Promote knowledge for Microsoft review skills (#153)

Move canonical knowledge for Microsoft-owned review domains into the Microsoft layer and document the skill/knowledge co-location policy.

Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Co-authored-by: Jesper Schulz-Wedde <jesper.schulzwedde@microsoft.com>
Copilot-Session: 2a6ea875-d38e-4f30-aadb-0d606f9be231
This commit is contained in:
Jesper Schulz-Wedde 2026-09-03 15:06:01 +02:00 • committed by GitHub
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88 changed files with 11 additions and 7 deletions

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page 50100 "CurrPage Update OAGR Bad"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = Customer;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name) { }
}
}
}
trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
begin
// Update from OnAfterGetRecord re-enters the trigger on every row.
CurrPage.Update(false);
end;
}

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page 50100 "CurrPage Update OAGR Good"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = Customer;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Warning; WarningText) { }
}
}
}
var
WarningText: Text[50];
trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
begin
WarningText := CopyStr(Rec.Name, 1, MaxStrLen(WarningText));
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [currpage-update, onaftergetrecord, list-page, scroll, refresh]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Do not call CurrPage.Update inside OnAfterGetRecord
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`OnAfterGetRecord` on a list already runs once per visible row on scroll and refresh. `CurrPage.Update` asks the page to reload, which fires those triggers again. The result is a refresh loop or a stutter on every row paint. Official developer performance guidance lists `CurrPage.Update()` in `OnAfterGetRecord` next to `Modify` as work that must not live there. Sibling of `do-not-modify-in-onaftergetrecord.md` (writes); this file is the client refresh half.
## Best Practice
Put display-only results in page variables assigned in `OnAfterGetRecord` without calling `Update`. If the page must refresh after an action, call `CurrPage.Update(false)` from `OnAction` once, not per row.
See sample: `avoid-currpage-update-in-onaftergetrecord.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`trigger OnAfterGetRecord() begin ... CurrPage.Update(); end;` on a list. The signal is `CurrPage.Update` inside `OnAfterGetRecord` or `OnAfterGetCurrRecord` without an explicit user action.
See sample: `avoid-currpage-update-in-onaftergetrecord.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Batch NoSeries Insert Bad"
{
procedure InsertDraftOrders(var Customer: Record Customer)
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
SalesSetup: Record "Sales & Receivables Setup";
NoSeries: Codeunit "No. Series";
begin
SalesSetup.Get();
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
SalesHeader.Init();
SalesHeader."Document Type" := SalesHeader."Document Type"::Order;
// Per-row GetNextNo locks the number-series line every insert.
SalesHeader."No." := NoSeries.GetNextNo(SalesSetup."Order Nos.", WorkDate());
SalesHeader."Sell-to Customer No." := Customer."No.";
SalesHeader.Insert(true);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Batch NoSeries Insert Good"
{
procedure InsertDraftOrders(var Customer: Record Customer)
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
SalesSetup: Record "Sales & Receivables Setup";
NoSeriesBatch: Codeunit "No. Series - Batch";
begin
SalesSetup.Get();
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
SalesHeader.Init();
SalesHeader."Document Type" := SalesHeader."Document Type"::Order;
SalesHeader."No." := NoSeriesBatch.GetNextNo(SalesSetup."Order Nos.", WorkDate());
SalesHeader."Sell-to Customer No." := Customer."No.";
SalesHeader.Insert(true);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
NoSeriesBatch.SaveState();
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [22..]
domain: performance
keywords: [no-series, getnextno, no-series-batch, savestate, numbersequence, lock]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Batch number-series calls instead of GetNextNo per insert
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`Codeunit "No. Series".GetNextNo` on a **gapless (Normal)** series updates and locks the number-series line on every call. A tight `Insert` loop that asks for a number per row serializes every concurrent writer on that series — the classic SaaS posting bottleneck. Training data still copies the per-row C/AL `NoSeriesManagement` shape. Series configured with **Allow Gaps** instead obtain numbers through `NumberSequence` and do not hold the series-line lock between calls, so they are not affected by this pattern. Codeunit `"No. Series - Batch"` issues gapless numbers in memory and writes the series line once via `SaveState`.
## Best Practice
Inside a multi-row insert, call `"No. Series - Batch".GetNextNo` per row and `SaveState` once after the loop when the series must remain gapless. Use `NumberSequence.Next` when holes are allowed. Do not replace a single `OnInsert` `GetNextNo` for one master record; that path is not the hotspot.
See sample: `batch-number-series-instead-of-getnextno-per-row.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`NoSeries.GetNextNo(...)` inside `repeat ... Insert ... until Next() = 0` where the series is **gapless** (Allow Gaps = false). Each iteration takes the series-line lock. The signal is `"No. Series"` (not `"No. Series - Batch"`) in a loop that inserts more than one row; do not flag the same pattern when the series has Allow Gaps enabled, as the `NumberSequence` path already avoids the lock.
See sample: `batch-number-series-instead-of-getnextno-per-row.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50541 "Perf Sample NoShortCircuit Bad"
{
procedure ExceedsThreshold(var Thresholds: array[10] of Decimal; Index: Integer; Amount: Decimal): Boolean
begin
// Thresholds[Index] is evaluated even when Index is 0, so the leading range
// check does not prevent the subscript from being read out of range.
exit((Index >= 1) and (Index <= ArrayLen(Thresholds)) and (Amount > Thresholds[Index]));
end;
procedure IsBlockedCustomer(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Boolean
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// The Get runs even for an empty CustomerNo, and Blocked is read even when the
// Get failed, so the result is taken from a record that was never loaded.
exit((CustomerNo <> '') and Customer.Get(CustomerNo) and (Customer.Blocked <> Customer.Blocked::" "));
end;
procedure IsEligibleForFreeShipping(SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header"): Boolean
begin
// HasActiveLoyaltyBenefit runs even when the amount alone already qualifies,
// paying for the costly check on every evaluation instead of only the path
// where it can still change the outcome.
exit((SalesHeader."Amount Including VAT" >= 1000) or HasActiveLoyaltyBenefit(SalesHeader."Sell-to Customer No."));
end;
local procedure HasActiveLoyaltyBenefit(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Boolean
begin
exit(CustomerNo <> '');
end;
}

