Powering business efficiency: Power Platform Integration with Finance and Operations Apps

Understanding the licensing and capacity requirements

When you buy a license for any finance and operations app like Dynamics 365 Finance or Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, your account gets an extra 10 GB of Dataverse database storage. Additionally, with each user license you purchase, you get more database storage, as shown in the example from the Power Portal admin center.

Each license you purchase provides:

• One self-service sandbox environment

• One production environment in Lifecycle Services.

  This entitlement allows for the automatic creation of an initial Power Platform environment for each finance and operations apps environment. The initial Power Platform environment is created without Dataverse and uses 1 GB of database capacity to support apps built with Power Apps and flows built with Power Automate. When Power Platform integration is set up, a Dataverse database is added to the same environment, which typically consumes 3 GB or more of capacity. Additional sandbox environments purchased for use in Lifecycle Services do not include extra Dataverse database capacity. Therefore, customers needing Power Platform integration capabilities should consider purchasing add-on Dataverse database storage to meet their requirements.

Which tools will be at your disposal with the Power Platform integration?

Integrating Microsoft Power Platform with finance and operations apps opens up a range of powerful tools and services that enhance business processes. With this integration, virtual entities, dual-write, business events, and data events come together to form a powerful shared data layer, bridging the gap between finance and operations apps and the Dataverse platform. By leveraging these capabilities, organizations can achieve greater efficiency and insight into their operations. Let's explore each of these key tools and services one-by-one.

Virtual entities

Virtual entities allow you to access finance and operations data from Microsoft Power Platform or Dataverse apps. You can query the data, connect it to forms, and use all the features of Power Platform with your finance and operations apps. Instead of copying data between systems, it's accessed directly through the virtual entity infrastructure, which Power Platform can work with.

Business events

Business events allow you to use Microsoft Power Platform to react to actions happening in finance and operations apps. These events are triggered when a process with business logic is run in the app. Business events can come from any app, including finance and operations apps, and can be handled by Power Platform's business logic. This handling often involves querying or interacting with other data using either regular or virtual entities.

Data events

Data events, similar to business events, allow external applications to get notifications when something changes in the finance and operations apps. These events are triggered when a record in the app's data is created, updated, or deleted. When any of these changes occur, external systems can receive notifications and take action based on the updates.

Dual-write

In certain situations, data needs to be physically copied between finance and operations apps and native Dataverse entities. This is necessary when there are shared entities that already have a lot of built-in logic in both systems, meaning the data needs to exist in the local database of both apps. While there are not many of these shared entities, they include some of the most important ones, like Account/Customer, Company, Product, and Sales Order. To manage this, dual-write allows data to be copied in near real-time, ensuring both systems stay synchronized. This way, existing apps can keep working with their local data as intended, while also ensuring the overlapping data between the two systems remains up-to-date and in sync.

Heads up: Power Platform connection is irreversible

Once you connect or "link" your finance and operations apps environment to a Microsoft Dataverse instance, it’s a one-way process. This integration is done into the system infrastructure, and disconnecting the two could lead to irreversible data loss. So, it’s important to be fully confident before making this connection!

Embrace the future of AI-first development with Power Platform

No doubt, Microsoft Power Platform is empowering business to achieve far more than traditional automation. Now, with the integration of Copilot and autonomous agents, the platform is no longer just about process efficiency. It's transforming the digital landscape, helping organizations evolve into AI-first companies. By enabling faster innovation, smarter decision-making, and delivering greater customer value, Power Platform is at the forefront of business transformation. Explore how Microsoft Power Platform integration can streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation. At Confiz, we offer tailored solutions to help businesses fully leverage Power Platform tools and AI capabilities. Contact us at marketing@confiz.com to unlock your organization’s potential and drive success.