A well-defined data maintenance strategy improves the quality and performance of your database and reduces storage costs. In part one of this series, we covered the roles and responsibilities of your data strategy team, tools for reviewing storage usage, and data management features in Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps that your strategy should include. We recommended that you start your planning by decommissioning unneeded sandbox environments in your tenant. In this post, we focus on creating a data retention strategy for tables as part of your overall storage maintenance strategy.

Create a data retention strategy for tables

After sandbox environments, tables have the greatest impact on total storage volume. Your data maintenance strategy should include a plan for how long to retain the data in specific tables, especially the largest ones—but don’t overlook smaller, easily manageable tables.

Review table storage by data category

In the Power Platform admin center capacity report for the production environment, drill down to the table details.

Identify the largest tables in your production environment. For each one, determine the members of your data strategy team who should be involved and an action based on the table’s data category. The following table provides an example analysis.

Consider whether table data needs to be stored

For each large table, continue your analysis with the following considerations:

• Current business use: Is the data used at all? For instance, was database logging turned on by accident or for a test that’s been completed?
• Retention per environment: Evaluate how long data should be in Dynamics 365 per environment. For instance, your admin might use 30 days of batch history in the production environment to look for trends but would be content with 7 days in a sandbox.
• Data life cycle after Dynamics 365: Can the data be purged? Should it be archived or moved to long-term storage?

With the results of your analysis, your data strategy team can determine a retention strategy for each table.

Implement your data retention strategy

With your data retention strategy in place, you can start implementing the actions you decided on—running standard cleanups, updating retention settings, configuring archive functions, or reaching out to your ISV or customization partner.

Keep in mind that implementing an effective strategy takes time. You need to test the effect of each action in a sandbox environment and coordinate with multiple stakeholders.

As you implement your strategy, here are some best practices to follow:

• Delete or archive data only after all stakeholders have confirmed that it’s no longer required.
• Consider the impact of the data life cycle on customizations, integrations, and reports.
• Choose the date range or the amount of data to target in each cleanup or archive iteration based on the expected duration and performance of the cleanup or archiving routine, as determined by testing in a sandbox.

Need more help?

Creating a data maintenance strategy for Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps is a complex and ongoing task. It requires a thorough analysis and collaboration among different roles and departments. For help or guidance, contact your Microsoft representative for a Dynamics 365 finance and operations storage capacity assessment.

Learn more

Not yet a Dynamics 365 customer? Take a tour and start a free trial.

The post Create a data maintenance strategy for Dynamics 365 finance and operations data (part two) appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Data maintenance—understanding what data needs to be stored where and for how long—can seem like an overwhelming task. Cleanup routines can help, but a good data maintenance strategy will make sure that you’re using your storage effectively and avoiding overages. Data management in Dynamics 365 isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Your strategy will depend on your organization’s implementation and unique data footprint. In this post, the first of a two-part series, we describe the tools and features that are available in Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps to help you create an effective storage maintenance plan. Part two focuses on implementing your plan.

Your data maintenance team

Data maintenance is often thought to be the sole responsibility of system admins. However, managing data throughout its life cycle requires collaboration from all stakeholders. Your data maintenance team should include the following roles:

• Business users. It goes without saying that users need data for day-to-day operations. Involving them in your planning helps ensure that removing old business data doesn’t interfere with business processes.
• BI and reporting team. This team comprehends reporting requirements. They can provide insights into what data is essential for operational reports and should be kept in live storage or can be exported to a data warehouse.
• Customization team. Customizations might rely on data that’s targeted by an out-of-the-box cleanup routine. Your customization partner or ISV should test all customizations and integrations before you run a standard cleanup in the production environment.
• Auditors and controllers. Even financial data doesn’t need to be kept indefinitely. The requirements for how long you need to keep posted data differ by region and industry. The controlling team or external auditors can determine when outdated data can be permanently purged.
• Dynamics 365 system admins. Involving your admins in data maintenance planning allows them to schedule cleanup batch jobs during times when they’re least disruptive. They can also turn on and configure new features.
• Microsoft 365 system admins.The finance and operations storage capacity report in the Power Platform admin center is helpful when you’re creating a data maintenance strategy, and these admins have access to it.