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codeunit 50540 "Perf Sample NoShortCircuit Good"
{
procedure ExceedsThreshold(var Thresholds: array[10] of Decimal; Index: Integer; Amount: Decimal): Boolean
begin
// 'and' is safe here: both operands are cheap and neither depends on the other.
if (Index >= 1) and (Index <= ArrayLen(Thresholds)) then
// The subscript lives in its own if, so it is never evaluated out of range.
if Amount > Thresholds[Index] then
exit(true);
exit(false);
end;
procedure IsBlockedCustomer(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Boolean
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// The cheap test runs first, and the field is read only after Get succeeded.
if CustomerNo = '' then
exit(false);
if not Customer.Get(CustomerNo) then
exit(false);
exit(Customer.Blocked <> Customer.Blocked::" ");
end;
procedure IsEligibleForFreeShipping(SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header"): Boolean
begin
// 'or' is unsafe here: nesting would also be wrong, since it would drop the
// case where the amount alone already qualifies. Exit as soon as the cheap
// condition already decides the result; the costly lookup runs only on the
// path where it can still change the outcome.
if SalesHeader."Amount Including VAT" >= 1000 then
exit(true);
exit(HasActiveLoyaltyBenefit(SalesHeader."Sell-to Customer No."));
end;
local procedure HasActiveLoyaltyBenefit(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Boolean
begin
// Stands in for a costly check — a webservice call or a large table scan.
exit(CustomerNo <> '');
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [short-circuit, lazy-evaluation, boolean-operators, nested-if, guard, and-operator, or-operator, xor-operator, early-exit]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# AL boolean operators do not short-circuit
## Description
AL gives no short-circuit (lazy) evaluation guarantee for `and`, `or`, and `xor`: every operand of a boolean expression is evaluated, even when the leftmost operand already determines the result. Neither the AL operators documentation nor the boolean operators documentation defines a lazy evaluation order, so code must not depend on one. Developers arriving from C#, JavaScript, or SQL routinely assume the left operand guards the right; in AL it does not. `xor` is not actually a short-circuit candidate in any language — its result depends on both operands regardless of their values, so there is nothing to skip — but AL still evaluates both operands unconditionally, so neither should carry a cost or a risk the developer assumed the other would guard against. For `and` and `or`, the right operand still runs even when the left already decides the result, so its cost is paid on every evaluation, and a check intended to protect an unsafe expression — an array subscript, a division, a field read that is only valid after a successful `Get` — does not protect it.
## Best Practice
For an `and`-shaped guard — a condition that must hold before the next operand is safe or worth evaluating — split into nested `if` statements: the guarding or cheapest condition in the outer `if`, the dependent or expensive one in the inner `if`. This preserves the result, since `if A then if B then Action` matches `if A and B then Action` exactly. Where there is no `else` branch, nesting is a pure win; where there is one, extract the conditions into a helper procedure that exits early instead.
For an `or`-shaped condition, do not nest: nesting `if A then if B then Action` drops the case where `A` is true and `B` is false, silently changing the result of `A or B`. Exit as soon as the cheap or safe operand already decides the outcome, and reach the other operand only on the path where it can still change the result — `if A then exit(true); exit(B);` for a boolean return, or `if A then Action else if B then Action;` when both branches share one action.
`xor` has no equivalent rewrite, because its result always depends on both operands; the only actionable guidance is to keep both operands of an `xor` cheap and free of side effects, since AL evaluates both unconditionally.
Where a chain of `and`-guards runs past about three conditions, stop nesting and use a `case` statement instead — see `case-true-of-for-long-condition-chains.md`. Keep `and` and `or` for operands that are independently safe and cheap — in-memory field comparisons, enum tests, bound checks — where combining them reads better and costs nothing.
See sample: `boolean-operators-do-not-short-circuit.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
A single condition that joins a guard with an operand depending on that guard, or with an expensive operand, using `and` or `or`. The consequence is either wasted work on every evaluation — a database call or validation procedure invoked even when the outcome is already decided — or a runtime error or silently wrong result that the guard was written to prevent. Applying the `and` fix to an `or` condition is a distinct mistake: rewriting `A or B` as nested `if`s drops the `A`-true/`B`-false case instead of preserving it. Detection signals: an operand that indexes an array or list with a variable whose bounds are checked in a sibling operand; `Record.Get(...)` or a `Find`/`IsEmpty` call as one operand of `and` with a field read of the same record as another; an expensive or unsafe operand combined with `or` next to a condition that alone already makes the result true; a boolean-returning procedure call combined with a cheap field test. The pattern is common in code ported from a language that does short-circuit, and in conditions grown by appending a clause to an existing `if`.
See sample: `boolean-operators-do-not-short-circuit.bad.al`.
## See also
`case-true-of-for-long-condition-chains.md` covers what to do when nesting an `and`-guard chain would go more than about three levels deep. `microsoft/knowledge/performance/apply-guards-before-get.md` covers the related ordering rule for statements rather than operands.

