Get started with Modern Advanced Find

Modern Advanced Find provides a more user-friendly way to search and query information within model-driven apps, including Dynamics 365 Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and custom-built apps. The legacy Advanced Find is still available, but it has moved. Instead of appearing in the top navigation ribbon, it can be accessed through Advanced Settings from the gear menu.

Improve search security

One advantage of Modern Advanced Find is that search access is based on a user's security roles and the tables included within the application. Users can only see and search records and tables they have permission to access. For example, if a user doesn't have access to Opportunities, they won't simply be able to use Modern Advanced Find to search the Opportunities table. This differs from the legacy Advanced Find experience, which allowed users to view tables that weren't necessarily included in their application.

Use Modern Advanced Find

Modern Advanced Find is available from the search area in the top navigation of model-driven Power Apps. From there, you can choose the option to search for rows in a table using advanced filters. This opens a panel where you can select a table and apply filters to query its data. Within a view, you can also filter by keyword. This searches the current view and returns records that begin with the search term you enter.

Understand system and personal views

Views are combinations of columns and filters applied to a table. System views are created with specific tasks or job roles in mind and are made available based on the security roles and permissions assigned by an administrator. Users can't directly edit those system views from the standard interface. If an existing system view doesn't meet your immediate needs, you can customize the information you're seeing by editing its columns and filters.

Customize columns in a view

Start with the existing view that's closest to the information you need. From there, choose Edit Columns. You can:

• Remove columns you don't need
• Search for and add additional columns
• Rearrange columns into a more useful order

After selecting Apply, your changes appear in the view.

Filter your CRM data

You can also use Edit Filters to narrow a table to records that meet specific criteria. For example, if you have an Active Contacts view but only want to see contacts employed by a particular company, you can apply filters that return only those contacts. By combining filters with customized columns, you can create a focused list containing the records and information that matter for your current task.

Save a personal view

Changes to the columns and filters of an existing view aren't permanent by default. If you navigate away, those temporary changes can disappear. If you want to keep your customized configuration, open the view selector and choose Save as new view. You can give the view a name and an optional description. The saved result becomes a personal view that you can return to later.

Manage and share personal views

Personal views can also be managed and shared. You can hide views that aren't useful to you, helping simplify your view selector. If you've created a personal view that's useful to someone else, you can share it so that it appears in their view selector. When sharing a personal view, you can specify permissions for individual users, including whether they can:

• Read and use the view
• Edit it
• Delete it
• Share it with others

This makes personal views useful for creating focused ways of accessing CRM information and collaborating with teammates.

Export Dynamics 365 data to Excel

You can export system or personal views to Excel, including the column customizations and filters you've applied. From the action bar, select Export to Excel and choose the appropriate export option. A Static Worksheet (page only) exports the data from the current page as it exists at that moment. A dynamic worksheet, on the other hand, can be refreshed to reflect updated data from CRM. Once the worksheet opens in Excel, you can work with the exported information as needed.

Use Excel for bulk CRM updates

Exporting to Excel can also provide a convenient way to make bulk changes to Dynamics 365 CRM data. You can:

1. Create or open the appropriate CRM view.
2. Apply the columns and filters you need.
3. Export the data to Excel.
4. Make the necessary changes in bulk.
5. Save the worksheet.
6. Import the updated information back into CRM.

After the data is imported, those changes are reflected in Dynamics 365 because the apps share information stored in Dataverse.

Turn off Modern Advanced Find

Users with the System Administrator or System Customizer security role can turn off Modern Advanced Find if necessary. The setting is available in the Power Platform admin center under Settings, Product, and Features. The legacy Advanced Find remains available even with the newer experience, although it is no longer as prominently located.

Make CRM data easier to find and manage

Modern Advanced Find makes it easier to query CRM information while giving users more control over the views they use every day. With customizable columns and filters, saved personal views, sharing capabilities, and Excel export options, users can organize and work with Dynamics 365 data in a way that better fits their responsibilities. At the same time, Modern Advanced Find respects application access and security roles, helping ensure that users can search only the data available to them.