Tools for reviewing storage usage

After you assemble your team, the next step is to gather information about the size and footprint of your organization’s finance and operations data using the following tools:

• The finance and operations storage capacity report shows the storage usage and capacity of your Dynamics 365 environments down to the table level.
• Just-in-time database access allows you to access the database of a sandbox environment that has been recently refreshed from production. Depending on the storage actions you have set up or the time since the last database restore, the sandbox might not exactly match the production environment.

Features for managing storage

A comprehensive data maintenance strategy takes advantage of the data management features of Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps. The following features should be part of your plan.

Environment life cycle management is the process of creating, refreshing, and decommissioning sandbox environments according to your testing and development needs. Review your environments’ storage capacity and usage on the Finance and operations page of the capacity report.

Critically assess the environments and their usage and consider decommissioning sandboxes that you no longer need. For instance, if the system is post go-live, can you retire the training environment? Are performance tests less frequent and easier to run in the QA environment when users aren’t testing?

We highly recommend that you don’t skip the sandbox decommissioning discussion. Reducing the number of sandboxes has a far greater effect on total storage usage than any action that targets a specific table.

Cleanup routines are standard or custom functions that automatically delete temporary or obsolete data from the system.

Retention settings schedule automatic cleanup of certain data after a specified length of time. For example, document history includes a parameter that specifies the number of days to retain history. These cleanup routines might run as batch jobs or behind the scenes, invisible to admins.

Archiving functions move historical data to a separate storage location.

Compression routines reduce the size of data in storage. For example, the Compress payment tokens feature applies compression to stored payment property tokens.

Next step

In this post, we covered the roles and responsibilities of your data strategy team, tools for reviewing database storage, and data management features beyond cleanup routines. We suggested that you begin your planning process by reviewing your sandboxes. In part two, we discuss a strategy for specific tables and actions to take.

Learn more

Not yet a Dynamics 365 customer? Take a tour and start a free trial.

The post Create a data maintenance strategy for Dynamics 365 finance and operations data (part one) appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

In today’s digital-first environment, effective communication is crucial for maintaining strong business relationships and driving sales success. Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales enhances this aspect by integrating with the rich text editor, revolutionizing how professionals manage their email interactions. This blog delves into how the Copilot’s capabilities can simplify and refine the email drafting process, ensuring every message is crafted to engage and convert. 

Copilot integrates seamlessly with the rich text editor, providing a sophisticated platform for composing emails. This integration facilitates the use of AI-driven suggestions during the drafting process, enabling quick creation of precise and impactful communications. The combination of the Rich Text Editor’s user-friendly interface with Copilot’s intelligent recommendations bridges the gap between rapid email drafting and maintaining content quality.

AI-Powered drafting for enhanced precision and relevance

Copilot transforms email drafting into a more efficient and targeted process. Leveraging AI, it offers contextual suggestions based on the customer’s interaction history and previous communications. This not only speeds up the drafting process but also ensures that each email is personalized and relevant, significantly enhancing the quality and effectiveness of outbound communications.

Dynamic adjustments for tailored email interactions

Beyond basic drafting, the rich text editor equipped with Copilot allows for dynamic adjustments to emails. For example, fine-tuning aspects like language, tone, and style to better match the recipient’s expectations and the specific sales context. This adaptive functionality ensures that each email is crafted to maximize engagement and impact, fostering stronger customer connections and driving superior business results.

Advancing email communications with Copilot

The synergy between Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales and the rich text editor marks a significant advancement in how sales professionals handle email communications. By employing AI for both drafting and refining emails, sales teams can optimize their time on high-value sales activities. As businesses navigate the complexities of digital interactions, Copilot emerges as an indispensable tool, empowering sales organizations to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in their communication strategies.

