Various Ways to Disable/Skip/Comment out Flow Steps when Testing in Power Automate
Aug30

Various Ways to Disable/Skip/Comment out Flow Steps when Testing in Power Automate

Sometimes when we are debugging flows, we want some of the steps to be disabled/skipped and ignored by the Power Automate engine so that those actions are not triggered while we are still working on the other parts of the flow. But currently, there is no way in Power Automate to disable the steps for testing/debugging scenarios (yet) even though the Power Automate team has been working… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com (Linn...

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Get Flow Run by Using Dynamics 365/CDS Record ID as Parameter in Power Automate
Aug23

Get Flow Run by Using Dynamics 365/CDS Record ID as Parameter in Power Automate

There are several ways on how you can access the flow run history in Power Automate. In fact, to make things easier for me, I created a solution and wrote a blog post about how to Access Flow Run History within a Record in Dynamics 365/CDS (check that out if that is of interest). However, the solution I did is not for everyone especially if there are tons of existing flows in the system… Continue Reading...

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Get JSON Output of Steps with Status Reason 200 in Power Automate
Aug16

Get JSON Output of Steps with Status Reason 200 in Power Automate

The JSON output in the run history of the List records action step from the Common Data Service (current environment) connector is useful for troubleshooting purposes or getting the sample data for Parse JSON action. It is also useful when you need to see the attributes which are not listed in ‘Dynamics content’ pane (e.g.  OData.Community.Display.V1.FormattedValue properties, or...

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Get Output Data from Expand Query of CDS (current environment) Connector in Power Automate
Aug08

Get Output Data from Expand Query of CDS (current environment) Connector in Power Automate

The Common Data Service (current environment) connector (which is highly likely to be renamed soon) Dataflex (Common Data Service current) connector has Expand Query parameter for Get a record and List records actions which can be used to retrieve the related entity. In one of my previous blog posts, I wrote about how you can use Expand Query to retrieve related data. The example I… Continue Reading...

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How to Set Lookup Fields with Null Value from Dynamic Content in CDS (current environment) Connector
Jul30

How to Set Lookup Fields with Null Value from Dynamic Content in CDS (current environment) Connector

In one of my previous blog posts, I wrote about How to Set Lookup Field Value in Common Data Service (current environment) Flow Connector. In that blog post, I mentioned that I was not sure how to set a lookup as null either directly or from another record’s lookup field as the output of the step (which can potentially be null). Recently, I discovered a way to do that and I would… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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Get the Lookup Display Name and Option Set Value Label in a Single Query Using a CDS (Current Environment) Connector FormattedValue Property
Jul21

Get the Lookup Display Name and Option Set Value Label in a Single Query Using a CDS (Current Environment) Connector FormattedValue Property

One of the limitations in using Common Data Service (current environment) connecter in Power Automate comparing to the classic workflow WAS the inability to get the display name of the lookup value or the label of the option set value in one simple query. However, this is actually not the limitation of the platform itself. It seems that the CDS (current environment) actions did not use… Continue Reading...

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Minimum Privileges Required to Log in to Model-driven Apps in Dynamics 365/CDS
Jul19

Minimum Privileges Required to Log in to Model-driven Apps in Dynamics 365/CDS

One of the security best practices in Dynamics 365 is to use the base security role as a baseline and apply that role to all Users. The base security role will include all the common/basic permissions that are required to have access to the system (you can read more details in  Tip #2 of Power Platform / Dynamics CRM  Tip of the Day). The advantage of using the base security role is… Continue Reading...

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Script Errors Encountered after Field Service Upgrade to 8.x
Jul06

Script Errors Encountered after Field Service Upgrade to 8.x

In one of my projects, I suddenly encountered script errors after upgrading the Field Service solution from version 7.x to 8.x (the latest version). When loading the Quote and Product line item forms, the system shows the following error message: Script Error One of the scripts for this record has caused an error. For more details, download the log file. … Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com (Linn Zaw Win)’s Article on...

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Access Flow Run History within a Record in Dynamics 365/CDS
Jun23

Access Flow Run History within a Record in Dynamics 365/CDS

As recommended by Microsoft, I have been creating automated flows instead of background workflows for a while now (obedient me!). But not being able to see the list of Background Processes related to the record is one of the things that I miss from the classic background workflows (especially when I am having an issue ? with a particular record). Although we no longer have the… Continue Reading...

