Did you know that there is an auditing feature which comes standard out of the box with Microsoft Dynamics 365? All you need to do is enable and configure it to your needs and going forward all enabled actions will be logged. Auditing allows organizations to easily track high level record changes, granular field level changes, and user log in within the system.

By default, auditing is not turned on in Dynamics 365, so if you are interested in this feature you will need to enable and configure your auditing preferences. D365 provides the flexibility to enable/disable auditing at the organization, entity and attribute levels. It is worth mentioning that to audit at the field level, auditing must be enabled for the organization and the entity.

Enable auditing at the organization level

1.  Auditing setup is under the Settings Tile. Click on Auditing and go to Global Audit Settings. To enable auditing, if not ticked already, tick the box Start Auditing.

What if your most depended upon customer service rep leaves the company and no one else on the team has the level of knowledge he had on various topics? Or at the most granular level, wouldn’t it be incredibly useful if canned suggestions surfaced when opening a service case for a customer?

There is no reason to spend excess time and money researching and troubleshooting the same (or similar) issues repeatedly. Plan ahead and build a knowledge base which withstands the test of time (and turnover) and is shareable both internally and externally.

Knowledge Articles in Microsoft Dynamics 365 provide the ability to create articles with versioning and translation functions. Building a base of Knowledge Articles allows Customer Service Reps to reference and utilize the information to deliver accurate and consistent information to customers, while following the organization’s processes.

By providing access to the article directly from a Case record, the rep can link the article to the case, thereby documenting its inclusion as a step for resolution. Not only can the rep use the information as an assist to themselves, they can opt to share the article with their customer, who may prefer to “do it themselves.”

Knowledge Articles not only benefit reps, who now have answers at their fingertips, those that administer the articles also have something to gain. Analytics are measured which provide article insights for content managers. A couple key stats are how many views each knowledge article has, and the Cases which have been associated to the article. These statistics allow administrators to not only evaluate which articles provide the most value, but ultimately it may provide intel into where there may be a bigger issue which needs attention.

Ever wonder how your team can work more efficiently in D365? The answer is automation, and the number one tool to automate processes in D365 is workflows. Many of the simple (and complex) tasks users perform in D365 can be automated using workflows. Workflows evaluate given parameters and perform actions based on predetermined logic. Such an example is the automation of sending a welcome email when a new contact is created without you having to lift a finger.

Workflows in D365 are processes that typically work in the background to automate the flow of information. D365 Workflows are comprised of triggers, conditions, steps and actions. These properties determine the behavior which you want to have occur which impact your D365 records.

There are many functions you can accomplish using workflows in D365, below are some of the most common:

• Automate Emails – Send out Emails to accounts, contacts or users when a certain criterion is met
• Transfer Information – Automatically pass data from one entity to another entity
• Update Fields – Update fields value based on different conditions and field value changes

These are just some of the automated processes which workflows can perform. The true possibilities of workflows are endless because they are custom built and can be created for just about every entity in D365. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today to learn more about how these quiet helpers can be implemented in your D365 environment, allowing you to be more efficient, organized, and on top of your day to day responsibilities.

Join us for the second part of the Power BI 101 series as we drill into how to create a financial dashboard. Displaying financial data on a single dashboard allows you to monitor and optimize any financial trends. In just a few clicks we’ll show you how to create a dashboard using your own financial data.

• View all of your financial data on a single dashboard
• Drill down into specific metrics that are important to your business
• Monitor finances to help with future forecasting

Date: Tuesday October 30, 2018
Time: 11:00AM - 12:00PM EST

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR TODAY!

Dynamics 365 Business Rules help organizations achieve automation by performing tasks for users based on predetermined logic. This means less time entering data and more time making key decisions. Business Rules can also be used to enforce behavior by controlling certain field properties. This allows upper management to ensure proper steps are taken daily. If these controls are implemented properly, both the organization and users will see the benefit afforded through the configuration of Business Rules.

Business Rules in Dynamics 365 are a simple way to apply logic to your business data without the need for any code. D365 Business Rules are effective, yet easy to manage. The typical Business Rule follows the “if, then” statement structure and often contains two or more parts. The first part is always a condition statement where you state the condition which will trigger the business rule to take effect. The second part is the action, meaning once the set condition has been met, what action should be performed.

