Boost visibility, streamline role management, and enhance compliance  

In today’s digital landscape, managing security, roles, and licensing within ERP systems is increasingly complex. As organizations scale, the need for robust governance, efficient user management, and cost-effective licensing strategies becomes paramount. To address these challenges, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is introducing a set of new capabilities in our ERP portfolio. These new capabilities enhance security and governance, offering significant benefits to IT professionals and business leaders alike. 

A critical aspect of the upcoming security features is how they will help prepare for compliance certifications, including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). With regulatory standards becoming more stringent, achieving compliance is essential. More than ever, companies need to mitigate risks associated with fraud, reporting errors, and security breaches. As new AI technologies are adopted, security becomes even more top of mind. Robust governance frameworks safeguard sensitive data and ensure ethical AI deployment. The enhanced governance features will ensure that you can maintain rigorous control over financial processes, role management, and security protocols. These features provide visibility and a transparent audit trail, significantly easing the certification process. Additionally, they reduce the likelihood of non-compliance, protecting your organization from financial and reputational risks. 

“Bringing additional transparency and simplicity to our ERP customers for managing security, licensing and roles is a critical step in helping organizations meet their compliance and governance goals while saving costs.” – Georg Glantsching, VP, Microsoft Dynamics

Bringing new features to customers faster

Microsoft is delivering advanced security and role management features which will empower organizations to apply precise role management, advanced audit capabilities, and comprehensive license optimization tools, while maintaining a seamless user experience in Microsoft Dynamics 365. This ensures that you can access these critical features faster, enhancing security and operational efficiency. 

Simplify role management while reducing costs

We’ve listened to our customers and are introducing advanced features to the Dynamics 365 ERP portfolio, focusing on security management and licensing. This capability will simplify role management, providing you with tools to create, manage, and optimize roles within the ERP environment. The precise role and duty management feature, powered by tailored automations, allows organizations to define duties based on specific processes or tasks. This ensures role access aligns accurately with each team’s operational needs, leading to more accurate control over access permissions. Cost savings are driven by ensuring that licenses are scoped to each user’s specific needs. By refining role management in this way, these advanced features ensure organizations can scale with confidence while optimizing both governance and cost efficiency. 

Ensure compliance with role-based access control

Another critical feature is the segregation of duties (SoD) validation. This control mechanism ensures no single system user controls all aspects of any critical business process, reducing fraud and error risks. System administrators will be able to easily define incompatible tasks, ensuring that critical operations are not compromised. This feature is essential for leaders aiming to meet stringent regulatory requirements and maintain high levels of internal security. With integrated SoD validation, your business can minimize exposure to risk and better prepare for audits or regulatory reviews. 

Gain greater control with advanced security features

The new features coming to Dynamics 365 will include several advanced security controls giving system administrators greater visibility and control over their environments. The role audit trail will provide a non-removable history of permission changes, making it easier to track and audit role modifications over time. Security versioning and snapshot capabilities will allow security snapshots at specific points, enabling easy comparison or restoration if needed. The temporary role assignment feature will be invaluable for managing employee absences, allowing roles to be reassigned while maintaining strict control over access. These capabilities will provide peace of mind for business leaders that require agile, yet secure, role management. 

Control elevated privileges and secure sensitive data

A critical addition to the upcoming security features is the Elevated privilege management. (This is often referred to as super user privilege management (SPM) or ‘FireFighter’ in ERP world.) It provides the ability to manage and monitor elevated privileges for super users or administrators requiring temporary critical system access. Significantly reduce the risk of misuse or security breaches by restricting elevated access to specific, time-limited periods and tracking all super-user activities. This advanced control ensures only authorized personnel have access to sensitive systems, when necessary, further enhancing compliance and internal governance. 

Optimize costs with detailed licensing insights

The upcoming license report based on the new licensing model allows organizations to see exactly what license levels are applied to each user, calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO), and validate license accuracy. This report, alongside others like role components with license indicators and duty components with license indicators, provides a comprehensive view of license usage, helping optimize license costs effectively. These tools empower better licensing management, ensuring customers only pay for what they need and maximizing the value of their ERP investments. 

Looking ahead: the future of ERP security

As Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP portfolio evolves, these new features mark a significant step forward in ERP security and governance. For system administrators, these tools will provide enhanced control, reduced risk, and greater efficiency in managing complex ERP environments. Integrating these features into daily operations ensures ERP systems are secure and aligned with latest industry standards and best practices. 

