Practical guide to managing Dynamics 365 wave updates, Power Platform integration, customisation management, and support for Australian businesses.
IT leaders, operations managers, and finance managers running Dynamics 365 who need to manage wave updates, customisation maintenance, and integration scaling.
How do we manage Dynamics 365's continuous updates and keep our customisations and integrations running smoothly?
Dynamics 365 is Microsoft's cloud ERP and CRM suite. On the ERP side, it covers Finance, Supply Chain Management, Business Central, and several specialised modules. On the CRM side, Sales, Customer Service, Marketing, and Field Service.
Unlike its predecessors (AX and NAV), D365 is cloud-first with continuous updates that Microsoft controls. You don't choose when to upgrade; Microsoft decides. Your job is to be ready for each release cycle.
For Australian businesses, this means treating D365 management as an ongoing process, not a one-time project. The platform keeps evolving, and your customisations, integrations, and processes need to keep pace.
Wave update pressure. Two major updates per year introduce new features, deprecate old ones, and occasionally change behaviour. If you're not testing before each wave update, you're gambling.
Deprecation cycles. Microsoft regularly deprecates features, APIs, and UI patterns. Customisations that rely on deprecated features will eventually break. The deprecation timeline is published, but many businesses don't track it.
Licencing complexity. D365 licencing is notoriously complex. Users often end up under-licenced (compliance risk) or over-licenced (wasted spend). Periodic licence reviews are essential.
Support tiers. Microsoft's standard support is adequate for basic issues but slow for complex problems. Many businesses need partner support for anything beyond basic configuration questions.
Wave update management. Not a migration, but it is an ongoing upgrade process. Establish a testing cadence: preview in sandbox → test critical customisations → test integrations → validate reporting → approve for production.
Module expansion. Many D365 environments start with one module and grow. Adding Supply Chain Management to an existing Finance deployment, for example, requires careful configuration and data planning.
Power Platform integration. Extending D365 with Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. Useful for simple scenarios but needs governance. Uncontrolled Power Platform sprawl creates its own maintenance headaches.
Custom application layer. For complex requirements that exceed Power Platform capabilities (customer portals, advanced reporting, AI-powered tools, high-volume integrations), custom web applications that connect to D365 via API are more robust.
Extension model discipline. D365 uses an extension model for customisation: you build on top of the base, not modify it. This is safer than the old overlayering approach, but extensions still need testing against updates. Poorly written extensions can conflict with each other or with Microsoft updates.
Power Platform governance. Power Automate flows, Power Apps, and custom connectors can proliferate quickly without oversight. Common issues:
Integration architecture. D365 offers multiple integration methods: OData, custom APIs, Data Entities, Dual Write, virtual entities, Power Automate connectors. Choosing the right method for each use case is essential. The wrong choice leads to performance issues, data sync problems, or maintenance headaches.
Third-party ISV solutions. The D365 AppSource marketplace has hundreds of add-ons. Each one adds a dependency that needs version compatibility testing during updates.
Skipping or rushing wave testing leads to production issues.
Ungoverned low-code development creates unmanageable technical debt.
Each new integration adds maintenance overhead. Monitor and document all connections.
Third-party add-ons can lag behind Microsoft updates or be abandoned.
Regular licence audits prevent compliance risk and wasted spend.
Microsoft releases two major wave updates per year (April and October), plus continuous monthly updates. Major wave updates introduce new features and can change behaviour. Monthly updates are smaller but still need attention.
For Finance & Operations, you can pause updates for up to 3 consecutive cycles (about 5 months), but you can't defer indefinitely. Business Central updates roll out automatically with limited deferral. Either way, you need a testing process.
If your customisations use supported extension points, they should survive updates. If you've used unsupported methods (ISV solutions modifying base tables, JavaScript injection), they're at risk. Test in sandbox before each wave update.
Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate) is great for simple workflows and basic apps. For anything requiring complex logic, high performance, or scale, custom development is more reliable. Many businesses use both: Power Platform for quick wins, custom development for core processes.
Absolutely. We handle custom applications, complex integrations, and automation: the work that sits outside standard Dynamics consulting. Your partner handles the D365 configuration and modules; we handle everything around it.
Tell us what you are comparing, replacing, or trying to improve. We will come back with a practical recommendation and realistic scope.
