System updates are crucial for keeping systems secure, functional, and up to date with the latest technology advancements and user needs. They are typically provided by software developers, manufacturers, or service providers, and users are often encouraged or required to apply them regularly. System updates are essential for several reasons: One famous story of a catastrophic incident caused by a failure to update a system is the Equifax Data Breach of 2017. Here’s what happened: The Incident: In 2017, Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the U.S., suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of over 147 million people. The data leaked included sensitive details like Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and in some cases, credit card information. Cause: The breach occurred because Equifax had failed to apply a critical security patch to a known vulnerability in Apache Struts, an open-source web application framework used in one of their online portals. The vulnerability had been identified and a patch was made available in March 2017, but Equifax did not apply the patch in time, leaving the system exposed. Hackers exploited this known vulnerability in May 2017, and over the next few months, they accessed Equifax’s systems and stole massive amounts of personal data. It wasn’t until July 2017 that the breach was detected, and Equifax publicly disclosed the breach in September 2017. Impact: The consequences were severe: Lesson: This breach became a stark example of why system updates and security patches are critical. A failure to update systems, even with known vulnerabilities, can lead to disastrous consequences, including financial loss, reputational damage, and exposure of sensitive information. Microsoft Dynamics 365, which includes Finance and Operations, has around 500,000 users worldwide as of 2024.With four service updates released each year and roughly one quality update each month, it is crucial for organizations to stay current with the latest features and security enhancements to ensure optimal performance and protection. I am confident that this article will highlight the importance of system maintenance and upkeep. References Details Proactive Quality Updates (PQUs) are automatic updates that bring important bug fixes and new features quickly, without interrupting your work.Delivered through Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS), PQUs are applied in the background, so businesses hardly notice them. Benefits of PQUs Why PQUs Cause Little Disruption If a serious issue (like downtime or slow performance) happens during a PQU, Microsoft will pause the update and work with customers to fix it. If only one customer is affected, they can open a support ticket to stop the update for their environment. When Might PQUs Be Skipped? PQUs cannot be undone once applied. However, Microsoft can turn off specific changes if needed. Service updates are regular system improvements that give you new features without needing major upgrades.They contain both application changes and platform changes that are critical to the service, including regulatory updates.These updates are backward-compatible, meaning your custom code will still work.Microsoft suggests using the Regression Suite Automation Tool (RSAT) to test updates and make sure nothing breaks. How to Manage Service Updates: Four service updates are released by Microsoft annually in February, April, July, and October.You’re required to take at least two updates per year but can take up to four.You can also pause one update at a time for either your sandbox or production environment. Pre-Servicing: For service updates, the preservicing step starts when the update process begins.During this time, Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) shows the environment as Preservicing.This means the environment is online and accessible, but no other service actions can be performed.In this step, the system checks for specific errors that could cause the servicing process to fail.If any errors are found, a soft rollback occurs, which means the system goes back to its previous state without a point-in-time recovery (PITR).To resolve the issues, you can check the environment’s history logs for the errors and make necessary fixes before trying to update again. Post-Servicing: During the post-processing step after offline servicing is complete, the environment status in LCS is marked as Post-servicing.This means that any index creation or changes that couldn’t be done during offline servicing will now occur while the system is online.Users can still access the environment and continue their regular activities, but performance might be slower due to the updates being applied. However, users will not be able to cancel existing service requests or start new ones during this time. Notifications: You will receive several notifications about Microsoft Dynamics updates: Conclusion By keeping your system up to date with these automatic updates, you’ll enjoy new features, regulatory improvements, and better performance—all without the hassle of big upgrades. If all this feels overwhelming, feel free to reach out so we can help you getting this set up and manage it for you! Taking action now will lead to better user experience, minimal disruption in service and smoother operations for your business. 

