Inventory is the core of many businesses. Whether you’re selling products, making goods, or managing a supply chain, keeping the right stock at the right time is key. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central helps businesses handle inventory with ease and clarity. 1. Central Item List Item lists are the backbone of inventory management. Business Central lets you create a structured list of all your products—whether you buy them, sell them, or just store them. This organized list becomes the single source of truth across all departments. 2. Real-Time Inventory Levels Business Central keeps track of: This helps businesses plan better and fulfill orders faster without confusion. 3. Multi-Location Tracking If you manage inventory in multiple places (like stores, warehouses, or branches), Business Central supports that too. You can: 4. Reorder and Stock Planning With built-in reorder logic, Business Central tells you when to buy and how much to buy. It considers: This reduces guesswork and supports a smooth procurement process. 5. Purchase and Sales Integration When a purchase order is received or a sales order is shipped, inventory updates automatically. This minimizes the need for manual updates and keeps everyone on the same page. 6. Lot and Serial Number Tracking Business Central supports lot numbers and serial numbers. This helps with: 7. Inventory Valuation Methods You can choose how to value your inventory: This supports accurate financial reporting and cost control. 8. Inventory Transfers Do you need to move items from one location to another? Use transfer orders. You can record: 9. Inventory Adjustments Sometimes physical counts don’t match system data. Business Central allows easy stock corrections for: 10. Reports and Insights With built-in reports and dashboards, you can track: These insights will assist you in making well-informed decisions and planning ahead. Why It Matters Good inventory management helps you: Business Central gives you the tools to manage stock simply and efficiently. If you’re using spreadsheets or disconnected tools to manage inventory, now is a good time to explore Business Central. It gives you more control, better insights, and smoother operations—all in one place. We hope you found this blog useful. If you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com.

Data is one of the most valuable assets for modern organizations. But without the right reporting structure, decision-makers struggle to extract meaningful insights. At CloudFronts, we specialize in tailoring Power BI to meet specific client needs. In this blog, we’ll share how we customized a territory-based account analysis report for a client’s sales team—and why such customizations deliver real business value. Problem Statement The client’s leadership team faced three challenges with their existing reports: 1. Lack of clarity: Territories on the map looked identical, creating confusion. 2. No drill-down path: Managers could not move easily from high-level territory views to account-level details. 3. Data security concerns: All managers could see all account data, raising confidentiality issues. These gaps reduced adoption of the reports and slowed decision-making. Solution Approach We delivered a tailored Power BI solution with the following enhancements: 1. High-Impact Visuals with Conditional Formatting Each territory was assigned a unique color on the map, instantly improving readability. 2. Structured Multi-Page Navigation – Page 1: Territory Map – for leadership to view performance at a glance. – Page 2: Drill-Through – for Territory Managers to analyze accounts in detail. – Page 3: Tabular Data – for operations teams to validate and export account data. 3. Data Security with Row-Level Security (RLS) Each Territory Manager could only view accounts from their assigned states, ensuring sensitive client data was protected. 4. User Adoption Focus By mirroring the real workflow of Territory Managers, adoption rates significantly increased. Key Learnings – Custom visuals drive clarity: Unique formatting makes reports intuitive. – Security builds trust: Clients are reassured when their data is properly protected with RLS. – Role-based design improves efficiency: Reports that align with how teams work reduce training needs and accelerate insights. – Better adoption leads to ROI: Customized reports quickly become part of daily decision-making, maximizing the value of Power BI investments. To conclude, for clients, Power BI customizations are not just a “nice-to-have”—they are a business necessity. By aligning reports with organizational structures, ensuring secure access, and simplifying navigation, businesses gain faster insights, stronger adoption, and higher ROI from their BI investments. 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.

