What is the difference between an entity and a record?
A record is a specific instance of data in the system while an entity is the type of record being viewed.
To put it a different way, if you were talking about a specific book, that would be the record you’re discussing, and if you were talking about books as a whole, that would be entity.
Entities can be used to define common attributes shared among a type of record while the individual records may have different values for those pieces of data. For example, all of your Contacts have first names but those individual Contact records will have different values for their first names. And if we use our previous example, all books have authors, but not all books have the same author.
How do I see a list of records?
Utilizing the navigation side bar on the left-hand of the screen, selecting an of the options that refer to the different entities will take you to a list of records. These lists of records are called Views.
Each instance of D365 comes with a series of default Views and the system can be further customized to include Views specific to the needs of that instance’s Users. You can change between views by selecting the arrow next to the name of the View and then selecting an option from the list.
How do I filter a list of records?
When viewing a list of records, selecting a column header will display several options for filtering. If the option you wish to use is not present, you may filter on that specific column using the “Filter by” option. If you wish to do advanced filtering on your list, select the funnel icon near the top right of the View. This will pop out a sidebar that allows you to apply more complex filters to the entire list.
How do I find a specific record or a list of records based on a set of criteria?
If you wish to do advanced filtering on a given View, select the funnel icon near the top right of the View. This will pop out a sidebar that allows you to apply more complex filters to the entire list. You may also search for a specific record via the “Search this view” field on a given View or you may search across the system using the magnifying glass icon found in the top right toolbar.