Microsoft Dynamics 365 has been stirring a wave of revolution simply because it has beautifully combined the CRM and ERP functionalities. It offers a cloud based as well as the on premise option to the businesses. And, as cloud is becoming more and more popular amongst the businesses, therefore, it is regarded as one of the best offerings that Microsoft had to offer. Though, the licensing and the pricing structure of Dynamics 365 is dependent on a lot of factors other than the fact that whether the business users wants it to be a cloud based tool or an on-premise program.
There is a lot that has been continuously discussed regarding Dynamics 365 (other than the pricing of course). One of the most talked about topics is the Common Data Service or the CDS. CDS is regarded as the spine of this corporate solution. CDS is a database that performs under the programs and apps. A plenty of apps can work on one CDS, therefore, as a result, the data will be shared. This is one of the most interesting take on CDS.
Applications, Tools or Programs adopting CDS
One of the most talked about solution that has been using CDS is Dynamics 365, specially the Customer Engagement Applications. Not just the customer engagement app, but also PowerApps has been using CDS too. Though, that is not it, there are a large number of other tools and programs that have been making use of CDS as well, like Microsoft Forms Pro. With the help of the connectors, the users would be able to easily gather a large volume of data from over a wide range of different data sources. And, all this data will then be poured into the CDS environment.
Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and CDS
Common Data Service was formerly introduced to be the key point of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Though, CDS was touted as the main part of the customer experience application, but now, it is being considered as one of the key parts of the new ERP solution: Dynamics 365 finance and operations as well.
A lot of applications that are a part of D365, like the sales, marketing, customer service and a plenty of other applications are adding their data to the CDS. Therefore, it has enabled the users to develop a common data platform. Though, earlier, CDS was not a part of the ERP solution, but now, CDS is quickly becoming a part of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (the latest version of the ERP solution).
In fact, even Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations has been using the Common Data Service. Because of CDS, D365 is able to offer a unified experience. Microsoft has tried everything possible to integrate CDS into ERP. The company has been using the dual-write mechanism to in order to reduce the gap between CDS and ERP. This kind of mechanism basically duplicates the related data amid the two main systems. Therefore, the companies would be able to smoothly integrate CRM and ERP. And, in a very less timeframe, the CRM customer will quickly become an ERP customer. This means CDS will be used to offer a unified D365 experience to the users.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an all-encompassing, purpose-built tool which is apt for the business needs. It helps the companies manage their set business processes. Also, it enables them to work together, flawlessly. As, it is a single cloud-based solution that co bines various teams of the business together. However, in order to make the most of this fantastic corporate solution, you would have to understand how it works and then implement it to make the best use of it. When it comes to the common data service, yes, it is very much the backbone of the solution.
