Several options to find the user groups per user in D365FO and AX2012

A lot of organizations uses the System Administration 'User groups' in D365FO or AX 2012. By example to manage the workflow approval groups, manage period posting access or budget control groups.

Sometimes you need to change the users in these user groups, by example if someone leaves the company or when internal changes needs to be made. In that case you sometimes need to find all User groups where a specific user is linked to. I get a lot of questions about how you can quickly find all the user groups that are linked to a specific users. In both D365FO and AX2012 several ways can help you.

So what can you do to find all the user groups where a specific users is added to? In this article I will explain four options for D365FO and two options in AX 2012 that can help you.

D365FO

For D365FO I explain the following ways to find the user groups per user:

1. Create a new table join in the User group form.
2. Use table browser caller (like the old 'AOT', looking directly in the table)
3. User the Data Management workspace (creating an export project)
4. Use the Excel-Add in (here you are also able to change the participants in the groups and publish back to D365FO)

For all of these options the prerequisite is that you have the security access to perform the actions.

Create a new table join in the User group form

In the User group form you can open the option for 'Advanced filter or sort'. In this filter you can create a Join with the 'User group list'.

When you have made this join, you will be able to add the filter 'User-Id':

Now by using the filter, only the user groups for the specific user will be presented. I think this is the most easy way from functional perspective to find all the user groups for a specific user.

Use table browser caller

In the concerning D365FO environment you can use the following link:

https://YOUR_ENVIRONMENT_NAME.dynamics.com/?mi=SysTableBrowser&TableName=UserGroupList&cmp=DAT

Now the table UserGroupList will open:

Here you will find a list with all user groups including all users. So by filtering on the column 'UserId', you quickly can find all user groups related to a specific user.

Use the Data Management Workspace

In the Data Management workspace you can create a new Export project:

In the export project, add the data entity 'User group user list' and select the output (Target data) format:

When finished, at the top of the form click on 'Export'. A new form will with executing information will be presented. You can close this and go back to the page where the export is created. When the batch job for the export is finished, you can click here on 'Job history':

In the form of Execution history click on the (most recent) 'Job ID':

Now the Execution summary screen will open. Here you can click on 'Download package'.

In the created ZIP-file open the Excel document. Here you will find all user groups including all users:

With the filter options in Excel you can quickly find all the user groups where a specific user is linked to.

Use the Excel Add-in

In the System Administration module open the option 'User groups'. Use the 'Open in Excel' functionality to open this page in Excel.

Create a new tab in the Excel file and open the Designer:

Click on 'Add table' and select the Data entity 'User group user list':

Go to the next page and select both available fields to be 'Selected fields'.

Finish the steps in the Add-in and refresh the data. Now the groups and users will be presented in Excel:

Here it is also possible to change the users and publish back to D365FO. So by example I change user Alicia in the Approvers group into user Admin and publish the data after the change:

Back in D365FO the user 'Alicia' is replaced by user 'Admin' (if you can't see it immediately, open the option 'User groups' again to see the result.

Don't forget to save the Excel file to reuse later without adding the tab and table relation again :).

AX2012

For AX 2012 I explain two options:

1. Add table join in User group page
2. Use AOT

Add table join in User group page

In the User group list page there is no button for the advanced filter. But you can open the option by clicking on Control + F3.

In the filter add a table join to the 'User group list' and add the user ID:

When you run the filter, only the User Groups for that specific user will be presented.

Use AOT

In AX2012 open the AOT and open the option 'Tables' in the Data Dictionary. Open the table 'UserGroupList'. In the Table browser you will find the list of user groups and users:

Filter on the user if you want to see all the groups for a specific user.