Below is sample Business Rule diagram to illustrate how a typical Business Rule is setup.

As you can see, the condition statement is checking the Estimated Revenue for an opportunity, if the Estimated Revenue exceeds a certain threshold then an account manager must be associated to the opportunity. Simple rules like these can help organizations improve their daily process and grow more effective to achieve their goals.

Business Rules in Dynamics 365 can perform an explicit set of functions against records. Below is a list of the actions and what each does.

Management Reporter provides the flexibility of consolidating financial data across one or multiple organizations in one single report. This report includes a summary (consolidated) report for all companies as well as the option to view a report for each of the companies that you are using on the consolidation.

The simplest method to create a consolidation of all companies is by using a reporting tree. A reporting tree is an optional “building block” that allows you to list all companies to be consolidated. Once the report is generated you will have the option to select any company from the reporting node on the consolidated report.

Viewing Companies Side by Side

The second option for consolidated reports is to show each company side by side. This can also be achieved by defining a reporting tree with all companies and using that reporting tree to assign each company on separate columns.

The Fixed Assets module for Dynamics GP helps your business improve its asset management by automating the accounting processes surrounding your property. You can use Fixed Asset Management, to set up, enter, and maintain asset records. When necessary, you can add insurance and user-defined information and create additional records for each asset, including investment tax credit information and lease information.

Simplify the depreciation process with modification, recalculation, averaging, comparison and projection capabilities.

Capture asset information in multiple books, allowing depreciation to be tracked under different methods for alternative reporting needs.

Provides accurate and accessible information – capture changes necessary for tax and financial reporting purposes.

The Professional Services Tools Library (PSTL) can be implemented in your Microsoft Dynamics GP environment very quickly. This add-on contains a large assortment of 25+ free tools for any business wanting to increase their business productivity. These modules are listed below;

• Database Disabler – Allows the administrator to block users from logging into a company. The company will not appear in the list of companies when logging in to Microsoft Dynamics GP until the administrator unblocks the database.

• Shortcuts Copy – Use this tool to copy the shortcuts options from one user to another user.

• Update User Date – The Update User Date utility automatically updates the user data in Microsoft Dynamics GP to the next date at midnight each day. This is useful if Microsoft Dynamics GP is left running overnight.

• Menu Inquiry Utility – Shows windows that are enabled and visible in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

• Account Modifier / Combiner – Change a single or multiple account number(s) into new account numbers. Combine all of the open and historical data from two account numbers into one number or combine a range of numbers.

• Checkbook Modifier – Allows the change of an existing checkbook ID to a new checkbook ID.

• Fiscal Period Modifier – Use the Fiscal Period Modifier to change fiscal year definitions and reset data in the open and history tables. See detailed instructions before using this tool. Clicking on Setup Periods button removes previous year’s definitions.

• GL Master Triggers – Keep the account numbers in sync between company databases. Add an account number to one database and it automatically replicates to other assigned databases.
  
  

• 1099 Modifier – If the vendor was not set up as a 1099 vendor, can be used to update the records.

• PM Master Triggers – Adds new vendors to additional selected company databases.

• Vendor Combiner – Use the Vendor Combiner tool to combine a current vendor ID with another existing vendor ID.

• Vendor Modifier – Use the Modifier tool to change an existing vendor ID or range of vendors to a new vendor ID. All work, open and history transactions are moved to the vendor ID.

• Vendor Name Modifier – Use this tool to change the vendor name.

• Minimum PO\Receipt Number – Stops Microsoft Dynamics GP from looking backward for unused document numbers.

• POP Cost Defaulter – Defaults the current cost or the standard cost from the item master card instead of from the Item Vendors record.

In today’s digital banking system, transferring EFT or ACH files to/from your bank has become a key element of any modern business. The EFT for Payables module for Dynamics GP will give your company the ability to automate this process entirely within your existing Dynamics GP environment. Proper utilization of the EFT for Payables module will increase productivity and reduce manual cheque processing.

 
• Learn more about the EFT for Payables module for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
 
• Eliminate costs associated with postage
 
• Stakeholder has grown accustomed to-the convenience of this immediate payment method. 
 
