Introduction Finance and Operations provides two major ways to interact with tables (or data entities) for external system using APIs; namely Custom Services and Data Entities. Data entities in D365 Finance and Operations simplify data management by grouping data from multiple tables. They make it easier to import, export, and integrate data with other systems. Custom services in D365 Finance and Operations allow developers to create web services for specific business needs.They enable external systems to interact with D365 F&O by exposing custom logic and operations.This helps in integrating and automating processes with other applications. Feature Data Entities Custom Services Purpose  Simplify data management tasks like import, export, and integration.  Expose custom business logic and operations as web services. Functionality  Provide structured access to data from multiple tables in a unified format.  Allow external systems to perform actions or retrieve data via API calls. Usage  Used for bulk data operations, data migration, and integration with external systems.  Used for real-time integration, extending functionality, and custom business process automation. Typical Use Cases  Data import/export, data synchronization, and data migration.  Integrating with external applications, custom business processes, and real-time data access. Data Handling  Focuses on data in bulk.  Focuses on specific operations or business logic. Pre-requisites References Data Entities Overview – Finance and Operations Build and consume data entities – Finance and Operations Exposing an X++ class as a Data Contract Configuration Here, to understand creation of APIs in either case, we’ll expose the same table using both Data Entities and Custom Services. Data Entity: Right click on the project and click on “Add” and then “New Item” Click on Finance and Operations > Dynamic 365 Items > Data Model and then select “Data Entity” Select the table that you want to expose in the “Primary Data Source” field, appropirate “Entity Category”, “Public Entity Name” and “Public Entity Set Name” (which is what the endpoint will be), and the Staging Table name. Select the necessary fields from the primary data source. You can add related tables by clicking on the small arrow next to the table name, which displays the list of all associated tables. Then you can select the relevant fields from the associated tables. Once done, you’ll get one data entity, two security privileges and one staging table created. If you want to add new data sources, then you can right click on the Primary Data Source’s “Data Sources” tab and add new data source. You can drag fields from any of the data sources into the “Fields” section of the data entity to make them available on the API. Calling the Data EntityYou can call <base url>/data url to get a list of all the data entities available in the system. From here, if I call a “GET” request on my Data Entity (the “Public Collection Name” property of the data entity, which we set in the Data Entity wizard), I’ll get the following response.Please note that this “Public Collection Name” is case sensitive. Now, if I need to create a “Customer” record then I can simply pass the same keys into a “POST” request. And we can see the same in FnO. If we want to update a record, then we make the PUT request with the syntax –  {{base_url}}/data/TestCustomers(dataAreaId='<Company Name>’,CustomerId='<Customer Id>’) It will include all the Entity Keys defined on the Data Entity as we only have one field then we are simply passing that. Passing it without the DataAreaId will throw errors. You can delete the record using the same syntax but with the “Delete” request. Conclusion: In this blog, we explored how to create APIs using Data Entities in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, simplifying data management and external system integrations. Data Entities offer an efficient way to handle bulk data operations, while Custom Services provide flexibility for exposing specific business logic We’ll see how to create APIs using Custom Services in the next blog. 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

Introduction In today’s competitive market it is very much important to have edge over other competitors for sustainable business & growth. There are various ways to gain market share like affordable rates, specialized items, etc. One of the ways to offer some essential supplementary items that are required for the optimal use and functionality of the primary products. Hence, many suppliers are offering various supplementary items either free or at with minimum price. Or offering certain quantity of same item on purchase of bulk quantity. i.e. Luggage bag with luggage bag cover as supplementary item or Buy 4 soaps & get 1 free. Problem Statement In this scenario we need to define supplementary item & conditions to add same on purchase order. i.e. Which supplementary item or items to for which vendor for what quantity of main item, at what rate & for what time period. Solution steps Follow below steps to create & add supplementary item/items on purchase order. Create main item. Create supplementary item – Then go to main item -> Purchase Tab -> Supplementary purchase items New window will open -> Click on new Then add supplementary item details based on different scenarios. Scenario 1 – When will buy 1 “Luggage bag” from Vendor 1002 will get 1 “Luggage cover” free. Define supplementary item accordingly. Add Vendor details – Select “Account code” as Table if only specific vendor is going to provide supplementary item. & Select “Account code” as All if all vendor will provide supplementary item. Quantity limit – Select quantity of main item. i.e. Luggage bag Supplementary item – Select code of Supplementary item. i.e. Luggage bag