Category: Microsoft Dynamics 365

Limitations of Microsoft dynamic CRM Word Templates

Nice findings on Document Template !

Ranjeet Patel

  1. It cannot Filter/Sort the repeater data.
  2. We can only go up to one level down in context of relationship.
  3. If any of the attribute value is empty then it reserves the place (template looks dirty because of empty spaces)
  4. Repeater Only shows 100 lines( if you have more than 100 contact in account it won’t show)
  5. Once the document is downloaded and later on if you add any new field you have to delete the document and create the new document, As there is no update document option. We need to remap the fields again (here copy paste works that’s one releaf point).

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Using SetWordTemplate action to automate document generation and attaching it to note in Dynamics 365

Continuing our previous post,

https://nishantrana.me/2020/03/31/using-word-template-to-combine-multiple-images-attached-to-notes-in-a-single-document-in-dynamics-365/

wherein we used word template to generate a document having all the note’s attachments (picture) to it.

To enhance it further, we can write a custom workflow that calls the SetWordTemplate in Perform Action step.

SetWordTemplate action will generate the document, based on the word template defined, and will attach the document to the note of that particular record.

For this

  • Create a process of type workflow.

  • Select step Perform Action

  • Specify the Document Template and the associated entity (e.g. lead) for its input properties.

*if you do not see the entity listed, enable BPF on it

*also make sure you have notes enabled for the entity.

  • Activate the workflow.

  • Run the workflow Generate Word
    Template.

  • After refreshing the timeline, we can see the new note record created with the document as attachment to it.

The generated document à

Now again similar to Word Template, we do not have option of running On Demand Workflow from Dynamics 365 Mobile / Tablet app.

So here instead of on demand workflow, we can have a custom workflow to run on change of a specific field.

For e.g. we can add a custom field named when it is updated to Yes, we perform the same action

The workflow

This way we will be able to perform the same function within Dynamics 365 Mobile and Tablet App

Hope it helps..

Using Word Template to combine multiple images attached to notes in a single document in Dynamics 365

Recently in one of our projects, we had proposed Dynamics 365 for Phone / Tablet as the device for our sales user. The user will be capturing the image of the customer’s document and will be attaching it in notes, which will then later be moved to the document management system.

Here, one of the requirements was to merge / combine all the images that are attached to the notes for a particular record into a single document.

Here we can make use of Word Template to achieve the same.

Open the entity’s (e.g. lead) record for which we want to create the word template.

  • Click on Download Template to design the word template.

  • Select Note as the related entity.

  • In the word document, go to Developer Tab and click on XML Mapping Pane ribbon button.

  • Insert a table and select its row.

  • Select the appropriate XML part from the drop down and navigate to Lead_Annotation child node in the XML Mapping section.

  • And map it to the row selected as shown below.

  • This is how the table would appear

  • Next add the documentbody à Insert Content Control à Picture to one of its columns to display the images.

  • This is how it would appear
  • We can also add additional fields of notes if needed.

  • Save the template.
  • Go to Settings à Template and upload the template.

  • To test it, let us go open the lead record which has 3 different notes with image attached as shown below.

  • Now let us generate the document based on the template uploaded.

  • The document will show all the images attached to the notes.

  • We can increase the size of the picture and remove the border from the table to make it appear better.

Now coming back to Dynamics 365 for Phone, the Word Template is not supported on these devices. So, we had to somehow automate this part for the users using these devices, which I’d cover in the next blog post.

Get more detail on attachments here à

https://nishantrana.me/2020/03/30/attachments-to-notes-in-dynamics-365-for-phone-and-tablet-app/

Generate PDFà

https://nishantrana.me/2020/02/13/save-and-email-pdf-options-added-to-dynamics-365-sales-2020-release-wave-1-plan/

Hope it helps..

Attachments to Notes in Dynamics 365 for phone and tablet app

In one of our recent projects we were analysing the Dynamics 365 for phone and tablet app, for one of the requirements where the user will be uploading the documents through phone or tablet app as an attachment to notes.

Below were some of our findings à

  • For mobile app à

We are limited to attaching images on both iOS and Android. (Windows Phone are no longer supported)

  • For the tablet app à

For iOS and Android, it is the same case where we are limited to attaching images.

iPad à

Samsung Tab S4 à

For windows tablet, here Surface Go for e.g., user can still access files in the local storage.

Earlier users had the same experience for the Android tablets.

https://crmtipoftheday.com/259/upload-files-from-dropbox-or-google-drive-to-crm/

Also, iPad allowed attaching files from the web storage like iCloud, OneDrive etc.

https://crmtipoftheday.com/925/tip-925-mobile-attachments-revisited/

which has changed with in the newer version.

Hope it helps..

Scratching your head over why your custom ribbon buttons are not visible or not working as expected–The wonderful Command checker tool from Microsoft might just save your day.

Command checker – another awesome tool in Dynamics 365.

Debajit's Dynamic CRM Blog

If you have ever worked in Dynamics 365 implementation then it is almost certain that you must have played around with ribbons. And more often than not you must have faced scenario where you have multiple enable and display rules on the form and not sure why the ribbon button is showing up on the form when it is supposed not to show up or vice versa.

And what we do to resolve it. Well, we play around with the ribbon customizations which takes much more time than other customizations in Dynamics 365. And if it is some custom rule, we would attach debuggers to our custom code and debug and find what is going wrong.

