Power Automate Quick Tips #4: Error Loading Control
Below is one of the common issues that has been reported recently on the Power Automate Community; After clicking on any form variable or trying to create one/create an expression, the component collapses with this error message. So the easy fix to it is to Turn off Experimental Features, To do so please follow theContinue reading “Power Automate Quick Tips #4: Error Loading Control”
DataVerse Tip #5: Display Choices Column in Canvas App
Multi-Choice or Choices column in DataVerse is used so that you can select multiple options for a column in DataVerse, So for this example on the Sample Table I have a column of type choices and I want to display the Choices Column in a Gallery Control in Canvas App. It is simple and quickContinue reading “DataVerse Tip #5: Display Choices Column in Canvas App”
DataVerse Tip #4: To field on email can’t find my table
One of the common requirement is that you have a new custom table to be used in the Email To, BC and CC or even an existing table like contact table but you can’t find it in the list of tables in the To. Example: Here we can’t see the contacts table only we canContinue reading “DataVerse Tip #4: To field on email can’t find my table”
DataVerse Quick Tips#3: Enable/ Disable Plugin Steps all at once
In more than one situation where you are performing data updates for a large set of data you need to disable all plugin steps and then re-enable it. So using SQL CDS for XRMToolbox and use the below scripts to enable / disable the Plugin Steps: Install XrmToolBox (https://www.xrmtoolbox.com/) and the SQL 4 CDS tool (markcarrington.dev/…/)Continue reading “DataVerse Quick Tips#3: Enable/ Disable Plugin Steps all at once”
Power Automate: Quick Tips #3: Adding Multiple Conditions to Filter Array
#PowerAutomate #QuickTips Adding Multiple Conditions to Filter Array: if you need to filter a JSON array where Job Title Does not Contain Either Director and does not contain Manager. JSON Sample: Output: References: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/logic-apps/workflow-definition-language-functions-reference

Building Flows #4: Send Multiple Attachments from OneDrive to Outlook
This blog article describes in a few lines how to send multiple attachments from a one drive folder to outlook in less than 5 minutes. List the files in a folder and select the folder from which you wan to send the attachments, and Initialize and array variable called Attachments Array as below: 2. ThenContinue reading “Building Flows #4: Send Multiple Attachments from OneDrive to Outlook”

Building Flows # 3: Grouping in a Power Automate
One of the common business scenarios that we see in everyday and I have seen many questions on the community forums about this one which is how to do grouping in Power Automate, So a common example you have a sharepoint list, Excel Sheet, DataVerse table and you need to send a consolidated email ofContinue reading “Building Flows # 3: Grouping in a Power Automate”

Dynamics 365 + DataVerse Insert Dynamic Email Template
Creating email templates helps you save time and increase productivity while sending the same email style by having some of the information prefilled , There is Out of the box shipped email templates with Dynamics 365 but it has a lot of limitations when it comes to the dynamics parameters in your template which makesContinue reading “Dynamics 365 + DataVerse Insert Dynamic Email Template”
Power Automate: Quick Tips #2: Useful Date Expressions
Power automate is provide a cool function which is StartOfMonth which gets the first day of a month and it is a very cool function but they did not provide the Last Day of Month. To get the Last day of the previous month use the below expression: To get Last day of current MonthContinue reading “Power Automate: Quick Tips #2: Useful Date Expressions”

Power Automate and SharePoint ODATA Filters
One of the common issues being faced is dealing with ODATA filtration in sharepoint lists so I will be listing here common issues and how to sort them out: Filtering by Lookup: Example: You have a List called Tickets with a Lookup Column to another List called Ticket Types, Column Name TicketTypes to do theContinue reading “Power Automate and SharePoint ODATA Filters”

Power Apps Portals: Beginner #2: How to filter sub grid in a Basic/Advanced form to the current logged in User
Sub Grids can be added to Basic Forms and Advanced Forms using Metadata , so simply to add a sub grid to your Basic form/ Advanced From , You need to add the Sub grid on your DataVerse form as below, Give it a Label and a name, and Tick show related records: On theContinue reading “Power Apps Portals: Beginner #2: How to filter sub grid in a Basic/Advanced form to the current logged in User”

PowerApps Portals: Advanced Form Multistep on different (tables) entities
This article is inspired by a community question where it was required to have a multistep advanced form across different entities on the PowerApps portal, While it is pretty straight forward while you are in the Create of the application but it gets bit tricky on the Update Part let me explain the business scenarioContinue reading “PowerApps Portals: Advanced Form Multistep on different (tables) entities”

