How to Enable Parent Entity Form on a Child Entity in Dynamics 365 CRM (Editable Embedded Form)

Introduction

When working with related records in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, users often need to reference or update parent record information while viewing or editing a child record. The traditional process navigating from the child form to the parent form can interrupt workflow and lead to inefficiencies.

Fortunately, Dynamics 365 offers a powerful solution:

Form Component Control a feature that lets you embed an editable parent form inside the child form, so users can work on both without switching screens.

This blog explains how to use this feature, where to apply it, and why it improves the user experience.

Background: Traditional Limitations

In the past, Dynamics 365 offered two primary options to access parent data from a child form:

1. Quick View Forms

• Embedded form of the parent entity.
• Read-only.
• Users can’t edit the data.

2. Lookup Click-through

• Clicking the lookup field opens the parent record.
• Opens in a new window or tab.

Requires additional navigation and loading time

These limitations led to delays and reduced productivity.

The Modern Solution: Form Component Control Introduced in the Unified Interface, the Form Component Control allows you to embed any form from a parent entity directly into the child form and make it editable

Real-Life Scenario: Lead in Client Engagement

Let’s say your organization has:

• A custom entity: Client Engagement.
• Each record linked to a Lead via a lookup field.
• Users often need to update Lead details (e.g. Investment Product Interest, sector interest) during client engagement.

With Form Component Control, you can:

• Embed the Lead Main Form or any Specific Main From directly into the Client Engagement form.
• Let users edit lead fields without opening a new window.

Prerequisites

To use this control:

• A lookup relationship must exist from child to parent (e.g., Client Engagement → Lead).
• Users must have read/write permissions for the parent entity (e.g., Lead).
• You must use a Main form for embedding.

 Step-by-Step Setup

🔹 Step 1: Open Form Designer

• Go to Power Apps > open your solution.
• Select the child entity (e.g., Client Engagement).
• Open the Main form.

Step 2: Add Lookup Field

• Ensure the Lead lookup field is on the form.

Step 3: Add Form Component Control

• Select the Lead field on the form.
• In the right panel, go to the Controls tab.
• Click “Add Control”.
• Choose Form Component Control and click Add.

Step 4: Configure the Control

• Under the Web column, set it to use the new control.
• Select the form name to embed (e.g., “Lead Main”).
• Save and publish the form.

What Happens Next?

Once published:

• The Lead form appears inside the Client Engagement form.
• Fields like Investment Product Interest, sector interest become editable inline.
• No need to open another tab or window.

Benefits of Using Form Component Control

Feature	Advantage
Editable	Users can update parent records from the child form.
Faster Workflows	No extra clicks or navigation.
Focused Interface	Users stay on one screen.
Secure	Respects field-level security and permissions.
Reusable	Can be used across multiple forms and lookups.
Modern UI	Clean experience in both web and mobile apps.

Additional Use Cases

• Embed Account form in Opportunity form to edit company details.
• Show and edit Vendor info from Purchase Order form.
• Include Parent Case form inside Child Case form for escalation tracking.

Things to Keep in Mind

• You can’t add multiple form components for the same field.
• The embedded form uses the default main form layout of the parent entity unless specified.
• Business rules, JavaScript, and form logic on the embedded form will still run.
• Use tab or section labels to organize the form visually.

Bonus: How This Is Different from Quick View

Feature	Quick View	Form Component Control
Editable	No	Yes
Multiple Forms	One view only	Can switch forms
Field Behaviour	Read-only	Fully functional
User Experience	Limited	Seamless
Usability	Informational	Actionable

Summary

The Form Component Control in Dynamics 365 is an incredibly useful feature that enhances form usability and user productivity by embedding editable parent entity forms into child forms.

Advantages at a glance:

• Boosts productivity by reducing clicks.
• Allows inline editing of related data.
• Keeps users on a single page, reducing context switching.
• Improves UI for complex forms with multiple relationships.

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