Automatic Updates of D365 BC Cloud

Business Central is a reliable and proven ERP with a long history. It has been known over the years as Navision / Dynamics NAV. D365 BC provides connectivity of people and processes within an organization, but also connectivity of products with a number of other applications.

The product allows a fast and reliable transition to the cloud. In addition to the cloud version, it is also possible to use the system on-premises. Hybrid solution is available too.

Speaking of the cloud:

Microsoft Commitments – Providing Different Environments

When we are talking about automatic updates of D365 BC Cloud, Microsoft occupies the main place providing the environment, the so-called production environment.

In the Cloud service we can have several testing environments (sandbox) for experiments and tests, and you can copy the production environment to a sandbox environment to perform specific operations, then delete these operations if the attempt fails.

Preview environments are also available in which you can test the new version. One of the main superlatives about the cloud version is the integration with Office 365, Power BI, DataVerse – the central data repository for the company. Among the other advantages of the cloud version is the constant software updates – major updates are made twice a year in April and October and monthly updates are released each month.

FTS Commitments – Creating an Environment for Customers

For our part, we create environments for our customers, provide them with access, set user rights, monitor the system and remove different types of problems related to its functioning.
When a new version is about to come out, we have access to future versions in advance. We can test the latest functionalities as Microsoft sends us information about what and exactly how will be changed in advance.

Migration to a New Environment

In the Admin Center we can manage the environments available to the customer. From here we can also manage the update process when a new update comes out. This is also where the different applications in the database of the respective environment are installed and updated.

The step before the updates is the transition between the existing installations and the existing databases. Before that, the applications of the existing modifications made in the database to the new version need to be developed and transformed with the so-called – apps. Then the environments for the customer are created and a process starts of loading the existing data from the servers available to the customer – on-premise servers – data is transferred to the cloud and thus the work with Business Central Cloud starts. After that, updates are issued monthly and twice a year, which must be applied.

The Update Process

Microsoft provides the following prerequisites for updates:

• Release schedule for modifications and new versions
• Preliminary access to developments and new versions
• Information about the functionalities that will be removed
• Commitment of Application suppliers to update them
• Documentation and training from Microsoft

Actions on the Part of FTS Required During Updates

In the testing environment, a preliminary update is made thus ensuring a successful update in the real environment. A specified time for update during non-working hours is set in the Admin Center and Microsoft updates the database. FTS specialists monitor whether the update was successful and if errors occur, appropriate changes are made to the apps.

Actions on the Part of Microsoft Required During Updates

On the specified date and time for update, Microsoft sends information to users and throws them out of the system, so it’s a good idea to choose a later hour or non-working hour. Then all applications that are currently in the database are uninstalled and the entire platform is updated.

For major / annual updates, new versions of applications are always installed. For monthly updates, the current versions are reinstalled, and if an error occurs – the latest versions provided. If an error is detected in the update process, all changes are canceled and the database is restored to its state prior to the update.

More about FTS

To get more information about how Dynamics 365 can optimize the work processes in your company and make your operations more efficient, please contact our team of professionals at 02/818 36 63 or info.bg@fts-eu.com.

FTS is a company – implementer of business software with over 26 years of experience, a long-term partner of Microsoft Bulgaria. Among our strengths are the desire to provide the latest technological solutions to our customers, our team of professionals and our commitment to make every project a success.

You can read more about FTS Bulgaria at www.fts-eu.com.

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