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codeunit 50543 "Perf Sample CaseChain Bad"
{
procedure IsShippableLine(SalesLine: Record "Sales Line"): Boolean
var
Item: Record Item;
begin
// Five levels of nesting to sequence five guards. The evaluation order is
// carried by indentation alone and the body drifts steadily right.
if SalesLine.Type = SalesLine.Type::Item then
if SalesLine."No." <> '' then
if SalesLine."Qty. to Ship" > 0 then
if Item.Get(SalesLine."No.") then
if not Item.Blocked then
exit(true);
exit(false);
end;
procedure IsShippableLineCollapsed(SalesLine: Record "Sales Line"): Boolean
var
Item: Record Item;
begin
// The wrong escape from the ladder: flattening it into 'and' trades the
// nesting for a defect, because every operand is still evaluated. Item
// fields are read even when the Get failed. The parentheses are not
// optional either — 'and' binds tighter than '=' and '<>' in AL.
exit((SalesLine.Type = SalesLine.Type::Item) and (SalesLine."No." <> '') and
(SalesLine."Qty. to Ship" > 0) and Item.Get(SalesLine."No.") and not Item.Blocked);
end;
}

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codeunit 50542 "Perf Sample CaseChain Good"
{
procedure IsShippableLine(SalesLine: Record "Sales Line"): Boolean
var
Item: Record Item;
begin
// 'case false of' matches value sets in order and stops at the first match.
// The first three checks are pure and order-independent, so they share one
// value set. Get and Blocked are each their own value set, in order, because
// the ordering the documentation guarantees is across value sets, not within
// one — Item.Get must run, and succeed, before Blocked is read.
case false of
SalesLine.Type = SalesLine.Type::Item,
SalesLine."No." <> '',
SalesLine."Qty. to Ship" > 0:
exit(false);
Item.Get(SalesLine."No."):
exit(false);
not Item.Blocked:
exit(false);
end;
exit(true);
end;
procedure FindOpenDocumentType(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Text
begin
// 'case true of' stops at the first condition that holds, so the later
// lookups never run once an earlier one matched.
case true of
HasOpenDocument(CustomerNo, "Sales Document Type"::Quote):
exit('Quote');
HasOpenDocument(CustomerNo, "Sales Document Type"::Order):
exit('Order');
HasOpenDocument(CustomerNo, "Sales Document Type"::Invoice):
exit('Invoice');
end;
exit('None');
end;
local procedure HasOpenDocument(CustomerNo: Code[20]; DocumentType: Enum "Sales Document Type"): Boolean
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
begin
SalesHeader.SetRange("Document Type", DocumentType);
SalesHeader.SetRange("Sell-to Customer No.", CustomerNo);
exit(not SalesHeader.IsEmpty());
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [case-statement, case-true-of, nested-if, condition-chain, guard, lazy-evaluation, nesting-depth]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Use case true of for long chains of dependent conditions
## Description
Because AL gives no short-circuit guarantee for `and` and `or`, a chain of conditions that must be evaluated in order has to be sequenced with nested `if` statements — and past three conditions the nesting itself becomes the problem: the body drifts right, the order of evaluation is carried by indentation alone, and any shared failure path is repeated at every level. AL's `case` statement is the flat alternative. Its value sets "must be an expression or a range", so `case true of` and `case false of` accept arbitrary boolean expressions, and the statement "is evaluated, and the first matching value set executes the associated statement" — evaluation stops at the first matching value set, which is exactly the laziness the boolean operators do not provide. That guarantee is stated for value sets, plural: it orders evaluation *across* separate value sets, and says nothing about the order of the individual expressions listed inside one comma-separated value set.
## Best Practice
Sequence two or three dependent conditions with nested `if`. Beyond that, switch to `case`: use `case false of` for a chain of guards where every condition must hold, letting control fall past `end` when all of them pass; use `case true of` for first-match dispatch, where each later probe runs only if the earlier ones did not match. Comma-separate conditions into one value set only when every one of them is a pure, order-independent test with no side effect — a field comparison, an enum check, a bound test — so it makes no difference whether AL evaluates all of them or stops early; grouping these costs nothing and removes the repeated action. A condition that guards another, or that carries a side effect or a cost of its own — a `Get`, a `Find`, a procedure call — keeps its own value set, placed immediately after the value set it depends on, so the code relies only on the ordering the documentation actually states. A value set needs no parentheses around a comparison, unlike an operand of `and` or `or`: the AL operator hierarchy places `and` and `or` above the comparison operators, so parentheses are mandatory there and the chain fills up with them. This keeps every condition at one indentation level, makes evaluation order explicit rather than implied by nesting, and preserves the stop-at-first-match behaviour it relies on. It also aligns with the AL programming convention that more than two alternatives belong in a `case` statement rather than an `if-then-else`.
See sample: `case-true-of-for-long-condition-chains.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
An `if` ladder four or more levels deep whose only purpose is sequencing guards. Detection: a chain of nested `if` statements with no `else`, each condition guarding the one below it, terminating in a single action or `exit`; or the same `exit`/`error` duplicated at every level of such a nested chain, purely to escape it. The second, worse form is collapsing that ladder into one `and` chain to escape the nesting — that trades indentation for a real defect, because the operands are still all evaluated. A third, subtler form is over-applying the comma-grouping itself: putting a guard and the condition it protects — for example `Item.Get(...)` and a read of a field on that same record — into one comma-separated value set. That relies on an evaluation order within a single value set that the documentation does not state; keep them in separate value sets instead. Reach for `case` over nested `if` or a collapsed `and` chain, and keep order-dependent conditions in their own value sets within it.
See sample: `case-true-of-for-long-condition-chains.bad.al`.
## See also
`boolean-operators-do-not-short-circuit.md` covers the underlying evaluation rule that makes the sequencing necessary in the first place.