cover Supplementary quantity – Select quantity of supplementary item Multiple quantity – Select what will be incremental quantity. i.e. in this case it is 1, means if we buy 1 bag then will get 1 cover free, if we buy 2 bags then will get 2 covers free. Date range – If supplementary item will get only for specific period, then define from date & to date. Free of charge – If this toggle is Yes then supplementary item will be added to purchase order without price. If it is No, then supplementary item will be added with price. & save. Now create purchase order for vendor 1002 & add item luggage bag – go to Procurement & sourcing -> All purchase orders Now to add supplementary item click on Purchase order line -> Supplementary items New window will open. Click Ok. Then Supplementary item will be added to the purchase order. Follow regular procedure to further process the purchase order. Scenario 2 – When will buy 5 “Luggage bags” from Vendor 1001 will get 1 “Luggage bag” free. Define supplementary item accordingly. Add Vendor details – Select “Account code” as Table if only specific vendor is going to provide supplementary item. & Select “Account code” as All if all vendors will provide supplementary item. Quantity limit – Select quantity of main item. i.e. Luggage bag Supplementary item – Select code of Supplementary item. i.e. Luggage bag Supplementary quantity – Select quantity of supplementary item. Multiple quantity – Select what will be incremental quantity. i.e. in this case it is 5, means if we buy 5 bags then will get 1 bag free, if we buy 10 bags then will get 2 bags free. Date range – If supplementary item will get only for specific period, then define from date & to date. Free of charge – If this toggle is Yes then supplementary item will be added to purchase order without price. If it is No, then supplementary item will be added with price. & save. Create PO & add Luggage bag 10 quantity. Now to add supplementary item click on Purchase order line -> Supplementary items For 10 quantity of Luggage bags 2 bags will be added as supplementary. As we have set up of on buy of 5 bags 1 bag free. Follow regular procedure to further process the purchase order. Conclusion In above mentioned way, we can setup different supplementary item/items to be used on purchase orders. 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

Introduction In multinational companies having different hierarchy for purchase, i.e., in some companies, purchase is made at regional level, but in some companies, purchase is made at headquarter level by consolidating all regional requirements to have higher buying power and economies of scale and to maintain the same quality of goods over all regions. In a multientity environment having separate sets of employees for each legal entity and only headquarter employees having purchasing authority for all regional entities, the decision of inventory is taken by regional entity employees. In this case, each region submits a requirement to headquarters. In this case, to post and report on what and how much purchase was made for the respective regional entity, we need to create a purchase requisition for the respective buying legal entity. i.e., USMF is the headquarters entity, and PM is the regional entity. Problem statement While creating Purchase requisition from headquarter employee’s login, it is created with buying legal entity as headquarter entity. i.e. Julia is an employee of the headquarters USMF entity who will be going to issue the purchase requisition, and Mahesh is an employee of the regular entity PM. When we login to the PM entity from Julia’s login and create a purchase requisition, then the entity will automatically change to USMF. i.e., when a purchase requisition is made for a PM entity through Julia’s login with details given by Mahesh, it should remain for the PM entity, but the entity changes to USMF. & hence purchase requisition is registered at USMF. Follow the below steps in order to create a purchase requisition with a buying legal entity as per information given by respective regional entity employees and to maintain all details on the respective entity. i.e., details given by Mahesh for purchase requisition will be maintained on PM entity. Needs to add Mahesh name as requester for PM entity in Julia’s account. Go to Procurement & Sourcing > Setup > Policies > Purchase Requisition Permissions > 2. Then the below screen will appear. By preparer, choose Julia. Requester: Add all required employees of the PM entity, i.e., Mahesh, Jodi, Charlie, Ramesh, etc. 3. Go to Procurement & Sourcing -> Purchase Requisitions -> All purchase requirements and create new Purchase requisition from PM entity & click on requester, then all above added names will be available for selection. 4. And now if we add requester as Mahesh or any other name from the list, then a purchase requisition will be created for the PM entity, and the window will not switch back to USMF. Now all items added to this purchase requisition will be ordered and maintained for the PM entity. Conclusion For businesses with multiple legal entities, appropriately configuring purchase requisition permissions in Dynamics 365 guarantees that purchases are correctly attributed to the appropriate legal entities. This method improves reporting accuracy at the regional levels while also streamlining the procurement process. 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

