Understanding Entities
Add custom entities Entities created by a developer or System Customizer in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. They are created in the customization area and can be included in a solution. Custom entities might be further customizable, depending on restrictions placed on them when created. and modify business entities A standard Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online entity that can be customized or added to a solution. When part of a solution, business entities might be further customizable, depending on the restrictions placed on them when created. to match your evolving business needs. Make these changes directly from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online user interface. No programming is required.
To customize entities, you must have the System Administrator or System Customizer security role A defined set of privileges. The security role assigned to a user determines which tasks the user can perform and which parts of the user interface the user can view. All users must be assigned at least one security role in order to access the system., or have equivalent privileges. More information: Permissions required for customization
Each entity has a number of fields A property of an entity with a specific data type. Fields are analogous to columns in a database table. When they are added to an entity form, they are displayed as fields that correspond to their data type.. There are two types of fields:
- Business fields. These are any standard Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online field that can be customized or added to a solution. When part of a solution, business fields might be further customizable, depending on the restrictions placed on them when creating the solution.
- Custom fields. These are created in the customization area and can be included in a solution. Custom fields might be customizable further, depending on restrictions placed on them when creating the solution.
More information: Work with Entities
Activity Entities
Activities are a special type of system entity. Create custom activity An action to be performed, such as a task, or a communication item that is sent or received, for example, e-mail, phone calls, and appointments. The status of activities is tracked and the activity history is stored in the system, so users can view the open and closed activities. entities to support your communication needs, including instant messaging (IM) and text messaging (SMS). More information: Understanding Activity Entities
Editing Entities
For most business entities and all custom entities, you can modify the following:
Entity customization
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More information
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Create custom entities Entities created by a developer or System Customizer in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. They are created in the customization area and can be included in a solution. Custom entities might be further customizable, depending on restrictions placed on them when created., or customize existing business entities A standard Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online entity that can be customized or added to a solution. When part of a solution, business entities might be further customizable, depending on the restrictions placed on them when created., to structure and manage your data.
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Understanding Activity Entities
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Create or modify entity relationships Metadata configurations that allow for related records to have lookup fields, which let users link the related records to other records. Any related records can appear in a list that is visible from the record that they have been related to. so related records have lookup fields. These let people link them to other records.
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Understanding Hierarchical Entity Relationships, Understanding Entity Relationships
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Create or modify fields A property of an entity with a specific data type. Fields are analogous to columns in a database table. When they are added to an entity form, they are displayed as fields that correspond to their data type. to capture specific types of data. After you create new fields, be sure to include them on the forms Pages that display detailed information that users have entered into Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online about specific records, such as all information about a contact. Information that users enter in a form is stored in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as a record. and views Filters applied to a list of records. Users can choose different views that contain all the records or activities of a particular type or that are a subset of that type. for the entity A structure used to manage data. A synonym is "record type". Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online entities include Account, Case, and Activity. so that they are available from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online user interface.
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Understanding Entity Fields, Mapping Entity Fields
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Create or modify entity forms to see or input relevant data to the entity. You can specify which users or teams see a specific form by assigning security roles to the forms.
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Create a or edit a form for an entity
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Create or modify entity views Filters applied to a list of records. Users can choose different views that contain all the records or activities of a particular type or that are a subset of that type. to help people easily apply specific data filters to a group of entity records.
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Work with Views
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For a custom entity, select a symbol to use for the entity.
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Update Icons
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Saving and Publishing Customizations
If you make entity customizations that involve visual changes in the application, you must publish the entity after you save your changes to have the changes take effect.
If you make a change to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database structure, CRM applies the change immediately. Included with database structure changes are the creation or modification of entities, fields, or relationships.
