Run User Diagnostics in Power Platform Admin Center | Solving User Access Issues for Dynamics CRM

Many users often reports issue of not being able to access Dynamics 365 CRM even when they’ve been assigned security roles.

So, Power Platform Admin Center will provide you a Diagnostic Tool to quickly check what type of access is missing at the administration level across the below areas –

Sign in blocked for the User at M365 level.
No license for Power Apps / CE Apps.
Not in Security Group of the Dataverse/CRM environment

Let’s see how we can run the Diagnostics and how to solve each of them!

Run Diagnostics on Users

Here’s how you can Run the Diagnostics on the Users in Power Platform Admin Center –

Navigate to the Settings once you select the Environment –
Then, expand the Users + permissions area to see the Users option
Once you see all the Users, you’ll be able to see which Users you want to select and then investigate for diagnostics.
When you click on Run Diagnostics, you’ll see the pan on the right hand side complete some tests and then show the results –
And when you zoom, you’ll see the information as below –
So, when you check the License information in the M365 Portal (considering you have Admin access), you’ll identify that the User is missing the license for Power Apps / Customer Engagement Apps.
When I run this for User whose all levels of access are correct, I’ll see the below –
In other instances, the Sign-in could be blocked as well and this is how it’ll appear. The error message will point out what is causing the User to not access the Dataverse environments.
And when you check the User in the M365 Admin Center, you’ll see that the Sign-in is blocked –
And a final reason that a User is not a part of the Security Group which has been assigned to the Environment itself.
In that case, they’ll see the below error –
So, if you check the Environment in PPAC itself, you can see what Security Group has been applied to the Environment.
And if you look at this Group, you’ll not find the member in the Security Group at the M365 Level.

You can find the complete Microsoft Learn documentation on the same here – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/power-platform/admin/troubleshooting-user-needs-read-write-access-organization#user-diagnostics?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

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Get Data sent to server on Save using Dynamics 365 CRM JavaScript | GetDataXML function

December 27, 2022 priyeshwagh777 D365 WebAPI / JavaScript dynamics 365 crm javascript, getdataxml

Now, in case you are working on forms in Dynamics 365 CRM, and you want to know what all data is changed – There are 2 ways to get this

Scenario

Let’s look at the below scenario where this is useful –

You have a record which you are about to Edit. This is how it looks as of now.
Now, I have an OnSave event on which I’m calling a function to capture what all is being saved.
Now, below is what I want to change and then click Save to save the changes.
And then click Save. Now, I want to capture all this data upon Saving to know and further process what has been changed. Let’s see how we can achieve this using Dynamics 365 CRM JavaScript

getDataXml() method

Here’s how you will see the data to be changed

Below, you see that I’m using formContext.data.entity.getDataXml(); to get the data that was changed and which will be setn to the server to saving/processing.
Please note that here, I’ve used formContext as my variable to store the context passed from the Save event on the form.

Here’s the code for you to copy and change for yourself – var xmlData = formContext.data.entity.getDataXml();
Now, when I run this on the Dev Tools in the Browser, I can see what is being populated when I save the record.
Once I hit debugger, I’ll get the same in the variable I created.
And when I run this variable in the Console to see the complete data, I get this in XML.
And that’s how you can capture data in Dynamics 365 which is being sent to the server for processing/saving.

Hope this helps!

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Read OptionSet Labels in Dynamics 365 CRM Plugins | Entity object

December 26, 2022December 26, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Dynamics 365 CRM Plugins Dynamics 365 CRM Plugins, optionset in dynamics 365 crm plugins, optionset labels in dynamics 365 crm, optionset values

Usually, you’d look at the OptionSet in the customiation and decide to write plugin logic based on the code you have noted down.

But, at times, you might want to know what the OptionSet Labels are for these Options, in that case, here’s how you retrieve the labels as well.

In case you are looking to retrieve OptionSet Labels in Power Automate Flow on the Dataverse connector, you can check this post – Read OptionSet Labels from CDS/Dataverse Triggers or Action Steps in a Flow | Power Automate

Scenario

Below is the OptionSet Value and you want to retrieve the Label part when you retrieve or work with RetrieveMultiple or object of the Entity class in Dynamics 365 CRM plugin execution context

OR

And here’s the Data that I’ll be retrieving in my plugin of which I need the label “Silver” instead of the OptionSet value of 1 as seen above.

