When it comes to Microsoft Dynamics 365, one of its biggest strengths—and challenges—is how many ways there are to integrate it with other platforms. Whether you’re syncing with an ERP, pushing data to a data lake, or triggering notifications in Teams, the real question becomes:  Which integration method should you choose?  In this blog, we’ll break down the top 5 tools used by teams around the world to integrate Dynamics 365 with other systems. Each has its strengths, and each fits a different type of use case.  1. Power Automate – Best for Quick, No-Code Automations  What it is: A low-code platform built into the Power Platform suite. When to use it: Internal automations, approvals, email notifications, basic integrations.  Lesser-Known Tip: Power Automate runs on two plans—per user and per flow. If you have dozens of similar flows, the “per flow” plan can be more cost-effective than individual licenses.  Advanced Feature: You can call Azure Functions or hosted APIs directly within a flow, effectively turning it into a lightweight integration framework. Pros:  Cons:  Example: When a new lead is created in D365, send an email alert and create a task in Outlook.  2. Azure Logic Apps – Best for Scalable Integrations  What it is: A cloud-based workflow engine for system-to-system integrations. When to use it: Large-scale or backend integrations, especially when working with APIs.  Lesser-Known Tip: Logic Apps come in two flavours—Consumption and Standard. The Standard tier offers VNET-integration, local development, and built-in connectors at a flat rate, which is ideal for predictable, high-throughput scenarios.  Advanced Feature: Use Logic Apps’ built-in “Integration Account” to manage schemas, maps, and certificates for B2B scenarios (AS2, X12). Pros:  Cons:  Example: Sync Dynamics 365 opportunities with a SQL database in real time.  3. Data Export Service / Azure Synapse Link – Best for Analytics  What it is: Tools to replicate D365 data into Azure SQL or Azure Data Lake. When to use it: Advanced reporting, Power BI, historical data analysis.  Lesser-Known Tip: Data Export Service is being deprecated in flavours of Azure Synapse Link, which provides both near-real-time and “materialized view” patterns. You can even write custom analytics in Spark directly against your live CRM data.  Advanced Feature: With Synapse Link, you can enable change data feed (CDC) and query Delta tables in Synapse, unlocking time-travel queries for historical analysis. Pros:  Cons:  Example: Export all account and contact data to Azure Synapse and visualize KPIs in Power BI.  4. Dual-write – Best for D365 F&O Integration  What it is: A Microsoft-native framework to connect D365 CE (Customer Engagement) and D365 F&O (Finance & Operations). When to use it: Bi-directional, real-time sync between CRM and ERP.  Lesser-Known Tip: Dual-write leverages the Common Data Service pipeline under the covers—so any customization (custom entities, fields) you add to Dataverse automatically flows through to F&O once you map it.  Advanced Feature: You can extend dual-write with custom Power Platform flows to handle pre- or post-processing logic before records land in F&O. Pros:  Cons:  Example: Automatically sync customer and invoice records between D365 Sales and Finance.  5. Custom APIs & Webhooks – Best for Complex, Real-Time Needs  What it is: Developer-driven integrations using HTTP APIs or Dynamics 365 webhooks. When to use it: External systems, fast processing, custom business logic.  Lesser-Known Tip: Dynamics 365 supports registering multiple webhook subscribers on the same event. You can chain independent systems (e.g., call your middleware, then a monitoring service) without writing code.  Advanced Feature: Combine webhooks with Azure Event Grid for enterprise-grade event routing, retry policies, and dead-lettering. Pros:  Cons:  Example: Trigger an API call to a shipping provider when a case status changes to “Ready to Ship.”  To conclude, Microsoft Dynamics 365 gives you a powerful set of integration tools, each designed for a different type of business need. Whether you need something quick and simple (Power Automate), enterprise-ready (Logic Apps), or real-time and custom (Webhooks), there’s a solution that fits.  Take a moment to evaluate your integration scenario. What systems are involved? How much data are you moving? What’s your tolerance for latency and failure?  If you’re unsure which route to take, or need help designing and implementing your integrations, reach out to our team for a free consultation. Let’s make your Dynamics 365 ecosystem work smarter—together.  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 today’s competitive landscape, the ability to prepare quickly and deliver relevant, high-impact sales conversations is more critical than ever. Sales teams often spend valuable time gathering case studies, reviewing past opportunities, and preparing client-specific messaging — time that could be better spent engaging prospects.  To address this, we developed “Smart Pitch” — a Microsoft Teams-integrated AI Copilot designed to equip our sales professionals with instant, contextual access to case studies, opportunity data, and procedural documentation.  Challenge  Sales professionals routinely face challenges such as:  These hurdles not only slow down the sales cycle but also affect the consistency and quality of conversations with prospects.  How It Works  Platform  Data Sources  CloudFronts SmartPitch pulls information from the following knowledge sources:  AI Integration  Key Features  MQL – SQL Summary Generator  Users can request MQL – SQL document which contains   The copilot prompts the user to provide the prospect name, contact person name, and client requirement. This is achieved via an adaptive card for better UX.  HTTP Request to Logic App  At Logic App we used ChatGPT API to fetch company and client information  Extract the company location from the company information, and similarly, extract the industry as well.  Render it to custom copilot via request to the Logic App.   Use Generative answers node to display the results as required with proper formatting via prompt/Agent Instructions.  Generative AI can also be instructed to directly create a formatted json based on parsed values.     This formatted JSON can be passed to converted to an actual JSON and is used to populate a liquid template for the MQL-SQL file to dynamically create MQL-SQL for every searched company and contact person.   This returns an HTML File with dynamically populated company and contact details as well as similar case studies, and work with client in similar region and industry.   This triggers an auto download of the MQL-SQL created as a PDF file on your system.    Content Search  Users can ask questions related to –  1. Case Study FAQ: Helps users ask questions about client success stories and project case studies, retrieves relevant information from a knowledge source, and offers follow-up FAQs before ending the conversation. Cloudfronts official website is used for fetching Case Studies information.  2. Opportunities: Helps users inquire about past projects or opportunities, detailing client names, roles, estimated revenue and outcomes.  3. SOPs: Provides quick answers and summaries for frequently asked questions related to organizational processes and SOPs.  Users can ask questions like   “Smart Pitch” searches SharePoint documents, public case studies, and the opportunity table to return relevant results — structured and easy to consume.  Security & Governance  Integrated in Microsoft Teams, so the same authentication as Teams. Access to Dataverse and SharePoint is read-only and scoped to organizational permissions.  To conclude, Smart Pitch reflects our commitment to leveraging AI to drive business outcomes. By combining Microsoft’s AI ecosystem with our internal data strategy, we’ve created a practical and impactful sales assistant that improves productivity, accelerates deal cycles, and enhances client engagement. 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 a cloud-first world, seamless integrations are the backbone of modern applications. Azure Logic Apps and API Management (APIM) are two powerful tools that enable businesses to automate workflows and manage APIs effectively.By connecting Logic Apps to APIM, you can expose your automated workflows as APIs, ensuring they are secure, scalable, and easy to manage. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the process of integrating Logic Apps with APIM to maximize the potential of your Azure ecosystem. 1. What Are Logic Apps and API Management? Logic Apps:Logic Apps is an Azure service for automating workflows, integrating various systems, and processing data efficiently. Whether it’s connecting SaaS apps, on-premises systems, or cloud services, Logic Apps excels at simplifying complex integrations. API Management (APIM):APIM is an Azure service that allows you to publish, manage, secure, and monitor APIs. It acts as a gateway for APIs, providing essential features like throttling, caching, and access control. 2. Why Integrate Logic Apps with APIM? Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting Logic Apps with APIM Step 1: Open Azure APIM and click on APIs Step 2: Click on Add API and Logic app from the Azure Resource Step 3: Browse for the logic app and give the in APIM Step 4: Click on test to test the APIM request Step 5: Check the URL and send the request After sending the request from APIM you can check the logic app is triggered. Conclusion Integrating Azure Logic Apps with API Management is a game-changer for building secure, scalable, and manageable API-driven solutions. This integration empowers businesses to expose their workflows as reusable APIs, enhance security, and maintain centralized control. Ready to connect your Logic Apps with APIM? Start by designing a simple Logic App workflow and adding it to your API Management instance. If you need expert guidance, explore more Azure integration tips on our blog or reach out to us at transform@cloudfonts.com.

