Our infographics continue to be really popular, as we seek to distil complex concepts into easy visual references.
Organisations can only improve their efficiency if they look at their whole process from start to finish. Gains in one place could represent losses in others, if a business isn’t careful.
That’s where Dynamics 365 plays a huge part, with its numerous first-part applications designed to solve individual processes such as Case to Resolution for Customer Service. But the real treasure to be found is how these first-party applications can come together end-to-end.
Explaining where all the first-party applications play nicely together isn’t always straightforward though, as there is a fair amount of crossover in functionality… not counting the “CRM” functionality in F&O! Remember, these applications have all been designed to be used in isolation and in conjunction, for maximum flexibility.
Enter our newest infographic, based on the detailed end-to-end business processes on Microsoft Learn. These processes apply to most organisations in a broad sense and we’ve grouped and summarised them with clear descriptions, before applying an overlay to show where D365 Customer Engagement (CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc).) and D365 F&O support them respectively.
And here’s a clean version, without the system overlay highlighting:
This work is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0. As per the licence, please feel free to download, re-post and re-use this infographic, but please do not modify it.
These are both also available to download in SVG formats:
Implementing D365 F&O can be a game-changer for organisations, especially those looking to streamline their processes, enhance reporting, and drive operational efficiencies.
However, a key role that often flies under the radar is that of the Business Process Owners (BPO). While the project managers, consultants, and technical teams steal all the limelight, it’s frequently the BPOs who are the unsung heroes, ensuring the business transformation is aligned with day-to-day realities.
That is, of course, if you’ve remembered to appoint someone! But where to start?
What is a Business Process Owner?
At their core, a Business Process Owner is the custodian of a specific end-to-end business function, like Quote to Cash, or Requisition to Pay. Their expertise and solid understanding of their domain make them invaluable to the project’s success of a D365 F&O implementation.
Rather than simply acting as a liaison between the implementation team and the business, a BPO’s role involves actively shaping how the new system will work in practice. They bring intimate knowledge of existing business processes, challenges, and strategic goals. Crucially, they don’t operate in isolation; if a BPO doesn’t have all the answers, they know the SME in the business who does.
A BPO should become the shadow of the functional consultant(s), absorbing all of the latter’s D365 F&O knowledge through the lens of their business expertise. This partnership ensures that while the implementation may be driven by technology, it’s ultimately shaped by the business.
Who Makes a Great Business Process Owner?
Selecting the right people as BPOs is crucial to the success of your D365 F&O project. The ideal candidates will be:
Influential: As respected peer or leader, they drive change and are seen as role models by their colleagues. Being a good teacher or mentor is a plus, but zeal and positivity is essential.
Experienced: They have deep (or broad) knowledge of the business and are well-connected with SMEs and other users across the organisation.
Ambitious: Ready for their next challenge and eager to expand their role. Your BPO might not be the head of the department; rather that particular individual is probably the safe pair of hands to leave with business-as-usual operations. Look for someone bristling with potential.
Technically-minded: They’re a quick learner with a natural curiosity for systems and processes.
The key point here is that your BPOs should be drawn from your permanent employees. Contractors are invaluable on implementation projects, but think twice about appointing contractors as one or more of your BPOs!
Key Responsibilities of a BPO in D365 F&O Projects
Process Mapping & Validation A BPO owns the effort to map out as-is and to-be business processes and define what needs to change in the transition to D365 F&O. They work with consultants to identify inefficiencies in existing workflows and validate the proposed new ones. This ensures that the final solution is not only functional but optimised for the business.
Change Management A critical aspect of any ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. implementation is change management, and the BPO is at the forefront of this as a champion of change. As a familiar face to the business, they help manage internal expectations, foster user adoption, and ensure that the transformation aligns with the broader business objectives. Whether it’s educating teams on the ‘why’ behind the change or ensuring that training is relevant, the BPO makes the change feel less disruptive and more like a natural evolution.
Decision-Making Authority As the key decision-maker for their specific process area, a BPO helps steer the project by making timely and informed decisions. Whether it’s about customisations, new process implementations, or resource allocations, their input is vital to keep the project moving forward. Because they understand the practical impact of changes, their decisions help avoid unnecessary delays or rework.
Testing & Validation During the testing phases – whether it’s User Acceptance Testing (UATUser Acceptance Testing is a process where end-users test software to ensure it performs as expected before launch.) or more technical validations – a BPO ensures that the solution works as expected, prior to it getting to close to the real world. They coordinate with their teams to test scenarios in real-world conditions, offering feedback that’s crucial for ironing out any issues before going live. Their involvement here mitigates against nasty surprises down the road.
Post Go-Live Support Even after the system goes live, BPOs continue to play a vital role. They monitor the system’s performance, address any teething problems, and ensure that the new processes are being followed as intended. Their feedback and newly-acquired skills will be critical in the post go-live and optimisation phases, where tweaks may be needed to further align the system with business requirements.