Automation in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can drastically improve efficiency, especially when scheduled jobs run without manual intervention. But occasionally jobs fail due to temporary issues like network glitches or locked records. Setting the Maximum number of attempts ensures the system retries automatically, reducing failures and improving reliability. Steps to Optimize Job Automation 1. Navigate to Job Queue Entries Go to Search (Tell Me) → type Job Queue Entries → open the page. 2. Select or Create Your Job Either choose an existing job queue entry or create a new one for your automated task. 3. Set Maximum No. of Attempts In the Maximum No. of Attempts field, enter the number of retries you want (e.g., 3–5 attempts). This tells BC to retry automatically if the job fails. 4. Schedule the Job Define the Earliest Start Date/Time and Recurring Frequency if applicable. 5.Enable the Job Queue Make sure the Job Queue is On and your job is set to Ready. 6.Monitor and Adjust Review Job Queue Log Entries regularly. Pro Tips -Keep your jobs small and modular for faster retries. -Avoid setting attempts too high it may overload the system. -Combine retries with proper error handling in the code or process. To conclude, by leveraging the Maximum No. of Attempts feature in Business Central, you can make your job automation more resilient, reduce downtime, and ensure business processes run smoothly without constant supervision. 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.

Integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) with external systems using Azure Logic Apps is a powerful and flexible approach—but it’s also prone to missteps if not planned and implemented correctly. In our experience working with D365 integrations across multiple projects, we’ve seen recurring mistakes that affect performance, maintainability, and security. In this blog, we’ll outline the most common mistakes and provide actionable recommendations to help you avoid them. Core Content  1. Not Using the Dynamics 365 Connector Properly The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  2. Hardcoding Environment URLs and Credentials The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  3. Ignoring D365 API Throttling and Limits The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  4. Not Handling Errors Gracefully The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  5. Forgetting to Secure the HTTP Trigger The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  6. Overcomplicating the Workflow The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice:  7. Not Testing in Isolated or Sandbox Environments The Mistake: Why It’s Bad: Best Practice: To conclude, Integrating Dynamics 365 with Azure Logic Apps is a powerful solution, but it requires careful planning to avoid common pitfalls. From securing endpoints and using config files to handling throttling and organizing modular workflows, the right practices save you hours of debugging and rework. Are you planning a new D365 + Azure Logic App integration? Review your architecture against these 7 pitfalls. Even one small improvement today could save hours of firefighting tomorrow. 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.

In project-based businesses, reporting is the final word. It tells you what was planned, what happened, where you made money, and where you lost it. But ask any project manager or CEO what they really think about project reporting today, and you’ll hear this: “It’s late. It’s manual. It’s siloed. And by the time I see it, it’s too late to act.” This is exactly why AI is no longer optional; it’s essential. Whether you’re in construction, consulting, IT services, or professional engineering, AI can elevate your project reporting from a reactive chore to a strategic asset. Here’s how. The Problem with Traditional Reporting. Most reporting today involves: Enter AI: The Game-Changer for Project Reporting AI isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about augmenting your decision-making. When embedded in platforms like Dynamics 365 Project Operations and Power BI, AI becomes the project manager’s smartest analyst and the CEO’s most trusted advisor. Here’s what that looks like: Imagine your system telling you: “Project Alpha is likely to overrun budget by 12% based on current burn rate and resource allocation trends.” AI models analyse historical patterns, resource velocity, and task progress to predict issues weeks in advance. That’s no longer science fiction—it’s happening today with AI-enhanced Power BI and Copilot in Dynamics 365. Instead of navigating dashboards, just ask: “Show me projects likely to miss deadlines this month.” With Copilot in Dynamics 365, you get answers in seconds with charts and supporting data. No need to wait for your analyst or export 10 spreadsheets. AI can clean, match, and validate data coming from: No more mismatched formats or chasing someone to update a spreadsheet. AI ensures your reports are built on clean, real-time data, not assumptions. You don’t need to check 12 dashboards daily. With AI, set intelligent alerts: These alerts are not static rules but learned over time based on project patterns and exceptions. To conclude, for CEOs and PMs alike: We can show you how AI and Copilot in Dynamics 365 can simplify reporting, uncover risks, and help your team act with confidence. Start small, maybe with reporting or forecasting, but start now. 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.