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Send Email to Unresolved Recipients in Dynamics 365 using Power Automate
Jun13

Send Email to Unresolved Recipients in Dynamics 365 using Power Automate

There are times when you need to send an email to unresolved recipients in Dynamics 365. An unresolved recipient is an email address which is not stored in the system (i.e. not stored in contact, user, queue, etc.). Dynamics 365 has an option to allow messages with unresolved email recipients to be sent from the system. This option can be used in different scenarios such as sending to a… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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How to Add Metadata to SharePoint Document Subgrid in Dynamics 365
Jun06

How to Add Metadata to SharePoint Document Subgrid in Dynamics 365

As mentioned in the Dynamics CRM Tip Of The Day Tip #1185, you can customise the SharePoint document subgrid for server-side integration. At the time of publishing that post, the view was not customisable via solution explorer yet but in this forum answer, the Document Associated Grid of the SharePoint Document entity can now be editable via solution explorer.   These are the list of… Continue Reading...

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Build Efficient Flows Using Filter Expression in CDS (current environment) Trigger
May24

Build Efficient Flows Using Filter Expression in CDS (current environment) Trigger

One of the key best practices for creating an efficient automated flow in Power Automate (Dynamics 365 or Common Data Service) is to properly set the options on the trigger of the flow to minimise unnecessary triggering and reduce execution time. As specified in a guide to building enterprise-ready flows, you should always set attribute filters unless you are interested in any change to… Continue Reading...

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Import Data Behaviour for Lookup Fields in Dynamics 365 (CDS)
May17

Import Data Behaviour for Lookup Fields in Dynamics 365 (CDS)

There are several ways to import the data into Dynamics 365 or Common Data Service and one of them is using out-of-the-box Data Import Wizard. When the Import Data functionality is used to create the records, the system handles the lookup fields differently from the other types of data. If the lookup field requirement option is Business Required (Mandatory), the system resolves the lookup… Continue Reading...

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Show Global Notification on Load of Model-driven App in Dynamics 365
May10

Show Global Notification on Load of Model-driven App in Dynamics 365

Previously in the legacy web client, the system administrators used to see the system notification messages as below (which informs us about the mailbox alerts or users without security roles). Occasionally, the customers came up with the requirement to show certain warning message as soon as the user logs in to the system but there was no API for such application-level notification. Most of… Continue Reading...

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Send Email from Dynamics 365/CDS with Attachment from Notes Using Flow
May05

Send Email from Dynamics 365/CDS with Attachment from Notes Using Flow

Automation of email sending out from the system is a common requirement in Dynamics 365 applications or model-driven apps for Common Data Service (CDS). The requirements of automated emails can be an approval email to the case owner, reminder email to the task assignee, status update email to the customer, etc. In some scenarios, automated email requires to include attachments from the Notes… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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Upload SharePoint Documents for Dynamics 365/CDS Records Using Flow
Apr27

Upload SharePoint Documents for Dynamics 365/CDS Records Using Flow

In data migration from the legacy system to Dynamics 365, one of the common requirements that I have seen is the migration of the documents. Previously, we either have to develop our own .NET console application or use 3rd party tools. But now, we can leverage the Microsoft Power Platform to build the same mechanism using Power Automate instant flow. In this blog post, you will learn how to… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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[Model-Driven Apps] Get Descriptive Error for Error Codes in Unified Interface Error Message Popup and Data Import Failures
Jan31

[Model-Driven Apps] Get Descriptive Error for Error Codes in Unified Interface Error Message Popup and Data Import Failures

Scenario 1 When the data was imported using Dynamics 365 Data Import Wizard, there were errors for some of the records. When the Import record is opened, the system opens up the Import Source File form in Unified Interface because the environment has already transitioned to Unified Interface only. In the Unified Interface, the description column is empty for the Failure records for some reason… Continue Reading...