OptionSet Value

Amongst some methods, I prefer using the below to retrieve the OptionSet Value i.e. the code itself

Lets say I’m looping through a list of records retrieved using RetrieveMultiple in my plugin.
I use entity.GetAttributeValue<OptionSetValue>("field_name").Value; to retrieve the value of the OptionSet option and store it in an Int32 / int variable.
But, this doesn’t give you the Name of the label itself. For that, you’ll need to use a different method. Let’s see below

OptionSet labels using Formatted Values

Below is how you can retrieve Label of the OptionSet value from the Object of the Entity class in Dynamics 365 CRM plugin execution context –

Similar to the above step, I’m retrieving the name of the Label of the same OptionSet value I’m working on from the same example above.
I use entity.FormattedValues["field_name"]; to retrieve the Label of the OptionSet option and store it in a String / string variable.

Here’s where all the other Formatted Values are stored in the RetrieveMultiple’s Object

And that’s how you retrieve the OptionSet Labels in your Dynamics 365 CRM plugin.

Hope this helps!

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Microsoft Authenticator app sign-in method types for Microsoft 365 account | Office 365

December 19, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Office 365 Administration MFA enabled Dynamics 365, microsoft 365, microsoft authentication, microsoft authenticator, multi factor authentication, office 365 authentication, office 365 mfa

In case you are setting Authenticator app for accessing your Office 365 account, you have 2 options of authenticating using the Authenticator App from you phone – Notification based and Code based. And see how you can change the preferred method to either of these types!

Notification Based

Here’s how the notification based authentication works –

When you enter your username and password, you’ll see this on your browser intimating that the Approval request has been sent to your phone.
On the phone, you’ll receive the below
And upon opening the notification, the Microsoft Authenticator App will be opened and the permission to Approve or Deny the authentication request for your account will pop-up.
Once you click on Approve, you’ll be able to login.

Code Based

And when Code based method is selected, you’ll see the below –

On the browser when you enter your username and password, you’ll see the below waiting for you to refer to the Authenticator App and enter the same from your phone.
Once you open the Authenticator App and open the Account which you are trying to log in, you’ll see a code in bold letters which refreshes after a time frame.
Once you enter this code, you’ll be able to log in.

Changing the Authentication Method

Here’s how you can change the type of authentication method when you log into your Office 365 –

Navigate to the menu on the top right.
Now, on the left hand side, look for Security Info.
You can then see the different authentication methods you’ve entered like phone, authenticator app etc.
For simplicity, I only have 1 entered i.e. Authenticator App [Microsoft Authenticator].

And now, since Microsoft Authenticator is set as the default method, I’ll also get an option to change the type of authentication set.
I’ll get two options –
“App based authentication – notification” – This will show a pop-up on the phone in the form of a notification which you can choose to Approve or Deny.
“App based authentication or hardware token – code” – This will need you to open the Microsoft Authenticator Apps in your phone and then look for the code in the account and enter it when asked as seen in this post above.
So, you can select the other method apart from the one you have selected and you should be good to go.

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Adding Editable Grid using the New Power Apps Grid Control in Model-Driven Apps | [Preview]

December 11, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft PowerApps Dataverse, editable grid, model driven apps, power apps, power apps grid, powerapps

If you are designing your forms in the Model-Driven Apps designer from the Power Apps Maker i.e. https://make.powerapps.com/, here’s how you can add the New Power Apps Grid (which is in Preview at the time of writing this post)

Scenario

For example, you are in Model Driven Apps designer and you are see the existing Grids, they have only 2 areas in Properties –

Select the Grid and you’ll only see 2 areas –
And if you expand them, you won’t find a way to change the control to, for example, Editable Grid.
That’s where the new Power Apps Grid Control comes hand. This is currently in Preview at the time of writing this post.

New Power Apps Grid Control [Preview]

Now, click on the Components section to reveal all the Components that you could add to the Model-Driven Apps form –

You’ll see the More Components section under which you’ll find the new Power Apps Grid Control.
Now, once you drag is on the form where you want it to be, you’ll be asked to select the records it should hold. It’ll ask you to select the Table which you want to display in the sub-grid.
Once you click on Done, make sure the Show Related Records is selected as well and ensure the Table and View selected is correct.
Now, look for Components section and expand the same. Expanding the Components, you’ll be able to select the Editable Grid.
Expand the Components section and you’ll find another button to add more components that are made available.
Now, you’ll be able to select the Editable Grid here.
Now that you have added Editable Grid, click Done.
And once you add, you’ll notice that the Mobile, Web etc will be shown under the new grid. Means this is now set as default and not the other 2 views.
Finally, you can save your changes and publish.
And that’s how you are able to add Editable Grid on the modern Power Apps Model Apps designer using the new Power Apps Grid Component.
And here’s how you’ll be able to add an Editable Grid on the Form using new Power Apps maker.

