Process Search

Background

Supporting D365/Dynamics CRM is time consuming but when it comes to finding out which Workflow, Action, Dialog, Process Flow or Business Rules updates or creates which Entity or Properties, it is annoying at best. This is compounded by the number of Processes that the instance has.

There are a number of ways to handle it from opening each process and reviewing it to using FetchXml or directly running SQL Queries. Which is helpful but can be frustrating too.

But I thought to myself: self, there has to be a better way, why don’t I create a XRMToolBox Plugin, and so I did.

Quick Start Notes

Important: Please read the General Search Considerations Section in the Usage > Searching area.

Features

Searching

• Entity

Search processes for Entities that are updated or created by a process

• Properties

Search processes for Properties that are updated or created by a process

• Steps

Search processes for text in a step comment.

• Child Processes

Search processes that call a specific child process

Grid features

• Grouping and Sub Grouping

• Excel like Filtering

• Multi Column Sorting

• Double click to open the Process

In Memory Data

Sometimes an XTB plugin will continue to get data from the Org when searching. I decided that by loading the data in memory. Then by searching it locally in memory on the users machine, it would result in faster searching. But, at the expense of a longer initial data load of the Entities, Properties and Processes. With the added benefit of having the grid refresh faster. This also limits the data load on the server where doing a complex search could possibly time out.

Usage

Loading Data

Initial load of the Entities, Properties and Processes. Can take up to a minute depending on how many entities and processes there are in the Org.

Searching

General search considerations.

Additive Search

Each selection on the search form is considered additive to the criteria, or maybe better understood as using And, not Or. For example, an English language query would be: Give me all Processes that Update the Selected Entity. In this case it returns one process

Grid Features

The other consideration is the idea of using the Grid features for Filtering, Grouping and Sorting once you have returned some, or even, all the Processes.

In this case I used the search button to return all the Processes. Then using the Grid capabilities, I am grouping by Process type, sorting by Name, and filtering where they are not owned by SYSTEM.

Loading Data

If you decided to hit the Load Data Button again it will retrieve all the Entities, Properties and Processes from the server again. But also, it will reset the Grid and Dropdown lists effectively erasing your search.

Search Button

The search button searches the locally stored process records in memory and populates the grid while resetting the grid.

Search Features

Update and Create Search

The Update and Create search checkboxes allow you to search for Processes that either update, create, or both update and create entities.

English query example: Give me all the Processes that both create and update any entities. In that case I would check both checkboxes and click the Search Button.

Which gives me no records back.

However, if I just use the Update Checkbox then I get seven records back.

Entity Search

The Entity search will search processes for the select entity. Basically, select an Entity from the list and click on the Search Processes button. The results are list of process that have that Entity name in it.

If I combine the Contact Entity search with the Update search, I get the one Process that Updates an Entity and references the Lead Entity.

If I only search for processes that reference the Bookable Resource Entity, I get 3 records.

Attribute Search

The Attribute search can only be used in conjunction with a selected Entity. Once an entity is selected. the Attribute list populates.

If I use the earlier Contact example from the Entity search, and select the GDPR Optout Attribute. I only get the one process that Updates that Attribute of that Entity.

Step Name Contains Search

Does what it sounds like. You can search processes by the text in a step description. Here is a Workflow that has “Update Description and Ship To Fields” in one of the steps.

If I use that whole string in the search it results in finding the Workflow.

If I just search using “Update” I retrieve a few more.

Child Process search

Search for Processes that call the selected process as a child process

Recursive Process search

Search for Processes that calls themsevles.

Grid features

Future Features

Search Features

Business rule JavaScript

Conditions

Custom WF Activities

Arguments

Process Properties

Process Type specific searching

Grid Features

Status Bar Totals

Limitations

Cannot display memo type fields into the grid because of too much data load to the screen.

Notes

Hardest part of the whole plugin was creating this .md document.