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codeunit 50100 "ChangeCompany Loop Bad"
{
procedure NamesForCustomers(var Buffer: Record Customer)
var
Customer: Record Customer;
Company: Record Company;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
if Buffer.FindSet() then
repeat
if Company.FindSet() then
repeat
// ChangeCompany per customer per company resets caches every row.
Customer.ChangeCompany(Company.Name);
if Customer.Get(Buffer."No.") then
Message(Customer.Name);
until Company.Next() = 0;
until Buffer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "ChangeCompany Loop Good"
{
procedure NamesForCustomers(var Buffer: Record Customer)
var
Customer: Record Customer;
Company: Record Company;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
if Company.FindSet() then
repeat
Customer.ChangeCompany(Company.Name);
if Buffer.FindSet() then
repeat
if Customer.Get(Buffer."No.") then
Message(Customer.Name);
until Buffer.Next() = 0;
until Company.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [changecompany, loop, cache, multi-company, isolation]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Do not call ChangeCompany inside a per-row loop
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`ChangeCompany` retargets a record variable to another company's data and drops the in-memory caches bound to the previous company. Calling it once per row in a multi-company scan therefore pays a cache reset on every iteration, even when consecutive rows share a company. Agents treat `ChangeCompany` like a filter. It is an isolation switch.
## Best Practice
Group work by company. Call `ChangeCompany` once per distinct company, then `FindSet`/`Get` that company's rows. If the record variable is reused afterward, call `ChangeCompany()` without a company name to redirect it back to the current company.
See sample: `changecompany-in-loop-drops-caches.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`repeat Rec.ChangeCompany(Buffer.Company); Rec.Get(Buffer."No."); until Buffer.Next() = 0` when `Buffer` is not ordered by company, or even when it is — if `ChangeCompany` still runs every row. The signal is `ChangeCompany` inside `repeat`/`while` keyed by a document line rather than by a company loop.
See sample: `changecompany-in-loop-drops-caches.bad.al`.

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report 50100 "Cust List ReadOnly Bad"
{
UsageCategory = ReportsAndAnalysis;
ApplicationArea = All;
// Missing DataAccessIntent = ReadOnly; the scan hits the primary replica.
dataset
{
dataitem(Customer; Customer)
{
column(No; "No.") { }
column(Name; Name) { }
}
}
}

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report 50100 "Cust List ReadOnly Good"
{
UsageCategory = ReportsAndAnalysis;
ApplicationArea = All;
DataAccessIntent = ReadOnly;
dataset
{
dataitem(Customer; Customer)
{
column(No; "No.") { }
column(Name; Name) { }
}
}
}

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---
bc-version: ["16.."]
domain: performance
keywords: [dataaccessintent, read-only, read-scale-out, report, api-page, query]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Set DataAccessIntent ReadOnly on analytical objects
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`DataAccessIntent` was introduced at runtime 5.0 (BC 16) and has no effect in earlier versions. Reports, API pages (`PageType = API` with `Editable = false`), and queries that only read can run against a read replica when `DataAccessIntent = ReadOnly`. For queries, replica routing only applies when the query is exposed via OData/API; running a query in AL code is unaffected. Without the property these objects hit the primary replica and compete with posting. Agents omit it because the default is read-write and the object "only reads" in AL. The replica routing is a metadata switch, not something the compiler infers from the absence of `Modify`.
## Best Practice
On report objects and `PageType = API` pages with `Editable = false` that never write, set `DataAccessIntent = ReadOnly`. For query objects, set it when the query is consumed via OData or an API endpoint. Keep the default on objects that insert, modify, or call a write codeunit from a processing-only report.
See sample: `dataaccessintent-readonly-on-analytical-objects.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
A listing report or API query with no `DataAccessIntent` that scans G/L or sales lines. The object is read-only in practice and still loads the primary.
See sample: `dataaccessintent-readonly-on-analytical-objects.bad.al`.

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page 50100 "GuiAllowed OData Guard Bad"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = Customer;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name)
{
StyleExpr = NameStyle;
}
}
}
}
var
NameStyle: Text;
trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
begin
// UI-only styling still runs for every OData / Edit-in-Excel row.
Rec.CalcFields("Balance (LCY)");
if Rec."Balance (LCY)" > 0 then
NameStyle := 'Attention'
else
NameStyle := 'Standard';
end;
}