Why BPOs are Crucial for Success
D365 F&O implementations involve complex interdependencies between business functions, technical configurations, and organisational change. Without a BPO in place, critical gaps can emerge between the goals of the project and the practicalities of day-to-day operations.
The BPO also bridges the gap between the project team and end-users. Their insights help ensure that the system is intuitive, useful, and fit for purpose, reducing the risk of resistance from users. This ultimately results in smoother adoption and better long-term success.
Final Thoughts
If you’re embarking on a D365 F&O implementation, appointing knowledgeable and hands-on BPOs for each critical area should be non-negotiable. Their role goes far beyond mere involvement; they are active shapers of the project’s outcome, making sure that the ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. implementation not only works but works for your business.
The more empowered and engaged your BPOs are, the better the chances of a successful project that delivers tangible business benefits. It’s not just about going live; it’s about ensuring that the live system drives the desired improvements. So, as you assemble your project team, remember to give your BPOs the attention – and the authority – that they deserve.
And one last thought, before I close. Avoid burdening your BPOs with ongoing operational work. Do everything you can to give them maximum capacity for the project, ideally on a full-time basis, with a backfill on their day job, if necessary. This will pay dividends, as when the implementation partner leaves the building after hypercare, you’ll have all the D365 F&O expertise sat right where you need them.
There has been quite a bit of change in the D365 and Power Platform learning library this year; the deprecation of some historically core/fundamental exams and a perceived relaxation in the pre-requisites required to attain the more prestigious ‘expert’ certifications, to name just a few. As such, I thought it would be worthwhile trying to pull together a neat single page summary of all D365 and Power Platform certifications currently available.
A brief summary of exam certification, the related exam pre-requisites and other details are as follows:
Microsoft Certified D365 Fundamentals (ERP)
Description
This certification validates a persons fundamental knowledge of the finance and operations capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365, including, but not limited to, the Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management application.
All entry level/graduate/junior ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. consultants. Can also be of benefit to project managers and customer side business users and leaders to aid their understanding of the D365 ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. landscape.
Microsoft Certified D365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to analyse, translate, and implement financial business requirements into solutions using Dynamics 365 Finance. It focuses on industry-recommended practices, ensuring you can maximize the use of Dynamics 365 Finance for effective financial management and operations.
All D365 Finance functional consultants. Should also, but not necessarily required to, be attained as part of the solution architect certification path. Can also be of benefit to customer side super users/subject matter experts, business process owners etc to support their knowledge transfer during implementation.
Microsoft Certified D365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to design and configure Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and related tools to meet customer requirements. It focuses on analysing business needs and translating them into fully realised business processes and solutions using industry-recommended practices principally around the core supply chain processes of warehousing and inventory management.
All D365 SCMSupply Chain Management (SCM) is the centralised process of managing the flow of goods, services, and information, from production to consumption. functional consultants. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the solution architect certification path. I would personally recommend this certification, and associated learning, also be undertaken by core finance consultants due to the cross functional overlaps between the Finance and SCMSupply Chain Management (SCM) is the centralised process of managing the flow of goods, services, and information, from production to consumption. application capabilities for common business processes such as ‘Source to Pay’. Can also be of benefit to customer side super users/subject matter experts, business process owners etc to support their knowledge transfer during implementation.
Microsoft Certified D365 Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to implement and extend finance and operations applications in Microsoft Dynamics 365. It focuses on using standardized coding patterns, extensible features, and external integrations to meet business requirements.
All D365 F&O Technical/Development consultants. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the solution architect certification path.
Microsoft Certified D365 Business Central Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to implement core application setup processes for small and medium businesses using Dynamics 365 Business Central. You’ll learn to configure the application in collaboration with the implementation team to provide manageability and ease of use.
All D365 Business Central Functional consultants. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained by all D365 Business Central technical/development roles to aid with the functional understanding of gaps and associated solution when extending the application.
Microsoft Certified D365 Business Central Developer Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to design, develop, test, and maintain solutions based on Dynamics 365 Business Central. It focuses on extending the solution by developing new modules, customizing existing ones, and integrating with other applications like Microsoft Power Platform products.
All D365 Business Central Technical/Development consultants.
Microsoft Certified D365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Expert
Description: This certification validates your expertise in implementing and configuring advanced features of Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management to meet business requirements. It focuses on advanced supply chain management operations, including production logistics, master planning, planning optimization, and the use of mixed reality and Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft Copilot is an AI companion that assists with tasks like coding, writing, generating images, and answering questions. features.
All D365 Supply Chain Management Consultants, especially those operating in more production and quality control environments. /Development consultants.
Microsoft Certified D365 Finance and Operations Apps Solution Architect Expert
Description
This certification validates your expertise in advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions using Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Apps. It focuses on leveraging your deep understanding of the Dynamics 365 ecosystem, Microsoft Power Platform, and advanced features to drive strategic initiatives and solve complex business challenges.
