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2020 | Buch

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Dynamics 365 Essentials

Getting Started with Dynamics 365 Apps in the Common Data Service

verfasst von: Sarah Critchley

Verlag: Apress

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Discover what the Common Data Service is and how Dynamics 365 fits in the Power Platform. Learn how to set up core Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement functionality and build more customized processes using model-driven apps. This book covers the Dynamics 365 Online system for sales, customer service, marketing, field service, and Outlook integration.

In this second edition, core platform changes from the Common Data Service are included and you will know what this means for Dynamics 365. Updated features include processes, the latest form and view designer, and Business Process Flows. The book also includes new chapters on portals and power virtual agents.
After reading Dynamics 365 Essentials, you will have mastered the core functionality available in Dynamics 365 CE and model-driven applications, and will be able to set it up for a range of different business scenarios.

What You Will LearnSet up the core standard features of Dynamics 365 CE
Create model-driven apps within Dynamics 365 customized to specific business needs
Customize Dynamics 365 CE and leverage process automation functionality through the UI
Study the Common Data Service for Apps
Who This Book Is For

Consultants, business analysts, administrators, and project managers who are looking for more information about Dynamics 365

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. The Common Data Service

Abstract

The Common Data Service is a single place for apps. Data is stored in the Common Data Service that is served to many applications to be viewed and updated. Sounds like a basic definition, but really when it comes down to it, that is what is at the core of the Common Data Service, or CDS. The CDS is a data store, but it does more than simply store data in the same way as a SQL database, for example. The CDS reviews what data type is being stored, such as image data, and stores it in the correct type of storage based on the data type. Model-Driven Applications using Power Apps are built on top of the CDS, as the UI layer, or the “presentation” layer, and are designed for the user of the applications to interact with the data stored in the CDS.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 2. Customer Management

Abstract

This chapter will introduce the Account and Contact records and explain why these are so fundamental within Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement. This introduction will include key things to consider when using these records at the start of implementations and how such records can be customized to suit the needs of the business. It will then move on to email integration options, focusing on installing the latest App for Outlook before moving on to how activities can be utilized and how they are paramount for customer interaction and insight, timeline management, and customizing the timeline. This chapter will set you up with core knowledge about Dynamics 365 CE, allowing you to move forward with confidence into the next chapters.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 3. Customer Service

Abstract

Dynamics 365 CE includes a Customer Service app that has a range of functionality designed to give you the core capability to deliver an omni-channel customer service experience. Omni-channel experiences have progressed from the ability to simply deliver multichannel experiences, which allow organizations to deliver their messages across more than one channel, such as social media and their website. Omni-channel customer service allows organizations to retain the context of the customer’s inquiry when a customer switches channel and gives the capability to be able to transfer that from one channel to another seamlessly.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 4. Sales

Abstract

Managing a sales pipeline can be challenging for organizations. Often, salespeople need to have the latest information regarding their customers’ interactions readily available. They need to be able to easily update the system and advance opportunities to the next stage of development, as well as provide accurate quotes and correct product estimates. This is done while providing a great service to potential customers and collaboratively working with their sales team and company to get what they need at the right time in the lifecycle. Sales is not about just pipeline management, but also the setup behind the scenes. The sales lifecycle is enhanced by the setup and use of the product catalog, which allows organizations to manage the products they sell from the front-line sales team and provide an integration point to back-office systems. This chapter will cover a deep dive into the sales lifecycle, what the product catalog is in Dynamics 365 CE, and how to set it up.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 5. Field Service and Resource Scheduling

Abstract

Dynamics 365 CE includes an extensive Field Service application that gives organizations the ability to create work orders and schedule resources for those work orders to be completed on-site. The Field Service app provides the capability for asset management, inventory adjustment and management, and scheduling the resources using a detailed, easy-to-use scheduling board. It shares a component, Universal Scheduling, with the Project Service Automation application, also available within Dynamics 365 CE. Universal Scheduling is available to any organization, provided at least one of these apps is licensed, and gives the capability for anything to be scheduled, including custom entities. This increases the available scope within organizations, allowing them to create more specific workflows around custom components.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 6. Dynamics 365 for Marketing

Abstract

The standard marketing capability found in previous versions of Dynamics 365 CE could have been considered the least functional area of the platform. It allowed organizations to create marketing lists; create campaigns, including campaign activities; and send bulk emails through quick campaigns. This functionality might have been able to serve businesses’ marketing requirements a long time ago, but in society today, where marketing has become increasingly digital, requirements have evolved way beyond this functionality to the point that the old marketing features of Dynamics 365 struggle to meet those requirements.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 7. Security Model

Abstract

Dynamics 365 CE has a native security model that is based on users having various degrees of layered access to the application. This access is governed primarily using security roles assigned to users that refer to an access level with specific privileges. These privileges specify what a user can do on records normally relative to the owner of those records and can be influenced by the corresponding business unit they are part of.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 8. Mobile Application

Abstract

The Unified Interface within Dynamics 365 CE expands its capabilities to give users a seamless experience across desktop and mobile. Seamless is a word often used to describe many things within technology, and in this case it reflects the ability to allow a user to use the same thought process whether using the application on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device. This is important because, as a result of restrictions on the number of fields and sections, forms within Dynamics 365 CE previously had to be designed separately depending on the device being used. This will no longer need to be the case with the Unified Interface, which will load forms optimally depending on the screen size of the application.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 9. Model-Driven Apps

Abstract

Dynamics 365 CE modules went through a few stages of evolution. The first was when the core “Sales,” “Service,” and “Marketing” were separated out into their own Apps, and at around the same time, “Field Service” was also created as a new App. These were often referred to as “App modules” within Dynamics 365 CE. A single application could be visible to users without being distracted by possible nonrelevant ones. Customizations would be performed in the sitemap; areas would be hidden; and we would include workflows, new entities, and dashboards and create entirely new apps using the “XRM” capabilities of Dynamics 365. Since then it has evolved further, and now we have the concept of App “types.” Currently in the maker experience, administrators have the ability to create three types of Apps:

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 10. Reporting: Views, Charts, and Dashboards

Abstract

Dynamics 365 CE can be used by organizations as a system to run any part of their business concerning customer engagement. This can be done through the use of all or a combination of the apps that are available or by using extensions and customizations. Users create new data and update existing data through the continued use of the application, which creates a large store of transactional data over time. This data provides intelligence to the organization through quantitative and qualitative means. The data can indicate if a company is meeting sales targets and customer service SLAs and can be used to provide insights into trends of how services or products are being used. Data is a large source of potential insight for organizations to help improve their service, maintain their customers, and provide the direction of a company’s future.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 11. Forms, Views, and UI Customizations

Abstract

This chapter will cover the core UI customizations available within Dynamics 365 CE. Customizing the user interface gives users the capability to modify how data is displayed, which, in turn, influences how they update the information as well. In addition to that, learning how the records are connected to each other through relationships gives greater understanding of the information held within Dynamics 365 CE, empowering users to get more value out of the system by using reporting and navigational features.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 12. Processes

Abstract

Processes are a way to implement custom business logic within Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and the wider Power Platform in some cases. This business logic can include automation and business process flows that are built within the application and that can be achieved often in a drag-and-drop control without the need for external tools or development. Using these tools to customize the system allows organizations to add operational value and provides the opportunity for more implementation of business processes, often reducing large maintenance overheads and the requirement for organizations to have development knowledge.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 13. Power Automate

Abstract

Power Automate is a workflow tool that allows for the event-to-action-style automation of processes inside and outside of the Microsoft 365 suite of technologies. It offers external connectors and the capability for custom external connectors to be built to and from other technologies (Figure 13-1). This chapter will review the basics of Power Automate and how to get started with Dynamics 365 and the Common Data Service.

Sarah Critchley

Chapter 14. Power Apps Portals

Abstract

This book has focused on Dynamics 365 CE Apps, first-party applications created and managed by Microsoft on the Power Platform. There was also a chapter on Model-Driven Applications, providing the capability to go beyond those first-party apps and build custom applications using the same interface. This chapter covers an introduction to the third type of application available on the Power Platform, a Portal app.

Sarah Critchley

Backmatter

Titel: Dynamics 365 Essentials
verfasst von: Sarah Critchley
Verlag: Apress
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4842-5911-5
Print ISBN: 978-1-4842-5910-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5911-5