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate, enhancing the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP portfolio. We look forward to delivering tools that empower you to excel in today’s dynamic business landscape. 

The post Optimizing ERP Security Configuration and Licensing within Microsoft Dynamics 365 appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

We are thrilled to announce the public preview of Approvals management in Dynamics 365 in release 10.0.41. Approvals management is a mobile experience that unifies approval workflows across the Dynamics 365 product family. Along with Approvals management, we are releasing approval workflows for purchase orders and purchase requisitions in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

Add flexibility and efficiency with Approvals management mobile experience

Users who are responsible for approving purchase requisitions and purchase orders are now empowered with a mobile experience, built in Power Apps, that adds flexibility, efficiency, resiliency, and responsiveness to the approval process. Supported activities include approvals related to purchase requisitions, requisition lines, purchase orders, and order lines.

Next steps

Want to learn more about the new Approvals management mobile experience? Check out the release announcement: Approve POs and requisitions from mobile device

Get started today: Approvals Management mobile app overview (preview)

Not yet using Dynamics 365? Take a tour and get a free trial.

The post Approve on the go with Dynamics 365 Approvals management appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

On March 19th, 2024, we announced the end of support of Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation on commercial cloud.

For Project Service Automation customers on US government cloud, we will have a future announcement regarding upgrade and the availability of Project Operations.

Beginning March 31^st, 2025, Microsoft will no longer support PSA on commercial cloud environments. There will not be any feature enhancements, updates, bug fixes, or other updates to this offering. Any support ticket logged for the PSA commercial cloud will be closed with instructions to upgrade to Dynamics 365 Project Operations.   

We strongly encourage all customers of PSA commercial cloud to start planning your upgrade process as soon as possible so you can to take advantage of many new Project Operations features such as:  

• Integration with Project for the Web with many new advanced scheduling features 
• Project Budgeting and Time-phased forecasting   
• Date Effective price overrides  
• Revision and Activation on Quotes    
• Material usage recording in projects and tasks  
• Subcontract Management  
• Advances and Retained-based contracts  
• Contract not-to-exceed  
• Task and Progress based billing  
• Multi-customer contracts  
• AI and Copilot based experiences.  

Upgrade documentation and FAQ links 

Upgrade from Project Service Automation to Project Operations | Microsoft Learn 

Project Service Automation end of life FAQ | Microsoft Learn   

Feature changes from Project Service Automation to Project Operations | Microsoft Learn 

Project Service Automation to Project Operations project scheduling conversion process | Microsoft Learn 

Plan your work in Microsoft Project with the Project Operations add-in | Microsoft Learn 

Learn more about Dynamics 365 Project Operations 

Project Operations was first released in October 2020 as a comprehensive product to manage Projects from inception to close by bringing together the strengths of Dataverse, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, and Project for the web assets.

Want to learn more about Project Operations? Check this link and navigate to our detailed documentation!  

Want to try Project Operations? Click here and sign up for a 30-day trial!  

The post Announcing End of Support for Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation (PSA) appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

[Available for iOS only, Android support coming soon]

If you already have a Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Guides, and/or Dynamics 365 Remote Assist license, you can access the new remote assistance capabilities in your mobile Teams app automatically upon release at no additional cost.

Previously, Remote Assist capabilities required a standalone mobile app or a HoloLens 2 device. Now frontline workers can benefit from using the Spatial Annotations feature inside their Teams mobile app.  

Turn any mobile device into a mixed reality collaboration platform

Today, frontline workers use Teams within the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Guides applications to collaborate with spatial annotations. The Remote Assist mobile app is a popular choice for workers on the go because it’s fast and easy to get anyone on a call, show the task in front of you, and ink your space.

Now, those same workers can quickly access this core functionality directly from the Teams mobile app as long you have Dynamics 365 Field Service license. For workers who are often on the move, having all their core collaboration capabilities in a single app makes the job easier. It eliminates the need to switch apps, while making sure all your collaboration capabilities from Teams are at your fingertips.

No more context switching—stay within the flow of work 

Using this feature is as straightforward as joining a Teams meeting or making a call. With the front-facing camera, users can share their view with remote participants. This allows real-time collaboration relying on 3D annotations overlayed on physical objects to enhance comprehension.

Just like with the Remote Assist app, users can move and change angles without losing track of annotations anchored to their environment. This advanced level of interaction empowers Teams mobile users to share insights and reduce miscommunications that could lead to rework.

