How to Concatenate Account Name Fields in Dynamics 365 with ‘Formula Data Type’ (No Code Needed, No Power Automate, No JS)

Microsoft’s Power Platform continues to empower low-code/no-code developers with features like Formula columns in Dataverse. Think of these as Excel-style formulas (written in Power Fx) that calculate values on the fly — no plugins, no Power Automate flows.

In this post, let’s explore practical ways to implement formula columns using the Account table in Dynamics 365, ranging from basic to advanced.

In this blog post, we’ll walk through a simple but practical example: Auto-generating the Account Full Name by combining the Account Name + Account Number.

🔍 Use Case

When working with customer records, it’s helpful to display a full, formatted name for each account in a consistent way. For example:

If Account Name = Contoso Ltd. and Account Number = ACC-001,
we want to display: Contoso Ltd. (ACC-001)

Doing this manually introduces inconsistency and extra work — but a Formula column can make it automatic and real-time.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Implementation

🧱 Step 1: Open the Account Table

1. Go to Power Apps Maker Portal: https://make.powerapps.com
2. Navigate to Dataverse > Tables
3. Search for and open the Account table

➕ Step 2: Add a New Formula Column

1. Click on “+ Add column”
2. Set the following:
   • Display Name : Full Name
   • Name: nee_fullname (optional, automatically generated)
   • Data Type: Select Formula
   • Return Type: Text
3. Click “Edit” to define the formula

Step 3: Define the Formula (Power Fx)

In the formula editor, enter the following Power Fx formula:

Concatenate('Account Name', " (", 'Account Number', ")")

This formula takes the account name, adds a space and opening parenthesis, adds the account number, and closes with a parenthesis.

Step 4: Save and Publish

1. Click Done in the formula editor
2. Click Save to create the column
3. Publish your changes to apply them to the environment

Result

When you open the Account record Full name will automatically display something like:
Test Account Demo Formula (ACC-001)

And it will update automatically whenever the Account Name or Account Number fields are changed!

This will also be updating the existing records as well.

Why Use a Formula Column?

Pro Tips

• You can use Coalesce to handle empty fields: powerfxCopyEditConcatenate(Coalesce(‘Account Name’, “”), ” (“, Coalesce(‘Account Number’, “”), “)”)
• You can add this formula field to views, forms, and dashboards for better visibility.
• Use this concept to create other useful display fields like Contact Full Name, Invoice Summary, etc.

Conclusion

This simple use of a Formula column shows just how powerful and efficient Power Fx can be for enhancing your Dataverse tables. It keeps your data clean, automated, and user-friendly -> all without writing a single line of backend code.

Neeraj Agrawal

Senior Power Platform Consultant with deep expertise in customization, optimization, and integrations. Committed to giving back to the CRM community by breaking down complex concepts, sharing real-world insights, and helping others succeed with Dynamics 365 & Azure.