Over the previous few years, software program distributors moved their functions to the cloud. Microsoft dedicated closely to the cloud throughout all its product traces, together with the Dynamics household of ERP and CRM options. That may imply an eventual migration to the cloud for patrons of Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and the legacy Microsoft GP, SL, and NAV merchandise.

Within the case of Microsoft Dynamics AX, that can imply a transfer to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Provide Chain Administration (D365 F&SCM), which is an evolution of the AX code line. Clients ought to assume that migration to Microsoft D365 F&SCM is a straightforward improve course of, although. Profitable migration requires appreciable time, effort, and superior planning.

Luckily, Microsoft plans to help its legacy Dynamics merchandise (together with AX)  till at the very least 2028, however the firm’s future investments in improved performance concentrate on the 2 new Microsoft D365 merchandise. For purchasers remaining on Dynamics AX, which means a diminishing variety of enhancements over the subsequent few years and an more and more compelling argument for making the transfer to the cloud.

In case your group has not but began the method of planning your migration, it’s advisable to start out having that dialog sooner reasonably than later. Advance planning ensures that you just allocate an sufficient funds and sources to the undertaking. Maybe extra importantly, it offers a possibility for the group to implement measures upfront that may scale back danger, decrease prices, and enhance the tip consequence.

Listed below are some key elements to contemplate as your group plans migration to Microsoft D365 F&SCM.

1. Begin with a Purposeful Overview

Clients working Dynamics AX could be pretty assured that the present performance of their present core ERP system will carry over to Microsoft D365 F&SCM with out dropping key options and advantages. Nevertheless, you’ll lose just a few options within the migration as a result of Microsoft selected to take away or deprecate sure options.

Sometimes, an organization makes that call when it intends to interchange sure options with higher or quicker performance. Microsoft selected to interchange sure elements, reasonably than attempting to enhance the present options. It’s extremely unlikely, due to this fact, that any clients will undergo a loss in performance. Relatively, they need to think about how these adjustments would possibly impression their workflows, person coaching, stories, customizations, and third-party merchandise.

That leads us to a number of different key areas that decision for nearer examination. Customizations, third-party software program merchandise, and reporting require specific consideration in their very own proper, not simply as they relate to eliminated or deprecated options.

Customizations are sometimes fabricated from software program code written to increase or modify performance inside Dynamics AX. Traditionally, two potential approaches to this had been overlaying or extending the Dynamics code. Overlaying refers back to the technique of inserting customized programming straight into Microsoft’s supply code. In essence, it quantities to a direct modification of the Dynamics code, which makes it dangerous and tough to keep up.

For a number of years, Microsoft has inspired clients to shift to the brand new method of extending the applying by writing self-contained code modules that plug into Microsoft Dynamics AX. As a result of they’re separate from the core ERP software, there isn’t any danger that they are going to corrupt that core performance. As well as, extensions are considerably simpler to keep up and handle.

In Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&SCM, overlaying is not an choice. For purchasers migrating from Dynamics AX, that would imply re-writing current overlay customizations as extensions. Luckily, Microsoft has supplied some instruments as a part of its Lifecycle Providers (LCS) portal that may automate a lot of that course of. However, it is best to method it in the identical approach that you’d deal with another software program improvement undertaking–with applicable plans for migrating and testing the ensuing extensions.

2. Overview Third-Social gathering Software program

It is not uncommon for advanced organizations to require a number of third-party elements to satisfy necessities that Microsoft’s ERP product can’t meet alone. Tax provisioning and reporting, EDI, e-commerce, built-in planning and budgeting, and low-code integration instruments are all examples of third-party merchandise that stretch the performance of Dynamics to satisfy area of interest features that don’t exist within the ERP software program out of the field.

As you intend your migration to Microsoft D365 F&SCM, it’s essential to evaluation the listing of third-party functions put in in your atmosphere alongside Dynamics AX to find out which ones to deliver together with you in your journey to the cloud.

Many unbiased software program distributors (ISVs) are comparatively small companies and are due to this fact topic to adjustments resembling promoting a product or your entire firm, discontinuing merchandise, and even going out of enterprise altogether. As Microsoft strikes its portfolio of ERP merchandise to the cloud, the overwhelming majority of these ISVs will put money into upgrading their code to create a brand new model that’s suitable with Microsoft D365 F&SCM.

