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Attachments and file storage in Dynamics 365.

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Posted on by JohnnyL345

Hi,

I've researched and am still not 100% sure where attachments and files are stored in Dynamics 365 Online.

Is this correct?

Attachments in Dynamics 365 are stored in three different database tables:

Attachment (Email Attachment),

ActivityMimeAttachment (Email Attachment Metadata(uses ID ),

Annotation (Note)

Is there also any difference to CRM 2011, is the data stored in the same way there?

Thanks for any help.

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Ricardo Gimenez Microsoft Employee on at

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Hi Johnny,

In Dynamics 365 Online new storage model, there are 3 sections: Database, File and Logs. Attachments (regarding emails) and Notes (with attachment files) are under File section.

Take note that Annotation table is under Database and File section. This means that there are some notes that don't have files attached.

Please, access the address for more details: docs.microsoft.com/.../capacity-storage

Comparing to Dynamics CRM 2011, the tables are the same, the only change is the way that information are allocated into online storage.

You can have a better visibility here: docs.microsoft.com/.../whats-new-storage

PS: Some Online customer are still under old storage model, where there no division and organization´s storage retains all tables under a unique section (Database).

Thanks,

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JohnnyL345 10 on at

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Hi, but if for example I'm using Power Automate to connect to the different entities for Notes and Attachments, where do I find them?

Is it correct to assume the following?

Attachment Entity -> Email Attachment

ActivityMimeAttachment -> Email Attachment Metadata(uses ID

Annotation -> Note

Thanks.

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Inogic 748 on at

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You're mostly right.
In Dynamics 365 Online, attachments are primarily stored in:

AnnotationBase – for attachments added via Notes

ActivityMimeAttachmentBase – for attachments on Emails, Appointments, etc.

AttachmentBase – used internally, often in relation to emails or templates

All of these live in the Dataverse (formerly CDS) SQL database, which can quickly eat into your storage limits, especially considering that D365 DB storage is relatively costly.
As for CRM 2011, the structure is largely the same, though the platform backend and storage policies have evolved significantly since then.
If you're looking to manage storage more efficiently or streamline access to external file systems, solutions like Attach2Dynamics by Inogic can help. It lets you upload, view, rename, or delete documents from within D365 while storing them in SharePoint, Azure Blob, or Dropbox—without leaving the CRM interface.

Thanks,

Sam

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