How to customize views in Dynamics 365 CE?

With Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps, use views to define how a list of records for a specific entity is displayed in the application. A view defines:

• The columns to display
• How wide each column should be
• How the list of records should be sorted by default
• What default filters should be applied to restrict which records will appear in the list

Types of view:

• Public view
• Editable grid
• Quick Find
• Lookup view
• Advanced find

Public View:

Public views are general purpose views that you can customize as you see fit. These views are available in the view selector and you can use them in sub-grids in a form or as a list in a dashboard. Some public views exist by default for system entities and for any custom entity. For Example:

Steps to set default Public view:

Step 1:
For Classic:
Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views
For UCI:
Advance settings > Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views

My active accounts signify as, all account which are owned by the logged in user and are in active state.

You can change the default view by selecting the view and clicking on the more action tab and click Set default.

Steps to create/update Public view:
I want to add annual revenue field in “My Active Account”

Step 1:
For Classic:
Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views > Double click “My Active Account”
For UCI:
Advance setting > Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views > Double click “My Active Account”

Step 2:
Click add columns. Select required field and click OK.

You can set the order of the field by using the arrows.

Step 3:

Click Save and Close. Click Publish all customization. Refresh the account view page.

Annual revenue have been added in the view.

Create new view with new criteria:
Step 1:
Click on new tab.

Step 2:
Click Edit filter criteria. Add the criteria.

I have selected: Pick all records where annual revenue is greater than $ 10,000.00

Click OK. Click save and close. Click Publish all customization. Refresh the account view page.
Note: Accessibility of records will be based on the security role given to the user.

Step 3:
Select the newly created view from the view table.

Editable grid:

Editable grid enables the user to edit the record from the grid. This saves the time to open and save the record.

Step 1:
For Classic:
Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Click Account/Entity > Controls > Click add control
For UCI:
Advance setting > Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Click Account/Entity > Controls > Click add control

Step 2:
Select editable grid. Click add.

Step 3:
Check web

Save and publish all the customization.

Columns now can be updated from grid itself.

You can also switch to read only grid by clicking on the “Show as” button in the ribbon.

Quick Find:

The quick find view in Dynamics 365 is the view that drives the results of searching in the search text box of an entity. For example, if you were in an account view, you can search for accounts on the top right.

If you search using Account Name, following will be the result:

If you search using primary Contact, following will be the result:

To fix this we will add the column in the quick find view.

Step 1:
For Classic:
Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views > Double click where type is Quick Find View
For UCI:
Advance setting > Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views > Double click where type is Quick Find View

Step 2:
Click Add find columns:

Step 3:
Select Primary contact and click on add. Click Save and close. Click publish all customization.

Step 4:
Refresh the CRM page and search again.

Lookup view:

Lookup Views are shown when user clicks on Look Up More Records in any Lookup Field. In Dynamics 365, Lookup Views are available in almost all entities, In newly created custom entities also it will be available by default.

I want to add annual revenue before email and after account name. Follow the steps to achieve this requirement:

Step 1:
Settings > Customizations > Customize the system > Expand entities > Account/Entity > Views > Double click where type is Lookup View

Step 2:
Click add column > find and add Annual Revenue > use arrows to sort the positions of fields

Step 3:
Click save and close > Click publish all customization > Refresh CRM page > look into lookup view

With this we have covered most of the views in Dynamic 365 CE. For advance find I will be coming up with new post. If you find any difficulty or have any query, feel free to comment 🙂