F&O and Dataverse environment linking

Before starting to work with Dual-write or virtual tables, we must have a Finance and Operations environment linked to a Dataverse environment. This is done through the setup of the Power Platform integration.

This was a step that had to be done completely manually in the past. For example, for Dual-write, you had to create application users on Dataverse, create other application users in Finance and Operations, and finally configure the Dual-write environment – linking in the F&O user interface. This was the same for virtual tables. You needed to install the Finance and Operations Virtual Entity solution manually before being able to start using them.

Dataverse solutions

In Dataverse, a solution refers to how different components are grouped. Think of it as a Visual Studio solution, but instead of grouping the new or extended elements in the AOT, it groups Power Automate flows, connections, Power Apps, etc.

Fortunately for us, Microsoft is investing a lot of resources in the Convergence plan, and automating these kinds of things, makes environment linking a streamlined process that is done with just a few button clicks.

In Chapter 1, we learned about LCS and the Power Platform Admin Centre (PPAC). These are the tools we’ll use to link an F&O environment and a Dataverse environment; more specifically, we use LCS to do the linking and LCS to see additional link information and the Dataverse capacity reports.

Plan carefully!

The linking of a Dataverse and Finance and Operations environment is irreversible. This means once it’s done, you will neither be able to change the link to a different Dataverse environment nor remove the Power Platform integration. If you want to remove or change the integration, you need to redeploy the F&O environment.

Configuring the Power Platform integration

There are two ways of configuring the Power Platform integration for F&O environments. The first one is during the environment deployment in LCS (see Figure 2.1):

Figure 2.1 – Power platform integration at deployment time

In the Advanced option of the environment deployment, you can go to the Power Platform Integration tab to configure a Power Platform environment. Then, you can select from the template list in Figure 2.2:

Figure 2.2 – Template selection

The following are the available templates:

• Dynamics 365 standard: This template will install the Dataverse solutions for virtual tables and Dual-write and prepare the components for business events
• Dynamics 365 standard with Dual-write: This template has the same components as the Dynamics 365 standard one, but it also prepares Dual-write to be configured
• Project Operations: This template is used to deploy an F&O environment that will be used with the Project Operations solution.

Additionally, you can select the type of Dataverse environment: sandbox or subscription trial (see Figure 2.3):

Figure 2.3 – Environment type selection

The sandbox environment is a non-production environment used to develop and test changes. The subscription-based trial is a kind of trial environment but without the 30-day limit that the regular trial environments have. It has a license limit of 25 seats. Select the environment type based on your company’s policies.

After completing the setup, the automation creates a new environment in Dataverse and links it to the F&O one you’re creating.

These steps are still good for cloud-hosted environments such as the developer boxes. However, this will be deprecated and disabled for new sandbox or production environments (see Figure 2.4):

Figure 2.4 – Sandbox or production Power Platform integration is not possible

If you try doing it in one of those environment types, when you get to the Power Platform Integration tab, you will see a message telling you that’s not possible anymore and the checkbox will be disabled. We will then have to go the second way.

Tip

If you need to configure the Power Platform integration in a one-box environment, the ones deployed in your or your customer’s subscription this is the only way of doing it. If you deploy it without configuring the integration, you won’t be able to do it later.

The second way of configuring the integration is doing it after the environment has been provisioned and is ready. Open the selected environment’s LCS details page and scroll down to the Power Platform Integration section where you will find a Setup button. After clicking it, you will see a dialog similar to when you deploy the environment (see Figure 2.5):

Figure 2.5 – Sandbox Power Platform Setup

Here, you need to select one of the available templates and proceed with the setup.

Already have a Dataverse environment?

Notice the Use a different Power Platform Environment checkbox? If you select that, you can enter an environment ID from PPAC and it will link it to that existing environment. This is also an operation that can’t be undone.

Once the process ends, which takes 60–90 minutes, the status of the LCS environment page will change and you’ll be able to set up Dual-write (see Figure 2.6):

Figure 2.6. Dual-write setup on LCS

Clicking the Setup Dual-write application button will display a dialog asking for confirmation, and after that, the status of the environment will change to Configuring Dual-write application. When the operation is done, our environment will be linked to Dataverse, and Dual-write and virtual tables will be ready to be used.

Finally, you need to be logged in as the environment administrator in LCS and click the Link to Power Platform environment button on LCS to complete the linking. This will leave the environment in a ready state to start running Dual-write.

If the environment where you’ve configured the integration is a sandbox or production environment, there’s an additional Environment add-ins section below Power Platform environment information (see Figure 2.7):

Figure 2.7 – Environment add-ins

If you select the Install a new add-in option, you’ll be able to enable some of the Dynamics 365 F&O microservices that are installed partially on Dataverse, such as the Export to Data Lake, Finance Insights, or Inventory Visibility add-ins. These are extensions of F&O that host part of their functions on Dataverse.

Dual-write or virtual tables?

Before delving into Dual-write and virtual tables, there is a question you need to ask yourself – do we need to have the data duplicated in both systems? If the answer is no, there’s a high probability that you should be using virtual tables; otherwise, you must use Dual-write.

Licensing

Choosing between Dual-write and virtual tables also has license implications. When using virtual tables, you need to have a Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations license, whereas using Dual-write only requires you to have a license for the system you’re accessing.

Let’s look into the different features and functionality of both solutions, which will help us answer this question and decide what is best for our needs!