This step will introduce us to the use of templates within the certain Microsoft Office products, which allows us to automatically integrate data from the Common Data Service (CDS) in order to standardise our reporting and communication.

Users with appropriate access can create templates that draw from the Common Data Service, for the following environments

• Document/Word
• Excel
• Email

This allows for the standardisation of communications and reporting, from visual branding to accuracy and succinctness of quotations, to speeding up the generating of regular reports.

NB: When you generate documents, data is leaving the system. This means you no longer have control over it. None of these templates prevents users from updating the documents generated and manipulating the contents. If your compliance requires documents to be locked down, then a third-party tool for document generation will be necessary.

Word document templates

• Based on a single record
• Full Microsoft Word formatting available
• Not solution aware
• Leverage one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships

Excel templates

• Trigger based on a view
• Full Microsoft Excel formula & formatting available
• Not solution aware

Email templates

• Available for campaigns, individual emails, and workflow
• No spellchecker capability
• Solution aware

Document Template Security

Join the discussion

What is your team or organisation’s current process for standardisation of communications?

Use the discussion section below and let us know your thoughts. Try to respond to at least one other post and once you’re happy with your contribution, click the Mark as complete button to check the step off, then you can move to the next step.