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page 50100 "GuiAllowed OData Guard Good"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = Customer;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name)
{
StyleExpr = NameStyle;
}
}
}
}
var
NameStyle: Text;
trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
begin
if not GuiAllowed then
exit;
Rec.CalcFields("Balance (LCY)");
if Rec."Balance (LCY)" > 0 then
NameStyle := 'Attention'
else
NameStyle := 'Standard';
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [guiallowed, clienttype, odata, edit-in-excel, page-trigger, factbox]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Guard page trigger work with GuiAllowed for OData and Excel
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
Pages exposed as OData, including Edit in Excel, still run AL page triggers for every row returned. FactBox updates, defaulting, and extra `CalcFields` in `OnAfterGetRecord` therefore run on the web-service path where no UI exists. `GuiAllowed` is false for those sessions. Agents add page logic as if only the browser client will execute it.
## Best Practice
Wrap UI-only work — FactBox refresh, notifications, defaulting that is not part of the web-service contract — in `if GuiAllowed then`. Keep the OData path to field values the API actually returns.
See sample: `guiallowed-guard-on-pages-used-as-odata.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
Unconditional FactBox or calculation logic in `OnAfterGetRecord` / `OnAfterGetCurrRecord` on a page that is published as a web service or used with Edit in Excel. The signal is trigger work that calls `CurrPage` parts or extra queries without a `GuiAllowed` guard.
See sample: `guiallowed-guard-on-pages-used-as-odata.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "HttpClient Holds Locks Bad"
{
procedure SyncCustomerLastName(var Customer: Record Customer)
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
begin
Customer."Search Name" := Customer.Name;
Customer.Modify(false);
// Locks from Modify are held for the entire HTTP wait.
Client.Get(StrSubstNo('https://example.local/sync/%1', Customer."No."), Response);
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "HttpClient Holds Locks Good"
{
procedure SyncCustomerLastName(var Customer: Record Customer)
var
CustomerSyncOutbox: Record "Customer Sync Outbox";
begin
Customer."Search Name" := Customer.Name;
Customer.Modify(false);
// This work item commits or rolls back with the customer change.
CustomerSyncOutbox."Customer No." := Customer."No.";
CustomerSyncOutbox.Insert();
end;
}
table 50100 "Customer Sync Outbox"
{
DataClassification = CustomerContent;
fields
{
field(1; "Entry No."; Integer)
{
AutoIncrement = true;
}
field(2; "Customer No."; Code[20]) { }
}
keys
{
key(PK; "Entry No.")
{
Clustered = true;
}
}
}
codeunit 50101 "Customer Sync Outbox Worker"
{
// Configure this codeunit as a recurring job queue entry.
TableNo = "Job Queue Entry";
trigger OnRun()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
CustomerSyncOutbox: Record "Customer Sync Outbox";
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
begin
// Only committed work is visible here; a rolled-back change leaves no outbox row.
if not CustomerSyncOutbox.FindFirst() then
exit;
Customer.Get(CustomerSyncOutbox."Customer No.");
Client.Get(StrSubstNo('https://example.local/sync/%1', Customer."No."), Response);
if not Response.IsSuccessStatusCode() then
Error('Customer sync failed with HTTP status %1.', Response.HttpStatusCode());
// Delete only after HTTP completes, so no write lock is held during the call.
CustomerSyncOutbox.Delete();
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [httpclient, write-transaction, lock, commit, outbound-http, session-block]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Do not call HttpClient inside an open write transaction
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
The first database write opens an AL write transaction that the runtime holds until the execution completes or `Commit()` runs — see `understand-implicit-transaction-boundary.md`. `HttpClient` blocks the session until the remote call returns. Any locks taken by earlier `Insert`/`Modify`/`Delete` therefore stay held for the HTTP wall-clock time, and interactive users see a spinner. This is not generic "don't block": it is the AL transaction model plus lock lifetime around outbound I/O.
## Best Practice
Defer the HTTP call to a separate session. When the external operation must correspond to a committed database change, insert an outbox work item in the same transaction as that change and process committed outbox rows with a recurring job queue entry. The change and work item then commit or roll back together, and the worker performs HTTP before deleting the item so it holds no write lock during the call. Make the external operation idempotent because a failure after a successful HTTP response can cause the work item to be retried.
A directly created scheduled task is suitable only when its work is independent of the caller's commit. An immediately ready task can run concurrently with the caller, so it must not assume that the caller's writes are already committed. Do **not** use `Commit()` as a general remedy: it irrevocably commits all prior writes in the current transaction, so any subsequent failure cannot roll them back. `Commit()` is appropriate only at top-level entry points where partial persistence is intentional and understood.
See sample: `httpclient-inside-write-transaction-holds-locks.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`Modify`/`Insert` followed by `HttpClient` in the same procedure with no `Commit` between them. Detection signal: any `HttpClient` use after a write on the same execution path, especially in posting, page actions, or subscribers.
See sample: `httpclient-inside-write-transaction-holds-locks.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "IsEmpty Before FindSet Bad"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
// IsEmpty does not replace FindSet; it adds a second round-trip.
if not Customer.IsEmpty() then
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
Message(Customer.Name);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "IsEmpty Before FindSet Good"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
Message(Customer.Name);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [isempty, findset, extra-round-trip, existence-check, false-positive]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# IsEmpty immediately before FindSet is an extra round-trip
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`IsEmpty` is the right API when the caller only needs existence — see `microsoft/knowledge/performance/use-isempty-for-existence-check.md`. It is not a cheap guard in front of a loop that will `FindSet` anyway. Both calls hit the database; `FindSet` already returns false when the filter matches nothing. Agents and reviewers often insert `if not Rec.IsEmpty() then` "for performance" and pay a second query for a result the iterator already provides.
## Best Practice
When the body iterates, open with `if Rec.FindSet() then repeat ... until Next() = 0`. Do not flag a bare `FindSet` loop as missing an `IsEmpty` precondition. Reserve `IsEmpty` for branches that never materialize the row set.
See sample: `isempty-before-findset-is-extra-round-trip.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`if not Rec.IsEmpty() then if Rec.FindSet() then repeat`. Also a false-positive review comment that asks to add that guard. The second read does not avoid the first; it duplicates it.
See sample: `isempty-before-findset-is-extra-round-trip.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Login Subscriber IO Bad"
{
[EventSubscriber(ObjectType::Codeunit, Codeunit::"System Initialization", OnAfterLogin, '', false, false)]
local procedure OnAfterLogin()
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
GLEntry: Record "G/L Entry";
begin
// Blocks UI, API, and job-queue session creation until HTTP and SQL finish.
Client.Get('https://example.local/warmup', Response);
GLEntry.SetLoadFields("Entry No.");
if GLEntry.FindLast() then;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Login Subscriber IO Good"
{
[EventSubscriber(ObjectType::Codeunit, Codeunit::"System Initialization", OnAfterLogin, '', false, false)]
local procedure OnAfterLogin()
var
TaskId: Guid;
StoredId: Text;
begin
// Guard to interactive sessions only; background task sessions also raise OnAfterLogin.
if not (Session.CurrentClientType() in [ClientType::Web, ClientType::Windows, ClientType::Desktop, ClientType::Tablet, ClientType::Phone]) then
exit;
// Idempotent: TaskExists requires the GUID returned by CreateTask, stored across logins.
if IsolatedStorage.Get('LoginSyncTaskId', DataScope::Company, StoredId) then
if Evaluate(TaskId, StoredId) then
if TaskScheduler.TaskExists(TaskId) then
exit;
TaskId := TaskScheduler.CreateTask(Codeunit::"Login Subscriber IO Work", 0, true, CompanyName(), CurrentDateTime() + 60000);
IsolatedStorage.Set('LoginSyncTaskId', Format(TaskId), DataScope::Company);
end;
}
codeunit 50101 "Login Subscriber IO Work"
{
trigger OnRun()
begin
// Isolated from session creation: outbound I/O is safe here.
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [oncompanyopen, onafterlogin, session-start, httpclient, subscriber, login]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Session-open subscribers must not do I/O
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`OnCompanyOpen`, `OnCompanyOpenCompleted`, and `System Initialization`.OnAfterLogin run while the session is being created. The platform waits until every subscriber returns before the UI, an API call, or a background session can proceed. `HttpClient` or a heavy `FindSet` here delays **every** session type, not just the user who "opened the company". Agents still put warmup sync, license checks, and HTTP probes on these events because they look like an application startup hook.
## Best Practice
Keep company-open subscribers to cheap in-memory work: set a flag, enqueue a job-queue entry, or `TaskScheduler.CreateTask`. Perform HTTP and large SQL after the session is running, in that background work.
See sample: `oncompanyopen-subscribers-must-not-do-io.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
An `OnAfterLogin` / `OnCompanyOpenCompleted` subscriber that calls `HttpClient` or scans a ledger. Detection signal: `HttpClient`, `FindSet`, or `CalcFields` inside a subscriber bound to those events.
See sample: `oncompanyopen-subscribers-must-not-do-io.bad.al`.

