In Microsoft Dynamics 365, you customize the platform with solutions in Power Apps. This used to be the new way to do it, alongside a classic solution designer. That choice is gone: the classic app, form, and view designers were deprecated, and the modern designer is now the standard and only way to build model-driven apps. Here is why that is a good thing.
The modern designer is now the default
Microsoft began deprecating the classic designers in late 2023, and recent releases removed the option to switch a model-driven app back to the classic look. If you customize Dynamics 365 today, you work in the modern designer at make.powerapps.com. The transition had rough edges early on, but the modern experience has matured into a faster, more capable tool.
Benefits the modern solution designer gives you
- Resize columns on the fly with live data previews. In the old designer there was no way to set view column widths without editing XML by hand. Now you drag to resize and see the result immediately.
- Edit views against real data. While you build a view, you see real records. You adjust column sizes, check sorting, verify your filters, and confirm the right columns are present, all in context.
- Add cloud flows directly. The modern, solution-aware approach lets you build and manage Power Automate flows inside the solution, which the classic designer could not do.
- Run the solution checker. Built-in health checks flag issues in your customizations before they reach users.
- Work in one maker portal. Apps, tables, forms, views, and automation all live in the same Power Apps maker experience.
A note on solution-aware flows
Cloud flows you build inside a solution are managed through that solution rather than a separate personal-flows list. That is by design in the modern platform: it keeps your automation packaged with the app it supports, which makes moving customizations between environments far cleaner.
Getting customization right
The modern designer is powerful, but good Dynamics 365 customization is still about solution architecture, environment strategy, and governance, not just where the buttons are. If you want help building and maintaining D365 the right way, our Dynamics 365 and Power Platform team can scope the work.
When to use the solution designer
Use the designer when you need to package model-driven app changes in a controlled way. Common examples include adding a table to an app, changing a form, updating a view, adding a business process flow, introducing automation, or preparing a solution for deployment between environments.
The important point is that solution work should not happen randomly in production. Build and test changes in the right environment, include the right components, and move the solution forward only when it has been reviewed. The modern designer helps because it keeps more of that work in one maker experience.
Governance checklist for Dynamics 365 customizations
- Use separate development, test, and production environments when the change affects users.
- Put related tables, apps, flows, forms, views, and security changes into the same managed release plan.
- Run the solution checker before moving customizations forward.
- Document why each customization exists so future admins know whether it is still needed.
- Keep unmanaged work out of production unless there is a clear emergency process.
Common mistakes to avoid
The biggest mistake is treating the designer as a shortcut around architecture. A quick field, view, or flow can create long-term maintenance problems if it is not named clearly, included in the right solution, and tested with the right security roles. Another common mistake is moving only part of a customization, then discovering that a dependent component was left behind.
The modern designer makes customization easier, but it does not replace change management. For serious Dynamics 365 work, pair the designer with environment governance, release notes, ownership, and a rollback plan.
Sources checked: learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com.
