Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales with Copilot AI

 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales with Copilot AI 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales integrates Copilot AI to bring intelligent automation directly into CRM workflows. Built on Azure OpenAI Service, Dataverse, and Microsoft Graph, Copilot uses CRM data, emails, and meetings to deliver real-time sales insights securely.

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Key Copilot Capabilities

AI-Driven Productivity

Copilot generates sales emails, summarizes meetings, and creates follow-up actions using opportunity and account context—reducing manual CRM updates.

Natural Language Insights

Users can ask questions like “Show my top deals this quarter”, and Copilot securely queries Dataverse to return actionable insights.

Opportunity & Pipeline Summaries

Copilot highlights deal risks, missing activities, and pipeline health to help sales teams focus on high-priority opportunities.

Security & Governance

Copilot respects Dataverse security roles, tenant boundaries, and Microsoft’s Responsible AI framework. Customer data is not used to train AI models.

Conclusion

Dynamics 365 Sales with Copilot transforms CRM from a data entry system into an AI-assisted sales platform, improving productivity, insight, and user adoption.

Implementation Plan for Power Pages Portal with Login.gov Authentication

 

Register Your Application with Login.gov

• Go to https://secure.login.gov/organizations and register your Power Pages site. Get Client ID, Redirect URI, and Secret Key.

Enable Login.gov in Power Pages

• Navigate to Power Pages > Authentication.
• Click Set up an Identity Provider → Select OpenID Connect.
• Configure it with the details from Login.gov:
  • Authority: https://secure.login.gov
  • Client ID: From Login.gov
  • Redirect URI: Your Power Pages portal URL
  • Scopes: openid email profile
• Save & enable authenticatio

ATO Process Overview in Federal Space

The Authorization to Operate (ATO) process in the federal government is a crucial step in ensuring that information systems meet specific security and compliance requirements before they can be used. Achieving an ATO involves several stages, including risk management, documentation, and review. Here is a brief summary of the ATO process and how to achieve it:

ATO Process Overview

1. Initiation

   • Identify System and Boundaries: Define the information system and its boundaries, including hardware, software, and data.
   • Categorize System: Determine the impact level of the system based on its confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) using FIPS 199 and NIST SP 800-60.

2. Security Planning

   • Develop Security Plan: Document the security controls and processes that will be implemented to protect the system. Use NIST SP 800-53 for selecting appropriate security controls.
   • Assign Roles and Responsibilities: Designate key personnel such as the Information System Owner (ISO), Information System Security Officer (ISSO), and Authorizing Official (AO).

3. Implementation

   • Implement Security Controls: Apply the selected security controls to the information system.
   • Document Implementation: Record how each control is implemented and how it addresses the identified risks.

4. Assessment

   • Security Assessment: Conduct a security assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the security controls. This can be done internally or by an independent third party.
   • Assess Security Controls: Use NIST SP 800-53A to guide the assessment process.

5. Authorization

   • Prepare Authorization Package: Compile the Security Plan, Security Assessment Report (SAR), and Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M).
   • AO Review: The Authorizing Official reviews the package to determine if the risk is acceptable.
   • Grant ATO: If the AO finds the risk acceptable, they grant the ATO. If not, additional mitigation steps may be required.

6. Continuous Monitoring

   • Monitor Security Controls: Continuously monitor the security controls to ensure they remain effective.
   • Update Documentation: Keep the security plan, SAR, and POA&M updated to reflect any changes or new risks.

Achieving ATO with Azure Tools

1. Planning and Preparation

   • Azure Blueprints: Use Azure Blueprints to define a repeatable set of Azure resources that implement and adhere to an organization’s standards, patterns, and compliance requirements.
   • Compliance Manager: Utilize Azure Compliance Manager to assess and manage compliance workflows.

2. Implementing Security Controls

   • Azure Security Center: Deploy and configure Azure Security Center to enhance security posture, manage threat protection, and ensure compliance with policies.
   • Azure Policy: Define and enforce organizational policies using Azure Policy to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.

3. Assessment and Documentation

   • Azure Sentinel: Use Azure Sentinel for security information and event management (SIEM) to monitor and assess security controls.
   • Azure Monitor: Implement Azure Monitor for logging, monitoring, and diagnostics.

4. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

   • Azure Log Analytics: Use Azure Log Analytics to analyze logs and provide insights for continuous monitoring.
   • Update and Maintain: Regularly update and maintain all documentation in Azure DevOps or a similar tool for version control and collaboration.

Key Considerations

• Compliance Standards: Ensure compliance with federal standards such as FedRAMP, FISMA, and NIST.
• Documentation: Maintain thorough and accurate documentation throughout the process.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Engage all relevant stakeholders, including system owners, security officers, and authorizing officials, early and throughout the process.
• Training and Awareness: Provide training for personnel on security controls and compliance requirements.

By following these steps and utilizing Azure tools effectively, federal agencies can achieve and maintain ATO, ensuring their information systems are secure and compliant with federal regulations.

Use of Microsoft 365 authentication with the WS-Trust security protocol

 

Use of Microsoft 365 authentication with the WS-Trust security protocol

References:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/important-changes-coming#deprecation-of-office365-authentication-type-and-organizationserviceproxy-class-for-connecting-to-dataverse

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/developer/data-platform/authenticate-office365-deprecation

“Use of the WS-Trust authentication security protocol when connecting to Common Data Service is no longer recommended and has been deprecated”

Documented Details of detection and Guidance

• Mostly this documentation explains what the code\auth looks like that uses WS-Trust

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/developer/data-platform/authenticate-office365-deprecation

 

CRM Dynamics 365 Unified Interface April 2020

CRM Dynamics 365 Unified Interface April 2020

Upgraded to CRM Dynamics 365.