For growing businesses, managing sales efficiently is crucial as processes and reporting become more complex. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2024 Wave 2 (BC25) introduces an exciting new feature that helps you create sales lines quickly by using data from a CSV (comma-separated values) file. This feature, powered by Copilot, simplifies the sales order process and saves valuable time. Are You Struggling to Manage Your Sales Lines? Are you finding it challenging to keep up with sales line entries? If you’re looking to automate this process, this article is for you. According to recent studies, businesses that streamline their sales processes can reduce order creation time by up to 80%. Additionally, companies using automated solutions see a 25% increase in productivity and improved accuracy in their sales data. Why CSV Integration Matters As businesses expand, the volume and complexity of sales orders increase. Having an efficient method to manage sales lines is essential for maintaining operational flow and customer satisfaction. The new CSV integration feature in Business Central 2024 Wave 2 allows you to: – Save Time: Upload your sales data all at once, eliminating the need for tedious manual entry. – Reduce Errors: Ensure your sales line data is accurate and consistent, minimizing mistakes that can occur with manual entry. – Manage Data Easily: Use a simple spreadsheet format to organize your sales line details before uploading them. How to Use the CSV Integration Feature Step-by-Step Guide 1. Prepare Your CSV File: Start by creating a CSV file containing all the sales line details you need, such as item numbers, quantities, and prices. 2. Log into Business Central: Open your Business Central account and navigate to the sales order section. 3. Upload the CSV File: – Click on the Copilot symbol and select “Suggest Sales Line.” – Choose “Attach” and upload your CSV file. Note: Only CSV files can be selected. PS: Only CSV (comma-separated values) can be selected. 4. Review the Suggestions: After uploading, review the suggested sales lines. You can make any adjustments if necessary. – For actions like matching or viewing, choose the appropriate options and click “Generate” for Copilot to suggest sales lines based on your data. Column Action: Matching: View: 5. Finalize Your Order: Once you’re satisfied with the sales lines, click “Insert.” Your sales lines will now be successfully added to the sales order. Conclusion The new CSV integration feature in Business Central 2024 Wave 2 makes managing sales orders easier than ever. With Copilot’s assistance, you can save time, reduce errors, and streamline your sales process. We encourage you to explore this feature and see how it can transform your sales operations. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out to CloudFronts for practical solutions that can help you implement this powerful tool effectively.

In Purchase & trade agreements in D365 – Part 1 & 2 blog we have gone through overview of Purchase & trade agreements in D365 & how to setup different types of Purchase agreements in D365. In Part 3 blog we have covered setup of Trade agreement for purchase price & line discount. In this blog will go through how to setup Trade agreement line discount for quantity range & find next functionality in trade agreement. Problem statement – In this scenario we need to setup trade agreements for quantity range & Find next functionality. Solution steps – 1 – Will setup trade agreement for Line discount for Quantity range 1.1 As discussed in previous blog (Part 3) point no. 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3 we have already created Trade agreement journal names & enabled parameters hence we can use same for this blog. For those who have not gone through blog part 3 can follow below steps Create Trade agreement journal names – Go to Procurement & Sourcing -> Setup -> Prices & discounts -> Trade agreement journal names New -> Name -> Pur Disc -> Description -> Purchase discount -> Relation -> Line disc. (purch.) -> Save. & Enable parameters – Go to Procurement & sourcing -> Setup -> Prices & discounts -> Activate price/discount Enable all parameters for Price. Item parameter Yes for Vendor means It is to enable price for specific vendor for specific Item. Item parameter Yes for Vendor group means if price is same for item for group of supplier (based on vendor group) then need to enable this parameter. Item parameter Yes for All vendors means if item has same price for all suppliers then need to enable this parameter. 1.2 Create trade agreement journal. Go to Procurement & Sourcing -> Prices & discounts -> Trade agreement journals Create new journal – Name -> Pur Disc (Created in step 1.1) -> click on Lines to add details 1.3 Enter line details.  Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000001 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000012 -> From -> 1 -> To -> 101 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 5. Kindly note that, discount will be applicable to range excluding last number. In this case it will be excluding 101. 1.4 Then add lines as per range required Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000001 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000012 -> From -> 101 -> To -> 501 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 10. Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000001 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000012 -> From -> 501 -> To -> 1001 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 15 Then validate & post. 1.5 Then create new purchase order with respective vendor (In this case VEN-000001) for respective item (In this case P-000012) discount % will be reflected as defined in Trade agreement. As per above Trade agreement, if quantity is within 1-100 then discount will be 5%. As per above Trade agreement, if quantity is within 101-500 then discount will be 10%. 2 – Will setup trade agreement for Line discount with Next flag enabled 2.1 When we have trade journal with multiple scenarios for same item, “Find next” flag checks the all the applicable scenarios defined in trade agreement. When “Find next” flag is disabled then system checks & use discount with highest level of details. Create trade agreement journal. Go to Procurement & Sourcing -> Prices & discounts -> Trade agreement journals Create new journal – Name -> Pur Disc (Created in step 1.1) -> click on Lines to add details 2.2 Enter line details.  Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000002 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000009 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 5 -> Find next -> Yes Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000002 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000009 -> From -> 101 -> To -> 501 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 10 -> Find next -> Yes Party code type -> Table -> Account selection -> VEN-000002 -> Product code type -> Table -> Item relation -> P-000009 -> From -> 501 -> To -> 1001 -> Unit -> Pcs -> Discount percentage 1 -> 15 -> Find next -> Yes 2.3 Now if Find next parameter is Disable & then if we create PO with quantity 50 then disc will be 5%, quantity 150 then also discount 5% (even though we have given disc of 10% for 101-501) It is because Find next parameter is turned off, so system search for best fit price. Since in 1st line, quantity is not mentioned it is best fit line for all quantities & hence only applies 5% disc. 2.4 Now if we enable Find next parameters in all 3 lines & then if we create PO with quantity 50 then discount will be 5%, quantity 150 then discount 15% (as we have defined discount of 10% for 101-501 & 5% for all quantity) So system finds 2 best possible discounts hence added the same. If quantity 700 then discount 20% & If quantity 1050 then Discount 5%, as we have defined additional discount till quantity 1000. In this blog we completed how to setup of trade agreement line discount for quantity range & next flag. In next blog (Part 5) will cover Multiline discount & Total discount. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Excel has over 750 million users worldwide, making it one of the most popular software applications in the world. According to recent studies, 89% of companies use Excel for daily operations, financial modeling, data analysis, and other tasks. Excel is so integral to the financial world that many financial analysts and accountants refer to themselves as “Excel jockeys” or “Excel ninjas.” NASA used Excel in its operations for various calculations related to space missions. Using Excel for manual data entry is much more easier for end users as it provides a familar interface and can be navigated much more quickly.It can also be used for quick minor calculations and formulas. References: Details: For businesses generating large volumes of data, it’s essential to have an efficient system for users to input that data smoothly.  Are you struggling to keep up with your rapidly growing data? A study by Forrester Consulting shows that companies using Microsoft 365 tools like Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint see a 15-20% boost in employee productivity due to better collaboration and task management. This article will surely inspire you to start using Excel for your organization’s daily operations too! Enabling the Developer Tab in Excel To access advanced features like creating macros, using form controls, or accessing the XML commands in Excel, you’ll need to enable the Developer tab. Here’s how: – In the Developer Tab, click on “Add Ins” – In the pop-up that follows, click on “Store” and search for “Microsoft Dynamics” and click on enter. – Once you get the results as described in the below screenshot, click on “Add.” – Click on Continue. – Go to your Finance and Operations environment. – Go to System Administration -> Setup -> Office App Parameters. – Go to App Parameters and click on “Initialize app parameters” – Go to “Registered applets” and click on “Initialize applet registration” – Go to “Registered resources” and then click on “Initialize resource registration” – Then to test it out, we can go to the “All sales orders” list click on the “Office” icon at the top right and click on one of the “non-obsolete” options. – You can either download it on your own system or you can save it directly from this screen. – When you open the downloaded excel, after enabling editing, you’ll get the following pop-up and data. – You can also use this Excel to create records in the system. – Open the downloaded excel sheet. – Click on “New”. – Add the necessary fields in the newly created rows. – Once done, click on Publish. And we can see back in D365 that we have added some new records in the system via Excel. In conclusion, I firmly believe that using Excel for manual data entry can significantly cut down on unnecessary tasks.If you’re looking to streamline your processes or maximize the potential of your ERP systems, please feel free to reach out.