Anyone seeking to operate in, or develop into, a solution architect project role. Note – As with all certifications listed here attaining this badge does not validate a users ability to perform the role. The solution architect role is one that take many years of varied experience to be able to execute effectively. Mike did a great post about the role of an SA here.
Microsoft Certified D365 Fundamentals (CRM)
Description
This certification validates your fundamental knowledge of the customer engagement capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365. It covers the use of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Sales, Customer Service, and Field Service apps to unify customer profiles and tailor personalized customer journeys
All entry level/graduate/junior CRMCustomer Relationship Management is a technology used to manage interactions with existing and potential customers. consultants. Can also be of benefit to project managers and customer side business users and leaders to aid their understanding of the D365 CRMCustomer Relationship Management is a technology used to manage interactions with existing and potential customers. landscape and the uniqueness of each stand alone application.
Microsoft Certified D365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to implement and configure Dynamics 365 Sales to meet business requirements. It focuses on customizing the application to manage customer information, gather insights, and automate best practices for effective sales processes.
All D365 Sales Functional Consultants. Would also be recommended for consultants with a specific power platform discipline and also those familiar with the other D365 CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). applications due to the common overlap in business processes and requirements.
Microsoft Certified D365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to implement and configure Dynamics 365 Customer Service to meet business requirements. It focuses on designing and implementing service management processes that enhance service quality, reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction
All D365 Customer Service Functional Consultants. Would also be recommended for consultants with a specific power platform discipline and also those familiar with the other D365 CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). applications due to the common overlap in business processes and requirements.
Microsoft Certified D365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to configure and implement Dynamics 365 Field Service solutions to manage field operations efficiently. It focuses on scheduling resources, optimizing workforce management, and equipping frontline workers with the necessary tools to deliver excellent service.
All D365 Field Service Functional Consultants. Would also be recommended for consultants with a specific power platform discipline and also those familiar with the other D365 CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). applications due to the common overlap in business processes and requirements. It may also be beneficial for D365 SCMSupply Chain Management (SCM) is the centralised process of managing the flow of goods, services, and information, from production to consumption. Functional Consultants to gain an understanding of the D365 Field Service App capabilities, especially when seeking to integrate Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) with Field Service.
Microsoft Certified D365 for Marketing Functional Consultant Associate
Description
Now renamed to Customer Insights, the marketing certification has actually been split into two;
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Journeys) Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Data) Speciality
The Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Journeys) Functional Consultant Associate certification validates your ability to implement and configure Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to engage with and convert leads, orchestrate marketing experiences, personalize marketing messaging, and deliver marketing insights. It focuses on leveraging customer data to create targeted and effective marketing campaigns
All D365 Marketing/Customer Insights Consultants. Would also be recommended for consultants with a specific power platform discipline and also those familiar with the other D365 CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). applications due to the common overlap in business processes and requirements.
Microsoft Certified D365 Customer Insights (Data) Speciality
Description
This certification validates your ability to implement solutions that provide insights into customer profiles and track engagement activities using Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. It focuses on unifying customer data, predicting customer intent with rich segmentation, and maintaining control of customer data to improve customer experiences and increase retention
All D365 Marketing/Customer Insights Consultants. Would also be recommended for consultants with a specific power platform discipline and also those familiar with the other D365 CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). applications due to the common overlap in business processes and requirements.
Microsoft Certified Power Platform Fundamentals
Description
This certification validates your understanding of the core capabilities of Microsoft Power Platform, including Power Apps, Power AutomatePower Automate is Microsoft’s service for creating automated workflows between apps, streamlining repetitive tasks., Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding., and Power Pages. It’s aimed at developers and business users who want to drive business improvements by automating processes, analysing data, and creating simple app experiences.
All business users and consultants seeking to explore solutions to improve productivity and automation of business processes either through extension of, or in isolation to, the wider D365 stack.
Microsoft Certified Power Platform Functional Consultant
Description
This certification validates your ability to build and implement solutions using Microsoft Power Platform tools like Power Apps, Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding., and Power Virtual Agents. It focuses on simplifying, automating, and empowering business processes through tailored user experiences and process automation.
All power platform consultants. Also, strongly recommended for consultants of other application specialties e.g. D365 Finance, Business Central, Customer Service etc to improve understanding of native application extension options for D365. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the Power Platform Solution Architect certification path.
Microsoft Certified Power BI Data Analyst
Description
This certification validates your ability to model, visualize, and analyse data using Microsoft Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding.. It focuses on delivering actionable insights through easy-to-comprehend data visualizations and enabling self-service analytics for others.
All power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding. consultants. Also, strongly recommended for ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. consultants due to the large volume of reporting and analytics requirements that often arise during the project lifecycle. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the Power Platform Solution Architect certification path.