Reduce app sprawl by eliminating the need to manage another app

If your company already leverages Teams to facilitate communication and collaboration, why not make it cover more collaborative use cases for frontline workers too? IT administrators don’t need to manage another app to enable remote assistance capabilities for their mobile workforce. 

Bringing Spatial Annotations to the Teams mobile app means fewer apps for IT teams to provision, update, and audit. Companies can benefit from Teams’ ability to support end-to-end encryption, data loss prevention, and compliance certifications, adding additional security measures protecting against unauthorized access to confidential company information. 

How can I access Spatial Annotations on my mobile Teams app? 

The public preview for iOS users is currently rolling out, with public preview for Android users coming later this summer. General availability will come later in 2024.   

Infusing mixed reality capabilities into apps workers are already using, on devices they already have in their pockets, is just one way we’re working to bring mixed reality to frontline workers. We’re excited with this next step democratizing mixed reality and bringing leading-edge mixed reality solutions to more people across industries. 

Copyright © 2024 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 

The post Enable Spatial annotations for your frontline technicians using Dynamics 365 Field Service & Teams appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Introduction 

In fast-paced, complex supply chain environments, ensuring product quality throughout the journey from supplier to customer is more critical than ever. We’re excited to address this with a powerful new feature in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Landed Cost module, enabling quality control for goods in-transit orders. 

Addressing a Critical Gap in Supply Chain Management 

Traditionally, quality control measures in supply chain management focus on initial stages of production and receipt of purchase orders at their final destination. We see a growing need for more comprehensive quality assurance processes covering all phases, including the in-transit phase. Now, businesses can conduct quality checks on goods while they are in transit. This new feature ensures product integrity throughout the entire supply chain journey. 

How it works 

The quality control for goods in-transit feature is seamlessly integrated into the Dynamics 365 SCM framework. Here’s how it enhances the supply chain process: 

Setup of Goods in transit order in Quality associations: Businesses can now define goods in-transit order as a new quality association type with pre-defined event blocking approach.  This proactive measure ensures any potential quality issues can be identified and addressed before the goods reach their final destination.

Automatic Quality order creation: During the Goods in-transit order registration/receive operation, depends on the previous step’s configuration, the corresponding quality order will automatically create to reflect the quality control.

Order control and release: Depending on the configuration, the quality order completeness will block the downstream business operation if it’s not passed. This control makes it easy for businesses to adopt and implement without significant changes to their current quality control processes for Goods in-transit order.

Benefits of Quality Control for Goods In-Transit

While the enhanced return receiving process in Dynamics 365 SCM represents a significant leap forward, transparency is key. We have multiple planned backlogs coming soon, such as:

Implementing quality control for goods in-transit offers several significant advantages:

• Enhanced Supply Chain Reliability: By ensuring quality at every stage, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of receiving defective or non-compliant goods.
• Cost Efficiency: Early detection of quality issues minimizes the need for costly rework or returns, leading to substantial cost savings.
• Regulatory Compliance: The feature supports compliance with various regulatory standards, ensuring that products meet all necessary legal requirements.
• Improved Customer Satisfaction: Delivering high-quality products consistently enhances customer trust and satisfaction, ultimately driving business growth.

Conclusion

The introduction of quality control for goods in-transit orders in Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM represents a significant advancement in supply chain management. It empowers businesses to ensure product quality at every stage of the supply chain, from production to final delivery. By adopting this feature, companies can enhance their supply chain integrity, reduce costs, comply with regulatory standards, and deliver superior products to their customers.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and expand the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM to meet the evolving needs of the global supply chain.

Call to action

Enable the feature: Turn on the Landed cost module and related features for your system – Supply Chain Management | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Learn

Learning Article:   Quality orders – Supply Chain Management | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Learn

The post Enhancing Supply Chain Integrity: introducing quality control for goods in-transit orders in Dynamics 365 SCM  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Leaving the schedule board today can be cumbersome because you have to re-enter your preferred settings every time you come back. You may also find it frustrating that your admin has the power to override your choices and reset the board to the default settings. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could save your personal preferences and have them ready when you need them? The schedule board now boasts improved navigation patterns to help YOU manage your schedules more efficiently!

Remember my board

The schedule board now works with your computer’s local cache to reload with the last accessed parameters as chosen by you, no configuration necessary! That means you can leave the schedule board to check on your resources, update requirements, or even grab a hot cuppa, all while your board stays the way you left it.

