You have finally taken the leap and implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM Dataverse within your organization. It is a big step towards streamlining your company’s customer engagement process and increasing customer efficiency with your organization.
After implementation however, one key thing to remember is consistent system maintenance to allow for better performance and less headaches as this is key in enterprise apps. Things like slow form loading, inefficient queries, and large datasets can really bog down a new system. To combat these inefficiencies, I have listed seven performance optimization tips I try to follow to keep a Microsoft Dataverse running as smoothly as possible.
1) Optimize Form Load Times in Your Microsoft Dataverse
Slow form loading can cause frustration and decrease user adoption right from the start. Make sure to keep your table forms as clean as possible. Only customize with the fields, tabs, and controls you need. Overwhelming a form with unneeded fields or custom code can cause slowness in loading, navigating, and saving records.
2) Use Native Functionality Like Business Rules or Formula Fields Over Custom Plugins if Possible
One rule of thumb I like to follow as a consultant is custom plugins as a last resort. Yes, custom plugins can be beneficial to automating user interface processes within your environment, but try native functionality like a business rule or formula type field to do the job first. One great benefit of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is that it comes with great out-of-the-box toolsets which help reduce writing complex custom code.
3) Limit Microsoft Dataverse JavaScript and Web Resources
JavaScript can be a powerful tool for controlling how fields and forms interact with each other, but too many JavaScript libraries on a form can cause slow loading times as well. Instead, try to combine your JavaScript into a single file so that your forms and fields only have to reference one library.
4) Remove Unused Components Such as System Views, Dashboards, and Charts
Components like these are powerful for reporting and forecasting, but they also impact metadata loads even when not in use so try to delete any unused or outdated views, dashboards, or charts. This regular system maintenance is especially important in maintaining speed and performance.
5) Leverage Modern Component Controls on Forms in Microsoft Dataverse
Over the years, Microsoft has been pushing users towards modern form component controls. Even though legacy form controls are still available, they will eventually be deprecated. Some example of modern form controls are multi-select fields, formula field types (vs. calculated field types), and editable related record forms, shown within the example below, which is editing the contact record from the account form without having to navigate away.
6) Take Advantage of Quick Navigation, Quick Create, and Personal Views
No two Microsoft Dynamics users are the same, so taking advantage of quick tools can help speed up everyone’s daily work. Native components like a quick create form can help speed up record creation, and to navigate to certain records quickly, building personal views with only the filtering and columns you need can help too. Using shortcuts like pinning records or viewing recently opened records will also help you quickly get to where you need to go.
7) Make Sure Your Device and Browser Are Up to Date
One final way to ensure faster loading times is having your device on the latest operating system and using the latest browser version. For example, a PC running on Windows 10 or later and using the latest release of Microsoft Edge or Chrome will give you better overall performance.
In conclusion, keeping your Microsoft Dataverse running smoothly does not have to be complicated. A little cleanup here and there, like trimming down forms, using out-of-the-box tools, and staying current with updates, can make a big difference. These quick tips go a long way in keeping things fast, efficient, and easy to use for everyone.
Mike Mitchell - Senior Consultant
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