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page 50100 "Cue Background Task Bad"
{
PageType = CardPart;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
cuegroup(Group)
{
field(OpenOrders; OpenOrderCount)
{
Caption = 'Open Sales Orders';
}
}
}
}
var
OpenOrderCount: Integer;
trigger OnOpenPage()
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
begin
// Blocks Role Center render on an exact count of sales headers.
SalesHeader.SetRange("Document Type", SalesHeader."Document Type"::Order);
OpenOrderCount := SalesHeader.Count();
end;
}

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page 50100 "Cue Background Task Good"
{
PageType = CardPart;
ApplicationArea = All;
layout
{
area(content)
{
cuegroup(Group)
{
field(OpenOrders; OpenOrderCount)
{
Caption = 'Open Sales Orders';
}
}
}
}
var
OpenOrderCount: Integer;
TaskId: Integer;
trigger OnAfterGetCurrRecord()
var
Args: Dictionary of [Text, Text];
begin
CurrPage.EnqueueBackgroundTask(TaskId, Codeunit::"Cue Open Order Count", Args);
end;
trigger OnPageBackgroundTaskCompleted(CompletedTaskId: Integer; Results: Dictionary of [Text, Text])
begin
if Results.ContainsKey('Count') then
Evaluate(OpenOrderCount, Results.Get('Count'));
end;
}
codeunit 50100 "Cue Open Order Count"
{
trigger OnRun()
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
Results: Dictionary of [Text, Text];
begin
SalesHeader.SetRange("Document Type", SalesHeader."Document Type"::Order);
Results.Add('Count', Format(SalesHeader.CountApprox()));
Page.SetBackgroundTaskResult(Results);
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [15..]
domain: performance
keywords: [page-background-task, cue, rolecenter, enqueuebackgroundtask, ui-thread]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Calculate expensive cues on a page background task
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
Role-center cues and CardPart totals that run `CalcFields`, scans, or HTTP on the UI thread freeze the shell until they finish. Page background tasks exist to return the page immediately and fill the number later. Enqueue mechanics, cancellation, and the read-only child session are covered in `microsoft/knowledge/ui/page-background-tasks.md`. This file is the performance trigger: a cue whose value is not needed to *open* the page must not run on the render path.
## Best Practice
Bind the cue to a page variable, enqueue a read-only calculation from `OnAfterGetCurrRecord` (not `OnAfterGetRecord` on a list), and apply the result in `OnPageBackgroundTaskCompleted`. Show a placeholder until then.
See sample: `page-background-tasks-for-expensive-cues.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`CalcFields` or a ledger `Count` in `OnOpenPage` / `OnAfterGetCurrRecord` of a CueGroup CardPart with no background task. The Role Center waits on SQL the user may never look at.
See sample: `page-background-tasks-for-expensive-cues.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Pass Var Enumerator Bad"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerCities()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
// By-value copy: JIT on City does not update the enumerator.
Message(Customer.Name + ' ' + CityOf(Customer));
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
local procedure CityOf(Customer: Record Customer): Text
begin
exit(Customer.City);
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Pass Var Enumerator Good"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerCities()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
EnsureCityLoaded(Customer);
Message(Customer.Name + ' ' + Customer.City);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
local procedure EnsureCityLoaded(var Customer: Record Customer)
begin
if not Customer.AreFieldsLoaded(Customer.City) then
Customer.LoadFields(Customer.City);
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [setloadfields, jit-load, enumerator, var-parameter, pass-by-value, next]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Pass the iterated record var so a JIT load updates the enumerator
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
A `FindSet`/`Next` loop builds an enumerator from the fields selected for load. Accessing an unloaded field triggers a JIT load. When the record is passed **by value**, the copy does not share that enumerator: the JIT loads the copy and leaves the enumerator unchanged, so **every later `Next()` JIT-loads again**. Passing `var` lets the first JIT update the enumerator. `AddLoadFields` on the original record before a by-value call is the other fix. This is independent of whether `SetLoadFields` was ordered before filters.
## Best Practice
Helpers that read extra fields on an in-flight iterator must take the record as `var`, or the caller must `AddLoadFields` those fields before the loop. Prefer declaring the extra fields up front so no JIT is needed.
See sample: `pass-var-record-to-preserve-partial-load-enumerator.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
A `SetLoadFields` loop that passes the iterator by value into a helper which then reads a field that was not loaded. The first row pays one JIT; every subsequent row pays it again because the enumerator never learned the extra field.
See sample: `pass-var-record-to-preserve-partial-load-enumerator.bad.al`.