Upgraded to CRM Dynamics 365.
Looking forward for the next major release Dynamics 365 V9.0

CRM Dynamics 365 - Coming Jun 2017

CRM Dynamics 2016 and Sharepoint List integration

CRM Dynamics 2016 and Sharepoint List integration

CRM 2015 Online April 2016

We recently moved from our on premise CRM 2013 version to CRM 2015 online version.
This was a complex data migration project.
Integration Architecture utilizing Azure services.

CRM 2015 online this Fall 2015 with Ping Federation and Mobile capabilities.

Moving on to CRM 2015 online this fall 2015 with Ping Federation and Mobile capabilities.

Moved from CRM 2011 to CRM 2013 May 2015

We are Onpremise CRM 2013 now Plans to go CRM Online soon.....

In Convergence Atlanta 2015 - March 16th to 20th 2015

Enjoyed the Keynote speak by Sathya Nadella in Convergence conference March 16 2015.

Register for Convergence 2015 in Atlanta

Register for Convergence 2015 in Atlanta

http://www.microsoft.com/en/convergence/atlanta15/#fbid=fkiSo22thk-

DR (Diaster Recovery) Environment set up for Production CRM 2011 System

Cloning the production servers and changing the names of the CRM servers is not going to be the best method for creating a DR environment for  CRM deployment as the CRM servers cannot be cloned under different names. 

There are two options, one is to create a completely separate CRM environment at which point databases are restore and CRM can be reinstalled to if needed.  The other is a standby environment where CRM is already installed to the DR app servers and you’d only need to move SQL server.  This blog post discusses both opotions: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/6404.dynamics-crm-4-0-disaster-recovery.aspx

Our option was to  Restore Database onto a stand-by environment  Here the DR CRM app servers are ready to go, to use it the SQL databases would need to be restored and the Database Connection would need to be updated.

The Restore Databases and Join servers to existing organization option, this creates an entirely separate DR CRM Deployment.  When the time comes to switch to DR, the databases would need to be restore, edited, and CRM installed to existing databases.

The Microsoft CRM Email Router service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they are not in use by other services or programs.

by Polat Aydın

When  you  start your email router service and you get an error like this:

The Microsoft CRM Email Router service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they are not in use by other services or programs.

Please delete this file.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft CRM\Email\Service\Microsoft.Crm.Tools.EmailAgent.SystemState.xml

After deleting the file , you can start your emailrouter service and system will create this xml again.

Updating CRM database from external SQL table - Money and Time field update

attribute.Key.ToString()  -- is the CRM attribute name
row[attribute.Value]   -- The External SQL table value

For money
  if (attribute.Key.ToString() == "derivedproposaltotal" )
                               {
                                 
                                   decimal mymoney = Convert.ToDecimal(row[attribute.Value].ToString());
                                   entity[attribute.Key.ToString()] = new Money(mymoney);

                               }


For Time
   if (attribute.Key.ToString() == "derivedawarddate" )
                               {


                                   string mySourceString, myDateString;
                                   mySourceString = row[attribute.Value].ToString();
                                   myDateString = string.Concat(mySourceString.Substring(0, 10), "T", mySourceString.Substring(11, 8));
                                   entity[attribute.Key.ToString()] = DateTime.Parse(myDateString);

                                 
                               }

Bringing data from External System into CRM 2011

I am in the process of bringing data from External System into CRM 2011.
Updating  the CRM database from an external SQL table.
Using CRM SDK.

2014 Convergence in Atlanta

The Convergence 2014 conference was informative and good. Attached find the 2014 Roadmap for Microsoft Dynamics CRM from the Keynote session.

Highlights:

·         Netbreeze or Social Listening in CRM

·         Parature Integrated with CRM

·         Microsoft Dynamics Marketing –MDM module in CRM

Some highlights from the sessions that I had attended:

CRM 2013 results

150,000 concurrent users

2.5 Tera Bytes of data

5110 business units

24,105,600 Business transactions/day

240 micro seconds/read

77 micro seconds/write

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42037

Dynamics CRM 2011 and 2013 useful Tools and Features

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/crminthefield/archive/2014/03/04/dynamics-crm-2011-and-2013-useful-tools-and-features.aspx

No more extension table in 2013 (base and extension table merged together)

http://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/crmvideos/archive/2013/11/05/microsoft-dynamics-crm-2013-setup-and-upgrade-new-features-base-and-extension-table-merge.aspx

I also met with couple of Microsoft Premier support engineers whom I work with.

Shawn Dieken

Sean Mcnellis

This is blog from their team has some good information on it.

http://blogs.msdn.com/crminthefield

Are you attending convergence 2014 in Atlanta?

Are you attending convergence 2014 in Atlanta?
I am planning to attend it.

New Development Environment CRM 2011 from Production Enviroment

Building a new development environment from Production.
Steps taken.

• Setup Server with Recommended configuration
• Installed CRM 2011
• Move customization from Production to Development
• User mapping from production to Development
• Integration part with other systems involves

   Create update Plugin for Bidsheet
   SSIS package for transfer of data from Finance system into CRM
   Moved all report database to the development environment
   Portal configuration which connect to CRM for RFP routing
   SharePoint Custom Workflow