Integration platforms are critical to modern business operations, allowing different applications, data, and systems to communicate effectively. While both serve the purpose of integration, they cater to different needs and scenarios. In this blog, we’ll compare BizTalk and Azure Logic Apps, helping you choose the right platform for your business. Outline 1. Opening Section: 2. Introduction: 3. Core Content: Key Differences Between BizTalk and Azure Logic Apps: When to Choose BizTalk Server: When to Choose Azure Logic Apps: 4. Conclusion and CTA: In conclusion, BizTalk Server and Azure Logic Apps cater to different integration needs. While BizTalk excels in enterprise-grade, on-premises scenarios, Azure Logic Apps shines in cloud-native, modern workflows. Choosing the right platform depends on your organization’s integration requirements, scalability goals, and budget. CTA: If you’re still unsure which platform aligns best with your needs, our team of integration experts can help. Contact us for a detailed assessment and tailored recommendations for your business integration journey. Let’s streamline your operations and drive growth together

Having a robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is crucial for managing customer data and interactions effectively. One way to enhance your CRM capabilities is through seamless integration with Azure Logic Apps, allowing for efficient CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations via OData endpoints. In this blog post, we’ll dive into a real-life business use case that demonstrates how to perform CRUD operations on a CRM system using Postman and Azure Logic Apps.  What Are CRUD Operations?  CRUD operations form the backbone of any data-driven application. They enable you to:  The Setup: Using Postman for API Requests  Postman is an incredibly useful tool for testing APIs, and in our case, it will help us interact with our CRM’s OData endpoints. Before we begin, ensure that you have the necessary API access and permissions set up.  Creating a New Record in CRM  Step 1: Prepare Your Request  To create a new record, you’ll need to set up a POST request in Postman. Here’s how to do it:  Step 2: Set the Request Body  In the body of your POST request, include the necessary details for the new record. For example, if you’re creating a customer record, it might look something like this:  Step 3: Send the Request  Hit the Send button. You should receive a response containing the payload of the newly created entry (e.g., CustomersV3).  Step 4: Verify Creation in CRM  Next, navigate to your CRM dashboard to verify that the new customer entry has been successfully created.    Updating an Existing Record  Step 1: Prepare Your Update Request  To update an existing record, you’ll be sending a PATCH or PUT request. Here’s how to set it up in Postman:  Step 2: Set the Request Body  Include the changes you wish to make in the request body. For example, if you want to update John Doe’s phone number:  Step 3: Send the Request  Once you send the request, you should see a response indicating the payload of the updated account.     Step 4: Verify Update in CRM  Check your CRM to confirm that the changes were applied correctly.     Future Topics: Logic App Creation  In our next blog, we’ll dive deeper into the creation of Azure Logic Apps and how they can automate these CRUD operations further, enhancing your CRM’s functionality. We’ll cover:  – Setting up triggers and actions within Azure Logic Apps.  – Automating data flow between systems.  – Best practices for managing CRM data efficiently.  Conclusion  By leveraging Postman for CRUD operations and integrating with Azure Logic Apps, businesses can significantly enhance their CRM capabilities, streamline operations, and ensure that their customer data remains accurate and accessible. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog, where we’ll explore how to create Azure Logic Apps to automate these processes, making your CRM experience even more efficient.  We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can schedule a call with us by clicking the button below.

