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Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations provides amazing benefits to those looking to move to a modern, robust and scalable ERP solution without having to devote massive amounts of capital and resources to their IT departments. Running D365FO in the cloud allows companies to focus their resources on their core business functions and the business process reorganization that comes with a major system implementation or upgrade.

It also provides a rock solid enterprise systems infrastructure to all companies, big and small, that house their solution in Azure and manage it with Lifecycle Services. And, while not cheap, it allows companies to spread their systems costs over an extended timeline, freeing up valuable capital for business specific expenses.

That’s all great and a real selling point, but D365FO, like any other ERP, has strengths and weaknesses. ISVs like ours survive on identifying those weaknesses and developing functionality that not only fill the gaps left in the ERP’s capabilities but enhance the overall experience. In our case, it’s parcel and LTL shipping, but there are many others plugging holes and/or expanding on functionality that may not be as complete as desired.

When undertaking a traditional ERP implementation, companies have had to tightly manage the expense of adding additional functionality to an already resource intensive project. As with any cost/benefit or ROI analysis, adding ISV modules can seem daunting from both a time and cost perspective. Frequently, customers would turn to their ERP resellers to write customizations that would resolve the most pressing gaps at reduced time and expense.

Entering the D365FO paradigm shift

Both customers and resellers are discovering Microsoft has altered the traditional ERP implementation paradigm with Azure and Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. By removing the need for massive capital expenditure and providing enterprise scale systems infrastructure for a subscription fee, they have minimized the significant capital and resource burden of an ERP implementation.

But it comes with a catch. Microsoft releases quarterly updates to D365FO and requires customers be no more than two releases behind at any given time. This all but removes the traditional use of customizations, especially extensive ones. In the past, a company with an extensively customized ERP solution could pick and choose updates or forego them altogether to avoid having to redevelop the customized code in order to conform to the updated ERP. This model is no longer an option in the Azure/D365 world.

AppSource – The App store for Dynamics 365

Part of Microsoft’s strategy for maintaining and updating their Azure/D365 cloud environments is to provide an enterprise level equivalent to the traditional App store. ISVs who wish to resell their solutions to the D365 community need to go through a Microsoft vetting and approval process in order to make their solutions available to D365 customers. Those ISVs are also required to keep their solutions current with the latest release of D365.

This provides D365FO customers with the peace of mind that any ISV solution they purchase from AppSource is designed to work with their solution and will continue to do so for as long as they use it. The ISV solution will go through the same implementation lifecycle as their core solution and follow the same processes through to production. These solutions are part of the subscription model and therefore provide the same capital and resource flexibility of D365FO.

Is customization dead in D365FO?

The simple answer is no. There will always be a need for a customer to make modifications to an ERP to meet their business needs. The trick will be identifying when and where these customizations should take place.

The advantage of an approved ISV solution is they will be maintained and updated as your environment is updated. They will provide you with additional functionality and improvements over their lifespan as part of your subscription fee.

The trick for any customer will be measuring the ongoing cost and impact of a customization against the added benefit. Customization scope will become critical for long-term system management. Once the scope of a customization gets beyond an acceptable maintenance expense, and ISV solution may provide better ongoing value.

__

To learn more about NMB Solutions and Parcel for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, visit us at nmbsolutions.ca or send us an email at info@nmbsolutins.ca

Author

Christopher Morgan

Vice President Operations
NMB Solutions Canada Inc.

Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations provides amazing benefits to those looking to move to a modern, robust and scalable ERP solution without having to devote massive amounts of capital and resources to their IT departments. Running D365FO in the cloud allows companies to focus their resources on their core business functions and the business process reorganization that comes with a major system implementation or upgrade.

It also provides a rock solid enterprise systems infrastructure to all companies, big and small, that house their solution in Azure and manage it with Lifecycle Services. And, while not cheap, it allows companies to spread their systems costs over an extended timeline, freeing up valuable capital for business specific expenses.

That’s all great and a real selling point, but D365FO, like any other ERP, has strengths and weaknesses. ISVs like ours survive on identifying those weaknesses and developing functionality that not only fill the gaps left in the ERP’s capabilities but enhance the overall experience. In our case, it’s parcel and LTL shipping, but there are many others plugging holes and/or expanding on functionality that may not be as complete as desired.

