Enable and Configure Dual-write in Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O
Integrating data between Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations and Dataverse can seem complex, but with Dual-write, it’s much more manageable. Dual-write is a feature that syncs data in real-time, so updates in one system instantly reflect in the other. This means no more manual data transfers, no more inconsistencies—just smooth, automated data flow between your ERP and CRM apps. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Make Sure You’re Ready
Before you dive in, you need to check a few things:
✔️ Finance and Operations apps must be on version 10.0.9 with platform update 33 or later
✔️ Customer Engagement (CE) apps must be on platform version 9.1.0000.11732 or later
✔️ F&O and CE apps must be deployed in the same Microsoft Azure datacenter
✔️ Make sure that at least 1 GB is available of Microsoft Power Platform Dataverse storage capacity
✔️ You need admin access to both F&O and Power Platform to make the necessary changes
Step 2: Enable Power Platform Integration in LCS
If Dual-write through Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services is not enabled yet, you need to set it up.
Be aware: this process is irreversible!
1️⃣ Log into Lifecycle Services (LCS): Visit https://lcs.dynamics.com and sign in with your administrator credentials.
2️⃣ Open your F&O environment: Select the environment you want to integrate with Power Platform.
3️⃣ On the Environment Details page, expand the Power Platform Integration section.
4️⃣ Enable Dual-write: Click “Dual-write application”, review the terms and conditions, and then select Configure.
5️⃣ You can track progress by refreshing the Environment Details page. Setup takes around 30 minutes. Once complete, a message confirms success or displays an error that must be resolved before proceeding.
6️⃣ Select Link to Power Platform environment to create a link between Dataverse and the current environment’s database. It typically takes less than 5 minutes to create the link.
Once linking is complete, a hyperlink titled Enable Dual-write Connection appears. You can use it to access the Dual-write in F&O and set up entity mappings.
Step 3: Get Dual-write templates
Before configuring dual-write mappings in F&O, using Microsoft’s provided templates where possible can save significant time, as setting them up from scratch can be time-consuming. These templates cover many data entities, but you always have the flexibility to modify them or configure them from scratch if needed.
1️⃣ Log into the Microsoft AppSource: Go to https://appsource.microsoft.com/
2️⃣ Search for Dual-write: Type “Dual-write” in the search bar and press Enter. For this purpose, I will get only the Dual-write Core solution, but you can add more solutions based on your needs.
3️⃣ Select the Solutions and click “Get it now”.
4️⃣ Confirm your details to continue and click “Get it now”.
5️⃣ You will be redirected to the Power Platform Admin Center, where you should select the environment in which you want to install the solution.
6️⃣After selecting your environment, you need to accept the terms and proceed with the installation.
7️⃣Once installed, you should see it under Dynamics 365 Apps in the Power Platform Admin Center.
Step 4: Set Up Table Mapping in F&O
Now comes the important part — mapping your data. This step tells Dual-write which fields in F&O match with which fields in Dataverse. Before proceeding with table mappings, we should first apply the solution we just installed.
1️⃣ Open Dual-write form: In F&O, go to Workspaces > Data management > Dual-write
2️⃣ Choose “Apply solution”: The solutions we previously got from Microsoft AppSource will be listed there.
3️⃣ Once the installation is complete, you will receive a notification confirming its success, and you should be able to see the table mappings you just installed.
4️⃣ Check the mappings: you can add or remove fields as needed. Keep in mind that during Dual-write integration, data is stored in Dataverse, so syncing only the necessary columns can help manage storage limitations effectively.
5️⃣ Run an initial sync to sync existing data with Dataverse.
6️⃣Check the synchronization status to ensure there are no errors.
You can choose between different mapping types to determine the type of integration you want for specific columns.
Step 5: Check Dataverse tables
1️⃣ Log into the Power Apps: Go to https://make.powerapps.com/
2️⃣ Select your environment: In the Environments dropdown, select the environment that syncs with F&O and open it.
3️⃣ Navigate to “Tables” from the menu on the left.
4️⃣ Search for the table – If you don’t see the table, ensure you are searching in All tables.
5️⃣ Check the data: Open the table to check the data. You can manage visible fields from columns and data options.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: Microsoft templates are missing in Apply Solution section
Solution: Verify in Power Platform Admin Center that all required solutions are installed correctly
Issue: Can’t open table mapping
Solution: Ensure you have admin access to both F&O and Power Platform
Issue: Unable to write data to entity when saving changes
Solution: Check if all integration keys in the Dual-write section of F&O have been properly set up
Issue: Data isn’t syncing properly
Solution: Review field mappings, verify that required fields exist in both systems, and check for missing dependencies
Time to Take Action
Setting up Dual-write in Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O and Dataverse makes data integration effortless. By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure real-time data synchronization between ERP and CRM applications, improving efficiency and collaboration across teams.
You can use Dual-write to integrate data with Microsoft Fabric, as Fabric includes Dataverse connectors. This can help you replace your old BYOD with Fabric for a more efficient solution.
Have you configured Dual-write before? What challenges did you face? Let me know in the comments!
Certified Microsoft dynamics 365 finance and operations(Technical consultant)
7moVery informative