Introduction Open Data Protocol (oData) is a web protocol for querying and updating data. It simplifies the data exchange between clients and servers, allowing for easy integration with RESTful APIs. One important feature of oData is the use of ETags (Entity Tags), which are part of the HTTP protocol and help manage the state of resources. ETags serve as a version identifier for a resource. When a client retrieves a resource, the server sends an ETag in the response. The client can then use this ETag in subsequent requests to ensure that it is working with the most current version of that resource. What is oData.ETag? In Postman, oData.ETag refers specifically to the ETag values used in oData responses. These tags help maintain data integrity during updates. When a client attempts to update a resource, it can include the ETag in the request headers. If the ETag matches the current version on the server, the update proceeds. If not, the server rejects the request, preventing unintended data overwrites. Using oData.ETag in Postman Fetching an ETag: When you send a GET request to an oData endpoint, look for the ETag header in the response. For example:GET https://api.example.com/odata/productsThe response might look like this:HTTP/1.1 200 OKETag: “W/\”123456789\”” Updating a Resource with ETag: When you need to update the resource, include the ETag in the If-Match header of your PUT or PATCH request:PATCH https://api.example.com/odata/products(1)If-Match: “W/\”123456789\””Content-Type: application/json {    “name”: “Updated Product Name”} If the ETag matches, the update occurs; otherwise, you’ll receive a 412 Precondition Failed response. Related Features in Postman Conditional Requests: Beyond oData, ETags are useful in REST APIs for conditional requests. You can use If-None-Match to check if a resource has changed before downloading it again, saving bandwidth and time. CORS Preflight Requests: When working with cross-origin requests, browsers may perform preflight checks using OPTIONS requests. Understanding ETags can help in managing these requests effectively, ensuring your API can handle them smoothly. Caching Strategies: Implementing caching with ETags can enhance performance. Postman can simulate caching behavior, allowing you to test how your API behaves when dealing with cached responses. Error Handling: Testing how your API handles errors, such as a mismatched ETag, is crucial for robustness. Postman’s test scripts can validate error responses and ensure that your API behaves as expected. Conclusion Understanding oData.ETag in Postman is essential for developers working with RESTful APIs, especially in scenarios where data integrity is critical. By leveraging ETags, you can ensure safe and efficient data updates, manage caching, and improve your overall API interactions.

Introduction In this blog we will learn about the basic setups required for the Advanced Warehouse Management process. These setups may vary depending on the business scenarios. For Wave Templates to work in an Advance warehouse scenario, there are some prerequisites that we need to do first. The following are the setups that we need to configure:  Wave Templates plays a significant role in advanced warehouses. Wave Templates are used for shipment of goods for Sales Orders, Transfer Order ship, Or Outbound shipment orders. Also, it is used for Production order and Kanban Orders.  – For my current scenario, I will create a Wave template for a Sales Order.  – Select Wave template type as “Shipping”. So, when we create the Sales order wave will be created.  – There is option to Automatically create the Wave.  – Following setup I have enabled.  – Automate Wave creation.  – Process wave at Release to warehouse.  – Process wave automatically at threshold.  – Automate wave release.  – The following basic methods are needed to complete sales order transactions.  – Also, we need to do regenerate methods step to enable methods on wave templates.  – Click Regenerate methods.  Now, Wave Templates are ready to use in Advance Warehouse process.  That’s it for this blog!!  How to use these Wave Templates in actual transactions will be discussed going forward in the blog series.  Next in the Blog series:  How to set up Worker in Advance warehouse management in D365.  We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction In this blog we will learn about the basic setups required for the Advanced Warehouse Management process. These setups may vary depending on the business scenarios. For Work classes and Work Templates to work in an Advance warehouse scenario, there are some prerequisites that we need to do first. The following are the setups that we need to configure:  Work classes and Work Templates plays a significant role in advanced warehouses. a Work classes and Work Templates are the set of rules to create the work for Purchase Order, Sales Order, Transfer Order etc.  For my current scenario, I will create a Work classes for a Sales Order, Purchase Order and Transfer Order.  – Enter Work Class ID and Description.  – Select work order type from the Drop-down menu.  – Here, I have created 4 work classes. We will use these work classes while making the work templates.  Work Templates:  Work templates will be used to create a work, when there is a related transactions like Purchase Order, Transfer Order, Sales Order etc.  By selecting this work, warehouse worker can perform the transaction on the mobile device.  – Click New.  – In the work Order type select Purchase Order.  – Enter Work template name  – Enter Work template Description  – Select the work type as “Pick” and “Put”  – Select previously created Work class ID as “PurchOrder”.  – Click New.  – In the work Order type select Sales Order.  – Enter Work template name  – Enter Work template Description  – Select the work type as “Pick” and “Put”  – Select previously created Work class ID as “SalesOrder”.  Now, Work classes and Work Templates are ready to use in Advance Warehouse process.  That’s it for this blog!!  