Your first step is to find out whether or not you even must proceed utilizing third-party merchandise. In some circumstances, Microsoft could have already added the required performance to Microsoft D365 F&SCM. Even when you discover that to be the case, nonetheless, don’t bounce to the conclusion that it is best to abandon your current third-party merchandise. If Microsoft’s new performance is a “model 1” addition to Dynamics, you is likely to be higher off persevering with with the third-party resolution.

In the event you determine to stick with your current third-party merchandise, examine with every of these ISVs to find out whether or not they plan a brand new model for Microsoft D365 F&SCM and, in that case, ask them what the migration course of will appear to be.

3. Plan Your Knowledge Migration

Knowledge migration is often a reasonably advanced activity because it requires an in depth mapping, filtering, and cleaning course of. Finally, a lot of that must be automated, and if it’s not executed with the suitable degree of care, it will probably create nightmares once you go reside with the brand new system.

Luckily, there are some instruments which can be out there that assist clients to maneuver knowledge from any of the legacy Dynamics merchandise to Microsoft D365 F&SCM. Microsoft’s LCS offers software program that automates parts of the information migration.

Many purchasers require a extra refined method to getting knowledge into Microsoft Dynamics, nonetheless. You probably have made customizations or modifications that stretch the present knowledge in your legacy ERP system, an off-the-shelf automated method to migration could not cowl all of it.

In a separate weblog submit, we mentioned the potential for utilizing a knowledge warehouse as a method for automating knowledge extraction and transformation upfront of system migration. That allows corporations to simply carry out check runs of the information migration course of and even to coach customers on the brand new system with precise firm knowledge as a substitute of utilizing generic demo knowledge. This automated method shortens the downtime required within the days earlier than an ERP system goes reside. With Jet Analytics, it’s remarkably straightforward to construct the infrastructure to automate main parts of the information migration course of.

4. Don’t Let Experiences Be an Afterthought

We can’t stress this level strongly sufficient: don’t let stories be an afterthought. With the transfer to Microsoft D365 F&SCM, clients ought to count on main adjustments to the way in which they entry their knowledge for reporting. We’ve coated it extensively within the following insightsoftware blogs:

The brief model of the story goes like this: To boost safety, Microsoft determined to limit direct entry and substitute it with an abstraction layer fabricated from “knowledge entities.” Whereas this method is arguably safer, it additionally has main drawbacks. These embody slower efficiency, a steep studying curve, and an elevated dependency on extremely specialised IT sources.

Microsoft’s general method to reporting is shifting towards Azure Knowledge Lakes and Microsoft Energy BI, each of which have a legit position to play in massive enterprises, however that are poorly suited to core monetary and operational reporting.

The important thing takeaway is that Microsoft’s new method to reporting in Microsoft D365 F&SCM would require a serious overhaul of customized and modified stories that entry Dynamics knowledge. With out deep technical experience in Microsoft D365 F&SCM’s knowledge entities, frontline customers can have a tough time getting the data they want.

Reporting and analytics options from insightsoftware remove complexity, scale back value, and reduce the chance of prolonged implementations. They take away the dependency on technical consultants, permitting finance and accounting, operations, and different departments to create and modify stories with out counting on the IT division.

Corporations planning an eventual migration to Microsoft D365 F&SCM can get a head begin on their cloud migration undertaking, bypassing the reporting nightmare fully. By implementing a strong third-party reporting and analytics software in the present day, you’ll be able to full a serious portion of the cloud migration undertaking nicely upfront, lowering general undertaking danger, reducing prices, and lowering dependency on IT.

What insightsoftware Brings to the Desk

Offering full knowledge entry is what insightsoftware does. That’s why we’ve tailor-made our Jet Analytics resolution to Microsoft D365 F&SCM and made important enhancements to how clients are reporting. Knowledge entities have added a layer of complexity to self-service reporting. To decrease the impression in your IT workers and finance groups, we provide a special method aimed toward considerably lowering prices and time.

Jet Analytics makes upgrading vastly simpler and cheaper. Experiences developed for Microsoft Dynamics AX will work in Microsoft D365 F&SCM with out in depth modification. To be taught extra about how insightsoftware can allow agile, streamlined reporting in opposition to Microsoft D365 F&SCM in your group, contact us for extra info or a free demo.