Use of Table browser in D365 FO

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations provides a range of options for displaying user data, but there may be occasions where unfiltered data needs to be viewed in a specific table.

In this article, we will explore several methods of using the D365 table browser. While others have already written on this topic, our objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of all the ways to open the table browser concisely.

The D365 table browser is essentially a form that presents all data in a particular table in a browser, similar to other D365 forms.

URL Formula

To view a table using the table browser, you can follow these steps:

Use the formula: https://<environmentURL>/?mi=SysTableBrowser&tablename=<tablename> to access the table browser.

1. Obtain the environment URL by opening D365 to your desired environment and looking at the URL in your browser window.
2. To copy the first segment of the URL before the forward slash, you can simply select and paste it into a blank notepad document.
3. Add "?mi=SysTableBrowser&TableName=" to the end of the URL.
4. Finally, add the name of the table you wish to view to the end of the URL.

Table Browser in Visual Studio

To access the D365 table browser in Visual Studio, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Application Explorer within Visual Studio.
2. Locate the table you wish to view and select it.
3. Right-click on the table node and choose the "Open table browser" option.
4. Visual Studio will generate a URL for you, which can be useful for future reference.
5. It's important to note that opening the table browser in this way will require proper permissions and access to the D365 system.

Google Extension

Opening D365 table browser is simple with the help of a Google extension.

The D365 table browser can easily be opened using a Google extension, and here are the steps to do it:

Step 1: Open the link using Google Chrome and click the "Add to Chrome" button to install the extension.

Step 2: After installing the extension, click on its icon located in the top right corner of the Chrome browser.

Step 3: The first time you use the extension, go to the "Config" tab and enter the environment URL. When accessing any form in the desired D365 environment, the URL for that form can be located within the browser.

Step 4: Go back to the "Table Browser Caller" tab and specify the Company ID that you want to view.

Step 5:  Enter the name of the table and then press the "Enter" button. This will open a new tab with the URL generated by the Google Chrome Extension.

Although this extension can speed up the process, it only works on the Google Chrome browser where it is installed. 

If you are using another browser or machine, you can either install the extension or follow the manual formula as described in the first section.

Important Features

It is crucial to understand that in the table browser, the column names will correspond to the field names in the table, rather than the 'label' attribute of each field. 

This distinction is essential to keep in mind while working with tables.

Developers primarily utilize the table browser, and it offers the same features for column sorting and filtering as any other D365 form. 

These functionalities enhance the user experience and provide greater flexibility while navigating the table data.

Use case

The use of D365 table browser can be highly advantageous in various scenarios. 

For instance, in a production environment, it is not uncommon to encounter instances where certain data is not visible on a form, and the root cause of the problem is unclear.

In such situations, investigating the form's functionality in a development environment may uncover that the data is being filtered based on a specific field in the underlying table, which is not visible to the end-user.

Although personalization can be utilized to display the field on the form, it may not always be feasible, especially if the field is not part of a table that serves as a data source for the form. 

The table browser proves to be a useful resource in situations where there is a need to swiftly analyze the information contained in the underlying tables

Furthermore, the table browser can be employed in a second use case where one record on a form is functioning correctly, but another record is not. 

It can be challenging to determine the differences between the two records. However, by opening the table browser and filtering the records to display only the working and non-working records, the values of each column can be compared, and potential contributors to the discrepancy can be identified.

Using the table browser can save time by avoiding the need to wait for a database backup to be taken and restored to a development environment to identify the problem.

Conclusion

The D365 table browser serves as a valuable resource for developers who wish to access unfiltered data within a particular table.

This understanding enables them to efficiently navigate and access the required features without any hassle.