When working with Dynamics 365, one of the key decisions during integration design is whether to implement synchronous or asynchronous communication. Understanding the differences and use cases for each approach is critical to building reliable, efficient, and scalable integrations. Understanding the Difference When to Use Synchronous Integration Synchronous integration is appropriate when: Advantages: Immediate confirmation, straightforward error detection.Considerations: Can slow down the system if the target application experiences latency, less scalable for high-volume scenarios. When to Use Asynchronous Integration Asynchronous integration is better suited for scenarios where: Advantages: Highly scalable, non-blocking operations, suitable for batch processing.Considerations: Errors may not be detected immediately, and tracking processing status requires additional monitoring. Real-World Examples Decision-Making Approach When evaluating which approach to use, consider these questions: To conclude, both synchronous and asynchronous integrations have distinct advantages and trade-offs. Synchronous workflows provide real-time feedback and simpler error handling, while asynchronous workflows offer scalability and efficiency for high-volume or non-urgent processes. Selecting the right approach for your Dynamics 365 integration requires careful consideration of business requirements, data volume, and system performance. By aligning the integration method with these factors, you can ensure reliable, efficient, and maintainable integrations. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

At CloudFronts Technologies, we understand that growing organizations often operate across multiple geographies and business units. Whether you’re working with Dynamics 365 CRM or Finance & Operations (F&O), syncing data between systems can quickly become complex—especially when different legal entities follow different formats, rules, or structures. To solve this, our team developed a powerful yet simple approach: Dynamic Templates for Multi-Entity Integration. The Business Challenge When a global business operates in multiple regions (like India, the US, or Europe), each location may have different formats for project codes, financial categories, customer naming, or compliance requirements. Traditional integrations hardcode these rules—making them expensive to maintain and difficult to scale as your business grows. Our Solution: Dynamic Liquid Templates We built a flexible, reusable template system that automatically adjusts to each legal entity’s specific rules—without the need to rebuild integrations for each one. Here’s how it works: Why This Matters for Your Business Real-World Success Story One of our client’s needs to integrate project data from CRM to F&O across three different regions. Instead of building three separate integrations, we implemented a single solution with dynamic templates. The result? What Makes CloudFronts Different At CloudFronts, we build future-ready integration frameworks. Our approach ensures you don’t just solve today’s problems—but prepare your business for tomorrow’s growth. We specialize in Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure, and enterprise-grade automation solutions. “Smart integrations are the key to global growth. Let’s build yours.” We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