Introduction Accurate reporting and analysis require the consolidation of balances from various entities in complex financial environments. For this reason, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operation provides strong tools that let businesses expedite their financial consolidation procedures. This blog will show you how to properly handle currency translation, set up elimination rules, and create a new entity for consolidation. You can make sure that your consolidated financial statements give a true and accurate picture of the financial health of your company by being aware of these procedures. To consolidate the balances of multiple entities, a new entity is created where the balances of the selected entities are consolidated and eliminated as per the requirement. In the Organization administration module>Organizations>Legal entities select Use for financial consolidation process and use for elimination process. Another part of set up is to create Elimination Rule:Create Elimination Journal by using the below screen: To run the consolidation process, navigate from the Main Menu to Consolidation -> Consolidate Online. The consolidation window opens, where the user can select the options as explained below: Go to the Legal Entities tab. Inside the legal entities, the user can select the entities to consolidate and the percentage of balances to be consolidated. Go to the Elimination tab. In the proposal options, keep the option as Proposal only. This will run the elimination of balances, but it will not post the amounts. The amounts will be posted to the ledger separately by the user. Add the elimination rule in the line. The elimination rule will eliminate balances based on 2 methods: Select the GL posting date for the date on which the elimination of the balances will be posted. Ideally this date will be the last date of the fiscal period. Go to the currency translation tab. The system will display the selected legal entities along with their base currency. At the bottom, select the exchange rate type. The exchange rate type will automatically convert the base currency of all entities to the base currency of the consolidation entity. In the above example, the exchange rate will convert INR and BRL to SGD. Note – This will work if the exchange rates are defined first. Lastly, click on OK. The system will run the consolidation process as a batch job and will provide the results in the trial balance after a few minutes. To verify the balances, open the trial balance for the fiscal period used in the consolidation. The TB will display the consolidated amounts of all entities in SGD only. For updating opening balances: General Journals to be used for updating opening balances For currency exchanges rates: Separate currency exchange rate type consolidation to used. In doing the currency translation, distinction should be made for monetary items and non-monetary items in the Balance Sheet. Normally, the latter should be part of Other Comprehensive Income (OCI). In the consolidation process, we can map different currency rate to different accounts through this screen. for Equity Method where only profit or loss has to be accounted in the consolidated entity, Journal entry has to be passed. Conclusion Maintaining financial accuracy and transparency in Finance and Operations requires successfully consolidating balances and establishing elimination rules. You can handle currency translation, properly apply elimination rules, and efficiently oversee the consolidation process by following the steps outlined in this blog. This strategy strengthens overall financial management within your company as well as the accuracy of your financial reports. 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

Effective task management is essential in the field of enterprise resource planning. Administrators could designate particular batch servers to a batch group with more flexibility prior to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (D365FO) introducing “Priority Based Scheduling”. This capability was not merely about enhancing capacity but also about controlling and limiting it. The Problem of Overutilization Recently, our team encountered a significant challenge. We had 98 tasks, all marked with a “normal” scheduling priority, that were able to execute simultaneously. Given that more than 98 tasks were available, all of them entered the executing state at the same time. This situation led to a 100% Database Transaction Unit utilization over a prolonged period, which is far from ideal. Such a high utilization rate can strain the system, leading to performance issues and potentially impacting other operations. In the past, this kind of issue could have been mitigated. The older batch group mechanism allowed us to limit the number of batch servers assigned to a batch group, thereby controlling the number of parallel tasks. Unfortunately, with the shift to “Priority Based Scheduling,” this direct control seemed to have been lost, leading to the problems we recently faced. Discovery of Batch Concurrency Control With the release of version 10.0.38 PU63, a new feature called “Batch Concurrency Control” caught my attention. This feature reintroduces the ability to limit or throttle the number of parallel tasks in a specific batch group. Had we been aware of this feature earlier, and had the users selected the correct batch group in their request forms, we could have limited the number of parallel tasks to a manageable number, such as 10. This would have prevented the processing from adversely affecting other users and maintained overall system performance. Activating and Utilizing the Feature After activating the “Batch Concurrency Control” feature, you will notice a new field in the batch group settings. This field is crucial for managing task concurrency effectively. Understanding the Help Text The maximum number of tasks that can run in parallel at a time for Batch Jobs in this Batch Group. This setting should be set to zero if concurrency control is not required. To completely stop all batch jobs in this Batch Group, set the value to -1. It’s important to remember that using this