How to – Use Plugin on Pre-Validation Stage in Dynamics 365 CE


Recently we had a requirement to delete the Account record without deleting the associated Contact records.

If we try deleting the account record we’d get the following message box

The relationship definition can’t be updated as well to achieve this

So, we wrote a plugin on the pre-validation stage of pre-delete event of Account, which will retrieve and loop through all the child contact records and set its parent customer field as null.

In case of pre-operation the child records were not available.

</p>
<p>public void Execute(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)<br />
{<br />
ITracingService tracingService = (ITracingService)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(ITracingService));<br />
IPluginExecutionContext pluginContext = (IPluginExecutionContext)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(IPluginExecutionContext));<br />
IOrganizationServiceFactory serviceFactory = (IOrganizationServiceFactory)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(IOrganizationServiceFactory));<br />
IOrganizationService organizationService = serviceFactory.CreateOrganizationService(pluginContext.UserId);<br />
EntityReference targetEntity = (EntityReference)pluginContext.InputParameters["Target"];<br />
QueryExpression getContacts = new QueryExpression("contact");<br />
getContacts.Criteria.AddCondition(new ConditionExpression("parentcustomerid", ConditionOperator.Equal, targetEntity.Id));EntityCollection allContacts = organizationService.RetrieveMultiple(getContacts);foreach (Entity contact in allContacts.Entities)<br />
{<br />
Entity contactToBeUpdated = new Entity("contact");<br />
contactToBeUpdated.Id = contact.Id;<br />
contactToBeUpdated.Attributes["parentcustomerid"] = null;<br />
organizationService.Update(contactToBeUpdated);<br />
}}<br />

Another practical scenario

https://www.inogic.com/blog/2017/03/plugin-pre-validation-operation-to-show-an-error-message-as-well-as-log-the-error/

Hope it helps..

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How to – Use RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryRequest to get Audit Detail in Dynamics 365 CE


Just sharing a sample code to retrieve the Audit Detail using RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryRequest.

RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryRequest changeRequest = new RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryRequest();
changeRequest.Target = new EntityReference("entitySchemaName", "entityId"));
RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryResponse changeResponse =
(RetrieveRecordChangeHistoryResponse)_service.Execute(changeRequest);

AuditDetailCollection auditDetailCollection = changeResponse.AuditDetailCollection;

foreach (AttributeAuditDetail attrAuditDetail in auditDetailCollection.AuditDetails)
{
var auditRecord = attrAuditDetail.AuditRecord;

Console.WriteLine("Entity: " + ((EntityReference)auditRecord.Attributes["objectid"]).LogicalName);
Console.WriteLine("Operation: " + auditRecord.FormattedValues["operation"]);
Console.WriteLine("Action: " + auditRecord.FormattedValues["action"]);

var newValueEntity = attrAuditDetail.NewValue;

foreach(var attrNewValue in newValueEntity.Attributes)
{
Console.WriteLine("New Key: " + attrNewValue.Key + "New Value: " + attrNewValue.Value);
}

var oldValueEntity = attrAuditDetail.OldValue;

foreach (var attrOldValue in oldValueEntity.Attributes)
{
Console.WriteLine("Old Key: " + attrOldValue.Key + "Old Value: " + attrOldValue.Value);
}
}


The record whose Audit History we are retrieving :

Output :

AuditDetail.AuditRecord :

AuditDetail.OldValue n NewValue:

Hope it helps..

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Solved – Alternate Key not getting created on solution import in Dynamics 365


Recently, we moved our Solution from Development to Test. Then on running one of the SSIS Packages we got the below error

The specified key attributes are not a defined key for the entity [4] CRM service call returned an error:

On opening the Entity for customization, and checking for the key, we saw that it was in the Status Pending.

On opening the system job, there was no detail for the error.

We normally get this error, if there are records already available that have duplicate values for that alternate key field. However, in this case, there we no record as this entity was being moved first time in the Test.

Well to just fix this we thought of manually reactivating the key

However, that threw a new error that “Reactivate entity key is only supported for failed job.”

To fix this go to Settings à System Jobs à search for the failed system job and delete them

Now we will see the status as Failed

This time it will allow running the reactivation.

Finally,

Hope it helps..

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Upgrade to new Xrm client API object model (v9) smoothly using XrmToolBox plugins


We are currently in process of upgrading Dynamics from version 8.2 to 9.0. One of the major change is updating our current JavaScript to the new Xrm Client API Object Model.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/get-started/whats-new/customer-engagement/important-changes-coming#some-client-apis-are-deprecated

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-engagement/developer/clientapi/understand-clientapi-object-model

Below are the most useful tools à

Install the plugin, connect to your organization and click on Retrieve Jscript Webresources, it will list all the JScript Web resources found.

Click on Scan

It will list down all the issues found.

One common change that we need to do across all our JScript is to pass the ExecutionContext from Form as well as Fields (and Ribbon) events. Script Finder makes it extremely easy to find them out.

Click on Find Scripts usage and it will generate a report with all the details as shown below

Now we can follow the generated report and directly make the change to the form, field, and ribbon instead of searching for it manually.