Microsoft’s Unified Developer Experience (UDE) helps developers build solutions that work across both Finance and Operations (F&O) and the Power Platform by providing a common, cloud-based environment. Challenges Before UDE Before UDE, developers often faced the following issues: What UDE Changes With UDE, Microsoft combines these tools into one environment, making it easier to: Why UDE Is Useful Adopting UDE brings several practical benefits for developers and organizations: Check Access, Licenses, and Capacity Before starting, make sure your user role, license, and environment capacity are all set up properly. You can check this in the Power Platform Admin Center. Starting the Setup with PowerShell To get started, open PowerShell ISE on your laptop. If you haven’t installed the required Power Platform module yet, run this command (skip it if it’s already installed): #Install the module Install-Module -Name Microsoft.PowerApps.Administration.PowerShell -Force Next, sign in to your account and prepare the JSON template that defines your environment settings. Make sure DevToolsEnabled is set to true so developer tools are available. You can also set DemoDataEnabled to true if you want sample Contoso data included by default. Write-Host “Creating a session against the Power Platform API” Add-PowerAppsAccount -Endpoint prod #To construct the json object to pass in $jsonObject= @” { “PostProvisioningPackages”: [ { “applicationUniqueName”: “msdyn_FinanceAndOperationsProvisioningAppAnchor”, “parameters”: “DevToolsEnabled=true|DemoDataEnabled=true” } ] } “@ | ConvertFrom-Json Finally, you’re ready to start the environment deployment. New-AdminPowerAppEnvironment -DisplayName “EnvironmentName” -EnvironmentSku Sandbox -Templates “D365_FinOps_Finance” -TemplateMetadata $jsonObject -LocationName “unitedstates” -ProvisionDatabase Example: New-AdminPowerAppEnvironment -DisplayName “Basic_Env” -EnvironmentSku Sandbox -LocationName “unitedstates” -Templates “D365_FinOps_Finance” -TemplateMetadata $jsonObject -ProvisionDatabase Make sure to use a proper name for your environment — it must be 20 characters or fewer. Also, pick the correct data center location based on your region (for example, I used unitedstates, but you could choose India or another available region). Alternatively: Install on an Existing Environment If you already have a Power Platform environment with a Dataverse database, you can use it to install Finance and Operations apps. Simply select the environment, navigate to Resources > Dynamics 365 apps, and then select Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Provisioning App. Once your environment is successfully provisioned, you’ll see it listed in the Power Platform Admin Center — just like in the screenshot above. Here’s what the key information means: You’ll also see links to manage: These settings help control access and structure within your environment. This confirms your Finance + Power Platform environment is now fully functional and integrated — ready for development, testing, and customization. Make sure your user account has the System Administrator security role in Dataverse. Once assigned, this role will automatically carry over to the Finance and Operations (F&O) environment — no need to reassign it separately. If you navigate to the Dynamics 365 apps, you’ll also find pre-configured and installed solutions available. You can check out the Modules, Packages, and Operation History by simply clicking on the Environment URL. System Requirements for Setting Up the Development Environment Before you begin working with the Unified Development Experience (UDE), it’s important to make sure your machine meets the basic hardware and software requirements. Here’s what you’ll need: Workstation Requirements To ensure smooth performance while developing: Required Software The following software components are essential for working with UDE in Visual Studio: Once everything is set up, you’re ready to open Visual Studio. Make sure to run it as Administrator and choose the “Continue without code” option when prompted. This ensures all tools load properly and you’re ready to begin your development work. Install Power Platform VS Extension Go to VS > Manage Extensions > Search ‘Power Platform Tools Now, navigate to Tools > Options > Power Platform Tools and enable the specified parameters. Now, go to Tools > Connect to Dataverse Always show the full list of organizations. Avoid signing in with your current Windows user if it’s not the same account you’ve already connected to in Visual Studio. You can view the environments you previously created in PowerShell – just select the one you set up earlier. Choose the default option, unless you’re planning to create specific components for D365 CE or Power Platform—in that case, it’s best to create a dedicated solution and publisher for your work. If the X++ source code for your specific UnO DevBox version (e.g., 10.0.35) hasn’t been downloaded yet, you’ll be prompted to get it locally. After setting up the Power Platform Tools extension and connecting to your Dataverse sandbox, you’ll see an option to install the Finance and Operations extension for Visual Studio, along with the related metadata. If you didn’t get any option you can download it manually by going to “C:\Users\ShubhamPrajapati\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Dynamics365\10.0.2263.74” Meanwhile, in the background, the PackageLocalDirectory is being extracted. You can monitor the progress by going to View > Output. The installation typically takes around 30 minutes. After installation, you’ll see a few prompts the first time you open Visual Studio—just click “Yes” to continue. As you can see, all models have been downloaded successfully. You can switch between Classic View and Model View by right-clicking on the AOT. Once that’s done, navigate to Tools > Options > Power Platform Tools and apply the required changes as shown in the image below. The final step is to configure the Finance & Operations extension. In my case, I use LocalDB for the Cross Reference (Cross Ref) Database—it’s convenient because it’s already included when you install Visual Studio. If you’re using LocalDB, ensure your connection string is correct. A typical value is: (localdb)\ To set up LocalDB (if not already initialized), open Command Prompt and run: sqllocaldb create MSSQLLocalDB -s This command initializes and starts the LocalDB instance. Once LocalDB is running, your Cross Reference Database will be restored. This enables key development features such as: These features significantly enhance the development experience by improving code navigation and reference tracking. If you receive errors when trying to open certain class files (which are XML files under the hood), it’s likely because the Modeling SDK is not installed. This SDK is essential for working with … Continue reading A Unified Approach to Developing Finance and Operations Applications →

