How to Use Duration Fields in Dynamics 365 for Sales

Key Takeaways

• Smart Time Tracking: Duration fields in Dynamics 365 allow users to input time in minutes, hours, or days. The system intelligently auto-calculates and rounds these entries into larger increments for better readability.
• Simplified Configuration: Technically, these are Whole Number fields set to a "Duration" format. This specific format enables the automatic translation of raw data into user-friendly time formats across various CRM activity records.
• Data Consistency: While forms display user-friendly time (e.g., "1.13 days"), the underlying database stores the value in total minutes. This ensures data consistency for backend calculations, FetchXML reports, and exports.

Duration fields can be used to show a whole number as x number of minutes, x number of hours or x number of days instead of just showing the whole number of minutes to the user. Out of the box, CRM activities such as Phone Calls use the Duration field to track the length of time a phone call lasted. For new Phone Call activity records, the Duration field is set to 30 minutes, but the user can update that prior to completing the phone call activity record.

Prior to the user updating the field, they can click on the Optionset arrow and choose a formatted duration.

Or the user can manually enter a duration. Keep in mind that manual entry is case sensitive and only lower case letters are allowed. For example, “27 Hours” will not resolve and will show an error.

Also, once the user manually enters data into the field, the ability for them to choose from the Optionset goes away.

One of the beauties of the Duration field is that users can manually enter time in minutes, hours or days. And the system is smart enough to round up to the larger increments. For example, if the user enters “65 minutes”, the system will round up to “1.08 hours”. Or if the user enters “27 hours”, the system will calculate the number of days to be “1.13”.

Customization:

On the back end, the duration field is configured as a Whole Number field with a format of “Duration”. This format is what provides the magic of the translation of minutes, hours and days.

Other Considerations:

• Like the data type or field type, the format cannot be changed once the field has been created.
• As this field is a whole number data type, the actual data that is stored in the database is the number of minutes. This means that views and forms will show the “1.13 days” but charts, exported data and FetchXML reports will show 1620 minutes.
• Whole number fields with a Duration format may be used as calculated fields. The formula for the example above would be something like “DiffInMinutes(EnteredQueue,Now())”

FAQs on duration fields in D365 Sales

What are duration fields in Dynamics 365 for Sales?
They are specialized fields used to track and display time-based activities, like phone calls. They translate a whole number of minutes into a user-friendly format of minutes, hours, or days within the interface.

How do you configure and use duration fields in Dynamics 365?
Configure them as a "Whole Number" data type with the "Duration" format selected. Users can select pre-formatted options from an arrow menu or manually type in values using lowercase letters (e.g., "65 minutes").

What are common use cases for duration fields in sales processes?
The primary use case is tracking the length of sales activities, such as phone calls or meetings. They help sales teams accurately log time spent on specific tasks, which can be useful for performance tracking and resource management.

How can duration field data improve reporting and forecasting?
Since the system stores all duration data as total minutes in the database, it provides a consistent, granular metric for reporting. This allows for precise calculations in charts, FetchXML reports, and calculated fields to drive insights.

Contact us to learn more about using duration fields in Dynamics 365 for Sales.