Introduction PowerApps continues to evolve with new features that simplify formula creation and make app development more accessible for everyone. The recent updates bring innovative tools like natural language-based Power Fx formula generation and enhanced formula explanations. In this blog, we’ll explore these new features and provide actionable tips and tricks to help you leverage them effectively in your apps. 1. Generate Power Fx Formulas Using Natural Language One of the standout updates is the ability to create Power Fx formulas using natural language instructions. This feature is perfect for both beginners and experienced developers looking to save time. How It Works: Practical Tip: Use natural language for complex formulas that are hard to write manually, such as: This approach accelerates formula creation, reduces errors, and lowers the learning curve for new users. 2. Enhanced Formula Explanation for Better Understanding Have you ever been puzzled by a long or intricate formula? The enhanced formula explanation feature can help by providing plain language explanations for selected parts of a formula. How It Works: Practical Tip: 3. Multi-Language Support in Formula Generation With the growing global adoption of PowerApps, formula generation now supports multiple languages. This feature ensures that users can work comfortably in their preferred language. How It Works: Practical Tip: Use this feature when collaborating with teams across regions. It allows contributors to describe actions in their native language, making formula generation inclusive and efficient. 4. Speed Up App Development with AI Assistance AI-based suggestions in the formula bar aren’t just for natural language inputs. They can help optimize existing formulas and suggest best practices as you build. How It Works: Practical Tip: Examples below Hope this helps Conclusion The latest PowerApps formula updates are game changers for app developers. From generating formulas with natural language to debugging them with enhanced explanations, these features simplify app development and make PowerApps more accessible to users of all skill levels. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Introduction Document management is a critical aspect of any organization using Dynamics 365 CRM, and finding a simple, scalable solution can often be a challenge.  In this blog, I’ll show you how PowerApps Custom Pages can transform your document handling experience. By leveraging model-driven capabilities, I’ve built a solution from scratch that allows you to handle multiple document templates at once without the complexity and clutter of traditional methods. Using Custom Pages, you can generate and organize documents across different entities directly within the Dynamics 365 environment, making it easy to scale your solution for any table or scenario. Let’s take a closer look at how Custom Pages can streamline and simplify document management for your organization. The Use-Case: Document Management Application Key Components of the Solution which I have chosen for this use-case and blog Step-by-Step Process Step 1: Create the Custom Page (refer to my previous blog if needed) Create a solution, create custom Page and then embed it into Model-Driven App. I’ve made a sample example below: Step 2: How to retrieve parameters when App is opened. For the App’s ‘OnStart’ property, enter the following code Step 3: Trigger Document Generation App (I have used a ribbon button to trigger using JS) You will need to write a JavaScript in order to trigger and display the Custom Page. Where to find the app name, you will find in the solution. My example is below Step 3: Trigger Document Generation Page Once the document is created, you can close the Page using X button. As per JS code, our code will navigate to Document Tab. Ensure the name of Document Tab is correct. Step 4: Automation to SharePoint Use PowerApps Connector and add your input parameters to it. In the Custom Page, do insert the newly created Power Automate flow and pass the input values respectively Also, once the flow is completed, you can send a response back to Custom Page using same connector but of different action ‘Respond to PowerApp or Flow’. Conclusion Conclusion This Custom Page use-case demonstrates how a thoughtfully designed solution can enhance productivity and user experience in Dynamics 365. By streamlining document creation and navigation, it reduces friction in day-to-day operations, empowering teams to focus on higher-value tasks. Whether you’re a technical developer or a functional consultant, this approach provides actionable insights for building powerful and efficient solutions. References We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Introduction In this guide, I’ll Walk you through creating your first PowerApps Custom Page in Dynamics 365. This beginner-friendly approach will demystify the process and include a high-level use-case to inspire your developing use-cases in creative and simple way. Why are Custom Pages good? Custom Pages are Model-Driven exclusive Pages that can be used with Dataverse/CRM easily, it can bring flexibility and power to your Model-Driven Apps by allowing tailored layouts, interactive designs, and seamless integration within Dynamics 365. Custom Pages supports Power FX commands which are not present in Canvas Apps. Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Custom Page Step 1: Prerequisites and Environment Setup Ensure users have the necessary permissions and access to PowerApps Studio and Dynamics 365.Also, prefer using Solutions as pages are seen in solutions but not in Apps section. Step 2: Create a New Custom Page There are 2 ways to create Custom Page, I will highly recommend 1st point but 2nd point is also there for your knowledge. You will land to PowerApps Editor screen for Page after this Add desired content to the Page as per your use-case, for the blog purpose, I made a contacts page. Save your Custom Page and Publish it. [Note: Do save and publish the App] Step 3: Embed the Custom Page in Dynamics 365 Model-Driven App To add the newly created Page in your Model-Driven App, add the Model-Driven app to your solution and click on Edit For showing it on the Navigation Menu, do select checkbox. But if you want to show it Page as on-demand style/pop-up or JS triggered style then simply add the page to Model-Driven and hide it on Sitemap. [Note: Once completed, Do save and publish the App] Final Output Your Custom Page will be embedded directly to the Model-Driven App. That’s all for creating Custom Page in Model-Driven App. Conclusion Creating a Custom Page in D365 is a simple yet powerful way to enhance your Model-Driven Apps. With this guide, you’re ready to start building interactive, dynamic solutions tailored to your business needs. Hope my blog helps you! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com. Reference Links Microsoft documentation: Understanding Custom Page Microsoft Documentation: Create Custom Page Microsoft Documentation: Calling/Navigating to Custom Page