• Further, it is more environmentally friendly.
 
• More secure than a cheque payment.
  
  

Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get started today

Microsoft provides a robust connection between SSRS reports and Dynamics 365, allowing a user to run a report providing a summary of defined records. To create custom reports though, you will need to have a high-level knowledge of SQL/XML, or hire a consultant to build the report for you.

Why not take matters into your own hands and build your reports using out of the box components in Dynamics 365? Dynamics 365 offers both Excel Templates and Word Templates, empowering you to create reports which best suit your business needs, using the application that fits the bill.

Excel and Word templates allow you to create and share templates, so documents always have a consistent look and the necessary details included. Excel and Word templates are easily configured by selecting fields from your starting entity (i.e. Opportunity) to use as dynamic values in both Excel and Word. Not only can you select fields from the entity you began from, you also have the ability to select fields from related entities which have either a 1:N or N:N relationship with the starting entity.

With the help of Excel and Word templates, you can prepare beautifully crafted reports, which include data elements dynamically pulled in from D365. Should needs change, you can always modify and upload the revised template into D365, allowing you and your colleagues to always have the most current templates at your disposal.

Some benefits of using Excel and Word templates:

How many products/services do you sell? How many pricing structures do you have for each? Do you offer volume discounts? A no-nonsense, structured approach which can be seamlessly applied (every time and without a second thought) can improve your sales strategy and have everyone on the same page.

The Product Catalog in Dynamics 365 makes it easier for your sales reps to increase their sales by having an authority by which to work when talking to potential customers about products/services offered. The product catalog is a combination of the products themselves, and the underlying pricing mechanism.

Below are the components which form the Product Catalog:

• Families & Products – Products are the items which you sell and product families provide a way to group, classify and categorize products for streamlined product management. Both bundles and individual products can be included in a product family tree.
• Price Lists – Price Lists are product groupings with associated pricing. Sales operation managers can link Dynamics 365 territories to price lists. This directly benefits salespeople by defaulting the appropriate price list to opportunities, quotes, orders and invoices.
• Discount Lists - Discount lists are optional and are used in conjunction with price list items for volume pricing offers.
• Unit Groups - Unit Groups define the quantities by which a product or service is sold. For example, mouse pads may be sold in lots of 50, 100, or 200. Or Services sold by the hour may be grouped by day, week or month.

As you begin configuring your product catalog, add components in the following order: Discount Lists (if needed), Unit Groups, Price Lists, Products. When adding Product, you can define bundles, which allows you to combine multiple products into a group, to be sold as a package. Product relationships can also be defined, allowing for the suggestion of product substitutions; accessory recommendations; highlight cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

Once the Product Catalog is setup, salespeople will have the ability to select and add products to their Opportunities, Quotes, Orders, and Invoices.

Finding the data you are looking for may be far easier than you realize in Dynamics 365. There are many out-of-the-box elements in D365 which enable you to quickly (and easily) locate just what you need. Not only that, once you pinpoint the data, there are features that give you the ability to save the filter and create valuable metrics. This session will provide end users with valuable tips to efficiently and effectively find just what they need!

Topics to include:

• Maximizing Views
• Charts and how they interact with Views
• Effective Use of Global Search and Quick Search
• Creating Advanced Find Queries

Date: Thursday September 27, 2018
Time: 11:00AM - 11:30AM EST

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR TODAY!

Learn how to read the data from Microsoft Dynamics GP in Power BI. In this webinar, we’ll be sharing great reporting ideas for Dynamics GP and demo our favorite dashboards. The dashboards that will be presented in this webinar are:

• Financials Dashboard
• Sales Dashboard
• Project Accounting Dashboard

Date: Wednesday September 26, 2018
Time: 2:30PM - 3:00PM EST

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR TODAY!

This Power BI 101 webinar will go more into detail than a simple introduction. This webinar will provide all the fundamentals needed in building a Power BI dashboard for your business. Join our webinar and learn the following:

• Connecting to Data Sources
• Creating Reports using Visualizations
• Some Examples of Popular Power BI Reports

Date: Wednesday September 26, 2018
Time: 1:00PM - 2:00PM EST

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR TODAY!

