How to Change Whole Number Field to Decimal Number in Dynamics 365

While customizing Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Dataverse, developers often encounter situations where a Whole Number field is no longer sufficient for business requirements. Users may need to store values with decimal precision such as prices, percentages, measurements, quantities, or ratings.

Understanding how to convert a Whole Number field to a Decimal Number field helps ensure data accuracy and flexibility in business applications.

Business Scenario

Suppose a field named Quantity was initially created as a Whole Number field. Later, users need to store values such as 10.5, 25.75, or 100.25. Since Whole Number fields only support integers, the field must be converted or replaced with a Decimal Number field.

Can You Directly Change the Field Type?

Important: Dynamics 365 and Dataverse do not allow direct conversion of an existing Whole Number field into a Decimal Number field after creation.

Instead, you must create a new Decimal Number field and migrate the existing data.

Solution Steps

Open Power Apps Maker Portal.
Navigate to the required Dataverse Table.
Select Columns.
Create a new column.
Choose Data Type as Decimal Number.
Configure Precision settings.
Save and Publish changes.

Create Decimal Number Field

Display Name:
Quantity Decimal

Data Type:
Decimal Number

Precision:
2

Migrate Existing Data

You can migrate data using:

Power Automate
Bulk Edit
Excel Export/Import
Plugin or Workflow
XrmToolBox

Power Automate Example

DecimalField =
float(
WholeNumberField
)

This converts integer values into decimal values during data migration.

Decimal Number Benefits

Supports fractional values
Improves data accuracy
Ideal for pricing calculations
Useful for percentages and measurements
Supports advanced reporting

Whole Number vs Decimal Number

Field Type	Example Values
Whole Number	10, 20, 50
Decimal Number	10.25, 20.50, 50.75

Best Practices

Analyze future business requirements before creating fields.
Use Decimal fields when precision may be needed.
Back up data before migration.
Update forms, views, and reports after field replacement.
Test calculations after migration.

Key Takeaways

Whole Number fields cannot be directly converted to Decimal fields.
Create a new Decimal Number column.
Migrate existing data safely.
Update forms and business logic.
Use Decimal fields for values requiring precision.