Dynamics 365 configured around your process, and still working after the next update.
We implement and extend Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service and the finance and operations apps, and connect them to Dataverse and your data platform. Microsoft's updates are mandatory, so we test each one before it lands.
Release waves replaced by the AI at Work roadmap25 Aug 2026
2026 wave 2 general availability
connects with
in short·20-second read
We implement and support Microsoft Dynamics 365: Sales, Customer Service and the finance and operations apps.
That means configuring Dataverse, building plug-ins and Power Automate flows, setting up Copilot features with sensible access, and connecting Dynamics to Entra ID and your warehouse. Microsoft's updates are mandatory, so we plan for them too, the 2026 wave 2 rollout for example, and for the switch to the continuous AI at Work roadmap.
you probably need this if
A mandatory update goes in and by next morning a plug-in or a form script has stopped working.
Each region configured Dynamics 365 its own way and the reports no longer line up.
Security roles have grown until nobody can say who sees which accounts.
terms on this pageWavedefinitionOne batch of workloads moved together. Large migrations run as a series of these, so each one can be planned, cut over and reviewed on its own.explained in a field note →
Early access test plan per environment, with results for each update
Security role matrix mapped to business units and Entra ID groups
Plug-in and flow inventory with owners and an update-risk rating
+ 2 more documents
who does it
Dynamics 365 CE functional consultantDynamics 365 CE developer (plug-ins, PCF)Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations developer (X++)
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
25 Aug 2026Release waves replaced by the AI at Work roadmap The twice-yearly release plans are going away. Since September 2026 new capabilities publish continuously, and Release Planner retires by 15 November 2026. source ↗
today · Oct 22, 2026
no date yet2026 wave 2 general availabilityMandatory update deployed by region from 18 September 2026. North America is scheduled for 16 to 19 October 2026.source ↗
the story · microsoft dynamics 365 estate
From the first call to a setup your own team can run.
Here's what usually prompts a call about your Microsoft Dynamics 365 estate, what we do about it and in which order, and where you end up.
01 · where it hurts02 · what we change03 · how it runs04 · where you end up
incident board · microsoft dynamics 365 estate3 open
openA mandatory update goes in and by next morning a plug-in or a form script has stopped working.
recurringEach region configured Dynamics 365 its own way and the reports no longer line up.
blockedSecurity roles have grown until nobody can say who sees which accounts.
exposure
Customer engagement implementationFinance and operations appsUpdate readinessDataverse and integrationSecurity roles and identityCRM migration
startrehearsehandover
Environment and…
Security model from the org…
Early access testing
Data and integration
Cut-over and handover
we are here
ready to hand over
Sales and service work online, on a supported version.
Each update passes the regression scripts before its weekend.
Early access test plan per environment, with results for each update
Security role matrix mapped to business units and Entra ID groups
chapter 01 · where it hurts
Why teams reach out
A mandatory update goes in and by next morning a plug-in or a form script has stopped working.
Each region configured Dynamics 365 its own way and the reports no longer line up.
Security roles have grown until nobody can say who sees which accounts.
chapter 02 · what we change
How we solve it
Customer engagement implementation
Finance and operations apps
Update readiness
Dataverse and integration
Security roles and identity
CRM migration
chapter 03 · how it runs
Our approach
Environment and customization review
Security model from the org chart
Early access testing
Data and integration
Cut-over and handover
chapter 04 · where you end up
What changes
Sales and service work online, on a supported version.
Each update passes the regression scripts before its weekend.
Early access test plan per environment, with results for each update
Security role matrix mapped to business units and Entra ID groups
what we do
Our Microsoft Dynamics 365 work
6 kinds of Microsoft Dynamics 365 work, each run by engineers who have done it on live tenants.
We set up Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service around your pipeline stages, queues and service levels. Model-driven app forms are laid out so people can actually work in them.
Configuration and extensions for Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, with integrations to the systems that feed and consume ledger data.
Early access environments used to test each mandatory update against your plug-ins, flows and integrations, with Message Center notices tracked for each environment.
Data model design in Dataverse, plus integration with Salesforce, Snowflake or Microsoft Fabric through Dataverse APIs, virtual tables or Fabric links.
Business units, security roles and teams designed from your org chart, with users provisioned from Entra ID groups instead of by hand.
Moves from Salesforce, older Dynamics CRM on-premises versions or homegrown systems, with data mapping, test loads and a rehearsed cut-over.
capability 01 / 06in production
Customer engagement implementation
We set up Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service around your pipeline stages, queues and service levels. Model-driven app forms are laid out so people can actually work in them.
Early access environments used to test each mandatory update against your plug-ins, flows and integrations, with Message Center notices tracked for each environment.
