Using Workflow to Generate Autonumbers in Microsoft CRM 4.0

 

I have encountered many scenarios where clients have required an autonumber on an entity. For example they needed to generate a customer number on an account or a quote number etc. There are a number of ways to generate autonumbers using code usually through plugins. You can find a create example of  autonumber code here. Today I’ll take you though how to create an autonumber solution using standard Microsoft CRM Workflow with no coding required.

First create a new entity called “Auto Number” to store the next available number for your autonumber. Next create single integer attribute called next number and place that on your form. Now you will need to create a 1:n relationship to the entity where you want to use the Autonumber. In my example I’ve created an 1:n relationship to the account entity. Ensure you can access your new entity from the settings area and publish your changes. Navigate to your new entity and create a record as shown below. I’ve called my record “Account Auto Number” and I’ve set my next number to 1.

 

Next create a new integer attribute on the entity where you want to the auto numbering to occur. In my example I’ve created an attribute called Customer Number on the Account Entity.

The next step is to create the workflow against, in my case, the account entity. The workflow will be started on the creation of a new account. Create the following steps in your workflow:

1. Your first step in your workflow will be an update to the Account. In the Update Account screen select the additional fields tab and find the auto number lookup field created when you created your 1:n relationship. Click on the look up and select “Account Auto Number”
   
   
2. Next create another update to the account step in your workflow. It is important to do this as a separate step as you need to link your account to the “Account Auto Number” record first.  In your Update Account screen set your Customer Number field to be a dynamic value. Set your look for to your Auto Number entity and select the Next Number as the field.
   
   
3. Lastly we need to go back and increment the next available customer number by 1. To do this create a new update step. This time you  will be updating the Auto Number Entity. In the Update Auto Number field increment the Next Number by 1.
   

Publish your workflow and that’s it :)

There are a few things to note in using a workflow rather than a plugin to generate a auto number. Firstly a workflow is asynchronous and thus a user will not see the next number update immediately after saving the record. They will need to wait until the workflow has run and re-open the record. Also workflows do not run offline so the user will need to wait until they go online to generate a auto number.