Microsoft Dynamics 365 customer engagement roadmap prioritizes integration, strategic use of Azure services

Microsoft kicked off eXtreme365 in Lisbon with a rundown of new and upcoming Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition sales and service app updates, from features to new tools to vendor partnerships.

Dynamics 365 general manager Param Kahlon delivered one of the CRM team's characteristically information-heavy keynote presentations, with updates ranging from Common Data Service to social selling to app building to data warehousing, AI and more.

Microsoft will not slow down on its semi-annual release cadence for Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition customer engagement apps. If anything, they could even accelerate to a more rapid release cycle in the future, said Kahlon.

Focus on integration goals

One key promise of the transition to Dynamics 365 has been a fresh start on data integration scenarios spanning typical CRM and ERP workloads (and beyond) by looking to the new Common Data Service (CDS). Kahlon told the audience that cross-app integration via CDS remains a priority that Microsoft is currently working on. The integration framework of CDS will allow for new flows like lead to order fulfillment and project-based orders tied into billing and other financial management details. Process integration will follow the initial work on database integration, he advised.

Kahlon also outlined plans for introducing "virtual entity" capabilities to D365 customer engagement apps. Virtual entities represent data that resides in external systems as CRM entities so they can take advantage of Dynamics 365 business process tools without replication of data. The reveal received one of the loudest rounds of applause and comment of the entire keynote. Some solution architects in the audience noted that they have dared to ...