Power Apps Portals: Beginners #1: Create List Web Page with Create and Update Actions
This article will cover quickly how to create a new web page that shows a list of records from a table. In this scenario we need to display applications list and add the 2 actions to Create and Edit the application record. Step 1: Create an List (Entity List – Previously) Go to Portal ManagementContinue reading “Power Apps Portals: Beginners #1: Create List Web Page with Create and Update Actions”

2021 Release Wave 2: Tip#2: Advanced Lookup
A very nice featured introduced with Release Wave 2 that gives you the ability to filter data easily without the need to Customize special views and it makes it easy for users and gives the users the ability to add more columns to the advanced find view. On your Lookup -> Click on Advanced LookupContinue reading “2021 Release Wave 2: Tip#2: Advanced Lookup”

2021 Release Wave 2: Tip#1: Activate/Deactivate disappeared on work Order
So after enabling Release wave 2 on our environment , the Activate/ Deactivate Buttons have disappeared on the work order form , so after raising a ticket with MS Support Issue was very easy to fix, According to the below article this is a new settings on the field service that enables less ribbon buttonsContinue reading “2021 Release Wave 2: Tip#1: Activate/Deactivate disappeared on work Order”

DataVerse: Model Drive App: Open Custom Page as Model from Ribbon
Open a Model Dialog from DataVerse / Dynamics 365 Ribbon has always been a common requirement to overcome existing OTB Dialogs like Close Opportunity , Deactivate Record where we always wanted to include one or more custom fields. This feature is now becoming very handy and pretty easy … compared to the old methods tryingContinue reading “DataVerse: Model Drive App: Open Custom Page as Model from Ribbon”

DataVerse Quick Tips#2: Trouble Shoot insufficient Permission Message
Have you ever been presented with a weird permission issue but you were unable to really get what is the real permission issue is and wonder why life sometimes is too complicated? You do not have {0} permissions to access {1} records. It would be very simple and approachable if you can get to knowContinue reading “DataVerse Quick Tips#2: Trouble Shoot insufficient Permission Message”

Saving a note attachment to Azure Blob storage and Viewing it on PowerApps Portals
I have been Exploring with Olena (https://msolenacrm.blog/) how to enable the azure storage on PowerApps portals and she has figure out and detailed on her article how to enable azure blob storage on PowerApps portal so when a note is uploaded from portal it is saved to Azure blob storage and that’s worked perfectly fineContinue reading “Saving a note attachment to Azure Blob storage and Viewing it on PowerApps Portals”

Save Outlook Attachment as SharePoint File or as DataVerse Email Attachment
This question has been going around on the power users community forums and I thought it would be nice to blog it because it is always gets tricky trying to save files from different data sources , so for this we have a single source the outlook connector and there is two destination. Sharepoint FileContinue reading “Save Outlook Attachment as SharePoint File or as DataVerse Email Attachment”

Display SharePoint Document Library on PowerApps Portal
So Simply I got this question today on the community forums and I actually liked the idea what if we do not want to enable sharepoint document integration with DataVerse and we have a PowerApps portals which is always connected to DataVerse and we want Simply to display a Sharepoint Document Library.. So the IdeaContinue reading “Display SharePoint Document Library on PowerApps Portal”

Embed Canvas App In a Model Driven App
USE CASE: So the problem I came into is that we have run out of Rollup fields on the account entity as we have reached the maximum no of 10 rollups per entity and what we needed is to display a list of counts on the form so instead of creating unnecessary fields and workflowContinue reading “Embed Canvas App In a Model Driven App”

How to – Hide and show controls in Canvas App based on security role of the user (Dataverse / Dynamics 365)
Originally posted on Nishant Rana's Weblog:
Suppose we have the below Maker and Checker Canvas App, with two button one for raising the request and the other for approving and rejecting the request. We have below custom security roles created in our Dynamics 365 Maker Checker Here we want Submit a Request button to…

Business Central Virtual Entities In DataVerse
#BusinessCentral #DataVerse #VirtualEntities #Lowcode The use of “Virtual entities” is very useful in seamlessly integrating external data sources into DataVerse and Dynamics CE. A virtual entity is a custom entity in Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement that has fields containing data from an external data source. Virtual entities appear in your app to users as regularContinue reading “Business Central Virtual Entities In DataVerse”