When undertaking a traditional ERP implementation, companies have had to tightly manage the expense of adding additional functionality to an already resource intensive project. As with any cost/benefit or ROI analysis, adding ISV modules can seem daunting from both a time and cost perspective. Frequently, customers would turn to their ERP resellers to write customizations that would resolve the most pressing gaps at reduced time and expense.

Entering the D365FO paradigm shift

Both customers and resellers are discovering Microsoft has altered the traditional ERP implementation paradigm with Azure and Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. By removing the need for massive capital expenditure and providing enterprise scale systems infrastructure for a subscription fee, they have minimized the significant capital and resource burden of an ERP implementation.

But it comes with a catch. Microsoft releases quarterly updates to D365FO and requires customers be no more than two releases behind at any given time. This all but removes the traditional use of customizations, especially extensive ones. In the past, a company with an extensively customized ERP solution could pick and choose updates or forego them altogether to avoid having to redevelop the customized code in order to conform to the updated ERP. This model is no longer an option in the Azure/D365 world.

AppSource – The App store for Dynamics 365

Part of Microsoft’s strategy for maintaining and updating their Azure/D365 cloud environments is to provide an enterprise level equivalent to the traditional App store. ISVs who wish to resell their solutions to the D365 community need to go through a Microsoft vetting and approval process in order to make their solutions available to D365 customers. Those ISVs are also required to keep their solutions current with the latest release of D365.

This provides D365FO customers with the peace of mind that any ISV solution they purchase from AppSource is designed to work with their solution and will continue to do so for as long as they use it. The ISV solution will go through the same implementation lifecycle as their core solution and follow the same processes through to production. These solutions are part of the subscription model and therefore provide the same capital and resource flexibility of D365FO.

Is customization dead in D365FO?

The simple answer is no. There will always be a need for a customer to make modifications to an ERP to meet their business needs. The trick will be identifying when and where these customizations should take place.

The advantage of an approved ISV solution is they will be maintained and updated as your environment is updated. They will provide you with additional functionality and improvements over their lifespan as part of your subscription fee.

The trick for any customer will be measuring the ongoing cost and impact of a customization against the added benefit. Customization scope will become critical for long-term system management. Once the scope of a customization gets beyond an acceptable maintenance expense, and ISV solution may provide better ongoing value.

__

To learn more about NMB Solutions and Parcel for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, visit us at nmbsolutions.ca or send us an email at info@nmbsolutins.ca

Author

Christopher Morgan

Vice President Operations
NMB Solutions Canada Inc.

Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations provides amazing benefits to those looking to move to a modern, robust and scalable ERP solution without having to devote massive amounts of capital and resources to their IT departments. Running D365FO in the cloud allows companies to focus their resources on their core business functions and the business process reorganization that comes with a major system implementation or upgrade.

It also provides a rock solid enterprise systems infrastructure to all companies, big and small, that house their solution in Azure and manage it with Lifecycle Services. And, while not cheap, it allows companies to spread their systems costs over an extended timeline, freeing up valuable capital for business specific expenses.

That’s all great and a real selling point, but D365FO, like any other ERP, has strengths and weaknesses. ISVs like ours survive on identifying those weaknesses and developing functionality that not only fill the gaps left in the ERP’s capabilities but enhance the overall experience. In our case, it’s parcel and LTL shipping, but there are many others plugging holes and/or expanding on functionality that may not be as complete as desired.

When undertaking a traditional ERP implementation, companies have had to tightly manage the expense of adding additional functionality to an already resource intensive project. As with any cost/benefit or ROI analysis, adding ISV modules can seem daunting from both a time and cost perspective. Frequently, customers would turn to their ERP resellers to write customizations that would resolve the most pressing gaps at reduced time and expense.

Entering the D365FO paradigm shift

Both customers and resellers are discovering Microsoft has altered the traditional ERP implementation paradigm with Azure and Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. By removing the need for massive capital expenditure and providing enterprise scale systems infrastructure for a subscription fee, they have minimized the significant capital and resource burden of an ERP implementation.

