Microsoft advises remaining Dynamics 365/CRM Online customers on v8.1: Prepare to update

Microsoft has put Dynamics 365/CRM Online customers running version 8.1 on notice that they must update by July 31, 2018. The announcement on the Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement Team blog is in line with the team's policy of keeping customers within two versions of the latest. Customers will be transitioned to version 9.0.2, which includes a range new features and capabilities.

Administrators of organizations running Dynamics 365 version 8.1 will need to schedule an update by May 18, 2018, with a date for the changes to take effect set before the July 31 deadline. Organizations that don't schedule will be notified of an automatic update by Microsoft during a normal maintenance window.

The timeframe of the update depends on the size of the organization's database, and Microsoft advised users to follow Update status directions within the Manage updates page. The update to v9, which is not required for on-premises users, will also mean updates to Unified Service Desk, Outlook Client, Plugin Registration, ADX Portal, Dynamics Connector, and Email Router.

Microsoft first launched Dynamics CRM version 8.1 in 2016. The company's update documentation at the end of 2017 advised users to be ready to begin scheduling updates in January 2018.