What if I tell you that Microsoft just released something which shall help you identify which of your ribbon rule is evaluating to what in a matter of few mins so that you can…

View original post 441 more words

PCF Control for Email Validation using Email Validator API

The control uses the Email Validator API that checks for fake DNS and regex functions to check email for length and accepted characters.

To use the API, Login to RapidAPI and get the API Key.

Use this key for the API property required by the PCF Control to call the API.

The control will check pass on the email address and based on the response received i.e. isValid true or false, will display the appropriate message just below the field.

The Email Validator API needs to be updated as at times it will show valid domains as invalid. So will not suggest to use this in the production environment.

This control is more of an example of how we can call the APIs, get the response and show the result.

Get the source code here

https://github.com/nishantranacrm/PCFEmailValidatorControl

Hope it helps..

Filtering Enhancements to Views in Dynamics 365 – 2020 Release Wave 1

Below are some of the enhancements added to the filtering experience for the views in 2020 Release Wave 1.

Previously to sort the records we had to click on either the sort icon or the header to sort the records.

With the 2020 Release Wave 1 clicking on the header or sort or filter symbol with open the below screen with the option of both sort and filter. Also if we see, the options to sort and filter have moved closer to the header text of the column instead of right-aligned in the previous version.

And for filtering also we had to specifically click on the filter icon earlier.

For the text field below filter options will be displayed earlier

For Wave 1 Release 2020, we need to select Filter By

And below are the filter options available for the text fields.

The most helpful here would be the addition of Contains data and Does not contain data filter.

For the Datetime field prior to Wave 1 Release 2020, we had the below very limited filter options available.

Now in Wave 1 Release 2020, we have the following filter options specific to DateTime field added

along with updated Calendar View for selecting the date

Earlier à

Now à

For Optionset fields

Earlier à

Now à

Instead of having all the options selected now it comes as unselected and to apply the filter we need to select the specific value and then click on Apply.

And select Clear Filter to clear the filtering

For Lookups à

Earlier

Now à

  • For Numeric Field we now have the contains
    data and does not contain data filter options added.

These enhancements specific to filtering will definitely add to more productivity for the users.

Check other blog posts on

Release 2020 Wave 1: https://nishantrana.me/2020-release-wave-1/

Release 2019 Wave 2: https://nishantrana.me/2019/12/31/dynamics-365-2019-release-wave-2-blog-posts/

Hope it helps..

“Change in Default Search behavior in Dynamics 365 in release wave 1”–Inform your customers before it takes them by surprise.

Debajit's Dynamic CRM Blog

Well this one came as pure surprise and I got to know of this one only after one of our customer enabled 2020 Release wave 1 feature in one of their SandBox environments and updated us that search on entity grids is not working as excepted.

Let me explain the scenario here. My customer was searching in the opportunities grid and the view that he was currently in was “Open Opportunities”. Can’t use my customer environment for this blog. Hence using the screenshots of a vanilla environment with Release Wave 1 2020 enabled.

image

If I search on this view with the word Kitchen, our expectation is Dynamics would use the Quick find view to identify all the records matching with kitchen and show the results. But surprisingly it didn’t happen.

image

However in the list of all opportunities, there is indeed an opportunity with topic “Kitchen appliances”. And as per the…

View original post 286 more words

SLA Enhancements in Dynamics 365 Customer Service – 2020 Release Wave 1

2020 Release Wave 1 adds the new enhanced experience which includes easy to use interface and Power Automate in the Unified Client Interface for the SLA Administration.

To define SLA, the admin can navigate to Service Management à Service Terms à SLAs.

The new SLA Item window now opens in the modal dialog

It includes the condition builder

Action now use the Power Automate, here clicking on Configure Actions

takes us to the Power Automate

With below flow defined à

Invoked Through ExecuteWorkflow Call Trigger à

The Switch condition step with four different cases defined.

Here nearing Is Nearing Non-Compliance is where we will define our Warning
Actions.

Is Succeeded = Success Actions.

Is Non-compliant would be used to specify Failure Actions.
And lastly, we can define the Default option.

The old SLA Item interface à

Thus, these features bring the unified client interface experience close to the legacy web client.

Check other blog posts on

Release 2020 Wave 1: https://nishantrana.me/2020-release-wave-1/

Release 2019 Wave 2: https://nishantrana.me/2019/12/31/dynamics-365-2019-release-wave-2-blog-posts/

Hope it helps..

Routing Rule, Site, Queue Item enhancements added in Unified Client in Dynamics 365 Customer Service – 2020 Release Wave 1

With 2020 Release Wave 1 we have few features that were existing in the either in Legacy Web Client or in other entities added in Unified Client Interface which includes

  • Case Routing Rules

This option is now added in Service Management à Case Settings now.

Also, it brings the enhanced experience that uses the new UCI interface.

Earlier to create we had to navigate to Advanced Settings  – Service Management – Routing Route Sets to define them

RoutingRule

  • Site Entity support

Earlier to create site records, we need to go to Settings à Business Management

If we try creating the Site record from Advanced Find in 2019 Release wave 2 Plan, we’d encounter below error

However, with the 2020 Release 1 Wave plan, we can now create the Site records through advanced find without the need to going to settings.

  • “Record set navigation” is added to the Queue Items for the agents to easily navigate between records.

Previously the user had to open the record from the Queue to see the details close it and then open another record to check the details.

Missing record set navigation option earlier

Check other blog posts on

Release 2020 Wave 1: https://nishantrana.me/2020-release-wave-1/

Release 2019 Wave 2: https://nishantrana.me/2019/12/31/dynamics-365-2019-release-wave-2-blog-posts/

Hope it helps..