But it comes with a catch. Microsoft releases quarterly updates to D365FO and requires customers be no more than two releases behind at any given time. This all but removes the traditional use of customizations, especially extensive ones. In the past, a company with an extensively customized ERP solution could pick and choose updates or forego them altogether to avoid having to redevelop the customized code in order to conform to the updated ERP. This model is no longer an option in the Azure/D365 world.

AppSource – The App store for Dynamics 365

Part of Microsoft’s strategy for maintaining and updating their Azure/D365 cloud environments is to provide an enterprise level equivalent to the traditional App store. ISVs who wish to resell their solutions to the D365 community need to go through a Microsoft vetting and approval process in order to make their solutions available to D365 customers. Those ISVs are also required to keep their solutions current with the latest release of D365.

This provides D365FO customers with the peace of mind that any ISV solution they purchase from AppSource is designed to work with their solution and will continue to do so for as long as they use it. The ISV solution will go through the same implementation lifecycle as their core solution and follow the same processes through to production. These solutions are part of the subscription model and therefore provide the same capital and resource flexibility of D365FO.

Is customization dead in D365FO?

The simple answer is no. There will always be a need for a customer to make modifications to an ERP to meet their business needs. The trick will be identifying when and where these customizations should take place.

The advantage of an approved ISV solution is they will be maintained and updated as your environment is updated. They will provide you with additional functionality and improvements over their lifespan as part of your subscription fee.

The trick for any customer will be measuring the ongoing cost and impact of a customization against the added benefit. Customization scope will become critical for long-term system management. Once the scope of a customization gets beyond an acceptable maintenance expense, and ISV solution may provide better ongoing value.

__

To learn more about NMB Solutions and Parcel for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, visit us at nmbsolutions.ca or send us an email at info@nmbsolutins.ca

Author

Christopher Morgan

Vice President Operations
NMB Solutions Canada Inc.

If you are looking into upgrading or replacing your current ERP or accounting software system, it’s likely that, after weighing your options, you are considering a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution: Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, or Microsoft Dynamics 365. You’ve decided that Microsoft Dynamics ERP provides the functionality you need, but what about the price? Does it fit your budget? There is an easy way to find out: The ERP Software Blog’s free automatic Quick Quote tool.

Our Quick Quote tool is designed to give your company a ballpark estimate of the cost of Microsoft Dynamics ERP software and installation. Here’s how the Quick Quote tool works:

On the right side of each page of the ERP Software Blog, you’ll see an orange bar labeled: Request an Instant Dynamics ERP quote. Click on the bar and you’ll find the short Quick Quote form.

Answer a few questions about your needs and business processes, your current accounting software, number of users, cloud or on premise, etc. The process takes only a few minutes and the estimate is automated. Your contact information will be made available to only ONE local Microsoft partner who can help with any questions you may have.

Your personalized Quick Quote estimate will include the cost of license fees, annual maintenance (if on premise), subscriptions fees (if in the cloud) and cost of implementation as well as the name of a Microsoft Dynamics partner in your area.
As budgeting is an essential part of any consideration of new ERP software, this tool will be a valuable time saver during your search.

Access the Quick Quote tool here.

By ERP Software Blog Writer www.erpsoftwareblog.com

So… I was suckered into… I mean, I graciously accepted a friend's invitation to join a ten week burpee challenge. Week one includes 10 burpees per day, week two 20, you get the jest, up to week ten where we complete 100 burpees per day. For those of you who enjoy the numbers, that's 70 straight days for a total of 3,850 burpees. What's a burpee you ask? Please see the image below for a preview of that special kind of hell! :-)

I'm happy to report that my last day of 100 is today! While working through this challenge, it really got me thinking about teams, commitments, accountability, setting goals, and celebrations. Which then got me thinking about how many clients we work with that struggle with these same concepts when it comes to CRM adoption and accountability. So I want to take some time to walk you through how our burpee challenge came together, what I learned from it and how it can be applied to CRM users.

Get Started

As we were getting started we realized we had to define some guidelines - yes rules - even for burpees! We talked through things like, "do they have to be full burpees, or can they be half or quarter burpees?", "is it every day or do we have any days off?", and "how do we report that we've done them?". Getting these questions answered helped the invitees make the decision as to whether or not they felt like they could get on board and commit to the challenge. Once I accepted, my friend added me to the social media group where we would be collaborating on the challenge. I was greeted with the following meme, "You gonna cry about it or boss up? First of all, I'm gonna do both." Excellent!! I'm so glad we're all on the same page, as we were all starting to realize that this challenge was no small feat!

When we look at this from a CRM perspective, it is important to clearly state the goal. In other words, define the why. Then as our little group did, work together to clearly define the parameters by which the team should operate. It's important to get agreement on this and for everyone to feel like they've been heard. If users don't feel like they had an opportunity to contribute to shaping those guidelines, it may be difficult to get them on board and fully committed.

Set the Milestones

Our fitness group already had clearly defined milestones when we were invited to participate. The number of burpees completed each day for that week, with the week running from Saturday through Friday, then move on to the next level.

From a CRM perspective, setting the milestones is really important. We like to ask our client teams to start by defining a small quickly attainable goal, a.k.a SQAG. Then we ask them to set a target goal, this is where the team should settle back to after they've reached the third and final stretch goal and have settled back down into a new norm.

Dream up the Celebrations

This is the fun part! In starting the challenge, I was initially only thinking about the difficulty of what I was about to endure… can you blame me?! But then, I started to think about all of the benefits I was going to gain. Increased cardio capacity. Stamina. Strength. Increased muscle. So many things!

So, take the time to let the team dream up some fun ways to reward itself when it meets those milestones along the way. They don't even have to be super expensive. In fact, they should be big on fun and be something that the team can do together.

Set the Tone. Be the Example.

In our fitness group, this came naturally to most of us! We "liked" one another's posts, we provided words of encouragement and gave kudos for every person that completed the challenge. Every. Single. Day. We didn't let a single person go even one day without letting them know that we noticed the hard work they were putting in. I cannot stress enough how important this was.

In a work setting, saying this type of behavior is a challenge is a huge understatement. People just aren't wired to be cheerleaders in the office! It feels awkward right!? But why? That's another whole conversation that I'm probably not qualified to speak about - we may need to call in a therapist for that! Nevertheless, make it a weekly conversation. Take the time to recognize a job well done for each person that contributed to the goal during that week. People might feel a little uncomfortable or awkward at first, but pretty soon it will become second nature and people will begin to feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves.

Be Accountable and Suffer the Consequences

It became obvious pretty early on that each of us was thriving on our teammates posts. I would check in each day to see who had been able to get the burpees in. It felt good to know that someone noticed that I had gotten mine in. And I didn't want to miss posting, because I didn't want anyone to think that I hadn't gotten them done! I'd like to think that my commitment helped others to remain committed as well. Our group was also vulnerable enough to admit when we missed a day. But we also knew we were going to suffer the consequence of making up that missed day. Let me tell you, when you get upwards of the 50 per day mark, you don't want to miss a day! That was enough consequence for us to commit to getting and staying back on track. But because we had such a supportive group, it was ok to admit that misstep because they were cheering you on the whole time you were suffering through the consequence.

So what this means for our CRM users is that they need to be vulnerable enough to cop to the misstep when they didn't work toward the goal on a particular day or week. And they need to be willing to accept the fact that they may have to answer to the peers that did put in the hard work. But also know that those same peers should be there to help them if or when they need it.

LUCKscore Team Engagement Methodology

So what's the official methodology I've been rambling about? It's called LUCKscore! We Listen up front to define goals based on the needs of the business and the team. We Understand by working together to define guidelines and celebrations. We Connect by meeting and holding one another accountable throughout the life cycle of the plan. We Know by measuring our results (ideally in CRM!) against the goals we set.

LUCKscore integrates business growth, CRM adoption and individual performance. To be successful, it requires the engagement of executives, managers and front-line employees on a regular basis. An initial plan is set that identifies annual and quarterly goals, and team celebrations are defined. The entire team wins or loses together on a regular basis – thus fostering short-term rewards, recognition, and greater collaboration and team usage of CRM (one team member that misses a goal can mean the entire team misses an opportunity to be recognized).

Want to learn more about LUCKscore employee engagement, user accountability or adoption? Contact C5 Insight, we'd love to chat about your situation and needs!

