Unified Interface Migration - Part 1

Updated: Sep 6, 2020

Introduction

Microsoft has announced to move away from the legacy web client by December 1, 2020. This announcement is only in effect for online customers at present and they will continue to support the legacy web client for on-premises deployments. The Unified Interface, is the latest generation of web app design for the Power Apps model-driven apps and model-driven apps in Dynamics 365, such as Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service. This provides a consistent and accessible user experience across devices—whether on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone.

There are multiple ways suggested migrating the dynamics 365 legacy web client to the unified interface. This blog is focused on migrating an implementation that builds over a period and has a lot of redundant functionality that not use in the current state of the application. This article is harnessing how we can overcome this issues to not cater the redundant feature while migration also suggests to how we can do this migration in multiple releases.

Let's talk about an implementation that has been developed over a period, highly customized with a lot of custom entities used. Also, possible that some of the functionalities have been deprecated over time and not used in the current state of the application. If we enable the unified interface application from the admin center the drawbacks will be

We have to live with the redundant code after migration until unless that redundant functionality shall not be removed manually
Enabling this migration via the admin center does not give the flexibility to migrate the selected set of functionality/interfaces over the unified interface
This approach would also transport any leakage of the default solution
Addressing all migration issues parallel will require greater planning and effort
Any defect whose fix is not available can be problematic for the entire migration
User training for all departments would require conducting at the same time as all application has migrated in one go

Before starting the demo first talk about unified interface

Run the Power Apps Solution Checker on your solutions- the solution checker accomplishes a check of the solution component against a pre-defined set of rules and generate a detailed report to download against each violation. This also suggests the navigation URL where the solution of identified issues.

This solution checker analyzes below solution components

Common Data Service plug-ins
Common Data Service custom workflow activities
Common Data Service web resources (HTML and JavaScript)
Common Data Service configurations, such as SDK message steps

This may possible that all issues generated by solution checker may not be directly related with Unified interface migration, but MS recommends to fix those issues also to improve health of application. Also check with third party solution provider for updated solution version compliance with new interface.

Ways to enable Unified Interface for Dynamics implementation

The Unified interface can be enabled from the admin center, by selecting the environment à Setting > Product > Behavior and change the display behavior. This will ensure that all forms would load in the Unified interface mode.