What Makes Custom Pages Unique? Key Differences Between Custom Pages and Canvas Apps Benefits of Using Custom Pages in D365 Conclusion In conclusion, Custom Pages stand out as a powerful tool for enhancing the functionality and user experience within the D365 ecosystem. By offering seamless integration with Model-Driven Apps, advanced design capabilities, and tailored interactions, Custom Pages provide users with a dynamic, responsive interface that feels native to the D365 environment. While Canvas Apps offer broader cross-platform flexibility, Custom Pages excel in scenarios requiring deep integration and advanced Model-Driven functionalities. Whether you’re looking to improve user engagement or create personalized, context-sensitive workflows, Custom Pages offer a unique advantage, making them an essential tool for any D365 implementation. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com. Reference Links PowerApps Custom Page: Microsoft Documentation – Custom Page

Introduction Tooltips are a powerful feature in Power BI, offering additional context and information for visuals. However, tooltips are not natively supported for column headers in Power BI. This means users cannot view detailed information about column headers directly. Fortunately, there’s a workaround to address this limitation, which we’ll explore in this blog post. The method we are going to use is the Action buttons. We will add an action button to column headers, and the action button will have a tooltip that shows header details. Please find a step-by-step guide for the same – 1.       First, we need to insert a button. Here I have used a blank button since I want to show the tooltip when the user hovers through a particular column area, but you can use any of the buttons based on your choice. 2. Now, go to the button visual settings, turn on the action button, set the type to bookmark with None as an option, and specify the tooltip. Conclusion In this blog post, we discussed adding tooltips to the column headers to give users more context. we hope you found this blog post helpful! If you have any questions or want to discuss further, please contact us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

Each time I attempt to export a solution from the source environment to another environment, I receive the following notification “isGlobal information provided True doesn’t match the value stored in DB False.” As a result, importing the solution into the destination environment becomes challenging for the individual. Whenever this kind of error appears, it has to do something with the fields on the form. This happens when you mistakenly make changes in the Production environment instead of making changes in the Developer environment or Vica Versa. Normally, the procedure is to make changes (e.g., Adding fields or any other customizations) in the Developer Environment and then export those changes to the Production Environment. Once those changes are imported into the Production environment, after cross-checking you realize many more fields are to be added. So we started to create and add fields in the Production environment instead of the Dev environment and that is how a mismatch of errors occurs with Fields and thus it gets difficult to export/import a solution in other environments.   To avoid this error, below is the blog you can refer to. Step 1: Log in to Power Apps using your credentials. Try to check both your source environment as well as Destination Environment. Step 2: In order to check the same, Go to Solutions and click on Default Solutions. Step 3: Go onto the table/Entity in which you are currently working. In my case, My table/Entity is Students. Step 4: Try to check the latest field which you have added. In my case, the name of the field is Courses Offered. Step 5: Click on Edit table column. Step 6: As you can see, my Destination environment (Production Environment) consists of the below field (Courses Offered), which is a Global option set Field. Step 7: Whereas my Source Environment (Developer Environment) has the same field name called “Courses Offered” which is an ‘Option Set field’. So, Delete the old option set field from this environment and try again to import this solution to the other environment. Step 8: The Difference between a Global option Set and a normal Option Set is that a global option set can be used globally for all entities/tables. But an option set field can only be used for that specific table. For eg If my entity/table name is “Students”. I can only use my option set for that specific entity. Step 9: In order to avoid the error, download that error log and try to open it via Excel and try to rectify all the fields from that Excel sheet via both environments. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction Activities are tasks or sorts of homework that we as a team perform when contacting a customer for example making a phone call, making an appointment or calls, and so on. You can set the status of this activity to complete pending or in progress. For more details, please follow the link: Activity entities (Developer Guide for Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement … Steps to create and add/attach a custom activity entity in D365 CRM Step 1: Log in to the required D365 CRM environment using the URL https://home.dynamics.com. by providing a username and password and selecting your environment accordingly. Step 2: Once logging into your Dynamics 365 CRM, select the model-driven app you are currently working on. In my case, it’s Sales Team Member. Step 3: Once you are in your app, Click on the Settings icon and select [Advanced Settings]. Step 4: Click on Solutions. Create a solution or go to an existing solution. Click on Entities once inside the solution and Click on New. Once you name your entity don’t forget to tick on the [Define as an activity entity] checkbox. You can also check boxes on other options according to your need. Step 5: You can also notice the other checkboxes in Communication & Collaboration column, most of the options are non-editable.It’s because we are enabling it as an activity entity. Hence, all the checkboxes related to the Custom Activity Entity get non-editable. Step 6: Now we have to add the custom activity which we created. Click on the entity with which you are working. Then go onto the Forms inside that Entity in which you are working. Step 7: In Forms, once you have done your customizations, Add the activity timeline by enabling it during the entity creation on which you are currently working (checkbox those 2 columns and that’s how you can view the activities timeline in Form). Step 8: Once done with the above step, click on Activities & Notes and you can view the Activities & Notes Timeline. Step 9: Double tap on the Notes timeline and go to Activities. Step 10: Select the custom activity which you created. In my case, it was Order Review. Step 11: Click Ok. Save and Close and don’t forget to Publish the Customizations. Once this is done navigate to the Dynamics 365 CRM Main Form. As you Can the custom entity which we created has been added. Step 12: Click on ‘Order Review’ and add the details. Also, remember you can add many fields to this custom entity as per your requirements. How to do that is by going back to the Solution and navigating to this entity(Order Review). Create or add a new field and then add the Field to the Form. Save and Publish the Customizations. Hope this Helps.!!!