Building Flow #2: DataVerse: Get Optionset Label
One of the nice topics is how you can get the Optionset( dropdown) Label in a Flow using the DataVerse Connector, so usually when you Get a row by Id and you want to get the label of the Optionset field and you use the field directly then you get the value and not theContinue reading “Building Flow #2: DataVerse: Get Optionset Label”

Building Flows #1 : Check if Item Exist and Update if Exists
I will be starting on a serious of Building flows blog articles for beginners and for topics that is frequently asked while working on the power users community forums. A common requirement will be that you are loading items from Source X to Destination Y, while you do not want to create Duplicates in DestinationContinue reading “Building Flows #1 : Check if Item Exist and Update if Exists”

Environment Variables in Flows as Parameters
#powerautomate #environmentvariables I have written a blog post earlier about the using of environment variables to store global environment settings and while I was looking to use it the same way I have described in my blog Post. GUESS What I HAVE found! They are directly Exposed as Parameters in my flow and can beContinue reading “Environment Variables in Flows as Parameters”

Invoke D365 OTB word templates from Power Automate
One of the nice features available out of the box is the ability to generate Word Templates in an easy way while using customer engagement apps (Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Marketing, and Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation). But not usually you need to generate or useContinue reading “Invoke D365 OTB word templates from Power Automate”
Power Automate: Quick Tips # 1: Date Difference Function
A frequent requirement is to calculate the difference between 2 dates in power automate, This can be achieved easily in power automate with the help of the Ticks function. Definition :- ticks(timestamp: string) – Returns the number of ticks (100 nanoseconds interval) since 1 Jan 1601 00:00:00 UT To get the difference in days between 2Continue reading “Power Automate: Quick Tips # 1: Date Difference Function”

Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Displaying Data Verse attachments in Canvas app) Part 3
This is the final part where I will be explaining how to view the Email saved Attachments in PowerApps Canvas Application. So we will start by displaying the list of emails in a Gallery or Table , So add a new Screen and call it Emails List , Add a Gallery Control and name itContinue reading “Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Displaying Data Verse attachments in Canvas app) Part 3”

Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Saving attachments) Part 2
On part 1 of this article , I have explained how to pass the attachments from the canvas app to power automate; In this part will be explaining in details how to save an attachments to an Email DataVerse record. We have explained in part 1 that we are passing attachments collection as first parameterContinue reading “Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Saving attachments) Part 2”

Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Prepare Attachments List) Part 1
In this article I will be providing a step by step instructions where the user can create DataVerse email activity with attachments on a PowerApps Canvas app using power automate. So we start by a creating a new Canvas App through make.powerapps.com and we are going to Start with a Blank App and Call itContinue reading “Save and Retrieve DataVerse Email Attachments in a Canvas App and Power automate -(Prepare Attachments List) Part 1”

Invite External Guest to Teams Using Graph API and Power Automate
In this article I will be explaining how to do an external guest invite through Graph API and power automate , this power automate flow can be invoked from a Microsoft form or from a sharepoint list or whatever you find applicable and the same procedures applies if you want to share your PowerApps canvasContinue reading “Invite External Guest to Teams Using Graph API and Power Automate”

Working with Image and File Types in Dataverse(CDS)
Image and File Column Data Types are great addition to the Dataverse (CDS) but I found it a little bit hard and tricky to deal with them using power automate so I will be detailing below how to deal with them in terms of: 1. Uploading an Image , a common scenario when it isContinue reading “Working with Image and File Types in Dataverse(CDS)”

CDS Web REST API – Step by Step
It have been a long time since I last developed an API that connects to Dynamics 365 / CDS to expose data to Third Party Systems , but what an amazing thing to start trying and having hands on Experience on it ! While doing my research , i found that still the same oldContinue reading “CDS Web REST API – Step by Step”
Ribbon Button Issues UI
I will be sharing in this blog post all the issues i have faced while upgrading Ribbon button to unified interface. Issue # 1: Ribbon button on the Home page supposed to run when a record is selected on a grid or multiple records are selected, Record appears on classic interface , on the UIContinue reading “Ribbon Button Issues UI”