Microsoft Certified Power Automate RPA Developer Associate
Description
This certification validates your ability to automate business processes and workflows using Microsoft Power AutomatePower Automate is Microsoft’s service for creating automated workflows between apps, streamlining repetitive tasks., with a focus on robotic process automation (RPARobotic Process Automation uses software robots to automate repetitive tasks, mimicking human actions in digital systems.). It covers automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks by using a mix of UI, APIAn Application Programming Interface is a set of rules enabling two or more applications to communicate and exchange data., and database automation approaches.
All power platform consultants. Also, strongly recommended for consultants of other application specialties e.g. D365 Finance, Business Central, Customer Service etc to improve understanding of native application extension options for D365. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the Power Platform Solution Architect certification path.
Microsoft Certified Power Platform Developer
Description
This certification validates your ability to design, develop, secure, and troubleshoot solutions using Microsoft Power Platform. It focuses on implementing components such as application enhancements, custom user experiences, system integrations, data conversions, custom process automation, and custom visualizations
All power platform developers. Should also, but not necessarily required, be attained as part of the Power Platform Solution Architect certification path.
Microsoft Certified Power Platform Solution Architect Expert
Description
This certification validates your expertise in architecting end-to-end solutions using Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps, and related Microsoft cloud solutions. It focuses on facilitating design decisions based on recommended practices across development, configuration, integration, infrastructure, security, licensing, storage, and change management.
Anyone seeking to operate in, or develop into, a CECustomer Engagement is the collective title of D365 first party apps built on CRM technology (Sales, Service, Marketing, etc). and/or Power Platform Solution Architect project role. Note – As with all certifications listed here attaining this badge does not validate a users ability to perform the role.
Summary
Hopefully this post has given a useful overview of the certifications available and how they could align to your aspirations whether that is as a consultant or a business users wanting to know more. The really key thing to note here is attainment of these certifications does not equate to experience or ability to perform a role. Nothing beats hands on experience, whether that be from the business or application standpoint, but achieving and maintaining these certifications is a great way to expose yourself to the broader application capabilities and, with the annual renewal exams, can be a great way to stay on top of some of the new features.
In today’s post, I’ll be going through the benefits of utilising the Power Platform with F&O, alongside some real-world use cases.
Benefits of Extending F&O with the Power Platform
When enhancing or updating any ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. system, there are steps that need to be taken ensuring unnecessary items are not added. By this, I mean adding in non-standard capabilities to a product or platform. Common instances of this may include adding whole new components to a tool set which typically would not be supported by Microsoft, and often require support from third parties.
Custom enhancements that significantly alter products often have a major impact on business operations, but usually aren’t the best long-term strategy. Ideally, keeping products as close to their native configuration as possible ensures better supportability and reduces the risk of downtime during Microsoft’s regular updates.
Where the Power Platform helps is enabling simple connectivity to D365 F&O. Connectivity can be achieved through Dual Write, but also available via Azure Integration Services (AIS), by leveraging the Fin & Ops Apps (Dynamics 365) connector.
Dual-Write enables D365 F&O to not only write into its core database but also into Dataverse. This enables real-time interaction between traditional D365 Customer Engagement apps and D365 F&O. By having a copy of the data stored in a platform which supports extension natively enables organisations to build applications outside of F&O without compromising the product.
Another option for extension is leveraging the Power Platform connector for F&O. The connector leverages the F&O APIAn Application Programming Interface is a set of rules enabling two or more applications to communicate and exchange data. to pass information between F&O to the Power Platform such as in the instance of using a Canvas Power App to access data directly inside of F&O, essentially enabling changes directly to system data.
In both scenarios, there are mechanisms for accessing data within F&O promoting platform extensibility. And as these changes are pulling data outside of F&O there is limited impact to a production system in which the business is dependent on. Additionally, with information now accessible outside the platform the following benefits can be realised:
Increased Flexibility: The Power Platform provides additional tools to help speed up solution developments enabling businesses to adapt to ever-changing needs.
Enhanced Productivity: Streamlining operations and automating tasks with elements of AIArtificial Intelligence is a field of computer science dedicated to creating systems that mimic human intelligence. sprinkled in.
Better Decision Making: Utilising Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding. to create visual and interactive reports, promoting data sharing and transparency.
Improved User Experience: Let us be honest, there are some excellent user interfaces out there and F&O is not quite of them. By having options to customise how users interact with their data can help promote data quality, assist with user input, and ensure systems are more accessible.
Real-World Scenarios
Let us apply the above into some real-world scenarios! In this instance, we will be focussing on a medium sized distribution company. Warehouse staff members are facing issues with manual inventory tracking, delayed order processing and a lack of real-time data on stock levels and order statuses. How can the Power Platform help?