Azure Service Bus, paired with Logic Apps, offers a powerful combination for sending, receiving, and managing messages between different applications and services. In this blog, we’ll walk through the process of sending and receiving messages using Azure Service Bus and Logic Apps. Steps to send and receive messages from service bus using logic app Step 1: Create an Azure Service Bus Namespace Navigate to the Azure Portal: – Go to portal.azure.com and log in with your credentials. Create a Service Bus Namespace: – In the search bar at the top, type “Service Bus” and select Service Bus from the results. – Click + Create to start the creation process. – Fill in the required details: Click Review + Create, and then Create to deploy the namespace. Step 2: Create a Queue or Topic in the Service Bus Namespace Access the Service Bus Namespace: – After the namespace is deployed, navigate to it by clicking on the resource in the portal. Create a Queue or Topic depending on your use case I am going to use: – Creating a Queue: Step 3: Create a Logic App to Send Messages to the Service Bus Navigate to Logic Apps: – In the Azure portal, use the search bar to find and select Logic Apps. – Click + Create to start a new Logic App. Configure Your Logic App: – In the Basics tab, provide the following details: – Click Review + Create, and then Create. Design the Logic App: – Once the Logic App is created, open the Logic Apps Designer and a trigger “When a HTTP request is received” along with POST request. – Add a compose action and pass the input parameters. – Go to Service bus –> Shared access policies –> Copy the Connection String Endpoint url – Add action Service Send Message and paste the copied end point in Connection String. – Pass the Output of compose in content. – Add a response action and the logic app workflow. – Now Copy the Url from trigger and paste it in postman hit the url. – As soon as you hit the url you will get customer Id as response in postman body. – Now Go to azure portal and check the run history I will see the Date and Status has been added for that particular customer id. – Now, Let’s verify this particular message whether it has been sent at the logic level or not. – Go to queue in my case Queue name Is “receivingqueue” –> Go to Service bus Explorer –> Click on Peek form Start. – Now in order see the content/ Message select the sequence number Step 4: Create a Logic App to Receive Messages from the Service Bus – Create a New Logic App: Repeat the steps to create a new Logic App. – Go to Logic app designer. – Add the Trigger “When a message is received in a queue”. – Add a compose action – Add a Terminate action on Succeeded. – Now to verify you check the run history of logic app you can we are getting the content in base64 Format – You can decode it and check it’s the same data that we were sending. Conclusion We’ve successfully set up a messaging system with Logic Apps and Azure Service Bus by following these steps. This configuration makes it possible to automate workflows, integrate apps seamlessly, and create reliable cloud solutions. Whether you’re working with batch processing or real-time data, Azure’s tools give you the strength and flexibility you need to scale your business effectively.

Introduction  In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the process of transforming JSON to JSON using Azure Logic Apps and the Liquid Template Language. This step-by-step guide will demonstrate how you can use Azure Integration Services to achieve your transformation goals.                                      What is Liquid Template Language?  The Liquid Template Language (commonly referred to as “Liquid”) is a flexible, open-source template language developed by Shopify. It is widely used to render dynamic content in platforms such as Shopify themes, Jekyll websites, and web applications. Liquid uses placeholders, loops, and conditional statements to pull dynamic data into a web template, making it an effective tool for JSON transformation.  Prerequisites  To complete this tutorial, you’ll need:  Sample Input JSON  We will use the following sample JSON file for this tutorial:  {    “FirstName”: “Deepak”,    “LastName”: “Ch”,    “Add1”: “T square, Saki Vihar Road, Andheri East”,    “Add2”: “Mumbai”,    “Landmark”: “Near Car Showroom”,    “PhoneNo1”: 9812727261,    “PhoneNo2”: 2121233322  }  Desired Output JSON  The client’s requirement is to transform the input JSON into the following format:  {    “Full Name”: “Deepak Ch”,    “Address”: “T square, Saki Vihar Road, Andheri East, Mumbai, Near Car Showroom”,    “Phone”: “9812727261, 2121233322”  }  Step-by-Step Guide –   Step 1: Create a Free Azure Integration Account  Step 2: Add the Liquid Template Map  Step 3: Create a Logic App  Step 4: Transform JSON to JSON using Liquid  Here’s the Liquid template used for this transformation:  {    “Full Name”: “{{content.FirstName}} {{content.LastName}}”,    “Address”: “{{content.Add1}}, {{content.Add2}}, {{content.Landmark}}”,    “Phone”: “{{content.PhoneNo1}}, {{content.PhoneNo2}}”  }      Step 5: Test with Postman  Final Output  The output JSON will be:  {    “Full Name”: “Deepak Ch”,    “Address”: “T square, Saki Vihar Road, Andheri East, Mumbai, Near Car Showroom”,    “Phone”: “9812727261, 2121233322”  }  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

