7 Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management Features to Anticipate

*Disclosure per Microsoft Policy: These features are slated for launch and in some cases are available to preview, subject to changes in delivery schedule and functionality.

The updates will be available to all customers using Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations as part of the continuous update model referred to as the One Version Update program for Microsoft ERP and CRM. As for Microsoft Excel and Word, there will no longer be revisions so substantial that they require a change in product name. Instead, the Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and other Dynamics 365 apps will remain updated using monthly updates and through twice per year bigger waves of feature enhancements and upgrades.

Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management, 2019 Release Wave 2

Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations is built to add demonstrable value to your business. By unifying people, product and customers through digital feedback loops that are enabled by technologies it is deploying, Microsoft and its partners are helping organizations accelerate their digital transformation path. Applications like Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Power BI, PowerApps, and the Common Data Service are giving businesses the ability to find, communicate, and execute initiatives that give them competitive advantage in the marketplace.

With 2019 Release Wave 2 of Microsoft ERP apps, users will be able to begin to take advantage of Artifical Intelligence through embedded PowerApps, and through connections to the broader ecosystem of business applications can make better decisions, streamline their supply chain, and more effectively innovate.

In this post, we’ll be covering seven new features in Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management and the Power Platform that will be released as part of 2019 Release Wave 2. Some themes that will be discussed:

Revenue Management in Dynamics 365: Changes improve your ability to support a data driven economy, giving you insights that allow greater visibility and functionality.
Business Document Management: You can now create business documents from project quotation tocustomer invoices using professional templates based on Microsoft Office.
Asset Management in Dynamics 365: These updates introduce a full featured asset management module, enabling your business to deploy, monitor, and maintain your capital investments.
Analytical Workspaces: Inject your created Power BI visualizations into workspaces, allowing users to quickly assimilate information and take the right actions.
Common Data Service (CDS) Integration: By utilizing Common Data Service to provide an accurate and updated database, you can ensure that you can utilize your data across applications and platforms.

Embedding Power BI into your Dynamics 365 Apps & analytical workspaces

Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management has made accessing critical business information easier than ever by allowing users to embed Microsoft Power BI reports into the Dynamics 365 ERP workspaces where information is needed to make the right decision. Power BI allows the simple creation of intuitive visualizations that put the information critical to their business operations at easy reach. Professional grade analytical workspaces are available immediately upon enabling the Power BI integration. Using tutorials and an impressive array of built in visualizations power users can transition their analytical workspaces designed using the entity store into Power BI templates based on their business data. Using the Microsoft AppSource marketplace, users can select free and paid templates designed by successful businesses in their industries that deliver crucial insights within minutes.

Why Is It Important to Allow Power BI Solutions into Dynamics 365 Workspaces?

By providing a framework for power users to access data that is consistent and relevant using the entity store, customers have been able to deploy graphically rich analysis solutions throughout their organizations. Users are now able to leverage existing Power BI solutions that assemble data sourced from external data sources directly into their Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations workspaces. Workspaces can be updated without interruption, allowing an iterative approach to leveraging their data without risking the stability of their system.

Microsoft Flow: trigger and monitor flows directly from 365 Finance and Operations

Administrators can allow the ability to add flows directly to pages within Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. Between April and July of 2019, Microsoft introduced the capability of triggering flows based on workflow events, tasks, and approvals. By allowing users to trigger flows upon request from their workspaces and forms, Microsoft is continuing to enhance the abilities of customers to simplify and automate their key business processes by connecting products not only made by Microsoft, allowing integration of key business systems not before possible without heavy customization.

Why Are Microsoft Flow Enhancements Important?

Businesses use a vast array of tools that can be unique to functional roles and industries. By providing a framework for pushing data between these systems that can be implemented using a low code/no code platform, users of flow and other Power Platform applications can connect systems without abandoning the systems they are using today.

