When you want to start with Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365FO), you need to create data. This data will be stored in tables in D365FO that can be global (shared for all legal entities) or company specific.
There is a framework in D365FO for managing data on Work space > Data management
Data management works with data entity. But what is data entity?
A data entity is an abstraction from the physical implementation of database tables.
Microsoft docs – Data entities overview – Finance & Operations | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Docs
It means that a data entity can be one or multiple tables enabling abstraction of internal interaction between tables.
In order to use data entities in D36FO you need to refresh on Framework parameters > Entity settings > Refresh entity list . It is recommended to run this function when there no ongoing activities on data management (i.e. export and import)
Then go to “Data entities” . It will takes some minutes that entity list be refreshed. The following message will be:
PS. It is recommended to not refresh the browser while the entity is being refreshed.
The entity list is being refreshed. Job execution during this time must be stopped. After this operation is completed, entities already published to your database must be re-published if required to ensure schema consistency. Entities on which change tracking was enabled must also be evaluated with the new metadata changes and if needed, change tracking must be disabled and re-enabled to ensure change tracking is consistent with the updated schema of the entity.
You will get a notification on Action center when the process has been fulfilled:
Then you can start using entities in data management via export, import or copy into legal entity.
DynFOTech 
Thanks for the details, One question this refresh will publish all entities in export module. ? so we can use it as BYOD. ??
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Hi Syed Azhar,
Once you run “Refresh entity list”, all entities in the environment will be refreshed and those which got changes will be updated, added or deleted from data entities list. As an example, when you create a new custom entity in one UAT environment, you need to “Refresh entity list”, so the new entity will be added to entity list and can be used for import/export.
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Thank you very much, this means all data entities by default are available in Data Management\ Export module and upon refresh any customized will be available as well.
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Yes. Once the refresh process is completed, you can use the entity in export and import. You can access entities on Data management > Data entities.
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I have an important query, as I have exported data entities to local dev server. But I am not able to see a link between Sales Orders to Production Orders.
How we can determine that. Does D365 F&O provide that by default or do we need a customization. Being an ERP system, all processes must be related to each to other.
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Sales Order and Production Order have relation once you create a production order from sales order line (i.e. Reference type= Sales order) as follow:
ProdTable.InventRefId == SalesTable.SalesId
IF you use standard entities Production Order and Sales order line v2, you can find following relations:
Production Orders. DEMANDSALESORDERNUMBER = Sales order lines v2. SALESORDERNUMBER
Production Orders. DEMANDSALESORDERLINEINVENTORYLOTID = Sales order lines v2. INVENTORYLOTID
Production Orders. ITEMNUMBER = Sales order lines v2. ITEMNUMBER
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Thank you for your response. We have standard entities in Data management for data Export .
please let me know how to connect Production order to Sale order using these tables , which are standard as an entity.
Thank you, please advise.
Secondly. Do we have all entities available in Data Management ??. even if something customized or not ?…
Best regards
Azhar
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Production Orders. DEMANDSALESORDERNUMBER =
I see the above is blank in BatchOrders (Production Orders is a blank entity)
DEMANDSALESORDERLINEINVENTORYLOTID is also blank.
Now what to do ?.
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