Virtual Entity feature Pros and Cons in Dynamics 365 V9.x.

Summary : Virtual Entity feature in Dynamics 365 V9.x.

Virtual Entity helps us to get data from External network without any client-side and server-side approaches. It helps admins and system customizers in administration and configuration.

Virtual Entity looks in D365 to user as a regular entity but contains data that is sourced from external data system

What is Virtual Entity?

Virtual Entity is an Entity in D365 platform metadata without the associated physical tables for entity instances created in D365 database.

How it works?

During runtime, when an entity instance is required, its state dynamically retrieved from the associated external data source. Each virtual entity is associated with a “virtual entity data provider” from an associated virtual entity data system.

Advantages:

1. End users can be able to view the records created by Virtual Entities in fields, grids and search results.
2. System Customizers can create these virtual entities without writing any code.

Limitations:

a           1.  Data retrieved by Virtual Entity is “Read-Only”.

b           2.  It must be possible to model the External data as a Dynamics 365 entity.

      All the entities in external data source must have an associated GUID primary key.

      All entity properties must be represented as Dynamics 365 attributes.

      An attribute on a virtual entity cannot be calculated or rollup. If any, it must be done on the external side, possibly within or directed by the data provider.

c           3. Only Organization-owned entities are supported.

d           4. Field level security is not supported.

e           5. Auditing of data is not supported.

f.        Once created, we cannot change a virtual entity to non-virtual entity (standard entity) and in the same way we cannot convert non-virtual entities to virtual entities once created.

following data PROVIDERS SHIP with Dynamics 365 (online), V9.0

1         An OData v4 provider is included with the service and installed by default.

2. An Azure Cosmos DB (formerly Microsoft Document DB) provider is available from AppSource.