Here’s the Microsoft Learn link for the same – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/model-driven-apps/the-power-apps-grid-control?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

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Thank you!

Filter, Search and Lookup functions in Power Fx | Canvas Apps

November 20, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft PowerApps canvas apps formula, filter, filter in power fx, lookup, lookup in power fx, search, search in power fx

Here’s how you can use and understand the difference between Filter, Search and Lookup functions if you are new to making Canvas Apps. I’ve tried to explain the usage of these in simple examples!

These functions are part of the Power Fx and are used in Canvas Apps.

Lookup Function – Lookup function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example
Search Function – Search function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example
Filter Function – Filter function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

Differences between Filter, Search and Lookup

	Filter	Lookup	Search
Results in	Multiple Records	Single Record	Multiple Records
Search Type	Criteria Based	Criteria Based	Text Based

Here’s Microsoft Learn link for detailed criteria & documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/power-fx/reference/function-filter-lookup#syntax?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Filter function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

November 20, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft PowerApps canvas apps, filter function, filter in canvas apps, power fx

In case you are looking for how you use Search function as opposed to using Lookup() function in Power Fx in Canvas App, check this post!

Lookup Function – Lookup function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

Search Function – Search function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

Scenario

I have a Gallery control which is populated with Accounts data from Dataverse.

Then, I have another Gallery control to demonstrate how we can filter and pick records that satisfy one or more criteria in the Filter formula.

Filter() in Canvas Apps

Let’s see how we can use Filter in Canvas App based on the above scenario –

Start by typing Filter while the target Gallery is selected under Items property and you’ll see that it’s a valid function in the list. And the first thing in the parameter after opening the bracket is the source.
Now, Accounts is the table which I’m looking to filter on. I selected this from the Auto-complete when I types Accounts and then press comma (,) for the next parameter.
Next, I’ll be asked the criteria to check for in order to Filter from the source data.
Here, I want to select all the Account whose Annual Revenue is under 750,000.

So, when I start typing the field name, the list will show the correct name which I can select.
Then, I complete the formula.
Optionally, I can have multiple criteria to be Filtered for.
In this example, I’ll still keep only 1.
Now, based on the completed formula, you can see below that the matching records have been filtered in the new Gallery control we added.

.And that’s how you can use Filter() function in Canvas App to select the records which match the provided criteria.

Here’s Microsoft Learn link for detailed criteria & documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/power-fx/reference/function-filter-lookup#syntax?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Search function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

November 20, 2022November 20, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft PowerApps canvas apps, search, search function in power apps

In case you are looking for how you use Search function as opposed to using Lookup() function in Power Fx in Canvas App, check this post!

Lookup function – Lookup function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

Filter function – Filter function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

Scenario

I have a Gallery control which is populated with Accounts data from Dataverse.

Then, I have another Gallery control to demonstrate how we can search and pick records that satisfy the criteria in the Seach formula.

Search() in Canvas App

Let’s see how we can use Search in a Canvas App based on the above scenario –

Start by typing Seach while the Gallery is selected and you’ll see that it’s a valid function in the list. And the first thing in the parameter after opening the backet is the source.
Now, Accounts is the table which I’m searching into. I selected this from the Auto-complete when I typed in Accounts and then, press comma (,) for the next parameter
Next, I’ll be asked the text value of what I have to search for. It works like a “contains”. Anything that matches the pattern will be returned instead of the exact match.
Finally, the last parameter is the Column on which the Search should be performed on. Since, I’m looking for Name of the Account in which I expect to find XYZ, I’ll select “Name” from the list.
Now, the Formula is completed. I’ll get the below Formula on the new Gallery control’s Items property which has multiple records.
And below is the result. All the rows that have XYZ in the Name of the Accounts will be populated in the new Gallery control I selected.

And that’s how Search() function can be used to select records that have the phrase entered in the forumula.

Here’s Microsoft Learn link for detailed criteria & documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/power-fx/reference/function-filter-lookup#syntax?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Lookup function in Canvas Power Apps | Power Fx Formula Example

November 15, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft PowerApps canvas apps, lookup, lookup function in power apps

Here’s how to think about and use the Lookup function in Canvas Power Apps!

