Virtual entities are one of the most powerful ways to integrate Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations with Power Platform. They allow you to access FnO data directly from Dataverse without replicating the information.
What are Virtual Entities?
Virtual entities are tables in Dataverse that fetch their data from an external source in real-time. Instead of storing data locally, they act as a "window" into FnO data.
Key Benefits
- No data duplication: Data stays in FnO as the single source of truth
- Real-time access: Always access the most up-to-date data
- No synchronization: No ETL processes or sync jobs required
- Built-in security: Respects FnO security model
Step-by-Step Configuration
1. Prerequisites
- Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations with admin access
- Linked Power Platform environment
- Appropriate Power Platform licenses
2. Enable Virtual Entities in FnO
Navigate to System administration > Setup > Virtual entity configuration and enable the entities you want to expose.
3. Configure in Power Platform Admin Center
In the admin center, link your FnO environment with the corresponding Dataverse environment.
Common Use Cases
- Power Apps: Build apps displaying FnO master data
- Power Automate: Flows that react to FnO events
- Power BI: Reports combining data from multiple sources
- Copilot Studio: Chatbots with access to business information
Limitations to Consider
- Read-only by default (write requires additional configuration)
- Performance depends on connection to FnO
- Not all entities are available as virtual entities
Conclusion
Virtual entities are ideal when you need real-time access to FnO data from Power Platform without the complexity of maintaining synchronized data.