By the way, we start the ten week push-up challenge tomorrow… any takers?! :-)

Do you use PowerSurveyPlus? Do you enjoy the feature that allows one-click access from the ribbon to Surveys from lead and contact records? Do you wish you could have ribbon access to surveys from other entities?

We recently implemented a simple no-code ribbon customization that gives you access to this feature on almost any entity you desire. The only limitation is that the entity must be enabled for activities, so it can’t be an Activity Entity.

We wanted a user to be able to complete an evaluation of a task as soon as they completed it, so we added the “Fill out Survey” button to the ribbon for that activity.

To implement this, you need to have PowerSurveyPlus and Ribbon Workbench installed in your CRM organization. To learn more about Ribbon Workbench see this blog.

First, create a solution that contains the entity you want to modify. You do not need to include any components, but you should check the box labeled “include entity Metadata.” For the best ribbon workbench performance, this solution should not contain any other entities.

Now export this solution as an unmanaged solution and save it as a backup – this is a best practice when using ribbon workbench. In case your ribbon becomes broken or corrupted in any way, you can re-install the entity ribbon as it was before you started, by importing this solution back into your organization.

Then open the Ribbon Workbench, and load the solution you just created:

In this case, the entity we are updating is the project task entity. Once it is loaded, drag the button from the toolbox onto the Form ribbon in the location you want your button to appear:

• Edit the ribbon of the Work Order entity to add a button “btnGenSurveysPlus”
• Label:“Fill Out Survey” (this can be changed to reflect the purpose of your survey, if needed)
• Tool Tip Title:“Fill out Survey”
• Tool Tip Description:“Choose a Survey for this call and fill it out “
• Image 16: $webresource:posp_ContactLeadSurveyActivityImg16
• Image 32: $webresource:posp_ContactLeadSurveyActivityImg32 (these images will be present in your org as PowerSurveyPlus is installed)
• Sequence: this will be filled based on where you drop the button
• Command Core: btnGenSurveyPlus.Command

• Click on the Plus sign next to Commands() in the solution elements to create the new command
• Edit the properties of The Command
• Id: btnGenSurveyPlus.Command
• Add action of type – Custom JavaScript Action
• Library: $webresource:posp_/scripts/FillOutSurvey.js  (This script provides the chooser, and opens the Assessment for updating – this Javascript already exists in your org if PowerSurveyPLus is Loaded)
• Function name: FillSurvey

• Add a Display Rule: posp.posp_survey.DisplayRule0.DisplayRule
• The Display Rule:
  • In-customized: False
  • Add a Step > FormState Rule
  • Default: False
  • State: Create
  • Invert result: True

This display rule is to control the visibility of the button. In this case, the button will not be visible on the create form, so surveys can only be created from the entity after it has been saved.

Click Publish at the top of the screen. You will be reminded to take a backup of your solution – but you already did that when you created it, right?

It may take several minutes to build the new ribbon and publish it to your org, so be patient!

Now when we open a project task, the Fill out survey button is available.

The standard CRM Lookup opens when it is clicked.

When you click the Add button, the survey opens in a new browser window for completion.

Hopefully this helps you to make collecting survey data from your users even easier with PowerSurveyPlus!

For more Dynamics 365 tips and tricks – subscribe to our blog!

Happy Dynamics 365’ing!

Find resources that help you build and sustain a profitable cloud business, connect with customers and prospects, and differentiate your business. Read previous issues of the newsletter and get real-time updates about partner-related news and information on our US Partner Community Twitter channel.

Looking for partner training courses, community calls, and events? Refer to the Hot Sheet training schedule for a six-week outlook that’s updated regularly as we learn about new offerings. To stay in touch with us and connect with other partners and Microsoft sales, marketing, and product experts, join our US Partner Community on Yammer.

