For organizations, cashflow issues can be mitigated if billing happens on time. Having Project Operations and Business Central gets you covered from a Sales/Project standpoint and BC handles the accounting side, which is great. But when these systems are not connected end to end, it creates problems.  Let’s look at some of the issues and the need to have PO-BC integrated so that business transactions need not be left to manual dependency.  Disconnected Systems  Organizations like Professional Services or Project-based organizations in the SMB/SMC sector use Project Operations to handle Sales and Project Management and use Business Central as their backend Accounting.  Out-of-the-box, Project Operations and Business Central are not integrated from a transaction perspective. This leaves a gap for the organization to be filled manually and dependent on accounting/project management to ensure everything is accounted for in Business Central.  This adds human dependency to keep both the systems in sync and make sure everything gets billed on time.  But this is only the scenario, let’s talk about some problems with this scenario in the below section.  Why PO and BC Integration Matters  When we don’t have the systems connected all the way from Sales to Billing, the following issues start to add up resulting bigger cashflow issues –   These things add up causing loss in revenue and hence, causing cashflow issues. Profit and Loss statement might look great, but cash-in-hand makes organizations suffer and causes hindrance in growth.  Hence, the systems should be reliably integrated to eradicate the issues discussed above.  To give perspective of what all needs to be integrated to ensure that all transaction data between Project Operations and Business Central is taken care of, refer to the below architecture which we’ve incorporated in our PO-BC Integration Module –  To conclude that, when Organizations have their business systems connected to accounting and the financial transactions are taken care of, cashflow issues are eradicated so that organizations can bill on time and get paid on time.  Without this, cashflow chaos is difficult to overcome and fixing billing issues is of prime importance.  We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

When deploying applications on Azure App Service, certain environment variables play a pivotal role in ensuring smooth operation and efficient resource management. One such variable is WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE. In this blog, we will explore what WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE is, why it matters, and how you can work with it effectively. What is WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE? The WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE environment variable is a unique identifier automatically generated by Azure App Service. It specifies the name of the Azure Storage file share used by an App Service instance when its content is deployed to an Azure App Service plan using shared storage, such as in a Linux or Windows containerized environment. This variable is particularly relevant for scenarios where application code and content are stored and accessed from a shared file system. It ensures that all App Service instances within a given plan have consistent access to the application’s files. Key Use Cases How WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE Works When you deploy an application to Azure App Service: Example Value: This value points to a file share named app-content-share1234 in the configured Azure Storage account. Configuring WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE While the WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE variable is automatically managed by Azure, there are instances where you may need to adjust configurations: Troubleshooting Common Issues 1. App Service Cannot Access File Share 2. Variable Not Set 3. File Share Quota Exceeded Best Practices To conclude that, The WEBSITE_CONTENTSHARE variable is a crucial part of Azure App Service’s infrastructure, facilitating shared storage access for applications. By understanding its purpose, configuration, and best practices, you can ensure your applications leverage this feature effectively and run seamlessly in Azure’s cloud environment. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Azure Functions are a vital component of serverless computing, offering the flexibility to run event-driven code without the need to manage infrastructure. When integrated with Dynamics 365, they provide a robust mechanism for automating processes and extending the platform’s functionality. This blog explores Azure Function trigger methods and recurrence syntax, highlighting their relevance in Dynamics 365 scenarios. Azure Function Trigger Methods Azure Functions can be triggered by various events. These triggers determine how and when the function executes. Here are some commonly used trigger methods in Dynamics 365 integrations: 1. HTTP Trigger Example: 2. Queue Storage Trigger Example: 3. Timer Trigger Example: 4. Service Bus Trigger Example: Recurrence Syntax for Timer Triggers Timer Triggers in Azure Functions rely on CRON expressions to define their schedule. Understanding this syntax is crucial for scheduling Dynamics 365-related tasks. CRON Expression Format: Examples: 2. Run daily at 2:30 AM: 3. Run every Monday at 9:00 AM: Key Points: Integrating Azure Functions with Dynamics 365 To integrate Azure Functions with Dynamics 365: 4. For asynchronous processes, leverage Azure Storage Queues or Service Bus to manage workload distribution To conclude that, Azure Functions, with their diverse trigger options, provide unmatched flexibility for extending Dynamics 365 capabilities. The recurrence syntax in Timer Triggers ensures that tasks are executed precisely when needed, enabling efficient process automation. By combining these tools, organizations can unlock the full potential of Dynamics 365 in their digital transformation journey. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Power Pages, which was earlier known as Power Apps Portals, a powerful low-code platform from Microsoft, allows you to create websites seamlessly integrated with Dynamics 365. Whether you’re building a customer portal, a partner collaboration site, or an internal application, Power Pages makes it easy to deliver rich web experiences. Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to help you create your first Power Pages site. What is the difference between Normal Websites and Websites Created by Power Pages? Getting Started with Power Pages: Sign in to Power Pages:To get started, sign in to the Power Pages platform using your Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, create a new account. Once signed in, you’ll be taken to the Power Pages home screen where you can begin creating your site. Create a New Site:You can start by creating a site from scratch. Choose the “Start from blank” option or use one of the available templates to speed up your development process. Templates are pre-built designs that you can customize to fit your needs. Choose a Site Name and Web Address:Select a site name that reflects the purpose of the site (e.g., “Customer Portal” or “Partner Collaboration Site”). Choose an appropriate web address (URL) that aligns with your business branding. Power Pages will guide you through the process of selecting a domain name and integrating it with your site. Configure Site Settings:Once your site is created, you’ll be able to configure various settings such as branding, theme, and layout. Power Pages provides an intuitive interface where you can adjust these settings with minimal effort. Click to edit the Power Pages using the Studio. Design and Edit Your Site:Click to open and edit your site using Power Pages Studio. This drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to add content such as text, images, forms, and data from your Dynamics 365 system. The Studio allows you to customize the site’s design, layout, and interactive elements to create a rich user experience. Let’s add a section and select the column as per your wish. Select ‘List’ Select the table and the list of records you want to see in your Webpage This appears after adding the List. There is a notification to set up permissions on the list. Click on + New permission. Let’s Add roles and click Save. Now click Sync followed by Preview. Sync feature is to make sure that the changes made in the Power Pages Studio are reflected across the platform whereas Preview feature allows you to see a live, interactive version of your website before publishing it. This gives you the opportunity to review and test how the site will look and function for end users. Also, there is another way of editing and designing Power Pages. Why do we need Power Pages Management? While Power Pages Studio is designed for creating and designing websites, focusing on content, layout, and interactivity, the Power Pages Management App provides a separate interface for managing the operational, security, and administrative aspects of the site. Key Functions of Power Pages Management: The separation of responsibilities between the design and management aspects ensures that both designers and administrators can focus on their respective tasks without compromising the site’s functionality, security, or scalability. This division enhances the overall efficiency and flexibility of managing a Power Pages website. Happy Developing! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com

In Dynamics 365, custom actions allow you to perform specific business logic, such as sending emails, making calculations, or calling external services. Often, these actions are triggered based on field updates or changes to records. However, there may be situations where you want to trigger a custom action through a button click, without modifying any record fields or triggering unnecessary updates. In this blog, we’ll explore how to use a button to trigger a custom action for a creating a specific task record in Dynamics 365 using JavaScript, that too, without modifying the record. Here’s the JS code used to trigger the action: Attach the JavaScript function to the button ‘Create Task’ event of the Case form, so that every time a case is created, the follow-up task is automatically generated. Click on the ‘Create Task’ button. And here, we have the follow up task created. Happy Developing! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Managing inventory is an important part of any business, and keeping track of stock levels is key to smooth operations. Negative inventory happens when your system shows that you have less than zero items in stock. This can cause problems like delays, mistakes in finances, and unhappy customers. Luckily, Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365F&O) has tools to help you avoid negative inventory. In this blog, we’ll share simple tips and tricks to keep your inventory accurate. What is Negative Inventory? Negative inventory means your system says you have less stock than zero. For example, if you sell or use more items than you have in storage, the system might show a negative number. This can happen because: Negative inventory can cause confusion, financial mistakes, and problems in planning and ordering stock. How to Avoid Negative Inventory in D365F&O Here are some easy steps to prevent negative inventory in D365F&O: 1. Set Up Item Model Groups Item model groups control how inventory is managed. Setting them up properly helps avoid negative inventory. 2. Use Inventory Reservations Inventory reservations make sure stock is set aside for specific orders, so you don’t overcommit. 3. Track Inventory Dimensions Inventory dimensions, like site, warehouse, batch, and serial number, help you track stock accurately. Make sure these are used correctly for each product. 4. Do Regular Cycle Counts Cycle counts help you check if the stock in your system matches what you actually have. Fixing any mistakes quickly avoids negative inventory. 5. Post Transactions in Order Posting transactions in the wrong order can cause temporary negative inventory. For example, issuing stock before recording receipts. 6. Check Inventory Transactions Often Review inventory transactions to catch and fix issues early. 7. Train Your Team Training your team is key to preventing mistakes that lead to negative inventory. Benefits of Avoiding Negative Inventory Preventing negative inventory can make a big difference for your business: Avoiding negative inventory in D365F&O is about using the right settings and following good processes. By setting up item model groups, using reservations, doing regular cycle counts, and keeping an eye on transactions, you can prevent negative inventory and keep your stock levels accurate. These steps will improve your operations, make customers happy, and help your business run smoothly. Start using these tips today to get the most out of Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations for inventory management! So, that its for this blog. Thanks for reading!! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Power Apps Pages, part of the Microsoft Power Platform, allows you to create responsive web applications that can be accessed by both internal and external users. Setting up authentication and security is crucial to ensure that only authorized users can access your application and its data. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the steps to set up authentication and security in Power Apps Pages. In this blog, we’ll cover the essentials of setting up security in Power Pages. Step 1: Configure Authentication Click on Power Pages sites and then select your portal. There is another way of authenticating your Power Pages Set Up Identity Providers using Azure For Azure AD: Enable Authentication Step 2: Setting Up Security Start by navigating to Power Pages Studio. Choose the site where you want to set up authentication. Click the ellipses (three dots) next to the Preview button and select ‘Power Pages Management’ in Power Pages Studio. This will take you to the Power Pages Management interface where you can make various administrative changes. Select the ellipses and click Web Roles Click on New to create a new web role. Name the role , in this case, (‘FreeSpirit Global Admin’) and save it. Web Page Access Control Rule in Power Pages is a security feature that defines which users or roles can access specific web pages on a site. This rule ensures that only authorized users can view or interact with restricted content, protecting sensitive data and maintaining site security. Add Web Roles to the Web Page Access Control Rule Step 3: Configure Page Security Navigating Page Settings in Power Pages Studio Go to Power Pages Studio -> Select the ellipses and Page Settings -> Go to Permissions and add the Role of the viewer Securing Power Pages using Power Pages Management Assigning Web Roles to Contact. Make sure the Form is set to Portal Contact. Select Web Roles from the Related drop-down Add Existing Web Role or create a new one if you want Table Permissions using Power Pages Management Navigate to Security > Table Permissions. Click on New to create a new table permission. Specify the table (entity) and the permission type (Read, Write, etc.). Assign the permission to a web role. Secure Individual Pages In the Portals Management App, navigate to Web Pages. Select the page you want to secure. Under the Permissions tab, add the web role that should have access to this page. Step 4: Additional Security Settings Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) For added security, configure MFA in your Azure AD. Go to the Azure AD portal. Navigate to Security > Multi-Factor Authentication and follow the setup instructions. Configure IP Restrictions You can restrict access to your Power Apps Pages based on IP addresses. In the Portals Admin Center, navigate to Site Settings. Add new site settings for IP restrictions and specify the allowed IP addresses. Review and Monitor Security Logs Regularly review security logs for any suspicious activity. In the Azure AD portal, navigate to Monitoring > Sign-ins to review sign-in activity. Conclusion Setting up authentication and security in Power Apps Pages ensures that your application and its data are protected from unauthorized access. By configuring identity providers, creating security roles, setting up appropriate permissions, and implementing additional security measures like MFA and IP restrictions, you can manage who accesses your portal and what they can do within it. Follow these steps to create a secure and robust Power Apps Page for your users. By following this guide, you can ensure your Power Apps Pages are secure and provide a seamless experience for your users. Happy Building! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

When developing web applications, one of the most common features you might need is the ability to dynamically redirect users to different subpages based on certain conditions, such as whether they are logged in or not. This ensures a smooth and personalized experience for users navigating your portal. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to set up redirection in Power Pages based on user authentication. Whether you’re building a public-facing portal or a member-only dashboard, this solution will help you ensure that users land on the right page based on their status. In our example, we want to redirect users based on their authentication status: By default, when users access your Power Pages portal, they land on the homepage. In this case, you want to check if the user is logged in and redirect them accordingly. We’ll use a Web Template in Power Pages. This template will contain the necessary JavaScript to check if the user is logged in and redirect them based on that. P.S. These below lines are included from the Default Studio Template. Don’t forget to include in your code. Next, create a Page Template and add the newly created Web Template. Go to Web Pages and update the Page Template as well. Click Save. And voila! The default landing page appears as soon as I access the website. With this simple solution, you can enhance the user experience by ensuring that visitors to your Power Pages portal are always directed to the content that’s most relevant to them. Happy Building! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com

Whether you’re adding product catalogs or updating images for an extensive inventory, having an efficient way to bulk import images can save time and effort. In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps to import images in bulk into Business Central, providing you with a seamless method to enhance your product data. In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficiency and accuracy in managing product data are crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) is a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that integrates all business functions into one platform. One of the most time-consuming tasks for businesses, especially those with large inventories, is managing and uploading product images. 1. Create a Codeunit or Processing Report:    Since Business Central doesn’t have a built-in feature for bulk image import, you can create a custom codeunit or processing report to handle this task. In this example, we’ll use a codeunit. 2. Add a New Field for Image URL:     Create an Item Table Extension and add a new field called “Product Image URL” to the Item table. This field will hold the URL or path for each product image. 3. Set the Image URLs Using a Configuration Package:     Use a config package to set the image URLs in the “Product Image URL” field for each item. This is where you will provide the path or URL for the image associated with each product. 4. Run the Codeunit to Update Items:    After populating the image URLs via the configuration package, run the codeunit in the foreground. The codeunit will process each item and update the products that have a valid URL set, linking them to the corresponding images. Below is the logic which will use the url which is set in Item master table and update all the data in bulk codeunit 50112 SetImageUrl {     Permissions = tabledata Item = rimd;     Description = ‘Set Image URL’;     trigger OnRun()     var         RecItem: Record Item;         Rec_Item1: Record Item;         ItemPage: page “Item Card”;         PictureURLDialog: Page “Picture URL Dialog”;     begin         Clear(RecItem);         RecItem.Reset();         RecItem.SetFilter(“Product Image URL”, ‘<>%1’, ”);         if RecItem.FindSet() then             repeat                 Rec_Item1.SetRange(“No.”, RecItem.”No.”);                 if Rec_Item1.FindFirst() then begin                     PictureURLDialog.SetItemInfo(Rec_Item1.”No.”, Rec_Item1.Description, Rec_Item1.”Product Image URL”);                     PictureURLDialog.ImportItemPictureFromURL();                 end;             until RecItem.Next() = 0;     end; } This approach allows you to automate the bulk import of product images into Business Central efficiently. Conclusion Importing images in bulk into Business Central can significantly enhance your operational efficiency and ensure your product records are complete and accurate. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can easily upload and manage product images, creating a more professional and visually appealing online presence, as well as improving internal processes. Whether you’re dealing with thousands of items or just a few, these steps will guide you through the bulk image import process, saving time, reducing errors, and providing a better user experience for both your team and customers. If you need further assistance or have specific questions about your Business Central setup, feel free to reach out for personalized guidance. Happy importing! We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

At the turn of 2025, AI has been infused in everything we do, both in our personal lives and at work. As AI becomes more mainstream in business, from mastering prompt engineering to having a solid data catalog, it’s become crucial for organizations to ensure their applications are fully AI-ready. This article will focus on how you can drive AI and Insights from your Sales to Billing cycle at your organization to establish a dependable AI strategy.  PO and BC – Data Catalog: The word ‘Data Catalog’ gives an impression of all the data being available through connected systems through a single source – this source is AI Agents.  Organizations which run their projects with Project Operations have Sales cycle, Project & Resource Management, Invoicing in Business Central with all the transaction data from Project Operations – they for a data catalog when connected.  AI Agents need a data catalog to have consolidated form a system which it can leverage to give reliable insights and take correct actions which you define in your business. For example – AI will give incorrect responses or not act accordingly if the two systems are not connected, and AI Agents are not able to make sense of it. This will throw off the AI Strategy planned for your organization.  A well-organized Data Catalog increases AI Agents’ reliability and accuracy, enabling correct results and supporting AI use-cases in your organization.  PO-BC Integration Module: There is an absence of an integration solution between Project Operations and Business Central which caters to connect Customers/Projects from Project Operations to transaction data in Business Central.  Now, the AI Strategy will align only when the systems are seamlessly connected end-to-end. And due to this disconnect, the Project Management as well as the Business Central data doesn’t align and is human-dependent for its reliability which is counter-intuitive. AI won’t give errors, it’ll give incorrect answers! And hence, the integration needs to be in place for data integrity to drive AI Agents off of this reliable data.  To fill this gap of Project Operations and Business Central not being connected out-of-the-box, CloudFronts has released PO-BC Integration Module to bridge this gap and connect Project Operations to Business Central. This solution connects Project Operations data end-to-end to Business Central and back so that the AI agents can take reliable actions against this data – either automatically or when asked.  Conclusion : For a reliable AI strategy, integrate systems like Project Operations and Business Central. Achieve this using CloudFronts’ PO+BC Integration solution. This ensures AI agents can use the data to improve cash flow for growth.  This will help optimize operations efficiencies so that both, resources and cashflow can be freed up to focus on growth at the organization.  We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com