When developing customizations or extensions in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, working with events is a best practice. Events help ensure your code is upgrade-safe and cleanly decoupled from the standard application code. However, one common challenge developers face is figuring out which events are triggered during certain actions in the system. That’s where the Event Recorder comes in. What Is the Event Recorder? The Event Recorder is a built-in tool in Business Central that allows developers to monitor and log all published and subscribed events during a user session. Think of it as a “black box” recorder for event-driven development. It helps you identify: This tool is extremely helpful when you’re customizing functionality using event subscriptions (as per AL best practices) but aren’t sure which event to subscribe to. Why Use the Event Recorder? Traditionally, developers had to dig through AL code or documentation to find the right event to subscribe to. With the Event Recorder, this becomes faster and more efficient. Key benefits include: How to Use the Event Recorder Here’s a step-by-step guide: Step 1: Open Event Recorder Step 2: Start a New Recording Step 3: Stop Recording Step 4: Review the Results Best Practices Sample Use Case Suppose you’re trying to add custom logic every time a Sales Invoice is posted. You’re not sure which event gets triggered at that point. Using the Event Recorder: Now, you can write a subscriber in your AL code like this: [EventSubscriber(ObjectType::Page, Page::”Customer List”, ‘OnAfterGetRecordEvent’, ”, true, true)] local procedure MyProcedure() begin // Your custom logic here end; Limitations While powerful, the Event Recorder does have some limitations: To conclude, Event Recorder is an indispensable tool for any AL developer working in Business Central. It simplifies the discovery of relevant events, helps maintain clean and upgrade-safe extensions, and boosts overall development efficiency. Whether you’re new to AL or a seasoned developer, incorporating the Event Recorder into your workflow will save you time. 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.

What Is a Scorecard in Power BI? A Scorecard is a visual performance monitoring tool that allows you to track key metrics (goals) against predefined targets. Power BI’s Metrics (formerly Goals) feature helps you: Why Use Scorecards? Here’s why Scorecards are powerful for any team: Benefit Description Goal Alignment Track KPIs aligned to strategic objectives. Accountability Assign owners and collaborators for each goal. Real-time Tracking Monitor progress with live metrics. Visual Reporting Easy-to-read dashboards and history tracking. Step-by-Step: How to Build a Scorecard in Power BI Step 1: Navigate to Power BI Service Go to Power BI Service and choose the workspace where you want to create your Scorecard (Premium or Pro workspaces only). Step 2: Create a New Scorecard  You’ll now land on a blank Scorecard canvas. Step 3: Add Metrics to the Scorecard You can connect it to an existing Power BI dataset or manually input values. Step 4: Link Metrics to Data (Optional but Recommended) To automate tracking: This ensures your Scorecard updates automatically with data refreshes. Step 5: Customize the Scorecard You can also create hierarchies — group related goals under broader objectives. Step 6: Share & Collaborate Once your Scorecard is built: To conclude, Power BI Scorecards turn your data into action. They help track goals in real time, assign ownership, and keep teams focused on what matters most. Whether you’re managing a sales team, a project, or company-wide objectives — Power BI Scorecards are a game-changer for performance tracking. Want to bring visibility and accountability to your team goals? Head to Power BI Service and start building your first Scorecard today! Need help connecting metrics to your datasets? Reach out, and we’ll guide you step by step. 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.

Refreshing large datasets in Power BI can become time-consuming and resource-intensive as data volume grows. If your reports are based on millions of rows of historical data, refreshing everything daily is neither efficient nor necessary. This is where Incremental Refresh comes in. It allows Power BI to only refresh new or changed data, drastically improving performance and reducing load on your data source. In this blog, you’ll learn how to set up incremental refresh step-by-step—so your Power BI reports stay fast and efficient even with big data. What Is Incremental Refresh in Power BI? Incremental Refresh enables Power BI to load data in partitions, refreshing only the latest ones (e.g., the past 7 days) while keeping the older data static. Why use it? Step 1: Define Parameters in Power Query ·  Open your report in Power BI Desktop (Pro or Premium workspace) ·  Go to Transform Data (Power Query Editor) ·  Create two parameters: ·  Set default values (e.g., RangeStart = 01/01/2020, RangeEnd = 01/01/2021) Step 2: Filter Your Data with These Parameters This tells Power BI what time range to load and eventually refresh incrementally. Step 3: Enable Incremental Refresh in Data Model 📝 Example: This configuration refreshes only the recent week of data each time, while keeping the rest intact. Step 4: Publish to Power BI Service ✅ Done! You’ve now implemented incremental refresh. Best Practices To conclude, Incremental Refresh is a game-changer when it comes to handling large datasets in Power BI. It not only saves refresh time but also optimizes resource usage. By learning how to configure it properly, you can scale your reports with confidence and efficiency Got a large dataset slowing down your Power BI refresh? Implement Incremental Refresh today and see the difference. Explore more Power BI performance tips in our blog series—or reach out for help setting up enterprise-grade models. 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

