Create a data quality policy

A Data Quality Policy is the top-level container that tells Data Quality Studio which master data table to govern. You create one policy per table. Every field validation rule and every duplicate check rule lives inside a version of a policy. Nothing gets evaluated at runtime until a policy exists, has at least one rule configured on a version, and that version has been set to Active.

Purpose

Create the policy record for a specific master data table so that validation rules and duplicate checks can be configured on it in subsequent steps.

Navigation

Use the Tell Me search (Alt+Q) and type Data Policies. Select Data Policies from the results.

The Data Policies list opens. This is where all policies in the system are managed.

Understanding the Data Policies List

The Data Policies list shows every policy that has been set up, one row per governed table.

Policy Details factbox (right panel):

When you select a row, the factbox on the right shows a summary of that policy's current state:

Use the factbox to get a quick health check on a policy without opening it. For example, to confirm that rules have not accidentally been deleted, or to see how many conditions are active.

Steps

1. Press Alt+Q to open the Tell Me search.

2. Enter Data Policies.

3. Select Data Policies from the results. The list shows all existing policies. If none exist yet, the list is empty.

4. In the action bar, click + New.

5. A new blank row is added with the cursor in the Policy Table ID field.

Subtask: Select the master data table

1. Click the lookup in the Policy Table ID.

2. Search for and select the required table:

   Entity	Table ID
   Customer	18
   Vendor	23
   Contact	5050

3. Policy Table Caption populates automatically with the table's display name.

Note
Phase 1 officially supports Customer (18), Vendor (23), and Contact (5050). Other tables may be selectable but are not tested or supported in this phase.

Note
Only one policy is allowed per table. If you attempt to create a second policy for a table that already has one, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central will prevent it. If you need different rules for the same table, use versions instead of multiple policies.

4. D365 BC saves the row automatically when you move away from it. At this point, the system also creates Version 1 of the policy in Draft state automatically. You will see Version No. = 1 and Active = off in the row.

5. Click the Policy Table ID (the underlined number, e.g. 18) value to open the Data Policy form for this policy. Use this page to manage versions, add validation rules, and configure duplicate checks.

Examples

Example 1 - Create a Customer Policy

A company wants to enforce data quality rules on Customers.

1. Press Alt+Q, then enter Data Policies, and open the list.

2. Click + New in the action bar.

3. In the Policy Table ID column, click the lookup and search for Customer or enter 18.

4. Select Customer (18). The Policy Table Caption auto-fills as Customer.

5. Move away from the row. D365 BC saves automatically and creates Version 1 (Draft).

6. The list now shows:

7. Click 18 to open the Data Policy form and continue with rule configuration.

Policy Details factbox at this stage:

Example 2 - Full rollout: Customer, Vendor, and Contact

A company wants Data Quality Studio active across all three supported entities.

Repeat the creation steps three times:

Each policy is completely independent. Rules in one policy do not affect other policies. They can be at different version numbers and activated at different times.

After all three are created, the Data Policies list looks like this (before Anywhere Mobility Solutions rules are configured or versions activated):

Note
Creating a policy does not make it active. Rules run only after you configure them and activate a version. See Create and Manage Policy Versions for how to activate a version.