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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

How to integrate with Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations Part -5

 14) Azure Synapse Link for Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse is Microsoft’s next-generation data export and analytics integration tool, replacing the legacy Export to Data Lake feature.

It allows you to export data from Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and/or Azure Synapse Analytics — providing low-cost, high-performance storage for analytical workloads.


The setup is straightforward: from the Power Platform Synapse Link tab, you can easily select the F&O entities and tables to be linked for export.




⚙️ How Synapse Link Works

The Synapse Link data export process operates similarly to the old Export to Data Lake feature — but with significant improvements.

You now benefit from:

  • ✅ Efficient Parquet and Delta file formats for faster data processing

  • 🔁 Continuous replication, ensuring near real-time synchronization

  • 🤝 Seamless collaboration with other Microsoft analytical tools inside Synapse Analytics

Once data is replicated from F&O, you can perform advanced analytics and machine learning projects within Synapse Analytics — combining data from multiple sources.
These results can then be consumed in Power BI dashboards, or integrated further using Synapse pipelines and Fabric experiences.

🧩 Custom Tables and Limitations

Not all F&O tables are available in the Synapse Link configuration by default.
If you don’t see your custom tables, enable the “Row version change tracking” property on your table — this usually makes it appear in the available list.

The data export process uses modern Parquet and Delta formats, ensuring high-speed performance and efficient storage in the data lake.

✅ Advantages

  • ⚡ High-performance, efficient storage for analytics using Delta Lake

  • 🔁 Continuous data synchronization with Parquet/Delta formats

  • 📦 Common Data Model (CDM) support

  • 🔍 Full access to Synapse Analytics tools for data exploration and transformation

❌ Disadvantages

  • 🔄 One-way integration — designed for analytical projects, not transactional data sync


15) Link to Microsoft Fabric (Preview)

Microsoft Fabric is the newest evolution in Microsoft’s analytics and integration ecosystem — a next-generation platform that builds upon Synapse Link for Dataverse.

It enhances data analytics, business intelligence, and integration capabilities by linking Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (F&O) data directly to Fabric.

Unlike Synapse Link, the Link to Microsoft Fabric option doesn’t require copying data into an external data lake. Instead, it creates data source shortcuts and caches data internally in high-performance and efficient formats only when needed.

Once connected, you can leverage the latest Fabric capabilities — including Fabric Data Factory, Power BI DirectLake, and OneLake — to create powerful, unified data experiences.

⚙️ How It Works

The linking process is currently done via the same Synapse Link tab in the Power Platform, but instead of selecting Synapse, you choose the Microsoft OneLake option.

By default, it automatically links all Dataverse tables, including those synced from F&O.

Rather than creating additional Azure Data Lake storage, Fabric reuses Dataverse storage and OneLake caching for analytics and integrations.

You can even connect existing Azure Synapse Links with Fabric to access its new tools, such as:

  • 🔄 Fabric Data Pipelines

  • ⚡ Power BI DirectLake mode

  • 🔍 Real-time data analytics within the unified Fabric workspace

💰 Pricing

Microsoft Fabric operates on a capacity-based pricing model, available either as pay-as-you-go or reserved capacity.

  • The lowest available SKU is F2, but it offers limited performance.

  • For most small to medium ERP analytics or integration workloads, F16 or F32 are the recommended tiers — though they come with higher costs.

At the time of writing, Link to Fabric remains in preview, and Microsoft continues to evolve its capabilities.

✅ Advantages

  • 🚀 Future-proof platform for BI, analytics, and data integration

  • ⚡ Real-time data access and processing

  • ☁️ No additional data storage required

  • 🔗 Use F&O data seamlessly with Fabric tools such as Data Factory pipelines and Power BI DirectLake

❌ Disadvantages

  • 💡 Can be overkill for small to medium integration scenarios


16) Dynamics Finance and Operations MCP Server

MCP servers (Microsoft Copilot Plug-ins) are standardized interfaces for AI platforms, enabling AI agents such as Microsoft Copilot to interact with external business systems.

The Finance & Operations MCP Server allows Copilot — and other MCP-compatible AI agents — to access a limited set of F&O business logic tools directly from ERP data and processes.

Currently, the server provides access to 13 built-in tools, but they are not extensible and do not allow direct F&O data access yet.

⚙️ Setup and Usage

Adding the F&O MCP Server to Copilot is simple:
Just select “Dynamics 365 ERP MCP” from the list of available tools when configuring your agent.

At the moment, Microsoft hasn’t released official documentation for connecting it to third-party AI platforms — though that’s expected in future updates.

If you need an F&O MCP server with more tools and possibilities, you either need to wait until this one gets improved or use third-party F&O MCP server options available on the internet.

✅ Advantages

  • 🧠 Enables Copilot integration with F&O business logic

  • 🤝 Easy configuration inside Microsoft Copilot Studio

❌ Disadvantages

  • 🚫 No direct access to F&O data (yet)

  • ⚙️ Limited number of tools currently available

  • 🧱 Tools and functionality are not extensible

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