How soon will Common Data Service (CDS) have a real impact on Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Common Data Service (CDS) promises to touch all areas of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 product suite. Eventually. As we heard from Greg Williams in his report from the Dynamics 365 (Operations) Tech Conference, CDS was a key topic at that much-anticipated conference. And judging by similar CDS messaging at eXtreme365 Lisbon last week, Microsoft is betting heavily on its promise for business solutions, including ERP and CRM.

At eXtreme365, the arrival of CDS - and Microsoft's overall commitment to prioritizing integration needs of Dynamics 365 CRM customers - were put front and center by the Dynamics management team.

CDS for Enterprise apps: Are we there today?

When a partner asked about Microsoft's progress toward integrating the Dynamics 365 Enterprise apps, the product team representative Matt Barbour told partners that their team already considers CDS an integration option for customers. It was a position that seemed to take partners by surprise, but Microsoft's position is that at least some scenarios can already be supported.

Some partners we spoke with believe Microsoft is overstating the present maturity of the CDS + Logic Apps value proposition, partly because the approach has not been widely shared or adopted. Generally speaking, partners expect Microsoft to offer a robust baseline integration framework and pre-built set of integration points.

CDS for Business apps: A longer schedule

On the Business Edition (D365BE) side, the promise of CDS appears to be further from delivery. With the D365BE sales and marketing apps still at ...