Everyone knows that Dynamics 365 has many great ways to link entities together, however once they are linked what controls do we have over their behavior? Enter, Cascading Rules. Cascading rules are a set it and forget it setting which controls the behaviors between two related entities. Cascading rules in D365 allows users to control what actions are passed down from one entity to another.

A great example where cascading rules come in handy is when users want to reassign the owner for a specific account record. However, they do not want its related activities such as emails, tasks and appointments to change owner when this happens. This is when you would go into cascading rules and update the assign setting to prevent the assign action from being passed down to its related activities.

In D365 the out of box settings for cascading rules, for a good majority of relationships, is Set to Parental (Cascade All), which means the action taken on the parent entity will be passed down. Now this may be suitable for some relationships, but in the case of the assign action being applied to Activities, this typically causes some undesirable results.

Toggling the Type of Behavior to Configurable Cascading allows you to customize each of the relationship behaviors individually.

Below are the possible cascading options you can select for each action.

Global Search is one of the most widely used features in Dynamics 365 since everyone needs to lookup records on a regular basis. Global search makes finding records easy because it allows users to query the entire D365 database in a quick and easy way. The main difference between global search and entity search is that global search checks multiple entities in the system while entity search only looks through records for a specific entity type.

Global search is great for looking up records if you only have a rough idea or small piece of information to go on. This is because global search checks multiple entities and multiple key fields in those entities for your search word. Global search casts a wide net and finds anything with a close match. With that said, global search does not check every field for a match because that would simply take too long.

With the above in mind, do you know which fields are being checked in your company right now when you perform a global search query? To find out, you will need account admin privileges, allowing you to look at the system backend and customize your global search setup.

To start, let’s check which entities are currently enabled for global search. To do so, go to Settings > Administration in the navigation menu.

Within the Administration screen click on System Settings.

Do you find that the data shown in your Dynamics 365 environment is not reflective of the business data which is relevant to you? There are a variety of out of the box tools in Dynamics 365 which can be used to achieve this vital need. Such tools include Views and Charts which can be brought together into Dashboards to give an overview of data components captured in Dynamics 365.

For Dashboards, Views, and Charts there are two definitive types, Personal and System.

Personal Dashboards/Views/Charts

You, and anyone else, who has at least User level access to the system can build their own personal dashboards, views and charts based on their privileges in the system. The system administrator can modify the access level for each action in the security role to control the depth to which people can create, read, write, delete, assign, or share personal views.

All three components are owned by individuals and because of their default User level access, they are visible only to that person or anyone else they choose to share them with.

Is Microsoft Dynamics GP Dead?

Is Dynamics GP dead? For 20 years Dynamics GP has helped business become digital. Rest assured Microsoft Dynamics GP has made its mark in the Dynamics ecosystem, and it’s here to stay. Join our webinar and find out where Microsoft Dynamics GP is headed.

This webinar will cover

-The future of Dynamics GP
-What it means for your business

Date: Wednesday August 29, 2018
Time: 11:00AM - 11:30AM EST

Key Differences and Comparison:
Dynamics GP & Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft Dynamics GP has been around for over 20 years and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is Microsoft’s newest accounting system. Both systems are geared to manage core finances for small and medium-sized businesses, but they also have some key differences. This webinar will be comparing the differences between Business Central and Microsoft GP, topics will include:

-Multicurrency
-Financial Reporting
-G/L Account Structure
-Project Accounting
-Manufacturing

Date:  Wednesday August 22, 2018
Time: 11:00AM - 11:30AM EST

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEBINAR TODAY!

Dynamics 365 Teams are a great way to manage records and tasks because teams can own records and have a definitive security role associated outside the scope of a Users default role. This provides enhanced visibility to managers regarding which group is responsible for which objective; extends a Users reach enabling them to access and work with records they otherwise would not have privileges for; and allows for a simplified security structure, particularly when managing a large group of users.

A few examples of situations wherein teams are best utilized include:

• When Users span multiple business units but share a logical association
• Security Roles within a Business Unit are primarily restricted to User Access Only
• In Customer Support where work is routed to a Support Queue and the management of the Cases is best done through team ownership

To setup a new team in D365, go to the Settings tab in the navigation menu and select Security.

In the Security section click on Teams.

In the team view window, click the New button on the command bar. This will open a new team form.