Creating a Tailored Workspace in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations
In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficiency is key, and having a streamlined workspace can greatly enhance productivity. Recently, I had the opportunity to create a custom workspace in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O), leveraging forms, tiles and other elements to meet specific organizational needs. Here’s an overview of the process, challenges, and benefits realized through this customization.
Understanding the Need for a Custom Workspace
Default workspaces in D365 F&O provide a range of features for users across various roles. However, unique business requirements often demand more specialized interfaces. A custom workspace allows us to combine relevant data, processes, and quick links into a single view, reducing the need to navigate multiple menus or tabs.
Planning the Workspace Layout
Before diving into the development, it is essential to identify the key tasks and data that needs to be included in the workspace. Working closely with end users, one can map out specific use cases to determine which forms, reports, and dashboards would be most beneficial to access quickly. The layout can include:
- Tiles and Links: For quick access to frequently used tasks and summaries.
- Lists and Forms: Displaying essential data directly in the workspace to reduce navigation.
- KPIs and Data Visuals: Incorporating key performance indicators and real-time data visuals where relevant, giving users immediate insights into business performance.
Building the Workspace in D365 F&O
With the layout defined, one can move on to the technical implementation. Here are the steps to create the workspace:
- Workspace Form Creation: Begin by creating a new form for the workspace, setting up sections to house different elements like tiles, lists, and visuals.
- Adding and Configuring Tiles: Using tiles, one can include links to critical tasks and data summaries, providing users with one-click access to key functions. Each tile can be configured with filters and criteria to ensure only the most relevant data was displayed.
- Integrating Lists and Forms: To further streamline the experience, one can add lists that display relevant records directly within the workspace. This will eliminate extra navigation steps and allowed users to act on data immediately.
- Embedding Charts and KPIs: Finally, one can embedded charts and KPIs to visualize real-time metrics, helping teams monitor performance and stay informed.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a sample Workspace in D365 F&O
STEP 1: Create a Display Menu Item
- Click on Add, then New Item.
- Click on User Interfaces and choose display Menu Item and give it a name (here DemoWorkspaceFormMenuItem).
STEP 2: Setting a Menu Item for the Workspace
STEP 3: Build a Form for the Workspace
- Create a form from Add Element option and give it a name (here DemoWorkspaceForm).
- This form will serve as the foundation of your workspace, hosting tiles, lists, links, and other components that will make up the workspace in D365 F&O.
- One can set the design, components and patterns according to what is represented in the below image.
We have created an Action Pane and a Form Tab Control, later we have divided the FormTabControl into three TabPages, i.e., Summary Tab, ListsTab and RelatedLinksTab.
STEP 4: Add Tile Elements to the Workspace Form
- Create a Tile using Add Element Option and give it a name (here DemoWorkspaceTile).
- Tiles in D365F&O provide quick, visual access to key data and actions within a workspace. These can display summarized data or navigate to other areas in the application. While building the custom workspace form, add elements as needed to complete the backend configuration. In this step, create a tile, setting the menu item name to the form’s name.
Note: Keep the Type: Count (if you want to display the count of something, which we will see later in the blog).
STEP 5: Create a Form Part for the Workspace
Form parts in D365 F&O are reusable components representing different sections within a form.
Note: We have created this form in same way as we created the previous one, the only difference comes in the name, designs and patterns, for creation look for the same in the below image.
We have taken SalesTable as the DataSource, and then one can add required fields from the DataSource into the Grid Section (here MainGrid).
STEP 6: Create a Menu Item for the Form Part
Adding a menu item for a form part in D365 F&O allows you to include it in the navigation menu, making it easily accessible for users.
STEP 7: Adding necessary elements to the workspace form
- Create a tile button on the custom workspace form and add your tile name to the tile property.
NOTE: In many cases, there may be a possibility of not finding a TileButton as one of the options when we click on new to add elements in SummaryTab.
As shown in the image, we don’t have any TileButton option, so it can be found in standard, and copy and paste.
2. Inside the ListTab TabPage, create a Tab (here Tabbed List) and further create a TabPage (here All Persons), further add the already created FormPart.
Create a form part on the custom workspace form D365 F&O. Add your form part menu item to the menu item name property and set the run mode property to remote.
NOTE: The difference between the “Local” and “Remote” settings in the “Run mode” property of a form part is that when the form part is called Remote, there is no coupling between the form part and the caller form. So, no linking of data sources and no element.caller() object. With Remote, the form part is executed in a separate session. With Local, it is the other way around. You can link data sources, and you can work with element.caller().
3. In D365 F&O, the Related Links tab is a feature in workspaces and forms that provides users with quick access to additional forms, reports, or pages that are contextually related to the current workspace or form. This tab enhances navigation by allowing users to quickly jump to other relevant areas of the application without leaving the current context.
STEP 8: Show Record Count on the Tile
To display a record count on the tile, override the getdata() method for the tile button.
STEP 9: Attach the Tile to the Navigation Menu
Create a tile for the workspace form and attach it to the NAV menu by linking it to the main workspace form menu item in the properties.
Also check the properties “Normal Image”, “Size”, “Tile Display” etc., for customizing the look of tile on the home page.
STEP 10: Extend the Navigation Menu
Extend the main navigation menu (backend name: navpanemenu) by adding a tile for the workspace form menu item, allowing it to be displayed in the workspace.
Custom Workspace Outputs:
Here our created workspace: Customer Details is getting displayed.
This is the inner look of the custom workspace we created:
Overcoming Challenges
One of the main challenges was making sure that all elements, such as forms and data visuals, worked smoothly together within the workspace. It required a lot of testing and refining to get everything functioning seamlessly. Each component had to be carefully adjusted to fit well within the workspace, ensuring that all data visuals were updating and displaying accurately.
The process involved identifying small improvements to enhance the overall interface and usability. With attention to detail, we were able to optimize the workspace to be more efficient and visually appealing, making it easier to use and more effective for daily tasks.
Benefits of a Customized Workspace
This custom workspace has delivered several key benefits:
- Enhanced Efficiency: Users now have a single location to access all necessary information and tasks, reducing time spent on navigation.
- Improved Data Visibility: With real-time data visuals and KPIs directly in the workspace, decision-making is more informed and proactive.
- User Satisfaction: A workspace tailored to user needs has been well-received, resulting in a more intuitive and enjoyable experience.
Conclusion
Creating a custom workspace in D365 F&O has been a rewarding project, highlighting the platform’s flexibility to adapt to unique business requirements. By concentrating on both functionality and user experience, one can develop an interface that not only meets but also surpasses organizational needs, enhancing productivity and engagement across teams. This project underscores the potential of D365 F&O as a powerful tool for supporting business goals effectively.
About the Expert
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Sarthak Gupta, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Technical Consultant, OnActuate Sarthak has experience in technical customization and development. His work focuses on optimizing business processes within the platform, leveraging tools and integrations to enhance user experience and efficiency. Sarthak is certified in Dynamics 365 F&O development, holding an MB-500 certification. He is expanding his expertise by contributing insights through technical blogging. |
The “OneByte” blog series are technical how-to articles by OnActuate’s expert consultants covering technologies like Dayforce and Microsoft Business Applications (Microsoft Dynamics, Power Platform). Have a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email us at info@onactuate.com!
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