Next steps

Read more on Copilot in D365 Sales email integration: 

Add the Copilot control to the rich text editor  

Use Copilot in the email rich text editor  

Add the rich text editor control to a model-driven app  

Manage feature settings – Power Platform   

Not a Dynamics 365 Sales customer yet? Take a guided tour and sign up for a free trial at Dynamics 365 Sales overview.   

The post Elevating email efficiency using Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales and the rich text editor  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

In today’s fast-paced sales landscape, prioritizing core selling activities over low-value tasks is crucial. Time spent on tasks that don’t directly contribute to sales represents missed opportunities to connect with prospects and close deals. With Dynamics 365 Sales, we’re committed to using AI to support sellers in focusing their time on what truly matters: forging meaningful connections, establishing trust, and nurturing long-term relationships to increase their sales productivity. Copilot empowers sellers to achieve greater results with less effort, enhancing your sales organization’s effectiveness. We’re happy to share that the following features are releasing this month.

Copilot chat Q&A in Dynamics 365 Sales

Copilot chat with Q&A transforms how sellers access data in your customer relationship management (CRM) system. Instead of building complicated queries or manually searching for information, sellers can ask questions using natural language. They can access vital information immediately, allowing them to focus on high-value activities like engaging customers and closing deals. The result is more time for meaningful interactions, potentially leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

Natural-language Q&A is particularly valuable in fast-paced sales environments, ensuring quick, informed actions. This feature elevates customer interactions, positioning teams for higher sales productivity. Its impact extends beyond convenience, shaping the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales process.

Sales-specific chat experience  

One of the key features of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales is that the chat experience is specific to the sales process. Sellers can use common sales terms and phrases to ask questions and get answers from the CRM system, without having to navigate through complex menus or screens. This saves time and effort for sellers, allowing them to focus on their customers and prospects.

Some of the sales terms that Copilot understands are conversion rate, deal cycle, pipeline, deal size, win rate, and deal value. Sellers and managers can use these terms to query various aspects of the sales process, like the performance of individual sellers, teams, or regions, the progress of opportunities, and the trends and forecasts of sales outcomes. Copilot can also handle complex queries with multiple terms, filters, and aggregations.

For example, you can ask Copilot:

• “Show the opportunity conversion rate for the last 4 quarters by quarter.”
• “What’s the win rate for Kenny Smith?”
• “What is the average deal size for successful opportunities?”

These examples illustrate how Copilot can help sellers access relevant information from your CRM system in a natural and intuitive way, using sales-specific terms in a chat experience. Copilot chat Q&A enhances your sales team’s productivity and efficiency and their ability to meaningfully engage with customers and prospects.

Your CRM data is always secure

Copilot respects the security and user access privilege settings of your CRM system. This means that if a seller doesn’t have permission to view or edit certain records, those records aren’t included in Copilot’s responses. For example, if you ask Copilot about the pipeline value for a region that you aren’t assigned to, Copilot informs you that you don’t have sufficient privileges to view the requested data. This ensures that Copilot maintains the integrity and confidentiality of your CRM data while providing insights and recommendations. 

Immersive Copilot workspace

We are also launching the public preview of a new immersive Copilot experience in Dynamics 365 Sales. An expanded workspace enhances focus on productive conversations with Copilot, while real-time insights and effortless natural language chat functionality help sellers efficiently manage sales activities, nurture customer relationships, and drive sales success. Seamless access to insights from CRM data simplifies prioritizing actions and smarter decision-making. 

The immersive experience works in sync with the Copilot chat pane. Start a conversation in the immersive workspace, select a record, and continue the conversation in the Copilot chat. The coherent experience makes it easy to navigate in the app without losing context. 

Use the immersive workspace

The immersive experience is in preview so that we can make improvements based on your valuable feedback. To use the immersive experience in your environment, you’ll need to turn on preview features for Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales. In the Sales Hub app, Copilot is automatically added to the site map under My Work. If you use a custom app, add the Copilot page to your app’s site map. To enter the immersive workspace, select My Work > Copilot.