feature on batch jobs with more than 5000 concurrent tasks that are prepared to run could have a negative effect on batch scheduling performance. This explanation is vital. Setting the value to zero means no concurrency control, while setting it to -1 halts all batch jobs in the group. However, caution is advised against using this feature for batch jobs with more than 5000 concurrent tasks, as it could degrade the performance of batch scheduling. Implementing the Feature in Our Workflow In our operations, we now actively use this feature to manage the number of available tasks per batch group. This approach mirrors our previous strategy, where we selected only a few batch servers for a specific batch group. By doing so, we can effectively throttle the tasks and ensure a balanced load across the system. Conclusion The introduction of “Batch Concurrency Control” in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations has provided us with a much-needed tool to manage and control task execution within batch groups. By setting appropriate limits, we can prevent system overloads, maintain performance, and ensure a smoother operation. 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 the world of retail and commerce, managing sales returns efficiently is a critical aspect of customer satisfaction and operational excellence. In this blog, let’s explore how the sales return process works in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO) and explore how businesses can leverage the capabilities of this robust ERP system to streamline and enhance their return management. In this part, I will walk you through the standard process. Please keep in mind that the steps and setups may vary based on the business requirement. Let’s consider a scenario wherein we have sold 10 quantities to the customer and amongst them 3 quantities get damaged during transit. So now the customer wants to return those items back to us. So, lets create a Return Order, to do that go to Sales and Marketing>Sales Return>All Return Orders. Create a New Return Order. The RMA number is generated automatically based on the Number sequence set up. Tip: In order to generate the RMA Number manually you can enable the Manual number sequence parameter in the RMA Number Sequence set up. For this scenario, I have enabled the Manual Parameter. The next step is to Enter the Customer Details, Site, Warehouse, Return Reason Code and RMA Number. Then click OK. Now to add the line item on the Return Order line there are two ways to do it: For now, I will go with the Find Sales Order function. To use that go to the Return Order fast tab in that under the Return Tab click on the Find Sales Order button. The next step is to select the Sales Order Invoice for which the Return Order will be Created.   Based on my scenario the system has automatically taken the quantity as 3. In the above screen shot you can see that a New Return order is created with the Negative line quantity. Return Order processing: There are two ways to process a Sales Order Return: 1.Credit Only: In the credit-only process, the customer’s account is credited without the need for replacing or returning the item. Here, the Sales price is credited to the Customer deducting the charges. 2.Physical Return: The Physical Return process involves the Return of Item to the customer. Here during registration, a Disposition Code is assigned which determines the Sales Return process for that particular Item. To keep this simple and easy to understand I will go ahead with Credit Only process in this part. But for this we will first need to create a Credit Only Disposition Code. For that go to Sales and Marketing>Set Up>Returns>Disposition Codes. In that Click New and create a New Credit Only Disposition Code. Now the next step is to Register the Return order for that on the Return order lines click Update Line then under that click on Registration. Then select the Credit Only Disposition Code and click OK. Then Confirm the Registration. As I click on the Confirm Registration button a New Sales Return Order is created with the same quantity and same customer on the All-Sales Order page. The next step is to Invoice the Sales Return Order. After Invoicing the Sales Return Order, in the below screenshot you can see that the Return status of the order is changed to Invoiced. This completes the Credit only sales return order process. Maintaining customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in Sales and Marketing involves effectively managing sales returns. Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO) simplifies this task, whether you opt for a credit-only strategy or handle physical returns. By leveraging D365FO’s powerful features, businesses can ensure precise and efficient return management, enhancing both customer relations and operational excellence. Stay tuned for the next section, where we’ll dive into the Physical Return process. 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 

