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Lookup Field Behavior Difference Between On-Prem & SaaS

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Posted on by Rahul Mathur

Hi,

One of our customers has noticed a difference in lookup field behavior after migrating to SaaS.

The lookup field simply has a TableRelation to the Address Table, but the search behavior has changed.

We have observed the following:

BC23 On-Prem: The user can quickly find the correct address using the lookup field.
SaaS: The user enters the same value but does not seem to find the correct record as expected

BC23 On-Prem: The user fills "Address Search Name" which is "BRU" - system filters out the correct "Address No.": 432.

SAAS: On the other hand the same leads to an error in SAAS environment.

I have attached two videos demonstrating this issue.

Any possible solutions to align the behavior with the On-Prem experience?

SAAS.mp4

BC23-OnPrem.mp4

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Categories:

Dynamics 365 Business Central

Dynamics 365 Business Central migration

Microsoft Dynamics NAV

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Holly Huffman 6,538 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hi there! Good morning, evening, or afternoon - depending on where you are :) Hope you are well today!

The difference in lookup field behavior between On-Premises and SaaS versions of Business Central (BC) is likely due to changes in how search functionality is handled in the SaaS environment. Here are some possible causes and solutions to align the behavior:

1. Search Algorithm Differences

SaaS environments often use full-text search or indexed search mechanisms that may differ from the On-Prem setup.

Solution: Review the search setup in the SaaS environment. Ensure that the TableRelation and SearchIndex properties are correctly configured for the Address Table. You may need to adjust the search criteria or indexing to improve results.

2. Field Validation and Filtering

SaaS environments might apply stricter validation or filtering rules for lookup fields.

Solution: Check if any filters or conditions are applied to the lookup field in the SaaS environment. Adjust these settings to match the On-Prem behavior.

3. Performance Optimization

SaaS environments are optimized for cloud performance, which might affect how lookups are processed.

Solution: Test the lookup field with different data volumes and configurations. If performance is an issue, consider optimizing the Address Table or lookup logic.

4. Custom Code or Extensions

If custom code or extensions were used in the On-Prem environment, they may not function the same way in SaaS.

Solution: Review any customizations or extensions related to the lookup field. Update or reconfigure them for compatibility with SaaS.

5. User Training

Users may need to adapt to slight differences in search behavior.

Solution: Provide training or documentation to help users understand how to use the lookup field effectively in the SaaS environment.

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YUN ZHU 95,763 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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The video does not appear to have been uploaded successfully. Not sure what the problem is.

Hope the following can give you some hints.

Dynamics 365 Business Central: How to enter any value in a TableRelation field (Without validating the table relationship)

https://yzhums.com/17582/

Thanks.

ZHU

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Jainam M. Kothari 15,639 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Hello,

After migrating to SaaS, a customer noticed a change in the lookup field behavior, which uses a TableRelation to the Address Table. In BC23 On-Prem, users could quickly find the correct address using the lookup field, but in SaaS, the same value does not yield the expected record. To align the behavior with the On-Prem experience, consider reviewing and adjusting the TableRelation properties, ensuring the lookup field is correctly configured, and possibly using the OnLookup trigger to customize the search behavior.

May tis can help : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/webservices/web-service-troubleshooting-soap-odata-ui-pages

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/61524711/lookup-field-not-show-all-columns-dynamics-365-business-central

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Khushbu Rajvi. 20,956 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Same for me. Unable to download videoed. Please check this https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/performance/performance-developer

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Vahid Ghafarpour 12,202 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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