In this blog post, we are going to create an Azure Logic App that reads blob content from Azure Storage and responds with specific data. We walked through the entire process, from setting up the Logic App in the Azure Portal to configuring actions and testing the workflow. This Logic App provides a seamless way to automate the retrieval and processing of data stored in Azure Blob Storage, showcasing the flexibility and power of Azure Logic Apps in building serverless workflows.  Use Cases  Data Processing Pipeline  – Scenario: A company collects data from various sources and stores it in Azure Blob Storage for processing and insights.  – Solution: Use a Logic App to trigger new data uploads, process the data, and send it to downstream applications.  – Benefits: Automates data processing, reduces manual effort, and ensures timely data availability.  Configuration Management  – Scenario: An organization needs to fetch and apply configuration files from Azure Blob Storage dynamically.  – Solution: Use a Logic App to handle HTTP requests for configuration data and respond with the necessary settings.  – Benefits: Centralizes configuration management, ensuring consistency and reducing errors.  Customer Support Automation  – Scenario: A support system needs to fetch specific information from stored documents to respond to customer queries.  – Solution: Use a Logic App to trigger API queries, retrieve relevant documents from Blob Storage, and send responses.  – Benefits: Automates common customer query responses, improving support efficiency.   Prerequisites  Note:  – To learn more about how to obtain a free Azure account, click on Azure free account to create Free Trial Account.  – To learn how to create Azure Blob Storage Account & Container can refer blog: How to create: Azure Blob Storage, Container and Blob – CloudFronts  Steps to Create a Logic App in Azure  Step 1: Create a Logic App  Step 2: Fill in the necessary details:     Note:  – Consumption Plan: Ideal for scenarios with unpredictable or low to moderate workloads, where you only pay for what you use.  – Standard Plan: Best for high-usage, mission-critical applications that require consistent performance, dedicated resources, and enhanced development capabilities.  Choosing between the Consumption and Standard plans depends on your specific requirements regarding cost, performance, scaling, and development preferences.        Steps to Upload File on blob        Create a Logic App to Read Data from Blob: Step-by-Step Guide   Step 1: Set Up Logic App Designer     Step 2: Add Blob Storage Action     Step 3: Configure Blob Storage Action     Step 4: Add Response Action & Configure     Step 5: Save and Test the Logic App     Step 6: Test your Logic App           Conclusion  With the help of Azure Logic Apps, you can easily build automated processes that connect to a wide range of services and applications. By following this guide, you have learned how to build a Logic App that reads data from Azure Blob Storage and responds with specific information. This foundational knowledge can be expanded to create more complex workflows, offering endless possibilities for automation and integration in your business processes.  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  

Integrating Azure Logic Apps with the Common Data Service (CDS) opens up a world of possibilities for automating business processes and enhancing productivity within your organization. This blog will guide you through the steps to set up this integration, explaining the benefits and practical applications along the way. Azure Logic Apps is a powerful cloud-based service that allows you to automate workflows and integrate apps, data, and services across organizations. The Common Data Service, now known as Dataverse, provides a secure and scalable data storage solution that supports integration with various Microsoft and third-party applications. By integrating these two services, you can streamline data flow and automate complex workflows with ease. Prerequisites Before you begin, ensure you have the following: – An active Azure subscription. – Access to the Common Data Service (Dataverse) environment. – Necessary permissions to create and manage Logic Apps and CDS. Log in to the Azure Portal: Go to Azure Portal. Create a New Logic App: – Search for “Logic Apps” in the search bar. – Click on “Add” to create a new Logic App. – Fill in the required details (name, resource group) and click “Create”. Add a CDS Connector: – Once the Logic App is created, open the Workflow and Add one. – Click on “When a row is added” under Common Data Service triggers. – Sign in to your CDS environment and grant the necessary permissions. Configure the Trigger: – Select the relevant entity – Accounts and specify the trigger conditions – When a row is added. – Accordingly, when a record is added then create a Contact Record. – Save the Logic App Testing Out: Scenario – Create a new account in your Dynamics 365 / Power App. After a few moments, refresh and we see the contact has been created and assigned to the new Account. – So, we know our Logic App has run. Now let’s look at it in the Azure portal. Under Metrics, we see the Logic App has run. Why Integrate Azure Logic Apps with Common Data Service? 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

High-level steps to start building B2B logic app workflows: Creating a Key Vault for Certificate and Private Key Create an Azure Key vault. In the next step, Select Vault access policy and select the Users. Select Review + Create. Add the access policy and assign it to Azure Logic App. Create Certificate Click the Certificate and Download Create a Key and attach the .pfx format file. Creating two Integration Account for adding Partners, Agreements and Certificates Create 2 integration accounts, one for sender and one for receiver. Add the Sender and Receiver Partners in both the integration accounts. Add a public certificate in sender integration account and a private certificate in receiver integration account. Now we need to add the agreement in both sender and receiver integration account. Sender Agreement Send Settings Receiver Agreement Receive Settings Creating two Logic Apps, one for Sending (Encoded Message) and one for Receiving (Decoded Message) Create two logic apps and add the integration account in respective logic apps. Logic App for Sender (Encoding Message) Logic App for Receiver (Decoding Message)