DYNAMICS 365 CRM ADDING ENTITY METADATA AFTER ADDING THE TABLE TO A SOLUTION

In Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, solutions function as the fundamental units for packaging, deploying, and managing system customizations across environments.

By default, when a table is added to a solution, only a subset of its components is included.

This can lead to deployment failures or functional discrepancies if dependent components (such as views, forms, or metadata) are omitted.

To ensure consistency and completeness during solution transport, it's often necessary to explicitly include additional components within the solution.

One such critical component is the table’s metadata, which governs schema-level definitions and behaviors essential for proper execution in target environments.

This article covers how to manually add only the entity metadata after including the table in a solution:

🧠 Key insights into metadata and why it matters:

• 🧱 Table Segmentation:
  In Dynamics 365, you can segment tables by including specific components or metadata when adding them to a solution.
  
  
• 🔍 Including Metadata:
  When segmenting a table, you have the option to include "table metadata" that encompasses properties like auditing, duplicate detection, change tracking etc... without including the table's individual components like columns, views, forms, or other components.
  
  
• 💡 Why Include Metadata?
  This is useful when you need to apply changes to the table's core settings or behaviors without needing to include all the table's components in the solution.
  For example, if you enabled auditing or change tracking in your development environment and want these changes to be deployed to another environment, you must include the table metadata.
  
  
• 🧩 Including metadata ensures:
  • Consistency across environments.
  • Completeness of the table’s configuration.
  • Avoidance of manual rework or patching missing components post-deployment.
  By explicitly including entity metadata after adding the table, you avoid pitfalls and ensure that your solution behaves reliably across environments.
  
  
• 🎯 All or Nothing:
  Currently, it's an "all or nothing" approach when including metadata; you can't selectively choose which metadata to include. However, Microsoft says they are aware of the need for selective metadata inclusion.
  
  

✅ If you've already added a table and forgotten to include metadata, here are the steps to do it without removing the entity from the solution:

• Using Classic Interface:
  • Go to Settings > Solutions and open your existing solution.
  • Click Add Existing > Entity to verify if the table is already added.
  • Open the Solution and locate the table already included.
  • Click on the table name to open its configuration screen within the solution.
  • Once inside the table's configuration window, click "Add Subcomponents" button.
    
    
    
  • In the Add components pop-up, you’ll see tabs for Forms, Views, Fields etc. To specifically include the metadata, tick the "Include entity metadata" checkbox.
    
    
    
  • Click Finish after including the necessary metadata.
  • Back in the solution window, Publish All Customizations to ensure changes take effect.
    
    
• Using Power Apps Maker Portal
  • Open the Power Apps Maker Portal and select the appropriate Environment.
  • Go to Solutions, and open your existing solution.
  • Click Add Existing > Table to verify if the table is already added.
  • Locate the table already included.
  • Click on the table name to open its settings screen within the solution.
  • From the ribbon, click Advanced > Table Segmentation Properties.
    
    
    
  • In the Table Segmentation Properties pane, tick the "Include table metadata" checkbox.
    
    
    
  • Click Save and publish customizations to ensure changes take effect.

Hope This Helps!