Configure entities for URS

• 6 minutes

One key advantage of Universal Resource Scheduling (URS) is the ability to 'schedule anything.' So most tables can be configured for Universal Resource Scheduling. For example, employees can submit time-off requests for items like vacation, personal appointments, and sick leave etc. After the requests are approved, if they aren't presented on the scheduling board dispatchers use, schedulers have no way of knowing if they're scheduling someone for a time when they aren't available.

This example is only one of many where enabling items for use with Universal Resource Scheduling could be beneficial.

Some other examples where this functionality could be used include:

• Training Centers: Defining course offerings and using URS to schedule the class, book a room, and find a trainer to teach the course.

• Sales Scenarios: Many times, technicians also act as technical sales consultants. When assistance is needed on a sales opportunity, it could be scheduled using URS.

• Medical Consultations: Medical centers often need to book doctors, rooms, and equipment for specific type of consultations.

Enabling tables for URS

Universal Resource scheduling provides the foundation functionality that is used to schedule items. Organizations need to define the specific tables they want to schedule using URS functionality. Depending on the solutions that an organization deploys, some tables might already be enabled for URS:

• Work Orders: Setup and enabled when you install Dynamics 365 for Field Service.

• Projects: Setup and enabled when you install Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation

More tables can be configured for URS by navigating to Settings > Administration > Enable Resource Scheduling for tables using the Universal Resource Scheduling sitemap. For a table to be scheduled using Universal Resource Scheduling, requirements and bookings need to be able to be created for it. The table needs to have relationships with the following tables:

• Requirement table: Defines the specifics that are required for the item to be scheduled.

• Booking table: Defines the specifics about the scheduled item.

When you select the table that you want to use, you can elect to have > Dynamics 365 automatically create the relationships with the Bookable Resource Booking and the Resource Requirement. After you select > Publish Customization, the table appears in the Enabled tables Section.

Configuring a table for URS

There are several URS settings that can be defined for a table. Settings can range from what specific booking statuses the table can have to how the specific requirements and booking are created. By default, URS uses the msdyn_fieldservicestatus field to populate the booking statuses available to the table. You can leave it blank to use the default booking status field, or you can change it to a different field. The field you select defines which booking statuses are available for the table.

In addition, other settings used to populate items like default statuses, and durations can also be modified. These options are available under the settings area when you define the metadata for the table.

The settings that you can modify are:

• Default Booking Duration: Defines the default booking duration to use when a duration isn't provided.

• Default Booking Committed Status: The default booking committed status to use when a user can't select a status

• Default Requirement Active Status: The default requirement active status to use when a user can't select a status

• Default Requirement Canceled Status: The default requirement Canceled status to use when a user can't select a status

• Resource Availability Retrieval Limit: The maximum number of resources to retrieve a show in the schedule assistant

• Cancel Bookings when Moving: Select whether, when moving open slots to the next day, to leave the old slots and change their status to Cancel

• Default Booking Canceled Status: The default booking canceled status to use when a user can't select a status

• Disable Requirement Auto Creation: Defines if you want the system to create the requirement automatically.

  • Disabling auto creation lets you configure how the requirement is created using a workflow (recommended)

• Default Requirement Completed Status: The default requirement completed status to use when a user can't select a status

• Available Duration Minimum %: Defines the minimum duration available

Attribute mapping

Attribute mapping lets you specify which fields on the table are mapped to which specific fields on the Requirement record.

For example, on the time-off table we have a start time and an end time. Those fields can be mapped to the To Date and from date on the Requirement record respectively.

For example, if a territory lookup field is added to the time-off request table, the Territory field is available to define in the attribute Mapping.