Identify whether a record was created manually or imported from Excel

Introduction:

In Dynamics 365 CRM, it can be difficult to distinguish between records that were created manually and those that were imported from Excel.

However, you can use  "Import Sequence Number" field to identify the source of the records.

"Import Sequence Number" field is a system-generated field that is used to identify the order in which records were created during data import. If a record has an "Import Sequence Number" value, it was likely imported from Excel.

The screenshot below is a description of the "Import Sequence Number" field from the Microsoft Official document.

    By default, the "importsequencenumber" field is not visible on the form or in views. However, you can add it to views or use it in advanced find queries to sort records based on the order in which they were created.
    
    

Next, let's test it.

1. Create a record in D365 manually.

2, Check the Import Sequence Number in SQL 4 CDS

3,  Import from Excel

a) Generate the Excel Template

The sequence number cannot be added to the Excel template by default, but we can add it manually.

b) Edite the Map Attributes

C) Check the Import Sequence Number in SQL 4 CDS

We have the following three findings about the Import Sequence Number:
1. The Import Sequence Number is NULL for records created directly in Dynamics CRM.
2. It is not NULL when imported through Excel.
3. The value of the Import Sequence Number can be manually specified in Excel

4, Finally, we can use the following SQL Script to retrieve all data imported through Excel. 

In Conclusion:

By using this method, you can identify whether a record was created directly in D365 or imported from Excel. This can be helpful when troubleshooting issues or trying to understand how records were created in your system.