Dynamics 365 2022 Release Wave 1: Overview and highlights

There is much to look forward to, as Microsoft has just published its exciting release wave 1 plan for Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Power platform. The release consists of many new features and capabilities that reflect Microsoft’s continuous investment in enhancing digital transformation. This article will overview all the new features and discuss what’s in store for Microsoft Dynamics 365 end users.

General Updates

Before we go into the industry-specific updates, we will start with some generic features. The 2022 release wave 1 has incredible innovations that can significantly help you transform your business. Some of the updates are as follows:

Read Only Grid Control

Microsoft is upgrading the original read-only grid control for Power Apps. The public will be able to preview the new grid control in April 2022. This new grid control is designed for model-driven apps and comes with an infinite scrolling option. Moreover, it can be used as an editable grid through configuration. This means easy navigation through sub-grids and less hassle when accessing the desired records for end users!

In-App Notifications

Microsoft is going to make the model-driven app notifications feature available to use in April 2022. Previously, users could create push notifications with the help of Power Automate. However, these notifications were only visible on mobile devices, and people using the app through a browser weren’t able to see them. With the new in-app notifications feature, users can create notifications that will be visible in browsers.

Microsoft Teams and Dynamics 365 Integration

This integration allows users to add a Microsoft Teams meeting to a Dynamic 365 appointment. Moreover, they can also join an already created Teams meeting through a D365 appointment. The integration can come in handy as members no longer have to set up meetings outside D365. It saves time and offers convenience to end users.

Additionally, those who do not want to use it can turn the option on or off from the Power Platform admin center. This feature will be in public preview around March 2022.  

Rich Text Editor Control

The description field of appointments in Dynamics 365 will now be able to use the rich text editor control. Previously, the rich text editor was available to use in tables like the body of emails and notes.  Now, all model-driven apps can use this rich text editor control, which will also serve as the default editor for appointments and emails. This capability will be available for preview in March 2022.

Modern Advanced Find for D365

Users have long been familiar with the legacy advance find feature in D365; however, it’s time for a change as Microsoft is now upgrading it. With the new advanced find, users will be able to:

• Hide both personal and system views from the view selector. After the new advanced find is enabled, users can click on any view in D365 and tell which are personal views and which belong to the system. The personal views will have an icon next to them, while the system ones will not.  
• The new advanced find provides users with the “Manage and share views” option, allowing them to hide, delete, assign, reset a view, and more.

Modern Activity Chooser

Through the modern “activity chooser,” viewers can choose the option to only view activities that are configured with the particular app they’re using. Therefore, users can filter out activities relevant to a specific application by enabling this option. However, Microsoft also allows users to switch off this functionality, and viewers can choose to view all activities if needed.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 2022 Release Wave 1: Changes Across Applications

Like the previous releases, this release also centers around automation and strives to improve user experience. Let’s have a look at what the new features mean for the following applications:

Finance and Operations

Dynamics 365 Finance continues to offer intelligent solutions to users. In the previous release, users could preview Microsoft’s smart cash flow, which achieved automation through predictive results. Through that, users could streamline their operations with the help of transformative machine learning. In this release, Microsoft focuses on:

• Offering billing subscription solutions to companies that deal with recurring subscription revenue opportunities  
• Providing OCR capabilities to automate the reading and recognition of vendor invoices
• Allowing finance users to have insights into their financial data with their tool of choice

Microsoft D365 Finance allows users to connect data across businesses and benefit from applications that quickly adapt to economic changes.

Marketing

This release mainly focuses on enhancing team collaboration; that’s why integration with Microsoft Teams is a big win. Marketers can now:

• Deliver deeper messages to customers with advanced personalization through the power of data and AI

• Employ moment-based marketing where marketers can leverage event-based journey orchestration for all business scenarios
• Create engaging campaigns through collaboration across departments with different people and applications

These new capabilities help businesses grow by reaching new clients and cultivating brand loyalty among existing customers.

Customer Service

Through Dynamics 365 customer service, agents can manage and route cases efficiently. Moreover, they can use add-ons for omnichannel engagement, gain insights, and author and consume knowledge management articles. The 2022 Release Wave 1 focuses on continuing to deliver features for an all-in-one contact center, contact center routing, and enhancing agent experience with automation.  

Sales

With the Dynamic 365 sales applications, users can sell more by understanding customer needs through the help of intelligent data. Over the years, buyer expectations have been evolving. Buyers expect a mix of digital and personalized experiences throughout their journey. This release, D365 Sales, focuses on:

• Helping sellers leverage the power of data before, during, and after a transaction
• Enable sellers to accelerate their pipeline by collaborating through Teams from within D365
• Close more deals and enhance productivity

Conclusion

With the 2022 release wave 1, Microsoft brings various features across Dynamics 365 applications, including Finance and Operations, Marketing, Customer Services, Sales, and more. The goal is to enable professionals in multiple fields to optimize their results with the help of robust data and valuable insights. For more details, you can check out the Dynamics 365 2022 release wave 1 document here.

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