Lookup is used to fetch a single record that matches a criteria from the source (usually a table)

Scenario

I have a Gallery control which is populated with Accounts data from Dataverse.

Then, I have a Textbox (Text Input) in which I’m going to pull up a field from a record from Dataverse table which matches a certain criteria.

Lookup() in Canvas App

Let’s see how we can use Lookup in a Canvas App based on the above scenario –

Start by typing Lookup and you’ll see that it’s a valid function in the list. And the first thing in the parameter after opening the bracket is the source.
As you can see, suggestions are also seen in the list below. Here, you have the select the Table / Entity from which you want to fetch the record.
Now, Accounts is the table which I’m looking into. Hence, I’ll select that and press comma (,). Next, I’ll be asked the condition.
Here, you need to mention what record you want to retrieve based on what criteria.
So, I want to retrieve an Account whose “Account Name” is equal to <value>. So, below is how I write it.
In this example, I’m trying to fetch an Account record whose ‘Account Name‘ field has value “Coffee House”
Further, once I have this condition satisfied, what field I want to retrieve so that it can be shown in the Text Input box I have inserted (for which I’m writing this Lookup)

So in this case, I want to retrieve the ‘Main Phone’ field.
And once my formula is complete, I can end it with a closing bracket.
And as you see the result below, the Main Phone from the matching criteria Account has shown up.

And that’s how Lookup() function can be used to pick a record’s value based on a certain criteria.

Here’s Microsoft Learn Link for the same: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/power-fx/reference/function-filter-lookup#syntax?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Setting up Billing Policy for Dataverse Environments in Power Platform for Azure Pay-As-You-Go plan | Microsoft Azure

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft Azure, Microsoft PowerApps, Power Platform Admin Center Dataverse, Microsoft Azure, power apps, power platform billing policy, power platform pay as you go

Pay-as-you-go has been recently announced with Azure and I too wanted to explore this topic myself on my trials Dataverse/D365 Sales environment as well as my Microsoft Azure trial subscription which I started.

Disclaimer: Please note that I’m exploring this topic and sharing as I go on. Hence, I’ll continue to write further topics as I proceed. Please try on your Dataverse trial & Microsoft Azure trial subscription to identify / estimate the costs your actual implementation will incur.

I also recommend going through the below Microsoft Learn Pages for detailed information on pricing and meters of the Pay-as-you-go model –

Detailed Microsoft Docs for Pay-as-you-go: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/pay-as-you-go-overview?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Power Apps Pricing: https ://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/

Pay-as-you-go Meters: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/pay-as-you-go-meters?tabs=image?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Let’s see how we can get started!

Setting up Billing Policy

Here’s how you create Billing Policy in Power Platform –

In Power Platform Admin Center (https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/), you can see Policies section. If you expand the same, you can see Billing Policies.
Here, you can start by creating a new Billing Policy
You can give it an appropriate name. And it doesn’t allow you to have spaces.
Next, you’ll be asked to select the Subscription you wan to assign the Billing Policy under.
Notice the error below. My Free Trial Azure Subscription doesn’t have a Resource Group created yet. Hence, this need to be present.
Since at this point, I don’t have a Resource Group under the Azure Subscription I selected, I need to go to Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com/), search for Resource Groups
Since you might not have any Resource Group right away, you can create one.
I’ll just give it a name which I can identify with.
I’ll validate and Create the same in Azure.
Resource Group will be created here.
Now, when I come back to Power Platform, if I reselect the Azure Subscription, I’ll now see that the Resource Group I created is showing up.
I’ll select the same and select United States as the Region.
And click on Next.
In the next steps, I can select which all Environments should be included in the Policy. Then, I can click on + Add to policy.
You can see the Added to policy tab now showing your environment. Once you are satisfied with the selection, you can click on Next.
Final step is to now Review and confirm the policy you are creating.
It’ll take a moment to start provisioning. Then, you’ll see the status as Provisioning.
Once completed, the status will show as Enabled.
Now, when you go back to Azure Portal and open the Resource Group, you’ll find a Deployment show up
Open it up and you’ll see a Deployment created.
And if you open the Deployment, you can see the DataverseBilling which we had set up in Power Platform.
And this point, you are now setup with using Pay-As-you-go plan for your Dataverse environment(s).

Note: Further, I’ll write follow up posts as I explore Pay-as-you-go scenarios and experience myself.