Get started with configuration in Dynamics 365

Introduction

Microsoft Business Applications are a set of intelligent solutions that provide a comprehensive view of an organization’s business. These solutions include Dynamics 365 products that are connected by data and intelligence and supported by a Power Platform.

One feature that makes the Dynamics 365 model-driven apps so valuable is their ability to be extended without code. The Power Platform offers user-friendly configuration features so that the model-driven apps can fit the unique business requirements of any organization.

Work with tenants, environments, and databases

When you start making changes to the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 model-driven apps, you’ll work within an environment. To access the Power Platform Admin center, you will log in via your tenant credentials. For model-driven apps in Dynamics 365, a tenant is an account you create in the Microsoft Online Services environment when you sign up for a subscription. 

There are a few different types of environments. Depending on your business requirements, you might need multiple types for different users and tasks.

Production-This is intended to be used for permanent work in an organization. It can be created and owned by an administrator or anyone with a Power Apps license, provided there is 1GB available database capacity. These environments are also created for each existing Dataverse database when it is upgraded to version 9.0 or later. Production environments are what you should use for any environments on which you depend.

Default-These are a special type of production environment. Each tenant will have a default environment created automatically.

Sandbox-These are non-production environments and when associated with a Dataverse database environment offer features like a reset.

Trial-Trial environments are intended to support short-term testing needs and are automatically cleaned up after a short period of time.

Developer-Developer environments are created by users with the Community Plan license. They are special environments intended only for use by the owner. Sharing with other users is not possible in these environments.

Configure a Dynamics 365 model-driven app

From the Power Platform Admin center, you can configure the Dynamics 365 model-driven apps on top of your current environment. By adding a model-driven app, you will be adding a Dynamics 365 instance. You can add Production and non-Production (Sandbox) instances to a subscription. Each new instance creates a separate organization that can be used by different departments, locations, or for non-production purposes such as development. For demonstration purposes, a Sandbox environment will usually be the best fit.

When adding a model-driven app, your first choice is to select the scenario that fits you best. The apps you can choose depend on the licenses you've purchased. Select the model-driven app that meets your business requirements.

From there, you’ll need to fill in the formation to configure your model-driven application.Once your Dynamics 365 model-driven app is configured, you can navigate through the application. This is where you will see your configuration changes after you publish them via the admin center