This article provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding AttachmentExtractor. If you’re facing issues or want to better understand the benefits and setup of the tool, you might find the solution here.
Still need help? Contact our support team at support@mscrm-addons.com — we’re happy to assist!
Table of contents
- What is AttachmentExtractor?
- Why use AttachmentExtractor?
- How much can you save with AttachmentExtractor?
- Will users still be able to see and access files and content after it was moved?
- Why aren’t my attachments being extracted?
- How can I set up an AttachmentExtractor free trial?
What is AttachmentExtractor?
AttachmentExtractor provides a cost-effective solution to rising storage costs by automatically moving email and note attachments to affordable storage platforms like SharePoint or Azure Blob Storage, without disrupting user experience. This helps businesses optimize Dataverse storage, reduce costs, and improve overall system performance while maintaining easy access to files.
Why use AttachmentExtractor?
High Dynamics 365 storage costs can strain your budget and, worse, slow your business down. AttachmentExtractor reduces storage capacity expenses by up to 80%, by seamlessly moving attachments, notes or email content to SharePoint or Azure Blob Storage, freeing up to 70% of your Dataverse space, all without disrupting workflows. This action saves time because you do not have to manually extract the files to a more economical location like SharePoint or a file share.
How much can you save with AttachmentExtractor?
For example, moving email content out of Dynamics 365 can reduce the size of the Activity Pointer Base table by approximately 40%, and moving attachments can shrink the Attachment and Annotation Base tables by up to 80%.
Let’s say your environment includes:
- 14 GB of email activity data → 5.6 GB reduction
- 20 GB of file attachments → 16 GB reduction
Considering that Dynamics 365 data capacity costs $40/GB/year and file capacity costs about $2/GB/year, this results in:
- Data capacity savings: $40 × 5.6 GB = $2,240/year
- File capacity savings: $38 (the storage cost difference) × 16 GB = $608/year
That’s a total estimated annual savings of $2,848, just by using AttachmentExtractor to offload and archive intelligently.
Want to see how much you could save with AttachmentExtractor? Use our Savings Calculator to estimate your potential cost reductions based on your actual Dynamics 365 storage usage. In just a few clicks, you’ll get a personalized view of how much money your organization can save by offloading attachments and email content to more affordable storage like SharePoint.
Will users still be able to see and access files and content after it was moved?
Yes! Even after attachments are moved, users can still access them directly from the Dynamics 365 UI as if nothing changed. AttachmentExtractor maintains the link, so the transition is completely transparent for end users.
Why aren’t my attachments being extracted?
This is one of the most common questions our support team receives—and unfortunately, one of the most complex to answer. There are multiple potential reasons; therefore, we recommend reviewing the checklist below. The fix could be just a click away.
Here are three common technical reasons why attachments or email content might not be extracted:
a) Delivery Attempts
Emails with delivery attempts are not extracted by default, as verifying them requires more API calls.
However, this can be enabled for your service using the “Extract Locked Attachments” setting.
Please note that enabling this increases the API consumption (from 2 to 5 calls per email).
More information on API limits can be found here: Microsoft API request limits
b) Invalid Activity Parties
If an email contains invalid activity parties (e.g., unresolved sender or recipient), Dynamics prevents the update of the email record, and AE cannot extract the email body.
You can check for these under “Body Failures” in the “Progress and History” tab.
Common causes include:
- The activity party is unresolved or has been deleted.
- The activity party has the “Do Not Email” flag enabled.
- The email address is missing or invalid.
c) Queue Association
Emails associated with queues are not extracted by default in the standard configuration.
This is because queue item association cannot be fully restored. Activation of this extraction behavior requires modifying either the “QueueEntered” date or breaking the queue relation.
For more details, check out: Extract emails within queues
How can I set up an AttachmentExtractor free trial?
To start your free 14-day trial of AttachmentExtractor, visit our website
For a full, written how-to on setting up your AttachmentExtractor free trial, please visit The AttachmentExtractor Online Service Configuration (Modern UI)
That’s it! We appreciate your feedback! Please share your thoughts by sending an email to support@mscrm-addons.com!