Data model design in Dataverse, plus integration with Salesforce, Snowflake or Microsoft Fabric through Dataverse APIs, virtual tables or Fabric links.
We pieced these together from Microsoft Dynamics 365 situations that come up a lot. They're patterns. You won't find a specific client in them.
case file 01
Dynamics CRM on-premises with 300 plug-in steps and missing source
composite · not a client story
Beforethe situation
Sales and service still run on an older Dynamics CRM on-premises version with about 300 registered plug-in steps, some compiled from code nobody can find. The hardware lease ends next year, and the move online keeps slipping.
What we dothe work
We decompile and inventory the plug-ins, then sort each into keep, replace with Power Automate, or drop. Test loads run into a Dynamics 365 sandbox, security roles are rebuilt from the org chart, and cutover is rehearsed with a timed data load.
Afterwhere you end up
Sales and service work online, on a supported version. Every plug-in that survived has its source in a repo and someone who answers for it, so a mandatory update now means a test run in the sandbox.
case file 02
Mandatory updates that keep landing before month-end
composite · not a client story
Beforethe situation
A Dynamics 365 Customer Service deployment with a dozen integrations has twice taken a mandatory update the weekend before month-end and spent days fixing integrations. No sandbox is on early access, and Message Center notices go to a shared mailbox.
What we dothe work
We put a sandbox copy on early access and script regression tests for the plug-ins, flows and integrations that broke last time. Message Center notices for each environment go to named owners. Every update needs a test sign-off before its scheduled weekend.
Afterwhere you end up
Each update passes the regression scripts before its weekend. The Message Center notice now goes straight to the owners. It used to sit in a shared mailbox until someone found it.
We don't start a step until the last one has produced something you can check.
step 01
Environment and customization review
We go environment by environment, listing solutions, plug-ins, JavaScript, Power Automate flows and integrations, and flag whatever is unmanaged or unowned.
step 02
Security model from the org chart
We design business units and security roles together with Entra ID group teams, so that group membership decides access, where tickets used to.
step 03
Early access testing
We switch each mandatory update on in a sandbox through early access first, and test your plug-ins, flows and integrations before Microsoft deploys it to production.
step 04
Data and integration
We link Dataverse tables to Fabric or your warehouse, and connect finance and operations apps through dual-write or Dataverse APIs where that fits.
step 05
Cut-over and handover
We rehearse migrations as test loads before the real thing. Admins are left with a saved roadmap filter and a monthly change review, and runbooks for common fixes.
ai on microsoft dynamics 365
Where AI fits on Microsoft Dynamics 365, and where it needs guardrails.
Copilot is Microsoft's AI in Dynamics 365, built into Sales and Customer Service, and the Sales agent in Microsoft Copilot is taking over as the main seller experience. Dataverse can act as an MCP server too. Copilot can't see a record the signed-in user can't open, so the engineering work is security roles, licensing and Copilot credit costs.
AI agentasks for data or an action
Scoped identityonly the access it needs
MCP serverthe one door into the platform
Logged, approveda person signs off on writes
Microsoft Dynamics 365does the work
Microsoft publishes a Dataverse MCP server for Dynamics 365 data. Admins turn it on per environment and allow clients such as Copilot Studio, GitHub Copilot or Claude. Agents act with the user's Dataverse security roles. Delete tools need explicit approval. For us the extra work is dedicated identities for autonomous agents, and tracking credit use.
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales
Copilot summarizes leads, opportunities and accounts. It preps sellers for meetings, drafts emails and answers from SharePoint documents, using only records the signed-in user can already open. Licensing depends on the Sales plan. For us the first job is reviewing security roles before rollout, since Copilot will surface whatever a role allows.
Sales agent in Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft calls the Sales agent the evolution of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales and says it'll become the preferred way to get Copilot help in the app. For us that means planning the switch with sellers and admins, then testing on the same records and roles as before.
Dataverse MCP server
Dataverse serves MCP at your org's /api/mcp URL. Its tools search and query records, and can create or update them. Admins turn it on per environment and pick the clients allowed to connect. For us the thing to watch is billing. Since 15 December 2025, agents built outside Copilot Studio are charged Copilot credits unless users hold Dynamics 365 Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
Copilot changes on the AI at Work roadmap
New Dynamics 365 capabilities, Copilot features included, don't arrive in release waves anymore. They're published continuously on the AI at Work roadmap. We keep a filtered view of it per app and test every mandatory update in an early access sandbox first.
Where Dynamics 365 and Dataverse sit between Entra ID and Fabric
Who works in Dynamics 365 is decided by Entra ID groups. Exchange keeps email and appointments in sync. It all lands in Dataverse, which feeds Microsoft Fabric for reporting and triggers Power Automate when there's follow-up work.
01 · Identity and Microsoft 365
Entra IDsecurity groups · SSO → Dataverse · group teams
Exchange Onlineemail · appointments → Sales and Customer Service · server-side sync
02 · Dynamics 365
Sales and Customer Servicemodel-driven apps · plug-ins → Dataverse · records
Finance and Supply Chainledger · inventory → Dataverse · dual-write
Dataversetables · security roles → Microsoft Fabric · Link to Fabric→ Power Automate · row triggers
03 · Analytics and automation
Microsoft FabricOneLake · Power BI
Power Automateapprovals · notifications
Read the diagram as text
Entra ID → Dataverse: group teams
Exchange Online → Sales and Customer Service: server-side sync
Sales and Customer Service → Dataverse: records
Finance and Supply Chain → Dataverse: dual-write
Dataverse → Microsoft Fabric: Link to Fabric
Dataverse → Power Automate: row triggers
use cases
Typical Microsoft Dynamics 365 projects
The work teams usually bring us, and the platforms Microsoft Dynamics 365 has to talk to while we do it.
DYN-01Mandatory updates arrive and break a plug-in or form script
common request
DYN-02Your sales and service teams use Dynamics differently in every region
common request
DYN-03Security roles have grown until no one knows who can see what
common request
DYN-04You're moving off an on-premises Dynamics CRM version
common request
DYN-05Dynamics data needs to reach Fabric or Snowflake for reporting
common request
What a Microsoft Dynamics 365 engagement leaves behind
These are working documents, written against your configuration, so your team can run them without us.
tests01
Early access test plan per environment, with results for each update
yours to keep
document02
Security role matrix mapped to business units and Entra ID groups
yours to keep
inventory03
Plug-in and flow inventory with owners and an update-risk rating
yours to keep
tests04
Data migration mapping with reconciliation reports from each test load
yours to keep
plan05
Saved AI at Work roadmap view for the apps you license
yours to keep
talent and delivery · microsoft dynamics 365
Certified engineers, wherever you need them.
Some clients want a project team, some want a couple of engineers on theirs. Either works. Onsite, nearshore or offshore, with handovers across time zones that keep things moving.
Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations developer (X++)
Dataverse integration developer
Dynamics 365 solution architect
Dynamics 365 data migration specialist
due diligence · microsoft dynamics 365
Questions to ask any partner, including us.
Put these to anyone bidding on your Microsoft Dynamics 365 work. The ones who've done it answer differently from the ones who've read about it.
Q1
Release Planner retires on 15 November 2026. How will we track Dynamics 365 changes after that?
New capabilities now go on the AI at Work roadmap, and Microsoft says tenant notices stay in Message Center. Somebody needs to own a filtered view per app and run a review every month.
Q2
In early access, which plug-ins and flows do you plan to regression-test before every update?
Mandatory updates can't be postponed. The test list should come from what broke last time and what touches money or customers, not from the whole solution.
Q3
How will security roles follow Entra ID groups instead of manual assignment?
Roles assigned by hand drift every time someone changes teams. With group teams in Dataverse, membership follows Entra ID, and access reviews and leavers get a lot easier.
Q4
What's the test-load plan for the data migration, and how will we reconcile the counts?
Migration problems show up as missing activities, broken ownership and duplicate accounts. Reconciliation reports per entity on every test load catch them before cutover.
Q5
Which of our integrations could be Fabric links or virtual tables, and save us maintaining custom code?
Built-in Dataverse options mean less code to maintain, but each one has limits on latency and write-back. Make the choice per data flow.
01How do we keep track of Dynamics 365 changes now that release plans are going away?
Microsoft is moving new features to the AI at Work roadmap, and says Message Center stays the source for tenant-specific change notices. We save a roadmap filter for the apps you license and go over it with your admins every month. We still test each mandatory update in an early access environment.
02Can we postpone a Dynamics 365 update?
No. The general availability updates are mandatory as far as Microsoft is concerned. What you can do is opt a sandbox into early access and test ahead of time, which we recommend.
03Should we choose Dynamics 365 or Salesforce?
Both work. Usually it comes down to how much Microsoft 365 you use, what you've already put into Azure and Entra ID, your finance and ERP needs, and in-house skills. We weigh those against your requirements before recommending either.
04What drives the cost of a Dynamics 365 project?
Mostly the number of apps in scope, the amount of custom code, how many integrations you need and how much data you migrate. We estimate after a short discovery rather than quoting before we've seen your process.
05Can you integrate Dynamics 365 with Salesforce if we run both?
Yes. Which records move, and how often, decides the design. Common patterns are an integration platform that syncs accounts and contacts, or both systems publishing to a shared data platform. Before anything else we agree a system of record per entity, so updates don't loop.
services
Related services
Projects on Microsoft Dynamics 365 usually end up touching one of these, so they're worth a look.
