for first-time load of Account data into Dynamics 365 using Azure Data Factory (ADF).

Question

for first-time load of Account data into Dynamics 365 using Azure Data Factory (ADF).

Nagalakshmi Pradeep 0

I have a CSV file as source which has Account information. I need to import the Accounts from the CSV file into Dynamics 365 Account table.

One of the column is parent account Lookup in Account table.

The source file does not have the parent account GUID to lookup in Dynamics instead file has account code.

Chandra Boorla 14,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-24T17:54:58.0566667+00:00

@Nagalakshmi Pradeep

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Chandra Boorla 14,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-24T17:54:58.0566667+00:00

@Nagalakshmi Pradeep

Just checking in to see if the below suggestion helped. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

As your feedback is valuable and can assist others in the community facing similar issues.

Answer 1

Chandra Boorla 14,585 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

@Nagalakshmi Pradeep

To load Account data into Dynamics 365 using Azure Data Factory, especially when the parent account information in your CSV is stored as an account code (not a GUID), you'll need to implement a reference resolution step, as Dynamics 365 expects the GUID for lookup fields like parentaccountid.

Here are the steps that you can try:

Load Accounts Without Parent First - Start by identifying and loading records that don’t have a parent account (i.e., root accounts).

Resolve Parent Account GUIDs - For accounts that do have a parent account code:

Perform a Lookup in Dynamics 365 using the account code (you may need a custom field like new_accountcode in Dynamics).
Retrieve the corresponding account GUID.

Set Lookup Field in ADF - While loading the child accounts:

Use the resolved parent account’s GUID to populate the parentaccountid field.
This is done using the format: ******@odata.bind = /accounts(GUID)

Optional - Use a staging area or ADF Mapping Data Flow to perform joins between your CSV and the parent account GUIDs for better control.

Load Data into Dynamics 365 - Use the Dynamics 365 connector in ADF to push the transformed data into the Account table.

Test and Validate - Run the pipeline and verify that accounts and their parent-child relationships are loaded as expected.

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

Kindly consider upvoting the comment if the information provided is helpful. This can assist other community members in resolving similar issues.

Thank you.

Nagalakshmi Pradeep 0 Reputation points

2025-06-20T09:24:30.0266667+00:00

@Chandra Boorla thank you for quick response. I will try the solution provided.
Nagalakshmi Pradeep 0 Reputation points

2025-06-20T11:49:50.8033333+00:00
@Chandra Boorla . could you please explain the step - Set Lookup Field in ADF - While loading the child accounts:

Use the resolved parent account’s GUID to populate the parentaccountid field.

This is done using the format: ******@odata.bind = /accounts(GUID)

any documented steps. It would be helpful.
Chandra Boorla 14,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-23T16:46:55.0433333+00:00
@Nagalakshmi Pradeep

Great question! When you're loading Account data into Dynamics 365 using Azure Data Factory (ADF) and need to populate a lookup field like parentaccountid, Dynamics expects a specific format for referencing related records. This is done using the @odata.bind syntax.

Why @odata.bind?

Dynamics 365 uses @odata.bind to create relationships between records. In your case, you're linking a child account to its parent account using the parent’s GUID.

Format required

To set the parentaccountid field, you need to send:

"******@odata.bind": "/accounts(GUID)"

For example:

"******@odata.bind": "/accounts(9f1a1b2c-3d4e-567f-890a-1234567890ab)"

How to do this in ADF

Resolve the Parent GUID Using a Lookup or join logic in ADF, get the correct GUID for each parent account code.

Create a Derived Column in Data Flow Add a new column in your data flow:

parentaccountid_bind = concat('/accounts(', parentAccountGuidColumn, ')')

Rename the Column in the Sink Mapping In the sink mapping (when writing to Dynamics 365), rename this column to:

******@odata.bind

This tells Dynamics to associate the account you're inserting with the parent account identified by that GUID.

For additional information, please refer the following Microsoft documentation.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/developer/data-platform/webapi/associate-disassociate-entities-using-web-api#use-navigation-property

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/developer/data-platform/webapi/create-entity-web-api

For some useful insights please refer: https://medium.com/@furkankaracan/dynamics-365-web-api-how-to-set-lookup-field-value-afa629ea5376

Disclaimer: This response contains a reference to a third-party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites; therefore, Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. There are inherent dangers in the use of any software found on the Internet, and Microsoft cautions you to make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any software from the Internet.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you.
Chandra Boorla 14,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-25T18:58:24.5466667+00:00

@Nagalakshmi Pradeep

Following up to see if the above suggestion was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

As your feedback is valuable and can assist others in the community facing similar issues.

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for first-time load of Account data into Dynamics 365 using Azure Data Factory (ADF).

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