Best way to read Plugin trace log

 All developers read Plugin trace log quite often when developing and investigating plugin issues. So if you add tracing in a meaningful manner it can pin point the erroneous point of the code. 

Anyway, one issue we face in this regards is its not easy to identify the exact trace log we are interested in. Suppose we analyze an issue in PROD environment where a lot of operations occur is same time. My personal opinion is its not even helpful with applying multiple filters to track the exact record.

In such situations, I find Plugin Trace Viewer (of Xrm Tool Box) helpful.

That's because, it allows you to apply many filters effectively by date, Plugin etc. which definitely help you fetch the exact trace you are searching for, evening with in lots of lots of traces. 

(Note: Please press Ctrl + F for text search of the trace log which is a most important feature)

I am very thankful to Jonas Rapp who is the author of the tool.

You too will like it!

Check if deployed assembly got your code

While we have all the processes in place for deployments, I still sometimes feel like checking if my code change was actually deployed. This happens when we work with many developers at the same time where anyone can deploy a new version of assembly to DEV environment. What is in the DEV at the time of the deployment will be pushed to other environments. Here we explain a way to decompile and check the assembly using two tools.

A. Download the Assembly using Assembly Recovery Tool (Xrm Toolbox)

Once we connect to an environment and load the tool, it list down all the assemblies of the environment.

Then its a matter of selecting the correct assembly and download.

B. Decompile the code using JetBrains DotPeak (https://www.jetbrains.com/decompiler/)

Download and install the JetBrains DotPeak tool in your PC/ Laptop.

Then you are able to open the folder where you saved the Assembly in the previous step where you can go down to classes and identify the method you are interested in. Then double click it and you will get the code in right hand side pane.

Hope this helps.

Run an Update Plug-ins On Demand

One of the main questions asked in D365/ Dataverse jobs interviews, event today,  is differences of Plug-ins and Workflows. I used to say Plugins cannot be executed on Demand, but workflows. Its not wrong, but there is one indirect way of executing Update plugins on Demand. That's through bulk data updated.

Within the update options of the tool, you will find an option called Touch which really doesn't update the field, but it triggers other business logic bind to that operation.  (How it is done? I don't know!)

Anyway, this is an interesting option. Below are a couple of things to note;

1. This operation doesn't add anything to Audit.

2. One limitation is if there are many custom business logics (More than one Plug-ins, WFs), they all will get executed. No way of selecting what you want.