The October 2019 release of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations is introducing a rather impactful new feature for the Common Data Service.

The software now has Dual Write functionality as an out-of-the-box feature, allowing for writing to both the Finance and Operations database as well as to the Common Data Service entity. Theoretically, this feature should allow for a seamless integration between Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and the other Microsoft Dynamics 365 products, such as Customer Engagement. This feature seems to be a major step toward having tight integration between Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and the other Microsoft Dynamics 365 products, which historically has had a few pain points due to the different platforms in which the services are hosted.

Since the Dynamics 365 product released, integrating Finance and Operations with other Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications has required a significant amount of extra development and configuration time. Finance and Operations getting the native ability to write to the Common Data Service will bridge the gap between the two platforms, making Finance and Operations more accessible to the other Common Data Service applications. This achieves a better alignment with Microsoft’s vision of having “one Dynamics 365” and removing some of the barriers to using the different applications for their respective strengths with minimal extra deployment costs.

Seemingly, this addition has the potential for easier integrations with PowerApps, especially when data is shared among multiple Microsoft Dynamics 365 systems. This tighter integration with Common Data Services opens the door to using Common Data Services as a platform for standalone apps that need to share data with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 suite.

Have any questions about the new D365FO Dual Write feature? Please contact us at any time!