How to use these Work classes and Work Templates in actual transactions will be discussed going forward in the blog series.  We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction In today’s busy work environment, having a smooth approval process is important for keeping things running efficiently. Dynamics 365 Business Central makes it easy to set up workflows that help manage approvals effectively. One great feature is the option to allow approval from “one of” several chosen approvers. This was one of our clients’ requirements to avoid delays and allows different team members to take part in the approval process. By letting any of the designated approvers approve requests, your organization can work faster and better together. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a simple approval workflow in Dynamics 365 Business Central that requires just one approver from a group, making your approval process quicker and more efficient. Scenario: The purchase order has two approvers but if any one of them approves the approval workflow will be fulfilled. Hence, if one approver approves, all open approval entries will be closed. 1. Workflow user group As shown below the workflow user group, sequence no. 1 has been assigned to both the users. 2. Open the workflow for which this user group needs to be assigned. 3. Add the Workflow User Group to the Workflow – Open the response “add record restriction” – Add the workflow user group as the approver type and select the workflow user group created earlier. 4. Modify the events and conditions – Remove the “on condition to always” – Remove the third step 5. Additional response To close open approval entries after receiving a single approval, you must edit the second step and add the response, “Approve the approval request for the record.” – Click on the response of 2nd line ” remove record restriction” – Add response, ” “Approve the approval request for the record.” Conclusion In conclusion, setting up an approval workflow with flexible approvers in Dynamics 365 Business Central can significantly enhance the organization’s efficiency and responsiveness. By allowing any designated approver to handle requests, one can streamline the approval process and reduce potential delays. This approach not only fosters collaboration among team members but also ensures that important decisions are made quickly. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction In today’s fast-paced business environment, ensuring timely and accurate communication with your customers is critical. One of the most frequent interactions businesses have with customers is providing them with account statements. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central simplifies this process, allowing users to send Customer Statements directly via email, streamlining communication and helping businesses maintain positive relationships with their clients. Steps to achieve the goal: 1. Log into Business Central Start by logging into your Business Central account. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access customer information and send reports. 2. Access the Customer List Once logged in: 3. Select the Document Layout before you send an email to customers. 4. Setup Email Account (Optional if already configured) 4. Open the Statement Report Within the Customer Card: 5. Set Up the Statement Parameters Before generating the customer statement: 6. Send the Statement via Email Once the statement is ready: 8. Review and Send Once you’ve reviewed everything: Conclusion Sending customer statements via email in Business Central is a straightforward process that enhances customer communication while saving time. With just a few clicks, you can generate, customize, and send statements to your clients, ensuring that they stay informed about their account status. This efficient process helps you maintain accurate financial records, avoid payment delays, and ultimately, improve your cash flow. By leveraging Business Central’s customer statement feature, you can optimize your accounting workflows and focus more on growing your business. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com

Introduction Encountering errors while working with Sales Orders in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO) can disrupt your workflow, especially in development environments. One common issue involves posting the packing slip due to an expired SSL certificate in cloud-hosted environments. SSL certificates in D365FO cloud-hosted setups are valid for one year, after which they need to be renewed for continued security and functionality I faced this issue while trying to post the packing slip for a Sales Order.  I faced this issue on Dev Environment. To resolve this issue, follow the below process: To maintain security, these certificates must be renewed through rotation. Credential rotation is a critical aspect of enterprise-level cybersecurity, and this process can be managed via LCS. To resolve this log into the LCS environment. – Select the Implementation Project and then click on Full details option. – Click on the Maintain drop down button and then select the Rotate Secrets. – After that click on Rotate SSL Secrets Certificates option. It will look like this. This process make take a few minutes to complete. This will resolve the issue. After completion you can see that the status will be changed to Deployed. Then the next and final step is to click on Apply updates option this will apply all the changes and updates. Conclusion Rotating SSL certificates in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is essential to maintain security and functionality in cloud-hosted environments. By following these steps in LCS, you can ensure that your environment remains secure and that tasks like posting packing slips proceed smoothly. Regularly checking and updating your SSL certificates will help prevent future disruptions and keep your operations running efficiently. We hope you found this article useful, and if you would like to discuss anything, you can reach out to us at transform@cloudfronts.com