Unlocking Azure CRM with Cloud-Based Microsoft Solutions

With Azure CRM, businesses can streamline their customer relationship management processes, reducing manual errors and increasing productivity.

Azure CRM is built on top of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, which provides a robust and scalable solution for managing customer interactions.

Microsoft's cloud-based solutions offer unparalleled flexibility and scalability, allowing businesses to adapt to changing customer needs and market trends.

By leveraging Azure CRM, organizations can enhance their customer engagement, sales, and marketing efforts, ultimately driving revenue growth and business success.

Azure CRM integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools, such as Office 365 and Power Automate, to provide a unified and efficient customer experience.

Before you can use Azure CRM with Microsoft Entra service principal authentication, you must set up server-to-server (S2S) authentication in Dataverse or Dynamics.

First, register the application user (Service Principal) in Microsoft Entra ID.

You can find more information on how to do this here.

To create the application user in Dataverse or Dynamics, you will need to grant permissions, which can be done either directly or indirectly by adding the application user to a team that has been granted permissions.

Those permissions can be granted by adding the team to Dataverse or Dynamics.

To create a linked service to Dynamics 365, you'll need to use the Azure portal UI. This involves browsing to the Manage tab, selecting Linked Services, and clicking New. Then, search for Dynamics or Dataverse and select the Dynamics 365 (Microsoft Dataverse) or Dynamics CRM connector.

Configuring the service details, testing the connection, and creating the new linked service are the next steps. You can then use this linked service to integrate Dynamics 365 with other Azure services.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers a range of advantages, including the ability to use a single data set across its ERP, CRM, and Office 365 applications. This simplifies data management and allows for seamless integration across apps and business processes.

Here are some benefits of using Microsoft Dynamics cloud solutions:

To create a linked service to Microsoft Dataverse, you'll need to follow these steps. Browse to the Manage tab in your Azure Data Factory or Synapse workspace and select Linked Services, then click New.

In the Azure portal UI, you can create a linked service to Dynamics 365 in just a few clicks. Search for Dynamics or Dataverse and select the Dynamics 365 (Microsoft Dataverse) or Dynamics CRM connector.

Configure the service details, test the connection, and create the new linked service. This will allow you to easily connect to your Microsoft Dataverse instance and start integrating it with other services.

Microsoft Dataverse offers a range of features, including seamless integration with Office 365, which allows businesses to customize implementation with advanced productivity solutions.

To write data to a lookup field in Dynamics, you need to make sure your source contains both the field value and the corresponding target entity name.

You'll need to map both the value and entity-reference columns from source to sink, with the entity-reference column mapped to a virtual column using the special naming pattern {lookup_field_name}@EntityReference.

For example, if your source has a column named CustomerField with a GUID value and another column named Target with the logical name of the target entity, you can map them as follows: CustomerField to CustomerField, and Target to CustomerField@EntityReference.

If all your source records map to the same target entity and your source data doesn't contain the target entity name, you can add an additional column to the source with the pattern {lookup_field_name}@EntityReference and set its value to the target entity name.

You can also skip explicit column mapping if your source and sink column names are identical, as the copy activity will default to mapping columns by name.

To add API permissions for your Azure AD App, click on API Permissions and then click on Add Permission. This will allow you to set which style of APIs can be called by your App and what Actions can be performed.

To add the Dynamics CRM icon, click on it. This will give you access to the Dynamics CRM API.

For Dynamics CRM API security, you need to choose Delegated Permissions and check user_impersonation. This will allow your App to read/write data from CRM.

To complete the process, you need to Grant Admin Consent. If you're logged in as an Azure AD User with the correct admin role, you're good to go. Otherwise, you'll need to ask your Azure AD admin to consent for you.

To configure User / Security Roles in a new account, you'll need to follow these steps. First, click on the link to login to the new portal to manage your CRM / Dataverse environment: https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/environments.

Create an Application User using these steps, choosing the same App you created in the previous section. Now go to the App Users Screen and edit Security Roles using the following steps:

You can also find your Org Id from the CRM Portal by clicking on the Gear Icon, choosing Advanced Settings, and then clicking down arrow on Settings. From there, click Customization and then Developer Resource Link, and you'll see various URLs, including the Service Root URL for Web API.