New posts on the US Partner Community blog

• Learn what Microsoft Teams has to offer for firstline workers
• Quick resources for Microsoft Office 365 Government GCC in CSP
• Making the most of AI for your Business Applications practice
• Partner Solution Brief: Meylah integrating tech with tourism and bolstering economies
• Stay ahead of the curve with upcoming partner webinars
• October 2018 Hot Sheet partner training schedule
• Maximize your business with Microsoft SMB Partner events
• Partner Solution Brief: Creating new revenue streams through blockchain innovation
• Closing the Gender Gap with Women-in-Cloud

New webcast series this fall

• The Great American Campaign Competition
• StepUp Technical
• The Leading Edge

Learning news

• Microsoft Certification: Simplifying the Journey
• Certification Exam Retirement Roundup: October 2018
• New role-based certification and training is here, and we’re just getting started!

MPN news

• Business runs on trust
• OnePlace Solutions case study
• Build solutions that evolve with your customers
• Train and certify for your role, your way

Upcoming events

• eXtreme365 December 2-7 in Austin, TX

US Partner Community call schedule

• Modern Workplace Security Community call - Protecting your customers with Azure Security Center, October 16, 10 am PT
• MPN 101 Community call - Top ten ways to stay connected with Microsoft and find resources when you need them, October 17, 9:30 am PT
• US Partner Investment Office Hours, October 17, 11 am PT
• Modern Workplace Modern Desktop - WaaS and Microsoft Managed Desktop Services, October 23, 10 am PT
• US Partner Investment Office Hours, October 24, 11 am PT

Community calls and a regularly updated, comprehensive schedule of partner training courses are listed on the Hot Sheet

As many Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM Users and Admins know, the deadline to upgrade to Version 9 is closing in fast.

To prepare for the upgrade, you must plan ahead. The benefits of doing so will help relieve a lot of pressure and stress on your organization and CRM system.

Here are some of the quick benefits of upgrading ahead of the January 31, 2019 deadline.

1. Identify potential impacts the upgrade will have on your organization
With some of the major upgrades, the possibility of something breaking is real.

By running an Upgrade Diagnostic, you can identify potential impacts to prevent problems in your system. 

This will help you avoid outages and keep your business process running smoothly.

2. Analyze your CRM system for complexity
Upgrade time is a good time to review your system to determine if there are any outdated or complex processes that are currently running with your application.

Sometimes, processes can be removed or updated with newer features that are provided in new releases.

Talk to your partner to know whether your upgrade planning could benefit from running a diagnostic.

The more aware of your system you are, the better.

3. Stay ahead of the curve and your competition
Every new release provides additional features and functionality.

Review the features and determine how to best incorporate them into your application.

Even if you’re not a Dynamics 365 online customer, and are using older versions of Microsoft Dynamics, whenever upgrades are available, the time to review and upgrade is now.

Don’t hesitate to move on to the next step.

By keeping up with the technology, you’re keeping up with your marketplace and are more likely to meet shifts in consumer demand.

The more you delay upgrading, the more likely you are to fall behind in your market.

4. Make transitions from older versions a lot smoother
As with lots of things, it is better to plan than it is to react after the fact.

When it comes to upgrades, it’s always best to consult your CRM partner about them.

Often, when you let Microsoft dictate the upgrade, you can have more complications rather than if you take the time to go through the motions of doing an internal review and consulting your partner about the upgrade.

CRM partners are experts and are able to assist in all things related to upgrades!

If you need help with your Microsoft Dynamics 365/CRM V9 Upgrade, reach out to Ledgeview for help.

If you still are confused about the upgrade, we have the resources to help. Download our FAQ sheet on the topic here!

Watch this Ledgeview Partners video to learn more about upgrading to V9.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2 was released on the 2^nd October. In this series of posts, I’ll be going hands on and installing the majority of the components; some of them, such as Analysis Cubes for Excel, which are little used, I won’t be covering.

The series index will automatically update as posts go-live in this series.

With eConnect installed on the server there are some changes required to the services and permissions. As with the prerequisites, I am going to link back to the posts I did for the last Hands on series.

There are three changes which are required:

1. Because the files being integrated this way are quite large, the receiceTimeout setting on the Service.configneeds to be changed.
2. The Incoming_Queue.config needs the ConnectionString and Incoming_Queue settings changed.
3. The permissions on the MSMQ Incoming Queue need setting for Everyone.

Click to show/hide the Hands On with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2 Series Index

Read original post Hands On with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2018 R2: eConnect Services and Permissions at azurecurve|Ramblings of a Dynamics GP Consultant