A Canvas Power App developed for mobile devices, such as scanners used when picking items can be created. This app can support in scanning barcodes to update inventory levels in real-time. By synchronising data directly to F&O, warehouse workers can automatically push data into the core ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. system, reducing stock loss, errors and improving overall data accuracy.
A Power AutomatePower Automate is Microsoft’s service for creating automated workflows between apps, streamlining repetitive tasks. flow created for order processing enables alerts when orders are placed with options to automatically assign tasks to warehouse staff. These activities could be picking, packing, or shipping.
Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding. reports can generate real-time insight into key warehouse operations. This includes pulling dashboards from F&O displaying key metrics such as stock levels, order statuses and staff performance.
The above are but a few examples of how low-code can support organisations with integration to F&O.
Conclusion
Hopefully it’s apparent that D365 F&O with the Power Platform offers substantial benefits for businesses looking to enhance their operational efficiency and flexibility.
The Power Platform low-code tool kit helps extend an already feature-rich platform, promoting customised development and enabling citizen development referencing core ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. data. Moreover when leveraging the Power Platform’s core framework, users can build extensions in a secure and governed environment, mitigating risks associated with Shadow IT.
By adopting the Power Platform, businesses can achieve greater agility, streamline their processes, and unlock new levels of productivity and insight.
In the world of ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. implementation, the D365 F&O Solution Architect is the cornerstone of success, turning business complexities into seamless technical solutions. But what does this pivotal role really entail, and why is it so crucial?
Let’s break it down, starting with a handy infographic that highlights some of the key skills of a D365 F&O Solution Architect:
An infographic highlighting some of the key skills evidenced by a D365 F&O Solution Architect
Understanding the Business
A D365 F&O Solution Architect starts by getting under the skin of a business. They engage with stakeholders, often including business analysts, to help map out the company’s current processes, pain points, and future goals. Whether it’s streamlining supply chain operations or refining financial workflows, the architect’s job is to translate these business needs into a clear, actionable technology roadmap.
In some cases, it can be beneficial to have a Solution Architect with specific industry experience, but for the most part, such knowledge should be drawn from the business team.
Designing the Blueprint
Once they’ve got a grip on the business, it’s time to get technical. Solution Architects should seek to craft a tailored architecture that leverages D365 F&O to its fullest potential. This involves designing a solution that’s not only scalable and secure but also seamlessly integrates with other systems, be it CRMCustomer Relationship Management is a technology used to manage interactions with existing and potential customers., third-party applications, or wider Microsoft services like Azure and Power Platform.
While D365 F&O offers powerful out-of-the-box functionality, every business has unique needs. The Solution Architect identifies where customization can provide a competitive edge – whether that means creating entirely new modules or tweaking existing ones for maximum efficiency.
Mastering the Functional Puzzle
When talking about ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities., and D365 F&O in particular, the depth and breadth of functional complexity means it is generally accepted that there is more of a functional emphasis of the role, ideally backed up by a capable Technical Architect.
This is in contrast to say, CRMCustomer Relationship Management is a technology used to manage interactions with existing and potential customers., where the relatively simplistic level of functionality means the role of Solution Architect is far more more technical in nature.
D365 F&O Solution Architects need to have a thorough appreciation and understanding of finance, supply chain, human resources, and other business processes. This empowers them to perform gap analyses to identify discrepancies between business needs and system capabilities, offering strategic recommendations for enhancements or workarounds.
Leading Teams to Build Lasting Solutions
Being the architect doesn’t stop at the design. They lead the build effort, guiding functional and technical teams and ensuring that the solution is built according to the blueprint, and handling inevitable change requests that emerge as an implementation progresses.
As such, they are senior problem solver on a project, addressing functional, technical, and business challenges, and ensuring quality is achieved through rigorous testing.
An essential part of the role is balancing technology and innovation with best practice and real world practical adoption. Furthermore, it’s not just about solving today’s problems; it’s about building a solution that will stand the test of time, adapt to change, and scale with the business.
Stakeholder Management: The Unsung Hero Skill
A huge component of the job that is frequently underestimated is stakeholder management, achieved via communication, leadership, and psychosocial skills.
The Solution Architect must be able to explain complex technical concepts in a way that non-technical stakeholders can understand. This requires patience, clarity of thought, and a strong command of written and spoken language.
Working with both junior and senior stakeholders, the role also requires humility and recognition of the ratio of two ears, one mouth, when it comes to listening.
They must be able to present their solutions, ensure alignment with business objectives, and provide training and support to end-users and IT teams.
Managing Projects and Mitigating Risks
Project management is another string to the bow of a fully-skilled SA. Whilst there should always be a dedicated project management team to handle governance, milestones and process, the Solution Architect is essential to help plan and scope projects, estimating resources, timelines, and costs.
They also play a crucial role in identifying risks and developing strategies to mitigate them, ensuring smooth project delivery.
