Common Data Service is a platform that allows to securely manage and store data used for business applications.
Data gets stored in a set of entities.
Just as a table stores data in a database, an entity uses a set of records to store data.
Though Common Data Service comes with a set of basic entities covering typical scenarios, you can always create entities for your organisation.
Why should You Use Common Data Service?
Standard and custom entities in Common Data Service offer secure cloud-based storage for your data. The entities allow you to create business focused definition of organisation data to be used in the applications. If you are still unsure of using it, let us check out on the advantages it brings along:
Easily Manageable: Since both the data and the metadata is stored in the cloud, you need not worry of the way they are stored.
Secure: Data storage is secure here. The users can see the data only after you grant them the access. Through role-based security, you can easily control the access within organisation.
Access Dynamics 365 Data: Since this data is stored in the Common Data Service, you can build applications leveraging it.
Increase Productivity: The entities are available as add-in for Microsoft Excel. This not just helps to increase productivity but ensures data accessibility.
How Common Data Service Benefits the Dynamics 365 Users?
By bringing together data and allowing it to be shared across multiple platforms, Common Data Model ensures the following advantages:
Data Centralisation: Earlier, even if a company used both the CRM and ERP apps, the data remained isolated. Now, with this Common Data Model, the data is stored collectively, so that the applications can communicate as well as learn from each other.
Option to Build Application without Coding Knowledge: Users of varying skill level can make most of the application. Regardless of development or coding knowledge, it opens the door of automation and development to all.
Access to Analytical Services: Several Dynamics users use tools to monitor business health, thereby taking better business decision.
Common Data Service for Analytics provides the users with a lot of data, making it easy for users to get a complete overview of business.
Importance of Common Data Service if Using Power Apps
When creating a mobile application, you use Power Apps.
Mobile applications, very often, work with data, capturing information from users through data entry form. They need to store the data as well. In this case, it is crucial to come with a database system capacitated to store data as well as retrieve it.
When you are paying for Power Apps license, you can use Common Data Service free of cost. If you build your database in another system like Azure SQL database, you need to pay for that service. If you plan to use a SQL database or an on-premise system, you must set up a gateway for it.
You just need an account in Microsoft Power Apps to start using common Data Service.
Ready to get started?