Skip main navigation

Week 2 Summary

This step provides a summary of the content we have covered this week
17.5
In this module, we covered our office integrations. We discussed templates, Word templates, Excel templates, email templates. With our Word templates, we learned that we provide users with the means to easily generate standardised documents about records that are rich with the data from our environment, then leverage the full formatting power of Microsoft Word. Excel templates empower users to create up-to-date Excel reports, without needing knowledge of Excel formulas, charts, or pivot tables. Word temples and Excel templates both have their permissions controlled by the security rules in Dynamics. Excel templates and Word templates are not solution aware, and therefore, cannot be migrated to other environments easily.
62.4
We have email templates available to provide convenient, consistent communication formats for users to communicate with customers, prospects, vendors, supporters, all stakeholders. Email templates can be used to provide a starting place for individual emails, to send a quick message to many customers via a quick campaign, or to send mass emails with the workflow. Organisational email templates are solution aware, and can easily be transported to another environment using the solution framework. In our hands-on lab, we had a chance to build both an Excel and Word templates.
102.7
From there, we learned about SharePoint. We explored different options available to integrate SharePoint with Dynamics 365. We learned about the steps to configure with SharePoint online, and the considerations for configuring with SharePoint on premise. We did a deep dive into SharePoint security, including configuration, setup, and storage considerations. Finally, we talked about how to specify SharePoint sites and folder locations, and our options to open, add, or edit a location. For our hands-on activity here, we built a place for our templates we had just created with Excel and Word. Once those documents were created, we placed them in our SharePoint.
148.1
We learned about the integration possibilities with Microsoft Teams. This integration requires some pre-work and requirement fulfilment, but can allow you to connect a record to a team channel, view and associate files, or use Dynamics 365 bot. We went through the steps for installing the Dynamics 365 app for Microsoft Teams, as well as configuring the Dynamics 365 bot. Finally, we practise integrating Dynamics 365 with Teams, and chatting with the Dynamics bot.
181.3
We went through additional possibilities for more integration. We learned about these other integrations and the powerful benefits they can provide if we utilise them. If your business is already using Skype for Business or Skype, you can take advantage of connectivity features, like click to call, or checking user availability from within Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement apps. We export the prerequisite client requirement, as well as some Dynamics 365 configuration. For OneNote administrators, we have enabled SharePoint in–
218.2
for those administrators who have enabled SharePoint integration, an additional benefit you will find is the ability to enable OneDrive. We learned about a few prerequisite requirements, and how to enable OneDrive for Business. With security on our mind, we talked about how to control access to OneDrive, and the limitations of what this integration can do.

In this week’s activities, we covered our office integrations, Word templates, Excel templates and Email templates.

The use of templates which can draw automatically from the Common Data Service (CDS) allows us to standardise, and thereby assure the quality of, our internal and external communications. It also enables team members to utilise this data without having to be knowledgable about Dynamics 365. In our associated hands-on lab, we had a chance to build both in Excel and Word templates.

As demonstrated consistently throughout the past two weeks, the purpose of most Dynamics 365 integrations is to utilise the CDS within the context of whichever application we are already working in.

Some integrations, such as that with Skype-for-Business, is aimed at allowing quick use of the existing data for the functions of the organisation. Others, such as the integrations demonstrated with Microsoft Teams, are a full-duplex system allowing data to be read from and added to the CDS, from within the context of Teams.

This article is from the free online

Dynamics 365: Implementing Power Platform Integrations

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now