Driving Continuous Improvement
The Solution Architect’s work doesn’t end with deployment. They continuously evaluate new updates and features in D365 F&O, always looking for ways to improve processes and keep a business on the cutting edge.
Focus and Experience
It should go without saying, but the skillset described in this post is not just acquired overnight. It takes more than just a couple of Microsoft certifications and a cheery disposition to pull together an ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. solution!
Furthermore, I’d posit that the best experience is gained from doing “the hard yards”, which is my way of saying, having taken at least one major D365 F&O implementation project from concept through to hypercare, overlaid with a variety of additional experiences.
Jumping between multiple clients, partners and/or projects every couple of months might give good industry exposure, but it doesn’t build the full project experience, or evidence the completeness of character required for riding out a project or owning a successful solution.
The Bottom Line
A good D365 F&O Solution Architect is more than just a functional expert. They are technically-minded and business savvy problem solver; a strategic partner for leveraging the power of the platform and supporting technologies.
From initial discovery through to cutover and beyond, they play a crucial role in ensuring that the solution not only meets but ideally exceeds business expectations.
Whether you’re considering a career as a Solution Architect or need one for your next project, it’s clear that this role is essential for ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. success. What challenges have you faced in D365 F&O implementations? Share your thoughts below on how an experienced Solution Architect can help your business thrive.
I’ll use this post to talk about how you can review workflows that are either in process or completed and what to do if one of your workflows fails trying to complete your day-to-day tasks.
View the progress of your workflow
A screenshot from D365 F&O showing the workflow menu on a Free text invoice
Your first step will have been to submit an item to workflow, whether that’s a free text invoice, purchase order, etc.
You can then view the history of your workflow by going to the source document and selecting the Workflow tab again. Depending on your role and permissions within the system, you should see a View history button. Open this to see the steps of the workflow, approval assignments and errors.
The most likely error you will see is one where the workflow is unable to find a user to assign the approval to. This is generally a result of user group or security role changes, or in the case of a bad design, if a single user has been designated in the workflow.
Many workflows will assign manual approvals to all users within either (i) a certain user group, or (ii) assigned to a particular security role. If all users are removed, the workflow will not be able to find a person for approval and the workflow will fail.
Other errors you may see are approvals going to the wrong teams, which would be a result of incorrect workflow creation or changes.
If this happens, then from within the workflow history, assigned approvers (and system administrators) have the option to reassign a workflow item to a different user:
A screenshot from D365 F&O workflow history showing the option to “Reassign” a work item, in the Work Items FastTab near the bottom of the page
Workflows with errors can be resumed from the view history page once fixed or recalled and resubmitted:
A screenshot from D365 F&O showing the options to “Resume” or “Recall” a workflow submission; see the Action Pane along the top of the page
Regardless, the root cause should be investigated and fixed. If you are submitting an error report to your system administrator, the workflow history would be a great place to start.
Using the Tracking details lists tab above, you can click “View workflow details” to see exactly where your workflow has gone wrong, and if you’re lucky, exactly what the error is. This will mean the administrator or support agent can find the right workflow, and the right point within the workflow to fix.
This screenshot from D365 F&O shows a typical workflow error message in the Tracking details tab: “Stopped (error): X++ Exception: This workflow cannot continue processing because no users were retrieved for the current workflow step. Contact your system administrator.”
Versioning
D365 F&O does a good job with workflow version control. Any changes made to a workflow automatically create a new version number (dependent on the scale of changes made), which you can choose to activate or keep inactive. The version history is also stored so you can regress in case of error:
A screenshot from D365 F&O showing a sample version history of a Free text invoice workflow
You can see above that there are two versions of the same workflow (000141) available, however only Version 1.0.0.0 is active and this is the workflow that will be used. If we were to activate Version 1.1.0.0, the prior workflow would automatically inactivate and the new version would be used for all subsequent workflow submissions.
Defaults
A last important point to make is that there can only be one default workflow, of any one workflow type, at any point in time. Setting a workflow as the default allows the system to know which one should be used for document:
A screenshot from D365 F&O showing a list of workflows in the Sales ledger module. Note the option in the Action Pane for “Set as default”
Six months ago, the AX7 founders published their first post about D365 F&O and how it originated, before beginning a focus on various aspects system functionality. I highly recommend a re-read of Hello world!
For those of you wanting to get into extending D365 F&O with Power Platform, here is a very brief recap of some salient points:
The long and short of it, D365 F&O is an enterprise resource planning (ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities.) system. This includes Finance, Supply Chain, Commerce and HR.
Since the inception of the cloud-version of the product, Microsoft has released periodic updates providing new features and capabilities to the systems users.
However, like many other ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. systems, although feature rich, sometimes require extension.
These tools are generally quite rigid in that any native extension requires expert knowledge, substantial time and oftentimes taking a code-first approach.
And this is where the opportunity for Power Platform presents itself. With a focus on end-user development and low-code tooling, the Power Platform empowers everyday users to create apps.