Query Web API using FetchXML
FetchXML will be very useful to use with Web API for complex queries as I have encountered and issue where we can’t make grouping conditions using the normal ODATA style filter, Also a lot of operators provided by fetchXML is not provided by the normal ODATA Queries example: In , Today , Next X Days,Continue reading “Query Web API using FetchXML”

Power Automate: Get Attachment from a File Field Type in CDS and send as Email
The new field in CDS is a very nice feature and looks really cool! Here is how it created in CDS entity: On your CDS entity click on Add Field 2. Add the Field Name and Select Data Type File and then add the field to your form This is how it looks on yourContinue reading “Power Automate: Get Attachment from a File Field Type in CDS and send as Email”

CDS: Environment Variables
Have you ever wondered where you can keep your configuration settings while using Dynamics 365 or CDS? Old way we used to do it was to use a new custom entity to store such Global settings but I have discovered this feature which has been introduced to solutions which is called Environment Variables. You canContinue reading “CDS: Environment Variables”
CDS (Current Environment) – Get Option set Label
I run into an issue where i needed to get the optionset value label , Property was available through the old CDS connector and the Dynamics 365 Connector. So to get it from a List Records action you can use a compose data operation with the expression below: Replace fieldschemaname with your fieldName and Apply_to_eachContinue reading “CDS (Current Environment) – Get Option set Label”

Populating Word template with the CDS image field content via Flow (Power Automate)
Originally posted on Something Awesome About … dynamics, crm, ce, power apps, business apps…:
This is a great video which helped me on a way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1jsBllmr-w However, in this video it takes image from OneDrive but I want to populate it from CDS image field. Add image control to a Word template. Watch video I referred…

Powerapps: Canvas App: Show Model Dialog
This article describes in details how to add Model dialog in your canvas app as currently canvas apps does not support such functionality but yet there is a work around to do so! So on my canvas app, i have a button and upon clicking on this button i need to show a Model DialogContinue reading “Powerapps: Canvas App: Show Model Dialog”
CDS Column Comparison through FetchXML, SDK, and OData
Microsoft have announced the availability of Column Comparison in CDS-Based Queries .. well it is a very great great news ! Column Comparison is available for FetchXML, SDK API, and Web API. So how to use it: Operators Currently available for comparison: Equal NotEqual GreaterThan GreaterEqual LessThan LessEqual Supported Data Types: Text Lookups DateTime OptionsetsContinue reading “CDS Column Comparison through FetchXML, SDK, and OData”

Set Up Your Workstation to Create SQL Server Reporting Services Reports for Dynamics 365 Revisited
Originally posted on ReadyXRM:
Update: Its 2020, is this post still relevant? YES! This has been one of my most popular posts. The fact that it was written in 2018 might turn people off, but the info is still valid and is applicable to the latest version of Dynamics 365 (Customer Engagement) and Model-Driven Power…
CDS(Current Environment) – Get Trigger Action from Main Trigger
This is a very quick simple one but yet has its business scenarios where it might fit in… Say we have a flow that runs on the Trigger Condition, When a record is created, Updated or deleted. But we need to Get Exactly which Trigger Condition has the flow run on: Create Update Delete WellContinue reading “CDS(Current Environment) – Get Trigger Action from Main Trigger”