Introduction:  As a business owner, you might have come across a situation where you want to upgrade your current systems with renowned ERP solutions available on the market. One of the ERPs you would consider is Microsoft Dynamics. However, even choosing this would require a lot of brainstorming from all decision-makers because Microsoft Dynamics comes with two ERP platforms, i.e., Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain. I assume this brainstorming itself would have probably landed you on this article. Let’s dive into the key differences and use cases for each platform. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you will be able to make a decision and choose the right platform for your business.  Below are the key factors differentiating Dynamics 365 Business Central and Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain: Company Size: When determining company size, the usual factors that are considered are revenue and employee count. The definition of which can change based on the country you are located in. Here, for reference, we would consider the following: – Revenue: a. SME: Having revenue between 0 and 1 billion USD. Business Central is ideal for this size of company. b. Large companies: Having revenue above 1 billion USD. Finance and Operations is the ideal platform for large organizations. – Employees: a. SME: having employees between 0 and 500. b. Large companies: having more than 500 employees. Number of Entities: If your company has multiple legal entities in multiple geographical locations across the world,a. Business Central is ideal for companies with a single legal entity or multiple legal entities in the same country. Business Central allows you to create and manage individual products and accounts for each legal entity; however, it cannot be managed centrally. b. Finance and supply chain are ideal for companies with multiple legal entities across the world. Finance & Supply Chain allows you to manage products and accounts centrally and release them centrally to each legal entity across the world. Business Operations: Does your company have streamlined and simple operations? a. Business Central can handle operations for companies with streamlined and simplified operations that do not require very detailed data capture or sophisticated reporting. b. Finance & Supply Chain captures detailed data, covers a lot more processes than Business Central, and hence can provide robust and detailed reporting. Future Growth: It is also important to consider what the growth plans are for your company. If you currently have 2–3 legal entities, you may be tempted to go with Business Central, as it comes with low implementation and operating costs, ease of use, and faster implementation timelines. However, ERP projects are not done frequently, and it is important that you consider future organizational plans. Let’s say you intend to expand over the next three to five years into multiple different geographical areas. You should think about finance and supply chain as your organization’s go-to platform since this will be a big, long-term investment. You might want to consider the following factors while making the decision: – Licensing: a. Since finance and supply chain are for large companies, they come with a minimum licensing requirement of 20 licenses. b. Business Central is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) because it only requires one license and has no minimum licensing requirements. – Implementation timelines:a. Finance and Supply Chain has a typical implementation timeline of 6 months or more, considering the size of the implementation and global rollout.b. Business Central can be up and running in 3–6 months.    Conclusion:  Choose Business Central if: You’re an SME seeking an easy-to-use, all-in-one solution with a lower upfront and operating cost.  Choose D365 Finance & Operations if: You’re a large enterprise requiring extensive functionalities, deep customization, and global capabilities.  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

Introduction: Businesses in the digital age depend on cloud platforms and ERP systems integrating seamlessly. Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) and azure integration is one such potent combination. Numerous advantages, such as improved scalability, agility, and data-driven decision-making capabilities, are made possible by this integration. The step-by-step instructions for connecting Azure with Dynamics 365 F&O will be provided in this blog. Steps to achieve the goal: Step 1: Setting up Azure Services a. Create an Azure account: Sign up for an Azure account if you don’t have one already. b. Provision Azure resources: Set up the required Azure resources such as virtual machines, databases, storage accounts, and other services according to your needs. Below are few links to create azure account. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/433827/how-to-get-an-azure-account-without-credit-card https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/free/students Step 2: Configure Azure Active Directory (AAD) a. Click on New on the App Registration page. Set the name and set the type like below screenshots. b. Once you click on Ok button you would get notification like below. c. Now go to API Permission and click on Add permission d. Select Dynamics ERP e. Select Delegated Permission f. Select all permission and then click on Add Permission g. After selecting this permission again add permission on the screen this time selected Application Permission. h. Now we have to generate client secret value. Just select Certificates and secret. i. You will see the below screen where you can generate a new client secret j. Once you click on new you will see below screen where you can set the date to which this secret key would be valid. Max validity is 2 years. k. This is how the secret value would look like just copy Value. l. Now copy the Directory ID and Application ID Step 3: Connect Azure Services to F&O a. Go to Finance and Operations and serach globally Azure Active Directory/Microsoft Entra ID b. And then click on New and add your client id over here and set User ID as Admin. Please Note you should have the admin access right if not this won’t work. Conclusion: Azure integration with Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations empowers businesses to streamline processes, unlock data insights, and achieve operational excellence. Next blog would be how to connect standard API on postman and perform get and post function. Stay tuned! 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