Similar to how any user can build an Excel report or write a Word document, the Power Platform is another tool in the ever-growing Microsoft 365 toolkit. From using Power Apps to handle data input, Power AutomatePower Automate is Microsoft’s service for creating automated workflows between apps, streamlining repetitive tasks. to handle alerts and integration, through to Power BIPower BI is a cloud-based suite of business intelligence and analytics tools that lets anyone connect to, visualise, and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency, and understanding. enabling visually stunning reports, the Power Platform has a tool for everything. And funnily enough, this extends to Dynamics 365 F&O:
A reminder of the full Microsoft Dynamics family, including Power Platform
Now, letting end users go around building stuff is not always the smartest decision. Just that statement alone will set your IT Administrators quivering with fear and unease, daunted by the prospect of users spinning up new security groups accidentally, or building apps, adding to the ever growing iceberg of “Shadow IT”.
The key when adopting the Power Platform is understanding that it is not the wild west, but rather a toolkit with a framework. The framework is what ensures that users have guide rails and cannot break anything.
In the context of an ERPEnterprise Resource Planning software is used by businesses to manage day-to-day activities. like D365 F&O, this level of governance will make all the difference between a business that operates smoothly and benefits from its technology adoption, versus one that is constantly firefighting.
Getting Started
The initial integration with Power Platform is relatively quick and easy, using the guide on Microsoft Learn:
In respect to building Power Platform components, Microsoft has an extensive library of ‘Learn’ articles taking users from knowing nothing, to building their first app.
That said, we would always recommend working with a recognised partner to configure these capabilities and to ensure data is appropriately transferred and stored.
Hopefully, this isn’t news to any D365 F&O users and the new configuration has either been implemented or is in the process of being implemented, but as its been a few months since the deprecation announcement, we thought it would be worth bringing to the surface once again to try and avoid anyone being caught out.
Deprecation of the exchange email provider was announced in January this year (more info here). For clarity:
Deprecation – this is a feature that Microsoft no longer has under active development.
Removed – this is when a feature will be removed from the application and customers will no longer have access to it.
It is a lifecycle state applied to a feature that is becoming end of life because it is either no longer required, or a better alternative is now available. Most of the time a feature deprecation date is announced when an alternative solution is in place, with exceptions to this typically being where the feature is legacy and no longer required.
In terms of the exchange email provider deprecation, the Dynamics team recommend using Microsoft Graph for D365 F&O. I’ll quickly cover the setup steps here, although they are publicly available.
Pre-requisites
The user(s) performing the setup require System administrator in D365 F&O and Azure tenant administrator rights.
Azure Application Registration
If you are setting this up from scratch and Microsoft graph is not in use then a new application registration will be required.
Enter an application Name, set application access to your organisational directory only and select Register:
Important – take a note of the application (client) ID at this stage as you will need this later for the F&O setup:
Now that you’ve created the Entra IDEntra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is Microsoft’s solution for seamless access to any application or resource, irrespective of location or device. application, you need to set its permissions for the APIAn Application Programming Interface is a set of rules enabling two or more applications to communicate and exchange data. that it will be handling. To do this select Manage>APIAn Application Programming Interface is a set of rules enabling two or more applications to communicate and exchange data. Permissions and choose ‘Microsoft Graph’:
Search for the Mail.Send permission and select ‘Add permissions’:
The chosen permissions allows any organisational user to send emails using this connection, which is understandable considering the F&O application processes. Select ‘grant admin consent for your organisation‘:
The next step is create a new client secret. Select manage>certificates & secrets and choose ‘new client secret’:
Enter a descriptor for the secret and choose an expiry period, then click ‘Add’:
Make a note of the secret Value and then you’re all done on the Azure setup side:
D365 F&O Setup
Now over to the D365 F&O setup:
Jump into the Email parameters in System Admin> Email>Email Parameters:
If you have exchange configured from past setup then you’ll be warned about the deprecation:
Enable the Graph email provider and, if required, disable exchange:
Then for the final step, navigate to the Microsoft Graph Settings and enter the Application ID, saved from your Azure setup earlier, and input the secret value, also generated earlier, into the application Secret.
Test your connection to make sure everything is good. If you receive any errors then go back to revalidate the Application ID and secret values from earlier to ensure these have been input correctly.
You’re now good to go. Obviously if this is being done in a production environment then I suggest you follow your normal change control and configuration promotion to test before releasing to live, but as you can see its very straight forward so this shouldn’t be anything too onerous.
In support of the Microsoft OneVersion upgrade strategy (One Version Service Update Changes) there has been, and continues to be, a continued drive to maintain alignment with the standard application and therefore minimise the risks when upgrade (Embracing the “Adopt not Adapt” approach in ERP implementation). Some of the most commonly customised areas of old, custom fields and output documents, are now configurable from the front end UI. Paul Sinnott covered off custom fields in his post Stand aside developers, we’ve got this! and my post today is aiming to provide an introduction to the extensive capabilities of configurable business documents in Business Document Management (BDMBusiness Development Managers in sales identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow an organisation.) powered by electronic reporter.
