns and Limits
Compare Dataverse calculated, rollup, and formula columns with practical examples, platform limits, timing tradeoffs, and when plug-ins are safer.
6 min read
Securing Power Pages with Dataverse Table Permissions and Web Roles
Secure Power Pages data with Dataverse table permissions, access scopes, web roles, column profiles, and testing practices that prevent data leaks.
7 min read
Configuring SLAs and Entitlements in Dynamics 365 Customer Service
Configure Dynamics 365 Customer Service SLAs, KPI timers, business hours, pause rules, Power Automate actions, and entitlements without surprises.
6 min read
Querying the Dataverse Web API: FetchXML, OData, and When to Use Each
Choose OData or FetchXML for Dataverse Web API queries with practical examples for select, filter, joins, aggregation, paging, and performance.
7 min read
D365 Unified Routing: Skills-Based Assignment That Works
Master Dynamics 365 Customer Service unified routing with skills-based assignment, capacity profiles, and overflow rules to cut handle time and boost CSAT.
6 min read
MCP Explained: How Claude Connects to Your Dataverse Data
An introduction to the Model Context Protocol and how the Dataverse MCP server lets Claude read and write business data through natural language.
6 min read
Querying Dataverse from Claude: A Practical MCP Walkthrough
A hands-on example of using the Dataverse MCP server with Claude to query tables, create records, and update data in Dynamics 365 through natural language.
4 min read
What's New in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform — 2026 Release Wave 1
The standout features from Microsoft's 2026 Release Wave 1 for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, and what they mean for your projects.
8 min read
Building Custom Copilot Plugins for D365 Sales: Your First Action Step by Step
A hands-on tutorial for creating custom Copilot plugins in Dynamics 365 Sales — from defining a custom API to registering a plugin that Copilot can invoke, with real examples and permission gotchas.
9 min read
Autonomous AI Agents in D365 Sales and Customer Service: What You Actually Need to Know
A practical breakdown of the Sales Qualification Agent, Case Management Agent, and the governance framework you need before deploying them.
8 min read
The New Accounting Rules Engine in D365 Finance: Stop Wasting 30 Hours a Month on Period Close
How the Accounting Rules Engine, multi-entity journals, flexible hierarchies, and Copilot in D365 Finance 10.0.46+ transform period close for multi-company environments.
9 min read
Dual-Write Between D365 F&O and Dataverse: Pitfalls and Patterns That Actually Work
A field-tested guide to dual-write configuration between D365 Finance & Operations and Dataverse — covering initial sync failures, conflict resolution, performance tuning, and when to use alternatives like virtual entities or data export service.
10 min read
X++ Query Performance in D365 F&O: Indexes, Joins, and the Trace Parser
How to diagnose and fix slow X++ queries in D365 Finance & Operations using Trace Parser, execution plans, proper index design, join selection, and set-based operations — with real before/after examples.
9 min read
Virtual Entities in D365 F&O: Exposing External Data Without the ETL Tax
How to use virtual entities in D365 Finance & Operations to surface external data from APIs and databases without importing, syncing, or paying the ETL tax — with a real-world supplier data example.
10 min read
Migrating Data into D365 F&O with the Data Management Framework — Lessons from the Trenches
A practical guide to data migration using the Data Management Framework in D365 Finance & Operations — covering entity selection, staging tables, transformation patterns, error handling, and performance tuning from real enterprise migrations.
9 min read
Power Automate + D365 F&O End-to-End: Consuming Business Events and Calling Data Entities
Build a full round-trip integration between Power Automate and D365 Finance & Operations — trigger on business events, transform data, and write back via OData.
9 min read
Chain of Responsibility in D365 F&O: Extending Standard Logic Without Overlayering
How to use Chain of Responsibility (CoR) to extend standard X++ classes in D365 Finance & Operations — with code samples for wrapping methods, accessing protected members, and avoiding common pitfalls.
11 min read
Business Events and Data Events in D365 Finance & Operations: A Developer Guide
How to build, activate, and consume Business Events and Data Events in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations with X++ code samples and integration patterns.
9 min read
Dataverse Security Roles: A Practical Guide to Getting Them Right
How Dataverse security roles actually work, common mistakes that leave data exposed, and the layered model you should be using in 2026.
9 min read
SysOperation Framework in D365 F&O: Building Batch Jobs the Right Way
How to build batch jobs using the SysOperation framework in D365 Finance & Operations — contract, controller, and service classes with X++ code samples.
3 min read
Detecting Create vs Update Triggers in Dataverse Power Automate Flows
How to distinguish between create and update operations in Dataverse-triggered flows and implement conditional logic accordingly.
3 min read
Dataverse Solution Components: A 2026 Quick Reference
A practical reference for solution component types, their IDs, and how to work with solution XML in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.