You want to enable the Document Management feature of Dynamics 365? Then the 12 challenges we will mention in this article are waiting for you. With the information about the challenges, you can design the solutions for your business better.
The main reason for enabling the standard Document Management feature in Dynamics 365 is the limitations of Dynamics 365 Attachments. Once you start storing your documents in Dynamics as attachments, it won't take long to run into the limitations of Dynamics 365 Attachments. Here you can find the 4 reasons to avoid Dynamics 365 Attachments.
Dynamics 365 is a CRM system designed for relational records. Document management systems require a different system design compared to CRM systems. As a result, it is not surprising that Dynamics 365 does not cover the requirements for document management systems. You can store your documents in Dynamics 365 and define access permissions on a rough level. To better manage your documents, you need another system like SharePoint. Here you can find a comparison between Dynamics 365 Attachments and SharePoint Online as file storage:
|
Requirement |
Dynamics 365 Attachments |
SharePoint Online |
|
Permission management |
Not possible (record-based) |
detailed |
|
Storage |
flat |
Several options like folder structures, metadata |
|
Navigation |
Record-based: Attachments can only be accessed if the corresponding record is found. Poor user experience. |
Many individualization-options |
|
Search |
Relevant Search / Limited |
Full-text Search |
|
Versioning |
X |
Minor & Major Versions |
|
Release processes |
X |
SharePoint Approval Workflows / Power Automate |
|
Dokument templates |
X |
Yes. |
|
Naming conventions |
X |
Mappable by Power Automate |
|
Archiving & Deletion |
X |
Different options: Retention policies from M365 or archiving through Power Automate. |
|
Central access |
Theoretically, yes. Usually not all employees have D365 licenses due to the cost. |
Yes. |
|
Scaling |
Due to the system architecture, it is a concern if you want to store thousands or millions of documents in D365. File Size / Database Usage & Attachments |
SharePoint is designed to store very large volumes of documents. |
|
Information Security |
X |
M365 or SharePoint offers options for information security. |