Introduction
Business Document Management (BDMBusiness Development Managers in sales identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow an organisation.) was released by Microsoft a few years ago now to improve the user experience involved in creating reports. It is still based on the ER Framework. However; now has a more intuitive interface where we can import and modify the templates of common out out reports e.g. Purchase Orders, Sales orders etc.
BDMBusiness Development Managers in sales identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow an organisation. sits in the Organisational Administration module. When accessing the space you’ll see your list of published or draft documents (or an empty workspace if starting from scratch!)
For the purpose of this blog post I will cover off the basics to get you started such as; how you can access Microsoft’s default templates and how to start editing them.
Accessing templates from ER
First up is to access the Electronic reporting workspace. You should see ‘Microsoft’ under Configuration providers. Click Repositories.
The repositories are where document templates are stored. For now, click on the Global repository and click Open on the action bar. Note the blue information message saying that the Dataverse repository will be used instead in the future.
Inside you’ll see all of the templates ready to import.
You can select specific documents or import the whole library.
Once these are imported you can return to the Business Document Management workspace.
Accessing Documents
Open the BDMBusiness Development Managers in sales identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow an organisation. workspace, click ‘New Document’ and you will see your list of imported templates. There are two more tabs on this page, ‘Upload’ (if you’ve extracted from another environment) and ‘Import’ from Dataverse repository (if the environment is connected properly to Dataverse you can skip the previous steps and access templates here).
Select the template you want to edit and click ‘Create Document’, you will be asked to name and version the document before it opens.
Document Structure
The template already contains the majority of information to suit most user requirements. However, some edits are still likely to be required.
There are three main functional items on the template to note:
Cosmetic item: Free text cells on the template, may be descriptive. They will show on a report.
Data item: Found within [square brackets] on the template. These will not show on a report and instead be replaced with the data they refer to.
Bind: The bind is the link between the data item and the entity that stores the information on the document.
The document is split into sections which you can see by viewing the structure.
You can add and remove from the structure as needed using the buttons in the structure pop up. You can add a single cell, or a range depending on the type of data you plan to show on the report.
To access the binds, click the lower 3 dots and select Show bindings. The elements on the structure will show alongside the bound data.
You’ll see that a new ‘Data Sources’ area has popped up in the side view. This space shows the relevant data D365 thinks is relevant for the report. You are able to select a data item from the Sales Invoice section above, and the relevant data point and click Bind. This turns that cell/range into the source of that data on the report.
The Microsoft templates already include many of the fields to suit most clients. Besides perhaps some personalisation hopefully you’ll be safe to shrink the template rather than expand it! However, it’s worth noting that Microsoft doesn’t show every entity in the Data sources area, only those that it thinks are relevant to the template report so for some clients a little work may be required behind the scenes to access everything you need.
Document Control
Documents can have a status of ‘Draft’ or ‘Published’. A published document can be selected in Print Management for testing and use.
You can version control your document using the Version tab, which is useful if you want to make changes to a published document.
BDMBusiness Development Managers in sales identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow an organisation. is an very powerful, but also extensive, tool. This was just a brief introduction to the Business Docs Manager workspace. With Microsoft’s templates it’s easy to play around in the system and get to grips and there’s also a lot of information on Docs and YouTube around this topic.
D365 F&O environments should ideally always be deployed using an unnamed account (e.g. ). This ensures that if users leave the business for any reason, there are no security implications, or worse still, the business is not stuck unable to maintain or update any environments.
However, for various reasons, it may not be possible to get the environment administrator right in the first instance, and it needs to be changed later on. If this has happened to you, you’re in the right place!
This post describes how to change the environment administrator, depending on whether you’re trying to fix a Tier 2+ or a Tier 1…
Tier 2+
Changing the environment administrator on a Tier 2 (or higher) environment is relatively straightforward.
First navigate to LCSMicrosoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) is a portal that simplifies and standardises the implementation and maintenance processes for D365., where you will need to be a nominated user of the relevant project. Select the project, and view the full details for the environment in question.
From there, chose to Maintain > Update Environment Administrator. The screenshots below show all requisite steps to achieve this.
N.B. Bear in mind that this change will cause downtime to the environment!
Tier 1
Changing the environment administrator on a Tier 1 environment is not as straightforward, requiring a little more comfort with development environments! The following steps detail how to go about this:
Start by using RDP or Bastion to connect to the Tier 1 environment. Then, run Windows Powershell ISE and execute the following commands in order.
N.B. If you just use the command line version of Powershell it tends to look like it’s hanging even when it’s run successfully.
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