Create an entity and connection to import data from Business Central
In this unit, you'll learn how to create a custom entity. We'll create an entity called Employees that you'll use to create an app that displays the employee list from Business Central. We'll also use this entity later in a more complex scenario.
To follow the procedure and create the entity, you must have the System Administrator or System Customizer security role within Microsoft Dataverse.
Create a new entity
Watch the following demonstration on how to create an entity in Dataverse.
Connect an entity with Business Central as a source
If you build your entity with the purpose to use it integrated with Business Central, then you can connect this entity with data in Business Central. You can synchronize them and use Business Central data in a model-driven app or use data from Dataverse in Business Central.
Use Business Central as a source in entities
The following video demonstrates how to connect your entity with the data source in Business Central.
Use Dataverse as a source in Business Central
In the previous demonstration, you discovered how to use Business Central as a data source for building model-driven apps. With Business Central, you can also use Common Data Service as a partially data source for Business Central with standard tables or for your customizations.
Business Central integration with Dataverse will enable Business Central users to make a connection to a Dataverse environment and associate a Business Central company with a Dataverse business unit. This will allow for multiple companies to connect to a Dataverse environment. During setup, the Common Data Service connection entities from the default Common Data Service database will be synchronized.
Extensibility support for developers developing Business Central integrations for Dataverse are provided. With the extensibility support, Business Central Extensions can be written to add fields and tables to the synchronization process, also extending existing tables. In addition, transformation can be created, transforming, and mapping values.
For Microsoft 365 authentication, we recommend that you use the Dataverse Connection Setup assisted setup guide. The guide makes it easier to set up the connection and specify advanced features, such as coupling between records.
To start with this configuration, you should start from Setup & Extensions in your navigation bar and select Assisted Setup. In the Assisted Setup page, find and select Set up the Dataverse connection to start the assisted setup guide.
Before you start, make sure you have following information at hand:
The URL for the Dataverse environment that you want to connect to. If you use the Set up the Dataverse connection from Assisted Setup to create the connection, Business Central will automatically discover your environments, but you can also enter the URL of another environment in your tenant.
A username and password of a user account that is used only for the integration. This account is referred to as the integration user account and it doesn't require administrator permissions in Dataverse.
The username and password of an account that has administrator permissions in Business Central and Dataverse.
Watch the following demonstration on how to set up the Common Data Service connection with Business Central.