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SSIS Integration with Dynamics 365 and KingswaySoft toolkit

Data Integration is one of the most common task in a CRM project : be it for project initialization, integration with an ERP, with one of the many third party tools used in the company… A task I commonly needed to do in my freelance activities since many years.

We can see data integration as two categories :

  • real-time integration : usually using techniques like web-services, or specific APIs
  • batch integration : allows for mass data import/update. ETL tools are specifically used for this purpose. 

I will briefly introduce the use of SSIS with Dynamics 365 in this post.

SSIS is the Microsoft ETL, and has quite powerfull features. It is a logical choice for customers who use Microsoft softwares.

The favorite way to do this is usually to use the KingswaySoft third party toolkit. Information can be found here. The product can be used free for development purposes, but needs a licence for real use on a server. It is actively maintained and widely used.

My example scenario is the following : uploading 1000 contacts from a Excel file to Dynamics 365.

My Excel input file

I previously installed the KingswaySoft toolkit, which added added some sources and destinations to SSIS development tool.

I start by creating a new SSIS project :

I create a new « Control Flow », add an Excel source and choose all columns to read :

Then, I simply add a « Dynamics CRM Destination » to the control flow :

As you can see above, KingswaySoft toolkit added several sources and destinations for Dynamics CRM, NAV and AX.

We link the two components, double-click on the « Dynamics CRM Destination », and select « <New…> » in the « CRM Connection Manager » :

You need some informations from Dynamics to create the connexion. In your Web Dynamics application, go to Settings/Customization/Developer Resources :

 

 

Look a the Discovery Service. What we need here is « disco.crm4.dynamics.com » (in my example).

Now, go back to SSIS, on fill the Dynamics connexion screen :

  • Authentication Type : choose Online Federation
  • CRM Discovery Server : choose the server you found above in Dynamics
  • Fill the username and password for Dynamics 365
  • Select the « Organization » that is suitable : in my example, I take a sandbox Dynamics environment

You can click « Test Connection » just to be sure all is OK.

Now, we define the mapping of data. In our simple example, we just insert new data with no transformation :

As you can see, many options are available, regarding functional capabilities (upsert, deduplication, workflows, …) and performance (batch size, multithreading).

In the « Columns » tab, we define the real mapping. We do not care with coutry code, nor gender transcoding in the scope of this post, but this feature is quite easy to implement in SSIS, whether by a script component or a dedicated existing component.

 

That’s it!

Now executing the SSIS program. It works successfully… taking nearly 8 minutes… Quite a long time for 1000 contacts and a really simple flow of data. But many optimisation options exist, I work on a workstation with a poor Internet network quality today, and on a Dynamics sandbox with some restriction on the performance side. Performance tuning of SSIS Integraton could be a great post for the future!

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Dynamics 365 : Product Prices

Determining the price calculation rules of a product in an opportunity or transactional entity (quote, order or invoice) may be quite complex, due to the multiple combinations available. This complexity gives the freedom to comply to various business needs.

I created the following schema to summurize these options, and will explain them in more details. Most of the options relate to the « Product Line », some are global to the whole entity.

Use system pricing calculation

First of all, we need to check if system pricing calculation rules are applied (which is the cas by default), in system settings (in the Sales tab) :

If it is not the case, a plug-in should be created and registered (will be explained in a future post).

Find « Price List »

Assuming we use System pricing calculation, you need to choose an applicable Price List for your whole entity. Take care that a given Price List relates to unique currency : it must be the same than that of your entity. Moreover, you will need to have « Price List Item » for any product added in the lines.
Default value : if there exists a « Sales Territory » assigned to you, and that Sales Territory is attached to one (and only one) Price List, that Price List will be selected by default, unless you turn that functionnality off in system settings :

Find « Price List Item » and associated « Pricing Method »

Once you have choosen a « Price List », you need to add products to your transaction entity. The price that will be applied is retrieved from the « Price List », if a releavant « Price List Item » exists : the same Product with the same Unit as selected in the transactional entity.
The Price List Item defines the « Pricing Method » :

  • Currency Amount : a fixed amount
    Percent of List : the « List Price » is defined on the Product : Percentage * List Price
  • Percent markup – current cost : the « Current Cost » is defined on the Product. Percent Markup is Current Cost * ( 100 + Percentage) / 100
  • Percent margin – current cost : the « Current Cost » is defined on the Product. Percent Margin is Current Cost + (Current Cost * Percentage) / (100 – Percentage))
  • Percent markup – standard cost : the « Standard Cost » is defined on the Product. Percent Markup is Standard Cost * ( 100 + Percentage) / 100
  • Percent margin – standard cost : the « Standard Cost » is defined on the Product. Percent Margin is Standard Cost + (Standard Cost * Percentage) / (100 – Percentage))

Attention : by default, the fields « List Price », « Standard Cost » and « Current Cost » may not be displayed on the Product form. It is easy to customize and add these.
What are the meaning of these fields? You can assign the meaning you want, but usually :

    • List Price : the official sales Price from an internal « Sales List »
    • Current Cost : the current (temporary) price of a Product – maybe the Price payed to a provider
    • Standard Cost : the typical price of a Product
    • « Percent Margin » is greater than « Percent Markup ».

Percent Margin means : the Percentage of the calculated price that I want as a margin
Percent Markup means : the Percentage of the initial Price that I want to add.
There are some more options in the « Price List Item » that will fine-tune the calculated price of a Product from a Price List :

      • Rounding Policy : None, Up, Down, Nearest
      • Rounding Option (unavailable for the « None » Rounding Policy) :
        • « Ends In » : forces the Price to end with for example with « .99 », so that a calculated price of 50.14 may be automatically rounded to 49.99
        • « Multiple of » : forces to Price to be a multiple of a certain amount – for example, a calculated price of 50.14 may be automatically rounded to 50.10 if the « Rounding Amount » is « 0.10 »
      • Rounding Amount : the amount used by « Rounding Option »

For example, with a cost of 50 and a Percentage of 10 :

  • The Percent Margin is 50 + (50 * 10) / (100 – 10) = 55,56 => my Margin is 5,56 which is 10% of 55,56
  • The Percent Markup is 50 * (100 + 10) / 100 = 55,0 => my Markup is 5 which is 10% of 50

Apply Discount List

Configuration : You can create « Discount Lists ». A Discount List is basicaly an entity specifying the discounts applied depending in quantity (whether an amount, or a percentage) on any product. Then, you attach this Discount List to a « Price List Item » in your Product Catalog configuration.
The discount will be automatically applied on the line.

Apply Manual Discount

You can manually add a absolute discount on the Product Line Item.

Apply footer costs
At the footer of your transactional entity, you may manually add some adjustments :

  • A discount as a percentage
  • A discount as an absolute amount
  • A freight Amount that will be added to the total price

Any feedback and sharing is welcome. Have fun!