Dynamics 365: Learn in doing

<for my reference only: O25 = October 2025; DE3 = with Data Entity Tag;>   When working with data in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations , one of the most useful skills is knowing where your data lives - which table or data entity holds the field you’re looking at. Why? Because this knowledge unlocks so many possibilities: Extracting data for analysis. Mass updates through Data Management . Building integrations or troubleshooting issues. Think of it as peeking behind the curtain to understand the architecture that powers your forms. Why This Matters Here’s a little reality check: Different fields on the same form can belong to different tables . A single field can appear in multiple data entities . And not all users have equal access - System Admins have the most visibility (SysTableBrowser, entity lists, etc.). So, if you’ve ever wondered “Where does this field actually come from?” , the below could guide you. Part 1: How to Find the Table Name for a Form Field Ope...

 <for my reference only: O25 = October 2025; DE2 = with Data Entity Tag;> While scrolling through LinkedIn, I stumbled upon something that made me happy and I think it will make your life easier too if you work with Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations . We all know the data model in D365FO can feel like a maze sometimes. Tables, relationships, inheritance - it’s powerful, but not always easy to visualize. That’s why these two tools shared by a fellow community member may make it a bit more easy for us. 1. D365 F&O Table Relation Schema https://daxonline.org/d365/entity-relation-schema.html This tool generates a DBML schema for the area you select and lets you instantly visualize the data model. Perfect for: Getting a clear overview of how tables connect. Documenting your work for future reference. Sharing diagrams with your team (you can render DBML using https://dbdiagram.io ). When I quickly tested it with CustTable and related tables like CustParameters , CustSet...

<for my reference only: O25 = October 2025; DE1 = Data Entity Tag;> What's a Data Entity (really)? A Data Entity is a business‑friendly view over one or more normalized tables (e.g., CustTable , addresses, contacts), packaged so you can import/export, integrate, and evolve with less pain when the underlying schema changes. Think: one door, many rooms behind it . Entities can also be exposed as OData (for APIs) and used by the Data Management Framework (DMF) for bulk import/export. Heads‑up: F&O does not allow direct T‑SQL against the prod DB. Entities (and BYOD) exist to keep you safe and supported. When should I create my own entity? You need a clean shape for integration—not ten joins. You plan to expose an API (OData) for a specific business concept. You want DMF import/export (files, recurring jobs, mapping) without writing plumbing. Step‑by‑step: Create an entity for Item Serial Numbers Example scenario: Export/import item serial numbers from the InventSerial...