When working on big projects, it can be hard to quickly find classes, methods, or properties spread across different libraries. Searching through files one by one takes too much time. This is where metadata search in Visual Studio helps. It lets you explore and navigate types from external libraries (like .NET assemblies or NuGet packages) even if you don’t have the source code. Visual Studio creates a readable view of the compiled metadata, so you can instantly see definitions and details, almost like built-in documentation. References Metadata search – Visual Studio Usage -In Visual Studio, go to Dynamics 365 > Metadata Search OR Ctrl + R, Ctrl + S.-Start typing the name of the element you are looking for.-Results appear as you type.-Double-click a result to go directly to that metadata or code.-You can also right-click to add items to your project. You can filter via the follow criteria: To conclude, Metadata search in Visual Studio is a fast and easy way to find code and metadata in Dynamics 365 F&O projects. Using it saves time, reduces frustration, and helps you understand and work with large projects more efficiently.If you require additional support or have specific questions about your ERP setup, please don’t hesitate to contact us for personalized guidance. We hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

In Dynamics 365 CRM implementations, subgrids are used extensively to show related records within the main form. But what if you want Subgrid B to automatically refresh whenever a new record is added to Subgrid A, especially when that record triggers some automation like a Power Automate flow or a plugin that creates or updates related data? In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to make one subgrid refresh when another subgrid is updated — a common real-world scenario that enhances user experience without needing a full form refresh. Let’s say you have two subgrids on your form: Whenever a new record is added in the Chargeable Categories subgrid, a Power Automate flow or backend logic creates corresponding records in Order Line Categories. However, these new records are not immediately visible in the second subgrid unless the user manually refreshes the entire form or clicks on the refresh icon. This can be confusing or frustrating for end-users. Solution Overview To solve this, we’ll use JavaScript to listen for changes in Subgrid A and automatically refresh Subgrid B once something is added. Here’s the high-level approach: Implementation Steps 1. Create the JavaScript Web Resource Create a new JS web resource and add the following code: How It Works To conclude, this simple yet effective approach ensures a smoother user experience by reflecting backend changes instantly without needing to manually refresh the entire form. It’s particularly helpful when automations or plugins create or update related records that must appear in real-time. By combining JavaScript with Dynamics’ form controls, you can add polish and usability to your applications without heavy customization. I hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

Let’s say you configured a Dynamics 365 Sales or Project Operation or a field service trial for a client demo to save your efforts on creating sample data dynamics gives you an option to add data in any dynamics 365 environment, you can either choose to install the sample data while creating the environment however if you forgot to do so, here is how you can add sample data within your dynamics 365 environment.  Step 1 – Go to https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/environments select your dynamics 365 environment and click on view details.  Step 2 – On the details page click on setting.  Step 3 – On the setting page under data management you will see an option named sample data, click on it.  Step 4 – Click installed and after a few minutes sample data will be added within your dynamics 365 environment.  Similarly, if sample data is already installed and you wish to remove it, you will see a button Remove sample data instead of Install sample data.  Hope this helps! 😊  I hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