Dynamics 365 Asset Management

With the introduction of the Asset Management module, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management will allow businesses to more efficiently operate their capital assets and fully leverage their investment. This new part of Microsoft accounting software allows customers to optimize their maintenance and monitoring processes utilizing the features in this module. Maintenance can be completed based on the specific operating conditions of the assets, utilizing condition-based maintenance (CBM) to prevent downtime and excess maintenance expense. Machine efficiency and uptime can be monitored, allowing better decisions to be made faster. In Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management preventative maintenance and unplanned maintenance can be completed as efficiently as possible by providing workflow support and monitoring to ensure maximum utilization.

Unplanned Maintenance Versus Preventative Maintenance

Small Package Shipping (SPS) module in Dynamics 365

Coming in early 2020, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain users will have access to a small package shipping (SPS) module that will provide additional flexibility in how they process end user shipping options. The features will allow customers to specify their preferred method of shipping and receive back the tracking number and charges, and automatically route these charges to the sales order specified.

365 Finance & Operations Data in Common Data Service (365 CDS)

Starting in October 2019, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations will expand the integration available to the Common Data Service. With a dual-write setup, your Microsoft Dynamics business data will be available for integration with other applications within the Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM app family, or outside platforms without impacting your system performance.

The 365 Common Data Service framework is flexible, allowing for custom data entities based on your specific business requirements. The standard data entities will be released in phases. The first Dynamics 365 release will include a wide range of rich business data including the following Microsoft Dynamics 365 data entities:

Payment schedules
Customer groups
Terms of payment
Customer payment method
Loyalty card
Customers
Currency
Fiscal calendar
Ledger
Exchange rates
Organization hierarchy
Released products
Unit of Measures entity
Warehouses entity
Product categories
Tax groups
Tax item groups
Tax exemptions
Vendors
Vendor groups
Chart of accounts

Dynamics 365 and CDS - why it matters

The Microsoft 365 ERP and CRM dual-write capability is a synchronous process that will allow near real time access to crucial Microsoft accounting software and your CRM data.

Need to create a dashboard for your team members from the production floor? Power BI will be able to display information about the product being manufactured, where it needs to go, and where help is needed to ensure delivery. Using PowerApps, you can harness your data and develop custom Microsoft applications, all with no programming experience.

Configurable Business Documents Reporting in Excel and Word

A common issue for businesses is the inability to configure business documents for email or printing. By using Microsoft Word and Excel templates, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations customers will be able to leverage easy to modify templates to quickly deploy accurate and automated delivery of business documents. The features will come out in several phases.

Dynamics 365 Warehouse Management and Transportation Management updates

Beginning this month, users of the Warehouse Management Module in Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations will see numerous enhancements available to them. Capabilities will be enhanced significantly.

Need help determining how to implement?

The list of upcoming Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management features is daunting.

Book a free consultation with Avantiico to get a feel for how you can best utilize the new Dynamics 365 tools available to enhance your business. You can also browse our “Events” page to find relevant events for your team to join in on. For example, our ‘Wave 2 Release for Finance and Operations‘ Event is the perfect place to understand requirements needed for deploying the two now separate applications within Finance and Operations.

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7 Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management Features to Anticipate

Aaron Klein

Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management, 2019 Release Wave 2

Embedding Power BI into your Dynamics 365 Apps & analytical workspaces

Why Is It Important to Allow Power BI Solutions into Dynamics 365 Workspaces?

Microsoft Flow: trigger and monitor flows directly from 365 Finance and Operations

Why Are Microsoft Flow Enhancements Important?

Dynamics 365 Asset Management

Unplanned Maintenance Versus Preventative Maintenance

Small Package Shipping (SPS) module in Dynamics 365

365 Finance & Operations Data in Common Data Service (365 CDS)

Dynamics 365 and CDS - why it matters

Configurable Business Documents Reporting in Excel and Word

Dynamics 365 Warehouse Management and Transportation Management updates

Need help determining how to implement?

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7 Dynamics 365 for Supply Chain Management Features to Anticipate 