 The cache will save and reload the following parameters automatically: 

1. Last accessed tab: Save time by not having to reload the tab its relevant resources and bookings 

2. Map panel open/closed: Map remains in the state that you left it in 

3. Viewtype: Gantt/list view – Schedule board  

4. Viewmode: hourly/daily/weekly 

5. BoardStartDate: Continue with the last accessed date range, resets to today’s date after 15min 

6. Columnwidth: zoom level of the board stays the way you want it 

Many of our users have told us about their struggles trying to return to today’s date when switching between date ranges. We’ve thus added a new “Today” button next to the date range control, that helps you quickly return to today’s date range, wherever you may be. 

Shareable links, as Easy as 1 2 3 

What if you want to share your settings with others or add a bookmark of your settings to your browser? We’ve added a new one-click button that helps you generate a URL link that captures all the following schedule board parameters: 

1. Last accessed tab 

2. Map panel open/closed 

3. Viewtype: Gantt/list view 

4. Viewmode: hourly/daily/weekly 

5. Columnwidth: zoom level of the board

Saving and sharing your favorite board setup has never been easier! 

Step 1: Click on the “…” more button at the top right of the schedule board 

Step 2: Click on “Copy link” button 

Step 3: The generated link has been saved to your clipboard.

The use cases are numerous, for example:

1. Add the copied link to a bookmark in your browser. Whenever you click on this bookmarked link, the browser will launch the board with your preferred parameters 

2. Share the link with your colleagues/team to share a setup that works for you, and teach them optimize their workflow  

You can also configure Schedule Board URLs manually: Open the schedule board from a URL | Microsoft Learn 

More details on schedule board caching and URL addressability can be found here: Learn more about schedule board

The post Your Board, Your Way – Optimize schedule board navigation patterns in Universal Resource Scheduling appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

The modern rich text editor is now our advanced editor for an end-to-end enhanced authoring experience. As part of this advancement, we are phasing out the current rich text editor and integrating its capabilities into the modern rich text editor. 

Key dates

• Disclosure date: August 9, 2024
  The modern rich text editor for non-customized controls was delivered in April. By October, the modern rich text editor for customized controls will also be delivered.
• End of support: October 31, 2024
  After this date, no new enhancements will be done to the current rich text editor and the modern rich text editor will be generally available.
• End of life: April 30, 2025
  After this date, the current rich text editor will be taken out of service.

Next Steps

We strongly encourage customers to leverage the modern rich text editor, which will be enriched with all the editor experiences. The modern rich text editor is designed to align with the familiar and intuitive interfaces of Microsoft applications such as Outlook, Word, and OneNote. This update introduces a modern design, dark mode and new Copilot features to enhance your text editing capabilities. This ensures reliability and alignment with our commitment to cost-efficiency and user-centric innovation. Learn more about the modern rich text editor.  

Please contact your Success Manager, FastTrack representative, or Microsoft Support if you have any additional questions.  

The post Use the modern rich text editor in Dynamics 365 Customer Service appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Despite the convenience of online shopping, many shoppers still value the hands-on experience of visiting retail stores. The instant gratification, social interactions, and serendipity of physical shopping continues to attract buyers. With the evolution of technology, retailers are seeking more automated ways to fulfill their customers’ shopping needs. Self-service checkout solutions have become a crucial component of retail businesses’ strategies aimed at enhancing the overall shopping experience.

Long lines at checkout can result in decreased sales and unhappy customers. Modern shoppers seek control, ease, and security while purchasing, leading to a preference for self-service. Retailers are adopting self-checkout (SCO) systems to offer more personal and confidential buying experiences. The growth in SCO is partly due to labor shortages and rising wage costs. RBR research predicts self-checkout terminals will grow by 90% annually worldwide, indicating a trend toward faster, self-reliant service.

While there are clear advantages, it’s essential to acknowledge and address some of the challenges through technology. These challenges encompass issues related to scanning, the overall usability of checkout devices, losses attributed to theft and inadvertent misuse, as well as the absence of personal interaction.

Discover the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerces Self-checkout Preview. Self-checkout is available as a public preview.