Happy Upgrading !!

How to – Deal with OptionSet inside Power BI in Dynamics 365 CE


Updated 8-Sep-2018 –> Please check the Power Query Builder tool of XrmToolBox. Thanks Scott Sewell for informing about this wonderful tool.

Suppose, we have created a Power BI Report which makes use of OptionSet field.

It is on incident entity and we have selected priority code and state code option set fields. The problem is that we only get the value for them, so to get the label either we can manually specify it or use the plugin Power BI Option Set Assistant. We’d see both the methods.

Let us take state code field first and specify label for them manually.

In the Query Editor, select New Query and specify following value and save it.

= #table({“value”,”label”},{{0,”In Progress”},{1,”Resolved”}})

Select the main query and click on Merge Queries

Select statecode and value to map them, specify left outer join for Join Kind as shown below

Select the new column added to the query and check the label.

We now have the label specified added as a new column to our query.

Here, for small set of values we can specify the label manually, however if there are too many values this might not be feasible and also if there are changes in OptionSet inside Dynamics 365 CE, we’d have to do it manually here, which makes it difficult to maintain.

So, let us use the wonderful PowerBI OptionSet Assistant plugin from our favorite XRMToolBox

Install the plugin

Click on Load Entities and select Case Entity.

Select Priority field and click on “Create records for selected option sets

Basically, it will create a new entity named gap_powerbioptionsetrefs entity, which will hold the records corresponding to each of the values of the optionset field selected.

Back in Power BI create a new query and select the gap_powerbioptionsetfrefs entity and save the query.

Now follow the same steps, select the main incidents query and perform merge queries operation as shown below

Expand the column to select the label field

Our final query à

Hope it helps..

How to – Upgrade from Dynamics CRM 2016 On-Premise to Dynamics 365


First – check if you are eligible for the Fast Track program

https://nishantrana.me/2020/05/15/dynamics-crm-on-premise-to-online-migration-program-microsoft-fasttrack/

Be aware of Version Compatibility –

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/dynamicscrm-2016/developers-guide/gg328109%28v%3dcrm.8%29#version-compatibility

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customerengagement/on-premises/developer/introduction-solutions

Upgrade the existing CRM 2016 On-Premise Server to CRM 2016 (8.1) for its solution to be compatible with Dynamics 365 Online using cumulative updates.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/3142345/microsoft-dynamics-365-onpremise-cumulative-updates

If upgrading from previous version i.e. prior to CRM 2016, use “Migrate by using a new instance of Microsoft SQL Server” approach

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh699669.aspx

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh699747.aspx

Once updated to compatible CRM 2016 On Premise (8.1), go to settings à customizations and export the existing solutions or create a new solution, add all the required solution components to it as unmanaged which will be imported to the new Dynamics 365 online environment.

Create a new Dynamics 365 Online Environment and synchronize it with your existing Active Directory

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/crm/2013/07/18/how-to-synchronize-crm-online-with-your-active-directory/

With solution ready and imported to new Dynamics 365 Online, next step is migration of data.

Consider using a data migration tool like KingswaySoft.

Check out their Migration Starter Pack.

https://www.kingswaysoft.com/blog/2016/09/16/Announcing-Migration-Starter-Pack-for-CRM-Online-and-CRM-On-Premise

or Scribe

https://www.scribesoft.com/solutions/dynamics-365/

Use following tools to update the JavaScript to Version 9.0 of XrmToolBox.

https://www.xrmtoolbox.com/plugins/XrmToolBox.Dynamics365V9JavascriptValidator/

  • Script Finder (to update the form and fields for passing the executionContext)

https://www.xrmtoolbox.com/plugins/MsCrmTools.ScriptsFinder/

https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/develop1/archive/2017/11/11/executioncontext-hits-the-big-time

Update JavaScript to use Web API.

https://github.com/jlattimer/CRMRESTBuilder

SQL Based report, if possible, needs to be converted to use Fetch XML. Use the following tool to speed up the process.

http://www.sql2fetchxml.com/

If the reports are too complex, plan to use Power BI reports.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn708055.aspx

Plugin and Custom workflow needs to be updated to run in an isolated environment i.e. sandbox along with references to the latest SDK assemblies.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-engagement/developer/plugin-isolation-trusts-statistics#web-access

https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.CrmSdk.CoreAssemblies/

If the existing On-Premise is integrated to other applications, make sure they can still talk with new Dynamics 365 Online.

Recurring jobs if needed, can be deployed to Azure as Azure WebJobs.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/websites-dotnet-deploy-webjobs

Use Hybrid Connection to talk with On-Prem resources.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service/app-service-hybrid-connections

These were some of the points I could quickly think of. Please share your thoughts and experiences in comments. I’d update this list.

Do check out :

Microsoft Dynamics CRM (on-premises) to Microsoft Dynamics
Online Migration Guide

https://download.microsoft.com/download/6/D/6/6D67BDEA-1D67-42B4-A52A-CF13CD547CB5/OPtoCRMOnlineMigration.pdf

Hope it helps..

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