Power Automate: Send approval email to external customer
#Power automate #Approvals #External Guests Approvals in power automate are very nice interactive feature to process requests and documents! They can be integrated with CDS, SharePoint online and Onedrive. Here is a link to creation of Approvals walk-though when an item is created in a sharepoint list! https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/modern-approvals What about sending Approval to External GuestsContinue reading “Power Automate: Send approval email to external customer”
Power Automate: Share Record using Unbound Action
Sharing Records in CDS/ Dynamics CDS automatically based on a specific action??!!! we used to write Custom Workflow Activity or some kind of plugin to Achieve it which may take some hours to develop deploy and Fix. Well ! NO CODE 1 Step workflow can achieve this! By using the Common Data Services ( CurrentContinue reading “Power Automate: Share Record using Unbound Action”
Adding Conditions on a SharePoint List Choice Fields in Power Automate
I have a choice Column in a sharepoint list with Status Active/ Closed. I want to execute an action but only when an item is created/ Modified in the list on condition that it is only has status = Closed. So i added a trigger action when an item is created or Modified, Set theContinue reading “Adding Conditions on a SharePoint List Choice Fields in Power Automate”
Update Active Directory from CDS Data
I have run into an issue where I wanted to get the Active Directory Users information to be updated regularly as it is used in the Organization Wide Signature, so the ONLY way is to open the office portal info or the azure portal and update the user information there. But this requires Administration accessContinue reading “Update Active Directory from CDS Data”
Show Quick Create for your entity in Model Driven App.
On the entity Level make sure the entity is enabled for Quick Create; Go to your Solution Click on the Entity and in the Data Services Section -> Tick Allow Quick Create 2. Go to your Model Driven App and Make sure the entity is added as well as the Quick Create form. 3. SaveContinue reading “Show Quick Create for your entity in Model Driven App.”
Add Organization Wide Email Signatures
Adding customized emails signature while sending your emails from inside Dynamics CRM/ CDS gives a professional touch to the Emails being sent out from Dynamics and Encourage Users to send emails directly from inside Dynamics 365 without having to Navigate away! So there are 2 approaches to achieve this , From inside Dynamics 365 andContinue reading “Add Organization Wide Email Signatures”
Dynamics 365 Timeline Failed to Load Control UCI Interface
I ran into the below issue after adding a new custom activity , the custom activity does not show up in the timeline with the error message “Record Failed to Load” This is how the Activities was configured in the Timeline. Cause: This is a limitation of the timeline control w. There is a QueryLinkEntityLimitContinue reading “Dynamics 365 Timeline Failed to Load Control UCI Interface”

Integrate Microsoft Teams with CDS Model Driven Apps
Integrating Microsoft Teams with CDS entities is really useful features , so users on a specific Teams Channel can collaborate on a specific record and all shared documents can be automatically linked to the Teams channel and the CDS record. So let’s start by enabling the Integration: Go to Settings -> Administration-> System Settings 2.Continue reading “Integrate Microsoft Teams with CDS Model Driven Apps”
Common Data Connector – List Records Action – Fetch XML
I have a common issue that happened with me and may have faced other people too , well the issue is that i can’t the Lovely FetchXML option on the CDS List Records???!!! I like Fetch XML and find it very quick to use than the OData Filter? So where is it , I can’tContinue reading “Common Data Connector – List Records Action – Fetch XML”
Error while Creating SharePoint File
INVALID Template ! This is a very weird error message that happens usually with sharepoint connections for a very unknown reason , i tried removing and re-adding the Step , it did not work , i tried Changing the Connection and Re-authenticating but it didn’t work as well. The only Possible solution is to RecreateContinue reading “Error while Creating SharePoint File”
Create SharePoint File through Power automate
Have you ever run into an issue while create a sharepoint file using Flow ! The issue is that you see the file created in sharepoint and it can be attached and viewed in Emails; however it can’t be opened through sharepoint and when you try to download an Open it it gives the belowContinue reading “Create SharePoint File through Power automate”
Set Lookup Field using CDS (Current) Connector
Well this is a very quick tip but it is very useful! I have initially thought it would be like the other CDS Connector and the old Dynamics 365 Connector just adding the account GUID in the step as below to the Account Property which is defined as a lookup on the Generic Entity. ButContinue reading “Set Lookup Field using CDS (Current) Connector”
Update Existing Word Templates in Dynamics 356
I have run into an issue that i have generated a word template using OTB feature of Dynamics 365 as per this link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/sales-professional/manage-word-templates and after i finished and deployed the template which was a big one , the Client requested to reflect newly added fields in the template and of course what i hadContinue reading “Update Existing Word Templates in Dynamics 356”
CDS and Multiselect Optionset
You have created a multi select option set in your CDS entity and trying to retrieve the value of this Option set in Flow but you can’t see the field in the returned list of fields from the Get Record action…Even when adding an Update record step you can’t find the field and of courseContinue reading “CDS and Multiselect Optionset”

Populate a word document using Power Automate
Generating word templates using Microsoft Online Word Connector for Flow has made it easy to generate your complex word templates without the need of a third party application! So Let’s Go ! Building the Word Template: So i will be making an Time sheet / Time Entries Template …Simple template and can also be generatedContinue reading “Populate a word document using Power Automate”
Querying CDS Using SQL Queries !
#CDS#SQL#MFAThis is a newly introduced feature is still in Preview Mode and it enables access to read-only data in common data services end point.Also note that it might not be rolled out to all regions yet.So lets get Started!First of all you need to check if this featured has been enabled on your organization ,Continue reading “Querying CDS Using SQL Queries !”