Self-checkout in Dynamics 365 Commerce

The new self-checkout solution in Dynamics 365 Commerce is the same point-of-sale application (Store Commerce app) in self-checkout mode. Payment integrations, localization support, hardware integrations and any extensions built for the fixed till will also work for the self-checkout app. This allows retailers to quickly turn on self-checkout by leveraging their existing investments on Store commerce app for Windows. The Store Commerce app in self-checkout mode supports the following:

• Simplified login that allows cashiers to access the registers while also allowing shoppers to self-checkout.
• Out-of-box self-checkout layout for a quick start allowing users to scan items, support loyalty, and pay with credit or debit.
• Intuitive interface for shoppers that provides only the supported actions in self-checkout while disabling store associate actions.
• Call for assistance to allow shoppers to request assistance for elevated actions like voids, overrides and discounts.
• Browse operation that allows shoppers to browse for products that are not scannable or too big or too small to scan.
• The ability to restrict certain products from being purchased via self-checkout using a configuration in Headquarters.
• Offline support for business continuity even during network outage.
• Support for store commerce peripherals such as Scanners, payment terminals and printers for self-checkout.
• Adyen payment integration out-of-box.

Self-checkout to meet every retailer’s need

Retail sectors have diverse needs for point of sale and self-service checkout systems. Fashion retailers might prefer kiosk-based solutions for efficient scan-and-pay transactions. Grocery stores require self-checkouts integrated with weighing and bagging scale capabilities, along with cash handling machines. Store commerce self-checkout solution is built on commerce SDK and therefore is fully extensible for customers. Here are a few ways retailers can tailor the solution for their business needs.

Retailers can easily configure the default self-checkout layout to add operations that fit their business needs. For example, they can include an operation to apply coupons.

The Store Commerce self-checkout system is hardware agnostic and works across a variety of different hardware. Retailers cater to their unique needs regarding certain hardware peripherals through development of custom integrations with either the supported OPOS drivers or tailor-made SDKs.

Moreover, retailers have the advantage of integrating their existing localizations, payment methods, and additional extensions that are established within the cashier-managed workflows directly into the self-service checkout procedures.

In scenarios where cashier intervention might be necessary, such as when items with particular discounts are scanned, retailers can employ out-of-box extensions to promptly request cashier assistance.

Theft and losses in self-checkout

While self-checkout drives efficiency, there is still a high risk of theft and accidental loss as it’s easy for customers to by-pass scanning items or make honest mistakes. Retailers need to balance the efficiency of self-checkout with the need to thwart theft. Some retailers have achieved this by limiting the number of items in the checkout stand, some have eliminated cash as a payment method.

In addition, new theft detection systems are now available in the market using cameras and algorithms for spotting thefts. There are image-recognition algorithms used in combination with multiple cameras to detect shopper’s movements for theft.  Microsoft’s Azure vision, allows retailers to train the model with their own catalog and use camera-based image detection during checkout to identify and add items to the cart thereby reducing the risk of theft.

Retailers can use additional mechanisms to trigger cashier intervention for dubious scenarios such as repeated scanning of identical barcodes, unusual scanning of multiple low-priced items, items missing in the bagging area, etc .

Copilot

As we introduce Copilot features in Store Commerce, they could be leveraged easily for self-checkout. For instance, copilot can play a role while a customer is doing a price check or browsing for product availability. Voice-assistance in Copilot will help make the shopper experience smoother. Furthermore, we expect that Copilot scenarios such as product discovery, product suggestions, and personalized offers will be of high value for a shopper using a kiosk.

Future of self-checkout

Traditional self-checkout (SCO) methods often utilize kiosks, but retailers are also exploring scan-and-go options for added convenience. These allow customers to use their own devices or the store’s device to scan items and pay with their chosen method. Additionally, smart carts with integrated computerized screens are emerging, enabling shoppers to avoid traditional checkout lines for increased efficiency. However, while these innovations are gaining popularity, they might not be ideal for all merchandise types, could elevate theft risks, and might be more appropriate for stores with smaller footprints.

As Store commerce self-checkout gains wide adoption by multiple retailers in various industry segments such as apparel and fashion, department and grocery store we will keep a close eye on customers’ need and incorporate their feedback into the product.

For instance, our customers have requested that self-checkout systems include interruption features for assistance calls tailored to the retailer’s specific requirements for theft prevention or validation and provide an option for shoppers to select their preferred language.

It is becoming clear that retailers favor a hybrid model that combines human interaction with automated convenience. With the power and efficiency of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Store commerce point of sale alongside Store commerce self-checkout, we aim to provide customers and shoppers with exceptional shopping experience.

