Data Management Framework (DMF) in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is a tool for managing data import, export, and migration processes. The DMF offers a flexible and customizable solution for managing data, and it is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to technical users.

In Part 1 of the series, we introduced the DMF and provided an overview of its features and capabilities. We also discussed the importance of data management in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and how the DMF can help organizations streamline their data management processes. DMF provides several functionalities that can be applied in both implementation and supporting phased of D365FO.

The following anatomy is delivered as main functionality of DMF to In order to better understand functions get a comprehensive overview:

In Part 2, we focused on DMF parameters, which allow users to configure various settings to optimize their data management processes. The parameters covered in this part of the series include:

• Ensuring connectivity of the DMF service to remote server.
• Importing or exporting data with duplicates or to ignore errors.
• Using the ‘Enhanced view’ for a better overview of entities, sequences, disabled status, filters, skip staging, and refresh type.
• Setting the maximum number of legal companies that can be involved in copy into legal entity projects.

By configuring these parameters, users can ensure that their data management processes are streamlined and optimized to meet their specific business requirements.

In Part 3, we discussed the importance of setting up DMF security roles for users who will be working with the tool. This helps to secure data projects and ensure that users can only access and work with authorized data entities within those groups. By restricting access to specific processing groups, you can effectively control which data entities users are authorized to work with.

Setting up roles for processing groups in DMF is a crucial step in effectively utilizing this powerful tool. This ensures that your users have the necessary permissions to work with the required data projects, while also maintaining the security and integrity of your data.

In Part 4, we discussed data templates which are a combination of data entities with a logical sequence that can be used for export and copy purposes. Data templates can be particularly useful when you need to export data from the system in a specific order to meet certain requirements, such as ensuring that dependent entities are exported before their parent entities, creating filters, and disabling mapping of specific fields for entities.

There are different scenarios in which you can use data templates, such as:

• Golden config: This data template contains data entities with a logical sequence required for configuring and setting up new companies in the solution. It can be used when creating a new legal entity in D365FO and you need to update the company with the required configuration and setup.

• Module-based: This data template includes data entities for configuration with a logical sequence for a specific module. It can be used to update a company with a specific setup per module when needed.

• Priority: This data template can be used for export purposes based on frequency or refresh type. For example, you can create several data templates for BYOD to export data to Azure SQL database based on entities’ priority.

In Part 5, we explored how to access and modify the default data templates provided by Microsoft in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, which can be loaded via Data Management > Template > Load default templates or LCS > Shared asset library > Data package. These standard templates contain commonly used entities arranged in a logical sequence to simplify the process of exporting data from the system.

Custom data templates can also be created or modified to match your business needs, reducing the time and effort required to export or copy data across legal entities. It is important to periodically review and update the templates to ensure they remain aligned with any changes in the system or business requirements.

In conclusion, DMF is a powerful tool in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations designed to be applied for data migration. Understanding its key features can facilitate the data migration process and improve effectiveness of its implementation and supporting phases.

I hope this post has provided useful information on DMF functionalities. Please feel free to use the ‘Leave a Reply’ feature to share any related questions or feedback.