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[Power Automate] Find out how to include a link to the record (Record URL) when sending an email from Dynamics 365/CDS using flow
Jan27

[Power Automate] Find out how to include a link to the record (Record URL) when sending an email from Dynamics 365/CDS using flow

When sending a notification email to users that involves a review of a Dynamics 365/CDS record , it is always handy to include a direct link to the record itself within the notification email, so that the user can open the record directly from the email instead of doing a search in the system, etc.We can previously do this easily in Dynamics 365 classic workflow as there is a Record Url… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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[Model-Driven Apps] Find out why the Appointment Form refreshes upon record save and how to turn off Appointment Scheduling Alert if necessary
Jan22

[Model-Driven Apps] Find out why the Appointment Form refreshes upon record save and how to turn off Appointment Scheduling Alert if necessary

Issue 1: The Appointment Form refreshes upon record save I received a report recently from one of the customers that the system triggers a form refresh upon auto-save of an Appointment record. On rare occasions, unexpected form refresh due to auto-save causes some data loss. This usually happens when the user is entering a long text in the multiline textbox and the last few bits of the text… Continue Reading...

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[Model-Driven Apps] Learn how to sort Activities and control which fields to show on the Timeline Control in Unified Interface
Jan20

[Model-Driven Apps] Learn how to sort Activities and control which fields to show on the Timeline Control in Unified Interface

One of the most common UI requests that I receive from the customers from time to time is to change the sorting order of the activities on the Timeline control (previously known as Social Pane in the legacy web client). By default, the Activities are sorted by Last Updated (modifiedon) date/time, but sometimes, that is not how the customers would like to see the records sorted.Most of the… Continue Reading...

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[Power Apps] Feature capability comparison between Modern Power Apps Maker Portal vs Classic Solution Explorer
Jan04

[Power Apps] Feature capability comparison between Modern Power Apps Maker Portal vs Classic Solution Explorer

As some of you may aware, there is a place called Power Apps maker portal (not to be confused with Power Apps portals) where you can customise the entities, forms, views, etc. instead of customising in the Classic solution explorer. There are only a couple of instances where it is mentioned as “Power Apps maker portal” in Microsoft documentation and most of the time, only the phrase “Sign in… Continue Reading...

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[Power Apps] New improvements in Embedded Canvas Apps which are undocumented / unannounced
Dec28

[Power Apps] New improvements in Embedded Canvas Apps which are undocumented / unannounced

Since the announcement of the general availability of embedded canvas apps in model-driven forms, we have not heard any update on the Embedded Canvas Apps space, no mention of it in the Power Platform: 2019 release wave 2 plan either. However, despite not hearing anything from Microsoft for any new features/improvements on the Embedded Canvas Apps, the product team has been busy working on it… Continue Reading...

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[Power Apps] Using Common Data Service's Lookup Data Type Field in Canvas App
Dec23

[Power Apps] Using Common Data Service's Lookup Data Type Field in Canvas App

If you come from the Dynamics 365 CE/CRM developer background, you would know that the value of the lookup field (or attribute, whatever you prefer to call it) comprises of 3 basic components: ID (the GUID of the related record)Name (the Primary Field value of the related record which is used as the Display value of the lookup field in the model-driven app)Entity Type (the logical name of the… Continue Reading...

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Lookups Showing Same Custom View in Unified Interface because of Same viewId in addCustomView JavaScript

Recently in one of my Dynamics 365 projects, I had to filter the lookup using JavaScript because of the nature of the filter which cannot be achieved using OOB filter.I just simply write the following code to filter and set the viewId by generating some random GUID as set a static value. var viewId = “c83ee442-91d4-4b47-bb1b-92523c80e06b”; // Random GUIDvar entityName = “contact”; var… Continue Reading...

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Pass Parameters to Quick Create Form in Dynamics 365 using formContext.data.attributes
Dec23

Pass Parameters to Quick Create Form in Dynamics 365 using formContext.data.attributes

With the deprecation of Xrm.Page.context.getQueryStringParameters, Microsoft Docs article suggested using formContext.data.attributes API to make retrieval of non-entity bound data consistent across entity forms.But some of the sample codes that I found online are all using the deprecated Xrm.Page.context.getQueryStringParameters and some are using… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com (Linn Zaw Win)’s Article on...

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[Power Automate] New Action "Executes a changeset request" in Microsoft Flow Common Data Service (current environment) connector
Dec23

[Power Automate] New Action "Executes a changeset request" in Microsoft Flow Common Data Service (current environment) connector

Today, I found one Action in Common Data Service (current environment) connector while I am creating an action step in Microsoft Flow.The action name is “Executes a changeset request” and I quickly check Microsoft Docs site for more info only to find the following one. (That’s very helpful, Microsoft… Thanks for the information) Maybe it is the preview feature or maybe it is still in progress…...

