Enhance your Dynamics 365 system by adding file fields directly to a record to manage individual documents and files. We walk through how to create and manage file fields in this blog.
Business users want the ability to quickly attach a document or file to a record in Dynamics 365.
This could be a non-disclosure agreement for an account or a statement of work for a project. Previously, you could only do this through canvas apps and flows, but we now can embed it within model-driven apps as well.
Using file fields in Dynamics 365 CE provides a consistent way for users to attach and find specific files. This guide will show system administrators and customizers how to create a file field and add to a form in a model-driven app. We’ll walk through how to:
- Navigate to your environment’s Dataverse and select the table where the new file field will reside
- Create a new file field within the selected entity (ex., opportunity, account, project and so on)
- Add the new field to the form.
Let’s look at each step.
Step 1: Navigate to Dataverse environment.
Open make.powerapps.com and navigate to the correct Dataverse environment.
Step 2: Open table and create new file field
Click on Dataverse and then Tables in the left-hand navigation pane. Decide where you want to add the file and select that table from the list.
Click +New to add a new column (previously, field). Select data type of file, give it a name and click Save.
Step 3: Add file field to form.
Open the Forms section to display the list of forms.
Select the form to add the new field and double-click to open.
Select +Form field and click the new File Field tab from the navigation pane on the left-hand side. This will add the field to the form. You can move this field to where you would like it placed on the form. Make sure to save and publish the changes.
Additional Considerations
If you are a system administrator or customizer, there are a few other points to consider about file fields in Dynamics.
You can create file fields from the advanced settings area, but you cannot add these to the form from here. You have to add new file fields from the new form designer in make.powerapps.com.
The minimum file size is 1MB, with the maximum being 131,072KB. The maximum size for each file field is set upon field creation and can’t change after you create it. The attachments do impact file storage capacity, so plan accordingly.
You can add logic to require files to be uploaded at certain steps or stages within your business process. You can also add file fields to business process flows (BPF).
You have customer data in your CRM. Now what? Our customer experience, data analytics and Microsoft experts explain how optimizing your use of D365 can help you predict future customer behaviors, drive sales and improve your organization’s customer-centricity.
Conclusion
Adding individual file fields can significantly streamline business processes by giving users a quick way to attach and find relevant documents in Dynamics 365. And adding file fields to your BPFs can ensure certain steps and documentation happen in a timely matter. This also reduces the time spent searching for critical information, all of which is a win for you and your business.