Transform your sales processes with Copilot

Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales helps your sellers save time and stay focused on the things that really matter. They get the information they need faster with less context switching, making their day-to-day activities more efficient and boosting your team’s overall sales productivity.

Next steps

Learn more about Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales

Turn on and set up Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales 

Not yet a Dynamics 365 Sales user? Sign up for a free trial today.

The post Transform seller effectiveness with Dynamics 365 Sales Copilot appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Sellers are often faced with situations where they need to sift through a lot of information to find the one piece they need. There are often extensive knowledge bases where sellers need to search for information, and lots of precious time is lost in the process.  

We are here to help with that! 

With our new features outlined below, sellers can access relevant sales information from SharePoint through the Copilot chat interface in Dynamics 365 Sales. 

By automating the extraction of critical insights from sales documents, Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales frees up valuable time for sales teams to focus on nurturing leads, closing deals, and delivering exceptional customer experiences. With Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales, businesses can streamline their sales processes, gain deeper customer insights, and ultimately drive greater revenue growth. Copilot in D365 Sales empowers sales teams to work smarter, not harder, and achieve unparalleled efficiency in their daily operations. 

Contextual content recommendations

With this feature, the system seamlessly reads the CRM context, and intelligently recommends relevant product and account-related files. For example, sellers are provided with content recommendations regarding the products added to opportunities. From PDFs to Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, the Copilot pane in D365 Sales provides instant access to the most pertinent sales materials, empowering sales reps to make informed decisions and deliver personalized experiences to customers. This could include sales pitch decks, account strategy collaterals, product brochures and training materials that are made available to sellers. As a result, sales interactions are tailored and impactful, driving stronger customer engagement and business growth. 

Users effortlessly access contextual file recommendations in Copilot in D365 Sales by selecting from the sparkle icon (marked in the image below) or typing queries in their preferred language. Sorted by relevance, the latest files and most popular results appear first. Files can be viewed, downloaded, or shared via email, ensuring seamless collaboration. Additionally, users can specify keywords for targeted searches, enhancing efficiency while upholding data security. Copilot in D365 Sales respects user permissions, displaying only accessible SharePoint files. 

SharePoint Q&A

Sellers can now easily navigate through sales documents and literature by simply asking questions. Leveraging Azure OpenAI technology, Copilot in D365 Sales swiftly scans through data and literature, summarizing pertinent information from SharePoint documents. This seamless integration empowers sellers to swiftly access insights, enhancing productivity and enabling quick, informed responses to customer inquiries. 

In Copilot in D365 Sales, accessing answers is seamlessly integrated with your SharePoint documents. Simply type your question in the Copilot pane using natural language and hit Enter – no need to navigate through any of your files and folders! For instance, inquire about warranty periods or prices directly. Copilot initiates a search in SharePoint. Should the answer reside in one or more files in SharePoint, Copilot offers a concise response alongside links to relevant documents, ensuring comprehensive insights are just a click away. 

Next steps

Increasing your sales team’s efficiency could be as simple as having all the information just a click away! 

To get started with this new capability: 

Use Copilot to get content recommendations and answers from SharePoint

Not a Dynamics 365 Sales customer yet? Take a guided tour and sign up for a free trial at Dynamics 365 Sales overview. 

AI solutions built responsibly. 

Enterprise grade data privacy at its core. Azure OpenAI offers a range of privacy features, including data encryption and secure storage. It allows users to control access to their data and provides detailed auditing and monitoring capabilities. Copilot is built on Azure OpenAI, so enterprises can rest assured that it offers the same level of data privacy and protection.  

Responsible AI by design. We are committed to creating responsible AI by design. Our work is guided by a core set of principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. We are putting those principles into practice across the company to develop and deploy AI that will have a positive impact on society.  

The post Copilot in D365 Sales boosts efficiency with content recommendations and Q&A   appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.