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Intellisense Issue with Experimental Enhanced Formula Bar in canvas app for Power Apps

I have been using Experimental formula bar in Power Apps Studio for a week and so far, I really like it. I can use Enter for a new linebring up suggestions on-demand using pressing CTRL+ Space (which does not show all the time)navigate around the formula bar with Up and Down arrow keys without getting into suggestionsexpand the formula bar with one click without dragging down all the timelook… Continue Reading...

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Getting the Lookup Attribute of the Parent Record in Power Apps Canvas App Development with Common Data Service (CDS)
Dec23

Getting the Lookup Attribute of the Parent Record in Power Apps Canvas App Development with Common Data Service (CDS)

When you collect the CDS data source into the collection, you can add the fields from the related (lookup) entity using AddColumns function. That can be achieved because the lookup values from CDS data source are returned as a record in Power Apps comparing to Dynamics 365 SDK/API which only returns an Entity Reference with GUID and Entity Type.But adding the fields from the… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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[Power Automate] How to Set Lookup Field Value in Common Data Service (current environment) Flow Connector
Dec23

[Power Automate] How to Set Lookup Field Value in Common Data Service (current environment) Flow Connector

If you’re using Common Data Service (current environment) connector in your flow and getting the following errors, that means you are either setting the GUID value directly ornot providing a correct plural version of entity schema name. Empty segment encountered in request URL. Please make sure that a valid request URL is specified. Resource not found for the segment xxxxx In (classic) Common… Continue Reading...

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[Power Automate] List Records – Use Expand Query to Retrieve Related Data in flow
Dec12

[Power Automate] List Records – Use Expand Query to Retrieve Related Data in flow

Last week, Sara Lagerquist showed us How to Avoid the “Get Record” Action to Retrieve Related Data in Power Automate using the FetchXML in her blog post. Her post reminded me of another way that we can retrieve related data using the Expand query parameter of List records CDS action as I mentioned in one of the Power Automate Ideas.In this blog post, I will describe how you can use the… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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[Error] code 2147748619 or 0x80040b0b when Email or Appointment is Saved with certain Contact, Account in Dynamics 365 / CDS
Nov30

[Error] code 2147748619 or 0x80040b0b when Email or Appointment is Saved with certain Contact, Account in Dynamics 365 / CDS

TL;DR version: The user cannot save the Email/Appointment if one of the Recipient/Attendee has an invalid email address. SYMPTOM When the user tried to save the Email or Appointment with certain Contact/Account record in Email Recipient/Attendee, the system shows an error messages as below with error message 2147748619 or generic error message and Error code: 0x80040b0b. Once the error message… Continue Reading...

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[Bug] Using the ClearCollect() Function in PowerApps does not Pull any Lookup Columns from Common Data Service (CDS) Data Source
Oct07

[Bug] Using the ClearCollect() Function in PowerApps does not Pull any Lookup Columns from Common Data Service (CDS) Data Source

When I Collect from CDS Data Source into Collection in canvas app designer, the lookup fields are not being populated even though I can see the lookup values when I bind the data source to the data table.This is the sample formula that I used ClearCollect(ContactCollection, ShowColumns(Contacts, “fullname”, “createdby”)) And this is the output collection without any data in the lookup column. <a…...

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Exporting Mobile Offline Profile as a Solution Automatically Add Dependent Components

SYMPTOM When a solution containing a Mobile Offline Profile is exported, the system automatically adds the dependent components of the entities (from the Mobile Offline Profile) into the solution without any confirmation.It can be a problem when the deployment is done for selected components and not all of the changes are going to the target environment (not going to be completely in-sync). It… Continue Reading...

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[Bug] setDefaultView is not working in the Unified Interface

Recently, there is an issue in Unified Interface where setDefaultView Client API in JavaScript is not working even though the same script is working for the same form in the legacy web client.formContext.getControl(“parentaccountid”).setDefaultView(“{00000000-0000-0000-00AA-000010001031}”); // GUID of Inactive Accounts viewAfter raising a ticket with Microsoft, the issue had been concluded as…...

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Not Able to Fetch Data with Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension during SSRS Development

When I first set up the report project in Visual Studio 2015 with Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension 9.0 to develop the SSRS report for Dynamics 365, I got the following error while trying to fetch the data using FetchXML and I could not find any solution by having a quick web search. After contacting Microsoft Support, I was given the resolution below and I hope it helps for those who… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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CRM Import Data Wizard of Team Failed with "Could not retrieve salesperson role" Error Message
Jun02

CRM Import Data Wizard of Team Failed with "Could not retrieve salesperson role" Error Message

Today, a colleague of mine tried to import the team data exported from Development environment into the UAT environment using CRM out of the box Import Data Wizard. The import was failed with the following error message “Could not retrieve salesperson role” even though there was no salesperson role assigned to those roles in Development environment. Actually, those unused OOTB security… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com (Linn...

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SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 18.0 Shows Splash Screen then Closes

IssueOpening SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 18.0 shows splash screen but the actual application is not loaded and the application closes without any error log.SolutionCopy the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.8.0.dll from “C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18Common7IDEPrivateAssembliesInterop” folder and overwrite the one in “C:Program Files… Continue Reading...

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Issue After Renaming SQL Server for CRM 2015 (Standalone Instance)
Nov20

Issue After Renaming SQL Server for CRM 2015 (Standalone Instance)

This morning, I was trying to rename the Computer Name of the VM that I copied from my colleague since the computer name was given with his initials. (so that I was trying to rename it to more generic one)The VM was installed with SQL Server 2014 and MS CRM 2015 all in one machine.After I’ve changed the computer name and restarted, I tried to open the Deployment Manager in order to update the… Continue Reading...

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Async Workflows and System Jobs Stop Working and Stuck with Status Reason "Waiting for Resources"

Today, I encountered one issue at the client site where none of the asynchronous workflows are working any more. Any new workflow triggered on-demand or automatically by the event just go straight into the “Waiting for Resources” status.I tried practically everything that I’ve heard about the solution for the async workflow issues.Restarted the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing… Continue...

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Save & Publish Button for Forms and WebResources for CRM 2015
Sep16

Save & Publish Button for Forms and WebResources for CRM 2015

Development for my previous projects, I’ve been using Save and Publish button by Jonas Rapp for customization of the forms. When I started the new project in CRM 2015, I cannot import the same solution anymore since CRM 2011 solutions are not allowed to import in CRM 2015 anymore.So, I just copied all the items from CRM 2011 solution and create a new managed solution for CRM 2015. You can… Continue Reading...

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Fix for CRM 2013 SP1 UR3 The product key is not compatible with the installed version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Aug26

Fix for CRM 2013 SP1 UR3 The product key is not compatible with the installed version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Today, when I setup the secondary front end server of the existing CRM 2013 system with SP1 UR3, I encounter the following error message.The product key is not compatible with the installed version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.When I searched around the web with the error message, this is the first article in the results and the issue is quite similar to mine.<br… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com (Linn Zaw Win)’s...

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Notebook

In this post, I am going to note down all the useful add-ons, information, tips and tools regarding with MS CRM 2013.Add-ons Advanced Find on record forms (CodePlex)CRM Chart Map (CodePlex)Custom Ribbon Button to get the Guid of the recordDynamics CRM Custom Email – Email Templates for Custom Entities (CodePlex)Duplicate Detection (CodePlex)EasyNavigate SiteMap (CodePlex)Form Message Web…...

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Notebook

In this post, I am going to note down all the useful add-ons, information, tips and tools regarding with MS CRM 2011.Add-ons Activity SummaryAdvanced Validation (Regular Expressions)Appender for log4net (CodePlex)Auto Number [GapConsulting] Auto Number [jaimieji] Adding ImageTools to the CRM Attachment Image (CodePlex)Bulk Creating Testing Data (CodePlex)Controlling which Browsers Your… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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Attachment File Data Truncated with QueryExpression.Distinct

Today, I am experiencing one strange issue regarding with the attachment file from CRM being corrupted upon downloading through the external web site.That external web site is consuming the interface web service layer that CRM team implemented to perform CRUD and other specific data transactions.But the problem is that the attachment files bigger than 2KB are always corrupted downloaded… Continue Reading noreply@blogger.com...

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Different Behaviours of IOrganizationService.Create Method Triggered Synchronously and Asynchronously

When I have to create a duplicate records with common attribute values, I usually just write a Create line of code in the loop without re-initialising the object. Entity testRecord = new Entity(“new_testentity”); testRecord[“new_parentrecordid”] = new EntityReference(“new_testparententity”, parentEntityId); for (int i = 0; i < itemCount; i++) { testRecord[“new_serialno”] = i + 1;...

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