Understanding how business records connect is essential for organizations using Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. Businesses manage large volumes of account, contact, opportunity, and other related records. Although traditional CRM forms and lists help users access individual records, they may not always provide a clear picture of complex relationships. A hierarchy view in Dynamics 365 makes these connections easier to understand by presenting related records in a structured visual format.
Whether a sales representative wants to explore a customer's organizational structure or an account manager needs to understand parent-child account relationships, hierarchy visualization can simplify CRM data exploration. It helps users move beyond individual records and gain a broader understanding of how business entities are connected.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers a native Hierarchical Relationship Visualizer for Dynamics 365 Sales, while solutions such as Map My Relationships by Inogic provide additional visualization options for organizations working across different model-driven apps. Understanding the differences between these approaches can help businesses select the right solution for their CRM requirements.
What Is Hierarchy View in Dynamics 365?
Hierarchy view in Dynamics 365 is a visual representation of relationships between connected CRM records. It displays information in a tree-like structure, making parent-child relationships and organizational hierarchies easier to explore.
For example, a company may have a parent account connected to several subsidiaries, regional offices, or business units. Instead of navigating through individual account records, users can view the structure as a hierarchy and explore the connections between related entities.
A Dynamics 365 hierarchy view can help users:
Visualize parent-child account relationships.
Explore account and contact hierarchies.
Understand organizational structures.
Navigate connected CRM records.
Identify relationships between business entities.
Improve visibility into complex customer data.
This visual approach can be useful for sales teams, account managers, customer service professionals, and CRM administrators who regularly work with interconnected records.
Understanding the Native Hierarchy Control in Dynamics 365
Microsoft provides a native Hierarchical Relationship Visualizer in Dynamics 365 Sales. It allows users to explore supported relationships directly within the Sales Hub experience.
The updated native hierarchy functionality supports single-table and multi-table relationship visualization. Users can explore connected records, including accounts, contacts, opportunities, and supported custom tables, within a connected hierarchy.
Some of its important capabilities include:
Multi-table hierarchy: Explore supported relationships across multiple tables in a connected structure.
Customizable tiles: Display relevant record fields and customize visual elements such as colors, icons, and tile sizes.
Inline editing: Open a side pane to update supported record information without leaving the hierarchy view.
Relationship support: Work with supported one-to-many, many-to-many, and Dataverse connection relationships.
Hierarchy navigation: Expand and explore connected records across different levels.
These capabilities make the native hierarchy control useful for organizations that primarily work within Dynamics 365 Sales Hub and need structured relationship visualization.
What Is Map My Relationships Hierarchy View?
Map My Relationships by Inogic is a Dynamics 365 CRM relationship mapping solution that helps users visualize connections between accounts, contacts, opportunities, and other supported standard or custom entities.
Its hierarchy view displays records in a tree-like structure, helping users understand parent-child relationships and explore connected information. In addition to hierarchy visualization, the solution offers a Mind Map View for exploring broader relationships around a selected CRM record.
This gives users more than one way to understand their CRM data.
Key capabilities include:
Hierarchy View: Explore supported parent-child relationships through a structured visual layout.
Mind Map View: Visualize connected records around a central record, including relationships that may not follow a simple parent-child structure.
Multi-level exploration: Navigate through connected records and explore additional relationship levels.
Custom entity support: Configure supported custom entities and relationships for visualization.
CRM integration: Explore relationship information within supported Dynamics 365 model-driven applications.
Map My Relationships is designed for organizations that need relationship visualization beyond a single Dynamics 365 application.
Dynamics 365 Native Hierarchy Control vs. Map My Relationships
Both solutions help users understand connected CRM information, but they differ in their availability, visualization options, and capabilities.
| Feature | Native Hierarchy Control | Map My Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Dynamics 365 Sales Hub | Supported Dynamics 365 model-driven apps |
| Hierarchy visualization | Yes | Yes |
| Mind Map View | No | Yes |
| Multi-level navigation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom entity support | Supported | Supported through configuration |
| Tile or card customization | Supports configurable fields, colors, icons, and sizes | Displays fields from a selected view |
| Inline editing | Supports side-pane editing | Opens the associated record for updates |
| Broader relationship exploration | Focuses on hierarchy structures | Offers hierarchy and mind map layouts |
| Licensing | Included with the applicable Dynamics 365 Sales license | Requires a separate subscription or license |
The native hierarchy control is a suitable option for organizations that primarily use Dynamics 365 Sales Hub and want Microsoft's built-in hierarchy visualization. Map My Relationships may be more suitable when businesses need additional visualization options or want to explore relationships across different model-driven applications.
Hierarchy View vs. Mind Map View: What Is the Difference?
Although both formats visualize CRM relationships, they present information differently.
Hierarchy View displays records in a structured tree format. It is particularly useful for understanding directional parent-child relationships, such as a parent company connected to subsidiaries or an account connected to subordinate records.
Mind Map View presents related records around a central record. Instead of focusing only on a parent-child structure, it helps users explore broader connections in different directions.
For example, an account manager may use hierarchy view to understand a company's organizational structure. The same user may use mind map view to explore connections between the account, contacts, opportunities, and other related records.
Choosing the appropriate view depends on whether the business needs to understand a defined hierarchy or explore a wider network of relationships.
Which Hierarchy View Solution Should You Choose?
The right solution depends on your organization's Dynamics 365 environment and business objectives.
Choose the native Dynamics 365 hierarchy control when:
Your organization primarily works with Dynamics 365 Sales Hub.
You need Microsoft's built-in hierarchy visualization.
Inline record editing and customizable tiles are important.
Your requirements focus mainly on structured account and record hierarchies.
Consider Map My Relationships when:
You need relationship visualization across multiple model-driven applications.
You want both hierarchy and mind map visualization.
You need to explore broader relationships beyond parent-child structures.
You work with custom entities and configurable CRM relationships.
You want a dedicated relationship mapping experience within Dynamics 365.
Before choosing, evaluate application compatibility, required features, licensing, configuration needs, and the types of relationships your users need to explore.
Improve Dynamics 365 CRM Data Visibility with Inogic
Understanding relationships between CRM records can help businesses improve account management, stakeholder identification, and customer engagement. However, navigating multiple forms and lists may not always provide the context users need to understand complex business structures.
A hierarchy view in Dynamics 365 provides a visual way to explore parent-child relationships and navigate connected records. Microsoft's native Hierarchical Relationship Visualizer supports hierarchy exploration within Dynamics 365 Sales Hub, while Map My Relationships from Inogic extends the visualization experience with hierarchy and mind map layouts across supported model-driven applications.
With Map My Relationships, organizations can explore account hierarchies, visualize connected records, and gain a broader understanding of their CRM data. Its additional Mind Map View is particularly useful when users need to explore relationships that go beyond a traditional organizational hierarchy.
If your business is evaluating ways to improve CRM data visualization, compare the available capabilities and choose the solution that best fits your Dynamics 365 environment. Explore Map My Relationships by Inogic to discover how visual relationship mapping can make connected CRM information easier to understand and manage.
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