Customizing Microsoft Dynamics 365

Introduction to the Microsoft Power Platform

The Power Platform is a powerful combination of tools that allow you to build business applications to store, process and share your data. This chapter will show you how the Power Platform is built and gives you an overview of what is possible.

• Overview of the Microsoft Power Platform
• Overview of Power Apps
• Introduction to Microsoft Dataverse
• The Common Data Model
• Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Services, ... as Model-Driven Apps on Microsoft Dataverse

Overview of Model-Driven Apps and Dynamics 365

Before Model-Driven Apps can be created, an environment with a Microsoft Dataverse database must be provisioned. This chapter introduces the concept of an environment and what role it plays in creating, managing and deploying Model-Driven Apps. Students are also provided with a quick overview of the look and feel that every Model-Driven App has and the common functionality of Model-Driven Apps.

• Creating and Working with Environments
• Navigating and Using a Model-Driven App

Working with Solutions

Solutions are used by developers to package related customizations together so that they can be managed and deployed as a single unit. We will see what components can be added to a solution and how they are the essential building blocks of your environment.

• Working with Solutions in Environments
• Default Solutions in an Environment
• Adding Components to your Solutions
• Creating Solutions and Solution Publishers
• Importing and Exporting Solutions
• Managed versus Unmanaged Solutions
• Solutions and Managed Properties
• Versioning Solutions
• LAB: Working with Solutions

Creating Model-Driven Apps

Model-Driven Apps are the building blocks of any business solution. For instance, we could create our own "event management" app. The app will group together everything our user needs from Microsoft Dataverse and the components we have built.

• Concepts of a Model-Driven App
• Creating Model-Driven Apps
• Adding Pages to Model-Driven Apps
• Defining the Model-Driven App Navigation
• Adding Generative Pages in Model-Driven Apps
• Adding Custom Pages to Model-Driven Apps
• Configuring the Model-Driven App Settings
• Managing Apps in Solutions
• LAB: Create a Course Management App

Creating and Customizing Tables

Tables are used to model and store business data in Model-Driven Apps. Conceptually, they are similar to tables in a relational database. Microsoft Dataverse provides several built-in tables, such as Contact and Account, but customizers will almost always need to create new tables. In this chapter, you will learn all aspects of creating new tables.

• Creating and Configuring Tables in Microsoft Dataverse
• Diving into the Table Settings
• Standard, Activity, Virtual and Elastic Tables
• The Default Table Columns, Forms and Views
• Creating Custom Activity Tables
• LAB: Creating and Configuring a Course Data Model

Managing Relationships

Just like accounts and contacts have relationships in Microsoft Dataverse, we can provide relationships for our own tables. You will learn what types of relationships are possible and how to configure them.

• Creating and Using Relationships - 1:N, N:N
• Defining Self-Referential Relationships
• Working with Column Mappings to facilitate data entry
• Connections and Connection Roles
• LAB: Managing Relationships between the Course Management Tables

Creating and Customizing Columns

Columns define the individual data items that can be used to store data in a table. You will learn everything about data types, formats, column properties and more.

• Adding Custom Columns to Tables
• Supported Column Data Types
• Working with File and Image Data Types
• Working with Lookups
• Creating Multi-Table or Polymorphic Lookups
• The Choice and Choices Data Types
• Using the Status and Status Reason Columns
• Defining Alternate Keys for a Table
• Aggregating Data with Rollup Columns
• Calculating data based on other columns with Calculated Columns
• Creating Formula Columns using Power FX
• LAB: Creating Columns to store Course Data

Customizing Forms

Forms are used to create, read and update individual table rows. In this module you will learn about the different Form Types and how to create or customize forms using the Form Designer.

• Main Form, Quick View Form, Quick Create Form and the Card Form
• Create and Configure Forms
• Defining the Structure of Forms
• Configure and Use Quick Create, Quick View and Card Forms
• Working with Custom Components
• Embedding Canvas Apps in a Form
• LAB: Creating and Configuring Forms for the Course App

Business Rules

Business rules essentially automate control logic on tables, without the need for development. Think of making columns required depending on the value of another column for instance.

• Create and Apply Business Rules
• Defining the Scope of Business Rules
• Business Rules Limitations
• LAB: Hide Values Dynamically via Business Rules

Creating and Using Views

Offer the data needed for different scenarios with views. With a view, we can either look at all table rows, or we could apply some filtering, sorting, etc.

• Examine the Different Types of System, Public and Personal Views
• Create New Public Views and Modify Existing Views
• Configure Quick Find, Advanced Find, Associated and Lookup Views
• Configure Views with Custom Controls like the Editable Grid, Calendar Control,...
• LAB: Creating Views and Configuring a Calendar View

Reporting in Model-Driven Apps

Reporting is essential when working with data. In this module, you will learn how to create charts and dashboards that turn raw data into clear and engaging visualizations, such as bar and column charts.

• Build Interactive Charts to show in Views or on Dashboards
• Classic Dashboards showing Charts, Data or Web Pages
• Interactive Dashboards with dynamic sorting and filtering
• Working with the Tabular Data Stream (TDS) endpoint
• Embedding Power BI Reports
• LAB: Create Charts and Dashboards in the Course Management App

Creating Business Process Flows

Business process flows in Dataverse are guided workflows that streamline and standardize processes within an organization by providing a visual representation of the steps needed to complete a task. They ensure consistency and compliance by guiding users through predefined stages and actions.

• Creating a Business Process Flow
• Defining Stages
• Linking Multiple Tables in a Business Process Flow
• Using a Business Process Flow
• LAB: Creating and Using a Business Process Flow

Securing Model-Driven Apps

This module teaches how you can implement a robust security model in Model-Driven Apps using Business Units, Security Roles, Users and Teams.

• Building a Security Model
• Business Units and their Role in Security Modeling
• Define Privileges and Access Levels in Security Roles
• Creating and Maintaining Users
• Team Management
• Securing Apps, Data, Forms, Views, Dashboards and Business Process Flows
• LAB: Implementing Security for the Course App and Data

Power Platform Automations

Workflows and Power Automate give you the ability to automate organizational processes. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but they can be used to automate a wide variety of processes, from simple notifications to complex multi-step processes that integrate with other systems.

• Workflows Overview
• Power Automate Overview
• Triggers Based on Create, Update or Delete operations
• Manually Trigger Complex Processes
• Consuming Microsoft Dataverse Data in Processes
• LAB: Automate Sending a Confirmation Mail in the Course Management App

Agentic Dataverse Development

Work faster with ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot, or your favorite AI assistant by extending it with Plugins for Dataverse development and administration. You will discover how these plugins simplify data modeling, solution management, administration, and Power Platform development.

• Dataverse Plugin
• Model Apps Plugin
• Power Automate Plugin
• Installation & Setup
• Included Skills and Agents
• Natural Language Prompting
• Real-world Demos and Use Cases