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Dynamics 365
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Tutorial - Integrating Dynamics 365 with Data Sync

Synchronising Data to Dynamics CRM

Prerequisites

  1. Follow the tutorial Connecting to a CSV File to connect Data Source A to a CSV file.
  2. Connect Data Source B to Dynamics CRM using one of the connection options Connecting to Dynamics CRM.

Once connected you should see a list of the fields from the source in the schema map, but the destination columns will read <NONE> as we have yet to connect them together. In this example we have connected to the contacts entity in Dynamics CRM.

Leaving a destination column mapped to NONE is a common error.

If you attempt to compare or synchronise while a destination field is still set to NONE, Data Sync will display an error.

It is always good practice to check you do not have a NONE field before comparing.

Mapping the Source to the Destination

Fields can be mapped to the target in several ways:

  1. Map by dragging and dropping the required Data Source B field onto the destination column in the schema map tab.

Drag and Drop Mapping

  1. Map the columns by using the drop-down in the destination column which will contain all of the possible fields to connect to.

Dropdown Mapping

Make sure you select a key column to act as a unique identifier. In this example we are using the email address as a way to uniquely identify a contact.

Once you have completed the mapping it will look something like this:

Completed Schema Map

NB. email has been used as the key in this example but care must be taken as this may not always be unique.

Compare the Source and Destination

The source and destination can be compared by selecting 'Compare A -> B' on the toolbar.

Compare A to B

This will load the data from the csv file and the contact entity and perform a reconciliation to identify any missing or changed items in the target. The reconciliation results will be displayed in the compare results panel.

Compare Results

Clicking on the green + will show a preview of the rows to be added.

Compare Add Results

Unchecking a set of results will mean that they will not be included in the synchronisation. In the example below the records to be deleted are not included:

Unchecking Removes From Sync

Delete is disabled by defualt. When you first connect to a destination, Data Sync automatically sets the EnableDelete setting in the provider to false to make sure no items in the destination system can be delted by accident. This setting can be changed to true if you wish to delete items from CRM.

Synchronise the Source and Destination

To synchronise the changes between the csv file and Dynamics CRM contact entity, click on the 'Synchronise' button in the taskbar of the 'Compare Results' panel.

Synchronise

A dialog box will appear which allows you to choose whether to stop the processing in the event of any errors. Pressing start will begin the synchronisation.

Synchronise Dialog Box

Compare Again

When you have finished a synchronisation it is good practice to check that everything has been synchronised by Comparing A -> B again.

This should show that there are no records to update, such as in the example below.

Compare Results - Nothing to Add

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