To enable Store commerce self-checkout today, please visit: Enable self-checkout in the Store Commerce app – Commerce | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Learn.

The post Announcing public preview of Dynamics 365 Store Commerce Self-checkout appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Effective financial reporting is crucial for finance professionals to ensure accuracy, compliance, and strategic decision-making. Financial reports are the backbone of organizational transparency, offering insights that drive timely business decisions. However, managing financial reporting across multiple environments can be a daunting task, often leading to inconsistencies and inefficiencies.

To address these challenges, the latest update to Dynamics 365 Finance introduces the financial reporting add-in, a powerful tool designed to streamline financial reporting processes, enhance data accuracy, and provide comprehensive business insights. With this change, Financial reporting is no longer deployed by default in all environments. 

Comprehensive Yet Configurable and Easy-to-Use Financial Reporting 

The financial reporting add-in for Dynamics 365 Finance offers a robust suite of functionalities and capabilities that make it both powerful and user-friendly: 

• Flexible Report Design: Create custom financial statements tailored to your organization’s needs using a drag-and-drop interface. 

• Real-Time Data Integration: Access real-time financial data, ensuring that reports reflect the latest financial position. 

• Collaboration and Sharing: Easily share reports and collaborate with team members, facilitating efficient communication and decision-making. 

• Secure Access: Ensure sensitive financial information protection by maintaining data security with role-based access controls.

• Get Started Quickly with 22 Reporting Templates: Generate standard financial reports efficiently by using a variety of pre-built templates. This saves time and ensures consistency across your financial data.

These features provide finance professionals with the tools they need to generate accurate and insightful financial reports without the complexity often associated with financial reporting systems. 

Consistent and Efficient Financial Reporting Across Environments 

Financial reporting often involves juggling multiple environments, each with unique configurations and requirements. This can lead to inconsistencies and inefficiencies, especially when moving data between production and sandbox environments. The financial reporting add-in for Dynamics 365 ensures a standardized approach to financial reporting across all environments. This reduces the time and effort required to set up and maintain reporting systems.  

Ensuring Availability Across Existing and New Environments 

For users currently utilizing financial reporting, there will be no changes to your existing environments. The financial reporting add-in remains accessible through lifecycle services (LCS), ensuring seamless access and continuity. The add-in continues to be available within the Dynamics 365 Finance menu, maintaining user familiarity and ease of use. 
 
Users not currently utilizing financial reporting should have received communication about its removal from your LCS environment. (Reinstall via LCS if needed.) The financial reporting menu item will always be accessible within Dynamics Finance. 

Financial reporting is not deployed by default in newly created environments. However, easy installation via LCS is available, if needed. This provides users the flexibility to customize their environment setup based on specific reporting needs. This optional deployment feature empowers users to manage and configure their reporting tools according to their requirements. This in turn streamlines operations and reduces unnecessary pre-installations. 

Streamlined Data Management for Multi-Environment Setups 

For customers managing multiple production and sandbox environments, please note financial reporting may be used in some environments but not others. When moving data, the financial reporting database will only transfer if both the source and target environments have it installed. To ensure smooth transitions, we recommend pre-installing financial reporting in both source and target environments to include it in data migrations. 

This selective deployment capability ensures operational continuity, avoiding disruptions during data migrations and maintaining financial reporting capabilities. The flexibility to tailor environment setups based on specific operational needs, creates a more efficient and effective financial reporting process. 

Enhanced Simplicity and Improved Efficiency 

By integrating the financial reporting add-in for Dynamics 365 Finance, organizations can achieve significant business outcomes. The streamlined financial reporting processes reduce complexity and administrative overhead, leading to enhanced simplicity in managing financial data. Faster setup and maintenance of reporting systems contribute to improved operational efficiency. IT resources are freed up and finance professionals can focus on strategic tasks rather than manual reporting processes. 

Better Financial Insights and Informed Decision-Making 

Consistent and accurate reporting across environments provides reliable data for informed decision-making. The financial reporting add-in provides finance professionals access to precise insights, enabling strategic decisions driving business growth and success. With these enhanced reporting capabilities, organizations can better navigate the complexities of financial management and achieve their business objectives. 

Expanding Regional Availability 

The financial reporting add-in is now generally available. All regions supported by Dynamics 365 Finance will find access to these enhanced capabilities. Organizations worldwide can leverage the benefits of streamlined financial reporting, driving greater efficiency and accuracy in their financial operations. 

