Following our first blog on the wave 2 updates, here’s a closer look at some of the useful updates for developers:
1. Use optimized APIs for bulk data operations
Several new messages CreateMultiple, UpdateMultiple, and UpsertMultiple will be added to the dynamics API. These will allow developers to send requests in bulk to optimise performance of the system. These are different from the existing batch and ExecuteMultiple messages as all of the requests will be processed at the same time rather than as a sequence of individual updates.
For systems where large numbers of records are being created or updated in quick succession, possibly through tools such as Power Automate or work flows, these new API messages will prove to be very useful as they will reduce the load on the API and the probability of hitting API limits within Dynamics 365.
Estimated Availability: Jan 2023
More Information: Use optimized APIs for bulk data operations | Microsoft Docs
2. Enable conditional plug-in execution for improved efficiency
Within Dynamics 365, plugins are currently unconditional, which means that they will have to execute and perform any field checks within the plugin script itself. This means that if you have a plugin that should only fire when a field has a certain value, it will need to execute in order to establish this.
Conditions will soon be available within the plugin registration process, allowing for more control over when a plugin executes which in turn will lead to improved system performance.
Estimated Availability: Mar 2023
More Information: Enable conditional plug-in execution for improved efficiency | Microsoft Docs
3. Enable Power Fx in Dataverse business rules
Business rules allow for some fairly simple conditions to be applied to fields that affect things such as how they display on forms or what their default values are. The options available within the business rule editor are limited though, often meaning that script is then required for the more complicated rules.
Power Fx is a low-code language that can be seen in use across the Power Platform and will soon be available within business rules. This will massively expand the capabilities of business rules, reducing the need to write scripts for more advanced requirements.
Estimated Availability: Jan 2023
More Information: Enable Power Fx in Dataverse business rules | Microsoft Docs
4. Ability to pack and unpack canvas applications as part of Solution packager
When using Application Lifecycle Management in combination with Dynamics 365 solutions, developers are able to unpack and pack solutions in order to control the movement of these between environments and code repositories. This update will include canvas apps in the standard pack and unpack commands, allowing them to be backed up/transferred more simply.
Estimated Availability: TBD
More Information: Ability to pack and unpack canvas applications as part of Solution packager | Microsoft Docs
5. Connect to external data from Dataverse
Virtual tables are getting some improvements within Dynamics that will make their setup and management far simpler. This will be possible through simple connections to external data sources. This wave will provide capabilities to connect to external sources of data such as SQL Server, Excel files, and Microsoft List. Users will be able to interact with the data as if it existed within the Dataverse environment, with the ability to read and write to these records. This may remove the need for complicated synchronisation processes when dealing with data in these external sources.
Estimated Availability: Jan 2023
More Information: Connect to external data from Dataverse | Microsoft Docs
If you have any questions or queries about the wave 2 updates, please contact us.