If you’ve ever needed to mark multiple quotes as lost in Dynamics 365, you know the default “Close Quote” dialog can be slow and repetitive.In my recent project, the sales team wanted a faster way, one click from the main Quotes view, to disqualify single or multiple quotes, without opening each one or clicking through extra prompts. Using the out-of-the-box CloseQuote action, a small JavaScript function, and a custom Ribbon Workbench button, I built exactly that. Here’s how. Why I Needed This Our sales team often manages multiple quotes at once. The standard process meant: It was time-consuming, especially for bulk operations. We needed a quick, grid-based action that would: Step 1 – Using the OOB CloseQuote Action Dynamics 365 provides a built-in CloseQuote bound action that changes the state and status of a quote to closed. Instead of creating a custom action, I decided to call this OOB action directly from JavaScript. Step 2 – JavaScript to Call the OOB Action Here’s the function I wrote to handle both single and multiple quotes: Step 3 – Adding the Ribbon Button in Ribbon Workbench Now, the button will be available directly on the Quotes view. Step 4 – Testing the Feature This reduced what was previously a multi-click, per-record task into a single action for any number of quotes. Why This Works Well To conclude, by combining the OOB Close Quote action with Ribbon Workbench, I could instantly disqualify quotes from the main grid, saving hours over the course of a month. If you’re looking to simplify repetitive processes in Dynamics 365, start by exploring what’s already available out of the box, then add just enough customization to make it your own. 🔗 Need help implementing a custom button or enhancing your Dynamics 365 sales process? At CloudFronts, we help businesses design and implement scalable, user-friendly solutions that streamline daily operations and improve adoption. Whether it’s customizing Ribbon Workbench, integrating OOB actions, or building tailored automation, our team can make it happen. 📩 Reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com and let’s discuss how we can optimize your Dynamics 365 environment.

Why This Matters Imagine you’ve just delivered an order, and now there’s a service issue or repair request from the customer. What’s the best way to track and resolve that? That’s where Cases come in. This blog walks you through how your company can use Cases in Dynamics 365 CRM to efficiently handle post-delivery service and repair requests—directly linked to the order fulfillment process for better visibility and control. Let’s break it down step by step. Step 1: Navigate to Cases from an Order Fulfillment Record Start by opening the Order Fulfillment record.Click on the “Related” dropdown and select “Cases” from the list. This takes you directly to all service cases related to that order. Step 2: Create a New Case Click on the “New Case” button in the Cases tab. A Quick Create: Case form appears. Here’s what you’ll see and fill in: Optional fields like Contact, Origin, Entitlement, and others can be filled in if needed.You can also include details such as First Response By, Resolve By, and Description, depending on your business requirements. Once done, hit Save and Close. Step 3: View All Related Cases After saving, you’ll see a list of all Cases associated with the order under the Case Associated View. Each entry includes key info like: This makes it easy to monitor all service activity related to an order at a glance. Step 4: Manage Case Details Click on any Case Title to open the full Case record. From here, you can: Step 5: Monitor Service Performance Navigate to Dashboards > Service and Repair to track ongoing Case performance. Here’s what you’ll see: This allows your company’s service team to monitor progress, manage workload, and identify recurring product or fulfillment issues. To conclude, by following this process, your company ensures that every post-delivery service or repair request is captured, tracked, and resolved—while keeping everything connected to the original order. It’s simple, efficient, and fully integrated into Dynamics 365 CRM. Hope this helps!!! I hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

Global equipment lessors often manage thousands of active contracts across multiple regions. Add in layered financing structures—equity, debt, and third-party investors—and the complexity grows rapidly. Manual processes in this environment create risks in billing accuracy, funding visibility, and profitability tracking. Choosing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) by integrating Project Management, Subscription Billing, Dynamics 365 Sales Pro/CRM, Logic Apps, and Power BI, the platform automates the entire lease lifecycle while ensuring transparency and control. Lease Lifecycle Automation Subscription Billing Module: Lessors can: This automation ensures every lease follows consistent accounting treatment and reduces manual workload for finance teams. Multi-Layer Financing Most lessors fund contracts through multiple sources. Dynamics 365 F&O allows you to: This provides clarity not just for finance teams, but also for investors seeking insight into their returns. Business Impact To conclude, by automating lease setup and financing structures, lessors gain: If you are a Lessor and wish to digitize lease lifecycle management and layered financing, adopt the strategy explained above to scale systematically, reduce risks, and provide stakeholders with the visibility they expect. Let’s build the strategy together. You can reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

