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Hundreds of new features are coming to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform starting with an April 2019 release, giving users of the ERP, CRM and app building applications more capabilities and customization options for their work.
Many of the features, which will arrive between April to September, were highlighted in a Jan. 21 post by Mo Osbourne, the corporate vice president and chief operating officer for the business applications engineering department at Microsoft, on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.
“The April ’19 release includes hundreds of new enhancements and capabilities across Dynamics 365 applications including Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Portals, Field Service, Project Service Automation, Finance and Operations, Talent, Retail, and Business Central,” wrote Osbourne. “We’re also adding a new set of mixed reality experiences using Microsoft Layout and Microsoft Remote Assist.”
Included in the updates will be a wider range of artificial intelligence capabilities to help organizations make beneficial changes to their customer service, sales and marketing operations, she wrote.
Power Platform, which is an app building platform that allows businesses to build apps quickly and gain data insights, will get new capabilities that will combine Power BI, PowerApps, Microsoft Flow and the Common Data Service to give users improved tools to extend, customize and integrate Dynamics 365 and Office 365 into business environments, she wrote. “The April ’19 release provides major improvements to enable business analysts and makers to build higher-quality reports, apps, and workflows more easily, while still supporting more advanced enterprise and administrator requirements.”
Key Milestone
A key milestone of the April 2019 release is that it is the first major update where all Microsoft customers across Dynamics 365 will be on the latest version of the application and will have a consistent update schedule, wrote Osbourne. “It’s also a template of how major updates will be done going forward in April and October every year.”
The preview of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 application will launch on Feb. 1, followed by a release notes update on Feb. 21. A virtual launch event is slated for April 2, while general availability of the application will come on April 5, according to the schedule announced by the company.
Release notes for the upcoming product reveal improved and easier onboarding procedures, sales integration enhancements, improved scheduling, finance journal improvements and much more.
Another major improvement in the upcoming release is improved data integration with built-in connectivity to the Power Platform and hundreds of other business systems, wrote Osbourne. “The Common Data Model provides semantic consistency for canonical business entities across Dynamics 365 and Common Data Service, increasing value and saving time for application developers, ISV partners, and integrators,” she wrote. “We’ve done this work to help you—our partners, customers, and users—drive the digital transformation of your business on your terms. We’re looking forward to engaging with you as you put these new services and capabilities to work, and we’re eager to hear your feedback as you dig into the April ’19 release.”
Users can share their feedback on the changes and updates on community forums for Dynamics 365 or Power Platform.