Categories for Data Entities in D365 - A Comprehensive Overview

It is important to understand the different categories of entities while you are working on data entities. In Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, entities are categorized based on their functions and the type of data that they serve. The following are five categories for data entities:

• Parameter:
  • Tables that contain only one record, where the columns are values for settings. Examples of such tables exist for Account payable (AP), General ledger (GL), client performance options, workflows, and so on.
  • Functional or behavioral parameters.
  • Required to set up a deployment or a module for a specific build or customer.
  • Can include data that is specific to an industry or business. The data can also apply to a broader set of customers.
• Reference:
  • Simple reference data, of small quantity, that is required to operate a business process.
  • Data that is specific to an industry or a business process.
  • Examples include units, dimensions, and tax codes.
• Master:
  • Data assets of the business. Generally, these are the "nouns" of the business, which typically fall into categories such as people, places, and concepts.
  • Complex reference data, of large quantity. Examples include customers, vendors, and projects.
• Document:
  • Worksheet data that is converted into transactions later.
  • Documents that have complex structures, such as several line items for each header record. Examples include sales orders, purchase orders, open balances,and journals.
  • The operational data of the business.
• Transaction:
  • The operational transaction data of the business.
  • Posted transactions. These are non-idempotent items such as posted invoices and balances. Typically, these items are excluded during a full dataset copy.
  • Examples include pending invoices.