Sending emails programmatically in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) is a common requirement for customization be it sending invoices, reminders, or notifications. With the release of enhanced email capabilities in recent versions, AL developers can now include CC (Carbon Copy) and BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) recipients when sending emails. In this blog, we’ll walk through how to send an email in Business Central using AL and how to include CC and BCC fields effectively. Steps to Achieve goal: Code for example. procedure SendInvoiceEmail(var PurchaseInvHeader: Record “Purch. Inv. Header”): BooleanvarEmailAccount: Codeunit “Email Account”;EmailMessage: Codeunit “Email Message”;Email: Codeunit Email;PurchaseInvLine: Record “Purch. Inv. Line”;Vendor: Record Vendor;Item: Record Item;Currency: Record Currency;CurrencySymbol: Text;ItemDescription: Text[2048];ItemNumber: Code[30];TotalAmount: Decimal;Link: Text[2048];EmailType: Enum “Email Recipient Type”;begin// Get vendor informationVendor.SetRange(“No.”, PurchaseInvHeader.”Buy-from Vendor No.”);if Vendor.FindFirst() then; // Process purchase invoice linesPurchaseInvLine.SetRange(“Document No.”, PurchaseInvHeader.”No.”);PurchaseInvLine.SetFilter(Quantity, ‘<>%1’, 0);if PurchaseInvLine.FindSet() then repeat Item.Reset(); Item.SetRange(“No.”, PurchaseInvLine.”No.”); Item.SetRange(“Second Hand Goods”, true); // Example filter if Item.FindFirst() then begin ItemDescription := PurchaseInvLine.Description; ItemNumber := PurchaseInvLine.”No.”; TotalAmount += PurchaseInvLine.”Amount Including VAT”; Currency.SetRange(Code, PurchaseInvHeader.”Currency Code”); if Currency.FindFirst() then CurrencySymbol := Currency.Symbol else CurrencySymbol := ‘€’; // Default symbol end; until PurchaseInvLine.Next() = 0; // Generate a form link with dynamic query parameters (example only)Link := ‘https://your-form-url.com?vendor=’ + Vendor.”No.” + ‘&invoice=’ + PurchaseInvHeader.”No.”; // Create and configure the emailEmailMessage.Create( Vendor.”E-Mail”, ‘Subject: Review Your Invoice’, ‘Hello ‘ + Vendor.Name + ‘,<br><br>’ + ‘Please review the invoice details for item: ‘ + ItemDescription + ‘<br>’ + ‘Total: ‘ + Format(TotalAmount) + ‘ ‘ + CurrencySymbol + ‘<br>’ + ‘Form Link: <a href=”‘ + Link + ‘”>Click here</a><br><br>’ + ‘Best regards,<br>Your Company Name’, true // IsBodyHtml); // Add BCC (could also use AddCc)EmailMessage.AddRecipient(EmailType::BCC, ‘example@yourdomain.com’); // Update invoice status or flags (optional business logic)PurchaseInvHeader.”Custom Status Field” := PurchaseInvHeader.”Custom Status Field”::Started;PurchaseInvHeader.Modify(); // Send the emailexit(Email.Send(EmailMessage)); end; To conclude, sending emails directly from AL in Business Central is a powerful way to streamline communication with vendors, customers, and internal users. By leveraging the Email Message and Email codeunits, developers can easily customize the subject, body, and recipients, including support for CC and BCC fields. This flexibility makes it easy to automate notifications, document sharing, or approval requests directly from your business logic. Whether you’re integrating forms, sending invoices, or just keeping stakeholders in the loop, this approach ensures your extensions are both professional and user-friendly. With just a few lines of code, you can improve efficiency and enhance communication across your organization. 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