12/03/2019​

By Ram Yarramasu | Reading time 6 mins

Setting Up The “Follow” Functionality In Dynamics 365

In Dynamics 365, you can follow records for the out of box entities like leads, accounts, and contacts. You can also see a view name “Leads I follow”, “Accounts I follow” or “Contacts I follow”. But what if you want to follow a record of a custom entity and see all the records you followed in a view for that entity.

 

In this blog, I will walk you through the step by step procedure to set up the “Follow” functionality for a custom entity.

Setting Up The Follow Functionality In Dynamics 365 - AhaApps

Let’s begin. We have a custom entity named “Staff” and there are only two views for this custom entity (before setting up the “I follow” functionality) as shown in the image below.

 

Once we enable, the “I follow” functionality the command bar will show “Follow/Unfollow” buttons and you will see a couple of views generated automatically. Before you enable it, if you open the record the command bar looks something like the image below.

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Now, let us enable the functionality. Here are the steps:

  • We need to go to “Settings” and then go to “Activity Feeds Configuration”
Follow Functionality In Dynamics CRM - AhaApps
  • Look for the custom entity, in my case, I’m looking for “Staff”. If it isn’t visible, then click on the “refresh” button (highlighted in red circle). Right now, you can see the “Staff” entity in the list below which is circled in red and the status of this entity is “Inactive” (highlighted in Yellow).
Setting Up The Follow Functionality In Microsoft Dynamics 365 - AhaApps
  • The Status shown in the above image needs to show “Active” in order to set the functionality to follow a record from a custom entity. So, select the entity and click Activate.
Setting Up The Follow Functionality In Microsoft Dynamics CRM - AhaApps
  • A popup will appear to confirm post configuration activation. Click on Activate.
Configuration Activation Dynamics 365 - AhaApps
  • You will get an alert saying “You will need to publish the related entity form wall changes to take effect”. Click on Ok.
Configuration Activation Microsoft Dynamics 365 - AhaApps
  • Now go to the “Staff” entity, you will see new views created by the system when you activate the configuration. (New views are highlighted in yellow in the image below)
Configuration Activation Microsoft Dynamics CRM - AhaApps
  • You will “Follow/unfollow” buttons in the command bar, if you select a record from the view or if you open a record as shown below.
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Digital transformation has caused a great upheaval, absolutely a positive one. It is the reason that you can witness a sudden rise in new and novel business opportunities. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) you can remain ahead of the competition.

 

At AhaApps, we have the skills and experience to help you thrive. Let’s discuss how you would want to change the way your business operates.

Author’s bio:

Kiran has been associated with AhaApps since 2018 as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer. He is passionate about CRM and is zealous to provide the best and efficient solutions to his clients using his analytical, logical expertise. He loves to play cricket on the field when he gets time. And sometimes likes to watch his favorite series on the telly. He is also fond of trying out games on the mobile.

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