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tableextension 50100 "G/L Entry Extra Ext" extends "G/L Entry"
{
fields
{
// Stored companion columns are joined on every G/L Entry read.
field(50100; "External Reference"; Text[50]) { }
field(50101; "Integration Payload"; Blob) { }
}
}

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table 50100 "G/L Entry Extra"
{
Caption = 'G/L Entry Extra';
DataClassification = CustomerContent;
fields
{
field(1; "Entry No."; Integer)
{
TableRelation = "G/L Entry"."Entry No.";
}
field(2; "External Reference"; Text[50]) { }
}
keys
{
key(PK; "Entry No.") { Clustered = true; }
}
}

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---
bc-version: ["23.."]
domain: performance
keywords: [tableextension, companion-table, gl-entry, related-table, flowfield, hot-table]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Prefer a related table over stored fields on hot ledgers
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
Since v23, all extensions on the same base table share at most one companion-table join, and the platform automatically excludes that join on List, ListPart, and OData pages when partial records are in effect and no extension field is loaded. However, the join is still paid on every posting path and any AL code that accesses an extension field — or that runs without partial-record semantics. On hot tables — G/L Entry, Item Ledger Entry, Cust. Ledger Entry — even a single access per posted row adds up at volume. A related table keyed by the ledger `Entry No.`, optionally surfaced with a FlowField or FactBox, leaves the base read path entirely untouched. Agents extend G/L Entry because it is "where the posting already is".
## Best Practice
Put optional, sparse, or integration attributes in a related table with the ledger entry number as primary key. Show them from a FactBox or a FlowField.
Use a tableextension stored field only when the value must appear as a native list column and is read on almost every access.
See sample: `prefer-related-table-over-extension-on-hot-ledgers.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`tableextension` on `"G/L Entry"` (or another posting table) that adds several stored `Text`/`Blob` fields used only by one integration. The companion join is paid on every posting and on any AL code path that loads extension fields, even when those columns are not needed for the current operation.
See sample: `prefer-related-table-over-extension-on-hot-ledgers.bad.al`.

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query 50100 "Query Bypass PK Cache Bad Q"
{
QueryType = Normal;
elements
{
dataitem(Customer; Customer)
{
filter(NoFilter; "No.") { }
column(Name; Name) { }
}
}
}
codeunit 50100 "Query Bypass PK Cache Bad"
{
procedure CustomerName(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Text
var
CustomerByNo: Query "Query Bypass PK Cache Bad Q";
begin
// Query Open/Read never hits the server PK cache.
CustomerByNo.SetRange(NoFilter, CustomerNo);
CustomerByNo.Open();
if CustomerByNo.Read() then
exit(CustomerByNo.Name);
CustomerByNo.Close();
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Query Bypass PK Cache Good"
{
procedure CustomerName(CustomerNo: Code[20]): Text
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// Repeated Get of the same No. is served from the transaction PK cache.
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
if Customer.Get(CustomerNo) then
exit(Customer.Name);
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [query, primary-key-cache, get, false-positive, n-plus-one, record-cache]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Query results bypass the primary-key cache
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
The Business Central server caches primary-key `Get` calls within a transaction. Query objects do not use that cache: every `Open`/`Read` goes to SQL. `avoid-get-inside-loop-on-large-table.md` is right when an unbounded inner `Get`/`FindFirst` joins two large sets. It is wrong as a blanket rewrite of repeated `Get` on the same keys. Replacing a cached `Get` with a Query that re-executes per call can be slower. This file exists so reviewers stop treating every `Get` inside a loop as a Query candidate.
## Best Practice
Keep `Record.Get` for repeated lookups of the same primary keys in one transaction. Use a Query when the work is a true join or aggregation that the record API would express as nested scans. Do not flag a guarded `Get` on a repeating key as an N+1 solely because a Query could express the same columns.
See sample: `query-results-bypass-primary-key-cache.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
Rewriting a helper that `Get`s Customer by `No.` on every sales line into a Query opened inside that helper. Distinct line customers still need a lookup; repeating customers were already served from the PK cache. The Query pays SQL every time.
See sample: `query-results-bypass-primary-key-cache.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Reset Clears LoadFields Bad"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
// Reset restores a full-row load; the SetLoadFields above is discarded.
Customer.Reset();
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
Message(Customer.Name);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Reset Clears LoadFields Good"
{
procedure ListUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.Reset();
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
Message(Customer.Name);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [reset, setloadfields, partial-record, load-selection, findset]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Reset and empty SetLoadFields restore a full-row load
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`SetLoadFields(...)` sticks to the record variable until something clears it. `Reset()` "changes fields select for loading back to all", and `SetLoadFields()` with no arguments does the same. A later `FindSet` or `Get` then materializes every normal field. Agents often place `SetLoadFields` first, then `Reset` to apply new filters, and assume the partial selection survives. It does not.
## Best Practice
Call `Reset` (or empty `SetLoadFields()`) first when the variable must be reused, then call `SetLoadFields` with the fields the next read actually uses, then apply filters and read. After `Reset`, a new `SetLoadFields` is required; the previous list is gone.
See sample: `reset-clears-partial-record-selection.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`SetLoadFields(...)` followed by `Reset()` (or by parameterless `SetLoadFields()`) and then `FindSet` without restoring the load list. The filters look correct; the SQL still selects every column.
See sample: `reset-clears-partial-record-selection.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Skip LoadFields Write Bad"
{
procedure CopyActiveCustomers(var TempCustomer: Record Customer temporary)
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// TransferFields requires all fields; partial load forces JIT per row.
Customer.SetLoadFields("No.", Name);
Customer.SetRange(Blocked, Customer.Blocked::" ");
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
TempCustomer.TransferFields(Customer);
TempCustomer.Insert();
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Skip LoadFields Write Good"
{
procedure CopyActiveCustomers(var TempCustomer: Record Customer temporary)
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// TransferFields needs all fields; omit SetLoadFields so the initial read loads the full row.
Customer.SetRange(Blocked, Customer.Blocked::" ");
if Customer.FindSet() then
repeat
TempCustomer.TransferFields(Customer);
TempCustomer.Insert();
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [setloadfields, partial-record, jit-load, modify, insert, transferfields, write-path]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Skip SetLoadFields on write and copy paths
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`SetLoadFields` is a read optimization. The platform's [partial-record usage guidelines](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-partial-records#usage-guidelines) list the operations that require every field to already be present: `Insert`, `Delete`, `Rename`, `TransferFields`, and copying a record into a temporary table. When those operations run on a partial record, the platform issues a just-in-time load of the missing fields. That extra round-trip costs more than loading the full row on the original `FindSet` or `Get`. Note: `Modify` itself is **not** in this list — a `Modify(false)` that only touches loaded fields is safe with a partial record.
## Best Practice
Omit `SetLoadFields` on loops whose body performs a documented full-load operation (`Insert`, `Delete`, `Rename`, `TransferFields`, or assignment into a temporary record) on the same record variable, so the initial read already materializes every field those operations need.
See sample: `skip-setloadfields-on-write-and-transferfields.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
Calling `SetLoadFields` immediately before a `FindSet` whose body performs `Delete`, `Rename`, `TransferFields`, or copies the record into a temporary table. The review signal is a partial-record setup on a record variable that feeds one of these documented full-load operations in the same iteration.
See sample: `skip-setloadfields-on-write-and-transferfields.bad.al`.

