Restore Schema Only to new Dataverse Environment
When you need a sandbox but either don’t need the data or don’t have space for an entire duplicate environment.
To prepare a sandbox environment for schema restoration in Dynamics 365 Sales, follow these steps:
Create a new sandbox environment:
Go to the Power Platform admin center (admin.powerplatform.com)
Sign in using Environment Admin or System Administrator role credentials.
Select Environments from the left menu
Click + New to create a new sandbox environment
Fill out the required fields, ensuring you select "Sandbox" as the environment type
Add a Dataverse data store and enable Dynamics 365 apps
Wait for Sandbox provisioning process to complete
Copy the schema only from your production environment:
In the Power Platform admin center, go to Environments
Select your production environment
Click the Copy button at the top
In the "Select target environment to overwrite" field, choose the new sandbox you just created in step 1
Under "Copy over," select Customizations and schemas only
Click Copy to start the process
Wait for the copy process to complete.
NOTE: Once the copy is complete, the sandbox will be in administration mode by default. Only users with System Administrator roles can access it.
Review Configuration of New Environment:
Remember to:
Turn off any production-specific settings or integrations
Turn off automatic email sending to prevent test emails from reaching real customers
Review and adjust any workflow or plugin configurations that might interact with production systems
(Optional) Enable Non-Administrator Access:
Navigate to Power Platform admin center
Select the sandbox environment
Change the access mode from "Administration" to "Normal"
Interested to learn more ?
Im gonna be honest - Dynamics 365 is one of those tools that is an incredibly powerful platform for your organization. With that power, comes a certain level of complexity. If you’d like to get some real answers about how Dynamics can benefit your organization, give me a call for a quick chat to see if it’s an option for you.
Give us a call at 604.846.4402 or email info@dominicsystems.com
Applies to:
Dynamics 365 On-Prem
Dynamics 365 On-line
Power Platform
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