Get Started Today!

We believe these improvements will significantly enhance your financial reporting processes. We also believe they will deliver tangible business value and support your strategic financial goals. Visit the financial reporting documentation for more information and installation instructions. 

The post Enhancing and Streamlining Financial Reporting with Dynamics 365 Finance appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Introduction

Companies are increasingly facing regulatory and consumer requirements for traceability. Traceability ensures product compliance with regulations, captures sustainability metrics, and even demonstrates commitment to ethical sourcing and manufacturing practices. Traceability has long been critical for companies in industries like food and beverage, aerospace, and life sciences. Now, it’s also coming to the forefront for many emerging or developing industries.  

Traceability in Dynamics 365 enables your business to track product genealogy information and custody events. It can also collect data against unique identifiers such as serial numbers and batch numbers. Built on the Microsoft platform, it allows you to connect to any sources of traceability data across your business. This allows you to quickly access the data you need to support your genealogy requirements. The intuitive user interface provides multiple options to view the data and Copilot summaries to drive insights to actions.

With Traceability, businesses can reduce the time and cost of completing product recalls and pass regulatory audits with ease. Traceability helps businesses use insights to improve product quality and increase customer satisfaction. We are pleased to announce the Traceability add-in for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is now available in preview. 

Benefits 

Improving product traceability in your business can help with the following areas:

Capabilities 

Traceability offers the following capabilities as part of the preview release:

Genealogy trace reporting 

One out-of-the-box reports offered with Traceability is the genealogy trace report. Search for any batch or serial number and view the multi-level bill of materials of the batch or serial item. The graphical interface drills in quickly to any of the specific components or view further details of relevant attributes and events tracked on the traced item. 

Where-used reporting with Copilot summary  

If companies need to recall products quickly and efficiently, the where-used reporting allows quick views of any items that have consumed a batch or serial component in your manufacturing process. Coming in Wave 2 2024, Copilot will provide summaries of where-used products, so you can assess the impact and scope of a recall much faster. With Copilot-summarized impacted goods and suggested next steps, QA managers will feel informed and competent because they can quickly view a list of impacted finished goods, evaluate the impact, and take the right action for those goods offline. 

Microsoft Platform architecture 

Traceability is built on the Microsoft platform, so it connectsto any product genealogy or traceability system in your network, like quality management systems, manufacturing execution systems, or third-party ERP systems. The backend uses a managed Azure Data Lake to retain the data, so you can rest easy knowing you’ll have long-term access.  

Native integration with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management 

Traceability is part of Dynamics 365 SCM, so product genealogy data captured in Dynamics 365 is shared natively with Traceability. This now includes linking specific batch and serial components to batch and serial produced items with release of the tracked components feature in April 2024. Coming next is support for additional modules like Procurement, Sales, Asset management, Quality management, and more. 

Scenario Example

Contoso-EV, an electric vehicle manufacturer, recently received customer complaints about power attenuation in their latest model. After root cause analysis, the quality engineer identified that this issue was caused by a specific batch of batteries. The solution is to replace the battery pack. 

Quality engineers use the “Where-used” report in Traceability to search for vehicle identification numbers (VIN) associated with defective batteries. From sales order activity tracking, Traceability helps the quality engineer find cars sold to customers or dealerships as a subset of all cars sold by Contoso. This saves engineer from having to review every single car sold to identify which are impacted by the battery issue. The engineer uses the “Item trace” report to identify the vendor who sold the defective batteries and opens a non-conformance, ensuring the issue does not happen again. 

The quality engineer orchestrates a coordinated response involving the sales team to inform customers and dealerships of the issue, with Contoso-EV committing to complimentary repair services. With Traceability in Dynamics 365 SCM, Contoso rapidly identifies issues in their products and deploys the fix, improving customer satisfaction. 

Conclusion

The Traceability add-in for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management heralds advanced insights, sophisticated data modeling, and robust track and trace storage capabilities. It seamlessly integrates with Dynamics 365 SCM and extends public API support for third-party integration. This innovation amplifies transparency and control, underpins regulatory compliance with centralized data management, and elevates customer satisfaction and trust in suppliers’ brand reputations.

Call to action

Please join the Yammer group to communicate with others and refer to help for detailed information. Any questions? Please contact Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Traceability for support.  

The post Introducing Traceability add-in for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.