To create a linked service to Dynamics 365 in the Azure portal UI, you'll need to browse to the Manage tab and select Linked Services, then click New. From there, search for Dynamics or Dataverse and select the Dynamics 365 (Microsoft Dataverse) or Dynamics CRM connector.

The Dynamics linked service has several properties that you'll need to configure. To do this, you'll need to configure the service details, test the connection, and create the new linked service. This will involve providing the necessary information for the service to connect to your Dynamics 365 instance.

The following properties are supported for the Dynamics linked service:

By configuring these properties, you'll be able to successfully create a linked service to Dynamics 365 in the Azure portal UI.

If you prefer to use an older interface, you can follow the steps in Method-2 (Legacy). To add your Azure AD App as a CRM Application user, go to your CRM Portal and click on the Gear icon for Settings > Advanced Settings.

To access the Dynamics CRM Advanced Settings, click on the Settings dropdown > Security (Under System Column). On the security screen, click on the Users icon to manage Dynamics CRM Users.

You'll need to click on the User Type Dropdown and choose Application Users and click New to add a new Application User. Enter your Application Id, which you can obtain from the Azure AD App > Overview screen, and click Save. The other fields will auto-populate.

To associate a security role with the new Application User, choose a role from the list, such as "System Admin", and click Save. Be careful when granting permissions in a production environment, as there are many built-in roles to choose from.

Here's a summary of the steps to follow:

This will enable you to use the App Id and Client Secret to make CRM API calls. To confirm if it's working, you can create a Dynamics CRM Connection (using SSIS PowerPack) and choose OAuth option on Dynamics CRM Connection.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrates seamlessly with Office 365, allowing for a unified experience across all applications.

Dynamics 365 can be deployed on Azure, which provides a scalable and secure environment for data storage and processing.

With Office 365, Dynamics 365 can leverage various Azure services, including offline syncing, which enables users to work without an internet connection and synchronize data when connected.

Data flow properties are a crucial aspect of Office 365 architecture and data. They help you define how data flows between different systems.

To map data flow properties, you can use a Dynamics dataset or an inline dataset as the source and sink type. The required properties for an inline dataset include the entity name, which is the logical name of the entity to retrieve.

The query property is optional and allows you to use FetchXML, a proprietary query language used in Dynamics online and on-premises. You can see an example of FetchXML in the article.

Here are the properties you need to consider when using Dynamics dataset as the sink type:

These properties will help you copy data from and to Dynamics, and ensure that your data flow is set up correctly.

Office 365 Architecture is built on a robust infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft technologies. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a key component of this architecture, providing a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) solution.

Dynamics 365 can be deployed on Azure, allowing businesses to leverage the scalability and reliability of the cloud. Azure services like offline syncing and machine learning capabilities are also integrated into Dynamics 365.

The architecture of Office 365 is designed to support various use cases, including voice of customer and more. PowerApps and Logic Apps are related technologies that can be used in conjunction with Dynamics 365 to extend its capabilities.

Pricing considerations are an important factor to consider when implementing Dynamics 365, as it can be a significant investment for businesses.

You can harness your ERP data for operational and analytical reporting with the Data Lake architecture.

As an SIS Dynamics 365 Finance or CE client, you can retire BYOD (Bring Your Own Data) and have a central hub for a downstream data mart or enterprise data warehouse.

Azure has all the tools to bring other data into the lake, whether it's on-premise or in the cloud, and to secure your data.

Export to Data Lake allows you to build up many other use cases, such as integrating with other data sources and creating a centralized data repository.

Dynamics 365 is a powerful tool that integrates with Office 365 and Azure to provide a robust CRM system.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be deployed on Azure, leveraging various Azure services for capabilities like offline syncing, machine learning, and voice of customer.

The CRM market share is significant, and Dynamics 365's growth is a testament to its effectiveness. Dynamics 365 can be used for operational and analytical reporting, and its integration with Azure provides a secure and affordable architecture.

The Data Lake architecture is a great way to harness your ERP data, allowing you to retire BYOD (Bring Your Own Data) and create a central hub for a downstream data mart or enterprise data warehouse.

Dynamics 365 and Dynamics CRM online have specific requirements for connection, including setting the type property to "Dynamics", "DynamicsCrm", or "CommonDataServiceForApps".

The deployment type of the Dynamics instance must be set to "Online" for Dynamics online, and the service URL of your Dynamics instance must be specified in the serviceUri property.

Here is a summary of the required properties for connecting to Dynamics CRM online: