Insights New column option in Model-Driven Apps

New column option in Model-Driven Apps

Recently, Microsoft published the 2021 Wave 2 plans for Dynamics 365 (D365) & Power Platform , a compilation of new capabilities that are planned to be released between October 2021 and March 2022. Several functionalities will be accessible as part of early access in non-production environments from August.

In this blog, we’ll go through the new view updates available in model-driven apps and how users may use them to get the right information.

Model Driven Application – View Updates

There are some new and exciting features related to views in the D365 and Power Platform Wave 2 updates. For starters, users can now edit the columns and rearrange the order directly from the grid view page. With the introduction of this new feature, users can directly perform the actions below from model driven app:

  • Add new columns, from current or related tables
  • Remove columns
  • Change the order of columns in the grid

We can add/change the view columns by following the below steps:

1. Users will be able to see the new ‘Column Editor’ feature in Model Driven Apps by navigating to any existing view as shown below:

2. When you select the Column Editor option, a new grid with a list of the columns currently added to the view will appear. You also have the option of adding columns.

3. When you click Add Column, you will see a list of the entity’s available columns (Custom and OOB fields). 

4. To add a column to an existing view, select the necessary columns and click the close button at the bottom of the screen. In this case, Account Number field was added to the existing view.

5. After hitting the Apply button, you will be able to see the newly added column in the view. In addition, you will be able to see an * mark next to the view name to indicate that the view has been updated.

Users can use this new functionality to obtain additional information that is not available in the existing views without the assistance of D365 administrators. One thing to keep in mind about this new feature is that the columns added to the view will not be automatically saved. As a result, if the user navigates away from the webpage, the view will not be saved, and the previous view columns will be seen the next time the user opens the same view. If the user wants to save this as a new view, they must click the ellipsis and then save as new view.

Remove columns

Users will also be able to remove any columns from the existing view by using the Column Editor feature. To remove a column from the view, navigate to Column Editor and click the ellipsis.

Change the order of columns in the grid

In addition to the add/remove column feature, the Column Editor allows you to adjust the column order. Users can simply drag and rearrange the column order to focus on the relevant information from a view.

Overall, this is a great feature that will allow Model-Driven App users to search for additional information without the assistance of an administrator. This feature is currently available as a part of early access in non-production environments. Let us know if you require assistance installing Wave 2 updates in the sandbox environment and review the changes/new features impacting your environment.

Complete list of new capabilities/features for Dynamics 365 & Power Platform wave 2 can be found here: