How to Use Dependent Lookups for Dynamics CRM 2013/2015/2016

Let’s walk through the necessary steps using two fields to classify your Accounts as an example. We’ll use Class and Sub-Class as the fields. For this example, we’ve created a new entity for each of these fields.

The Sub-Class entity contains the name of the Sub-Class as well as a lookup to the “parent” Class record. This relationship will allow us to filter the list of available Sub-Classes based on the selected Class.

The Class entity has only a single field to store the name of the Class. We’ve added a sub-grid to display only the list of Sub-Classes that are valid for this Class.

For the example below of Retail, once we add these fields to the Account form and modify the properties of the Sub-Class field, the user will only be able to choose one of the Available Sub-Classes listed, when Retail is selected as the Class on the Account form.

Now that we have the entities and some sample data in place, we’ll need to create these new fields on the Account entity and add them to the Account form.

This is how the new lookups look on the CRM form:

Next, we’ll configure the Sub-Class field properties so that only the Available Sub-Classes are options.

Note: Be sure to publish your customizations once you are finished.

You should now see the desired behavior on the Account record. If you populate a value for Class, you’ll notice how only the Available Sub-Classes can be be selected as an option.

This is technically all that needs to be done, however, you should also put a Business Rule in place to prevent a user from selecting a Sub-Class unless the Class field is populated.

In the Account entity, navigate to Customize the System, select Business Rules, and then click New.

The Business Rule below will meet this need.

In the red box below, we are saying that if the Class is blank, we lock the Sub-Class field. This will make it Read Only.

In addition, we need to clear the Sub-Class field. We do this to ensure that a user cannot change the value of the Class and leave an invalid Sub-Class populated.

In the blue box, we are saying that if Class is populated, we unlock the field so the user is able to populate it.

That’s all for the blog today! Want to learn more about Dynamics CRM 2016? Register for our CRM 2016 Boot Camp in Minneapolis, MN.