If you’ve worked on Dynamics 365 CRM projects, you know integration isn’t optional—it’s essential. Whether you’re connecting CRM with a legacy ERP, a cloud-based marketing tool, or a SharePoint document library, the way you architect your integrations can make or break performance and maintainability.  Azure Logic Apps makes this easier with its low code interface but using the right pattern matters. In this post, I’ll Walk through seven integration patterns I’ve seen in real projects, explain where they work best, and share some lessons from the field.  Whether you’re building real-time syncs, scheduled data pulls, or hybrid workflows using Azure functions, these patterns will help you design cleaner, smarter solutions.  A Common Real-World Scenario Let’s say you’re asked to sync Project Tasks from Dynamics 365 to an external project management system. The sync needs to be quick, reliable, and avoid sending duplicate data.  You might wonder:  Without a clear integration pattern, you might end up with brittle flows that break silently or overload your system.  Key Integration Patterns (With Real Use Cases)  1. Request-Response Pattern  What it is: A Logic App that waits for a request (usually via HTTP), processes it, and sends back a response.  Use Case: You’re building a web or mobile app that pulls data from CRM in real time—like showing a customer’s recent orders.  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  2. Fire-and-Forget Pattern What it is: CRM pushes data to a Logic App when something happens. The Logic App does the work—but no one waits for confirmation.  Use Case: When a case is closed in CRM, you archive the data to SQL or notify another system via email.  How it works:  Why use it:  Keep users moving—no delays.  Great for logging, alerts, or downstream updates  Key Considerations:  Silent failures—make sure you’re logging errors or using retries  3. Scheduled Sync (Polling) What it is: A Logic App that runs on a fixed schedule and pulls new/updated records using filters.  Use Case: Every 30 minutes, sync new Opportunities from CRM to SAP.  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  4. Event-Driven Pattern (Webhooks)  What it is: CRM triggers a webhook (HTTP call) when something happens. A Logic App or Azure Function listens and acts.  Use Case: When a Project Task is updated, push that data to another system like MS Project or Jira.  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  5. Queue-Based Pattern  What it is: Messages are pushed to a queue (like Azure Service Bus), and Logic Apps process them asynchronously.  Use Case: CRM pushes lead data to a queue, and Logic Apps handle them one by one to update different downstream systems (email marketing, analytics, etc.)  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  6. Blob-Driven Pattern (File-Based Integration)  What it is: Logic App watches a Blob container or SFTP location for new files (CSV, Excel), parses them, and updates CRM.  Use Case: An external system sends daily contact updates via CSV to a storage account. Logic App reads and applies updates to CRM.  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  7. Hybrid Pattern (Logic Apps + Azure Functions)  What it is: Logic App does the orchestration, while Azure Function handles complex logic that’s hard to do with built-in connectors.  Use Case: You need to calculate dynamic pricing or apply business rules before pushing data to ERP.  How it works:  Why use it:  Key Considerations:  Implementation Tips & Best Practices  Area  Recommendation  Security  Use managed identity, OAuth, and Key Vault for secrets  Error Handling  Use “Scope” + “Run After” for retries and graceful failure responses  Idempotency  Track processed IDs or timestamps to avoid duplicate processing  Logging  Push important logs to Application Insights or a centralized SQL log  Scaling  Prefer event/queue-based patterns for large volumes  Monitoring  Use Logic App’s run history + Azure Monitor + alerts for proactive detection  Tools & Technologies Used Common Architectures You’ll often see combinations of these patterns in real-world systems. For example:  To conclude, integration isn’t just about wiring up connectors, it’s about designing flows that are reliable, scalable, and easy to maintain.  These seven patterns are ones I’ve personally used (and reused!) across projects. Pick the right one for your scenario, and you’ll save yourself and your team countless hours in debugging and rework.  I hope you found this blog useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.