Introduction Global Search for Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a custom module, which allows you to search across all CRM entities at the same time, providing results in a single-view convenient layout. For more details please follow the link: Global Search for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online User Manual Adding an Entity and fields in Global Search On Dynamics 365 CRM Step 1: Log in to the required Power Apps environment using the URL https://home.dynamics.com. by providing a username and password and select your environment accordingly. Step 2: Once you have logged into your environment, click on the Settings Icon and select Advanced Settings. Step 3: Drop down Settings and then click on Administration. Step 4: After clicking on Administration, select System Settings. Step 5: Go onto the option Set up Search and then click on Select. Step 6: For FYI, you can select 10 Entities at a time for Global Search. So Select the 10 Entities according to your requirements. We can even sort the Entities using the options Move up and Move down. Step 7: As I have said in Step 5, the maximum number of entities that can be added is 10. Step 8: Once the above steps are done, Return to the below page and click on [Solutions]. Create a solution and add the required table which you wanted to show in Global Search. In my case, the table name is Order Fulfillment. So accordingly add your Entity/Tables. Step 9: Click on the Entity in which you are working inside the solution and click on Views. Step 10: Typically, the global search option in D365 CRM is associated with Quick Find View. Select the Quick Find Active Order Fulfilments view. Step 11: Add the Fields which are needed for View and Find Columns. FYI, in the main D365 CRM Form, the global search has the feature of displaying only the first 3 fields of that view. So insert the important 3 fields in the view first. Step 12: Once all the customizations are done, Save and publish the solution. Step 13: Return to the D365 CRM Main page of our Model Driven App and as highlighted below, click on that icon and try searching for the value of the field. For example, If you have added a field named ‘Order Number’, Try searching the value of that field. Step 14: Once I type the value, the entity in which the value has been present has shown up. For your information, only three fields will be visible once you do the global search and 10 Entities can be visible during the global search. Hope this Helps!!!

Hi All, Let’s see how to highlight duplicate records in Gallery control what works on data source or collection. In this example: I’ll be using a collection that I will highlight in 2 ways Use-case: I want to highlight duplicate ‘Project Allocation’ entries submitted. If someone has submitted a entry that has on Same Project twice needs to be highlighted. Step 1: I created a collection to replicate the scenario Step 2: Add the formula in ‘Template Fill‘ property in Gallery Control. Note: I have used random color style in my gallery, so output will be as follows For highlight only selected items in the gallery, the code will be as follows Therefore, output will be as follows Hope this helps

Hi All, I’m going to show a useful feature that you can leverage to view and create instant Power BI visuals that is generated automatically based on the current view. Documentation Link Just an example: How it looks Steps to achieve this: Step 1: You need to enable this feature in Model-Driven App itself Edit Model-Driven App -> Settings -> Features -> ‘Enable Power BI quick report visualization on a table‘. Save and publish the settings Note: You also need ‘TDS endpoint‘ enabled in the environment feature settings Step 2: Refresh your browser and navigate to any table records view ( I took cases in the example) Step 3: Click the ‘Visualize this view‘ button on the command bar Note: You need to add the necessary columns in the current view if you want to show those columns in Power BI Reports Step 4: You can now see the Report generated automatically within a few mins. You can save these Reports if all necessary information is displayed here. Hope this helped you get faster Business Insights with auto-generated Power BI visuals.