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table 50100 "Campaign Member"
{
Caption = 'Campaign Member';
// Full list as lookup runs FactBoxes and extra columns on every dropdown.
LookupPageId = Page::"Campaign Member List";
DrillDownPageId = Page::"Campaign Member List";
DataClassification = CustomerContent;
fields
{
field(1; "No."; Code[20]) { }
field(2; Name; Text[100]) { }
field(3; "Balance (LCY)"; Decimal) { }
}
keys
{
key(PK; "No.") { Clustered = true; }
}
}
page 50100 "Campaign Member List"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = "Campaign Member";
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name) { }
field("Balance (LCY)"; Rec."Balance (LCY)") { }
}
}
area(factboxes)
{
// Full list carries this FactBox on every dropdown open — expensive.
part(Details; "Campaign Member Details FB") { }
}
}
}
page 50101 "Campaign Member Details FB"
{
PageType = CardPart;
SourceTable = "Campaign Member";
layout
{
area(content)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name) { }
field("Balance (LCY)"; Rec."Balance (LCY)") { }
}
}
}

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table 50100 "Campaign Member"
{
Caption = 'Campaign Member';
LookupPageId = Page::"Campaign Member Lookup";
DrillDownPageId = Page::"Campaign Member List";
DataClassification = CustomerContent;
fields
{
field(1; "No."; Code[20]) { }
field(2; Name; Text[100]) { }
field(3; "Balance (LCY)"; Decimal) { }
}
keys
{
key(PK; "No.") { Clustered = true; }
}
}
page 50100 "Campaign Member Lookup"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = "Campaign Member";
Caption = 'Campaign Members';
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name) { }
}
}
}
}
page 50101 "Campaign Member List"
{
PageType = List;
SourceTable = "Campaign Member";
layout
{
area(content)
{
repeater(Rows)
{
field("No."; Rec."No.") { }
field(Name; Rec.Name) { }
field("Balance (LCY)"; Rec."Balance (LCY)") { }
}
}
}
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [lookuppageid, lookup-page, list-page, factbox, table-relation, dropdown]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Point lookups at a dedicated lookup page, not the full list
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
A `TableRelation` lookup opens the table's `LookupPageId`. If that is the full list page, the lookup runs that page's triggers, FactBoxes, and calculated fields even though the dropdown never shows them. The base application added dedicated Customer, Vendor, and Item lookup pages for this reason. Agents set `LookupPageId` to the main list because it already exists.
## Best Practice
Give master tables a slim lookup page (`PageType = List`, few columns, no FactBoxes, no heavy `OnAfterGetRecord`) and assign it to `LookupPageId`. Keep the full list for `DrillDownPageId` and the role-explorer entry.
See sample: `use-dedicated-lookup-pages-not-full-lists.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`LookupPageId = Page::"... List"` on a table that already has (or should have) a lookup page. Opening a field lookup then pays list-page cost. The signal is `LookupPageId` pointing at a page that declares FactBoxes or a wide repeater.
See sample: `use-dedicated-lookup-pages-not-full-lists.bad.al`.

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codeunit 50100 "Validate Partial Rec Bad"
{
procedure UppercaseUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name);
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet(true) then
repeat
// Validate touches other fields and TableRelation reads; JIT undoes the partial load.
Customer.Validate(Name, UpperCase(Customer.Name));
Customer.Modify(false);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Validate Partial Rec Good"
{
procedure UppercaseUsCustomerNames()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
// Include every field that Name.OnValidate reads so the runtime never JIT-loads.
Customer.SetLoadFields(Name, "Search Name");
Customer.SetRange("Country/Region Code", 'US');
if Customer.FindSet(true) then
repeat
Customer.Validate(Name, UpperCase(Customer.Name));
Customer.Modify(false);
until Customer.Next() = 0;
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: performance
keywords: [validate, setloadfields, jit-load, table-relation, onvalidate, partial-record]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Validate on a partial record forces JIT loads
> Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
## Description
`Validate` runs the field's `OnValidate` trigger and TableRelation lookups. Those code paths routinely touch other fields on the same record. On a partial row those extra fields are not loaded, so the platform JIT-loads them — often the rest of the row — plus any related-table reads the trigger performs. Distinct from `skip-setloadfields-on-write-and-transferfields.md`: the write may be `Modify(false)`; `Validate` is what blows the partial load. Agents that combine `SetLoadFields` with `Validate` in a loop produce slower code than an unoptimized assignment.
## Best Practice
In a partial-record loop, assign fields directly when trigger side effects are not required. If `Validate` is required, do not use `SetLoadFields` on that iterator, or `AddLoadFields` every field the validate path can touch before the read.
See sample: `validate-on-partial-record-forces-jit.good.al`.
## Anti Pattern
`SetLoadFields` on a handful of columns, then `Validate` inside the loop. The load list looks optimal; runtime JIT and TableRelation I/O dominate. The signal is `Validate(` on a record that still has a `SetLoadFields` in the same procedure.
See sample: `validate-on-partial-record-forces-jit.bad.al`.