Introduction
In today’s interconnected world, organizations need to integrate data across different systems and platforms seamlessly. Microsoft’s Common Data Model (CDM) is a foundational component that enables this integration by providing a standardized and unified data schema for various applications and services. The CDM is particularly useful in scenarios where businesses need to integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and other external applications and services.
This guide will explore how to use the Common Data Model (CDM) in integration scenarios, covering its core concepts, benefits, and practical use cases. We will also discuss how businesses can leverage the CDM to improve data consistency, facilitate better data sharing, and streamline integrations across diverse systems.
What is the Common Data Model (CDM)?
The Common Data Model is a standardized data schema developed by Microsoft to facilitate the integration, sharing, and interoperability of data across applications and platforms. The CDM defines a common set of entities and their relationships, allowing organizations to work with data in a consistent and unified way.
The CDM consists of a predefined set of entities, such as Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, and Cases, as well as additional entities that can be extended or customized based on business needs. These entities are designed to be used by various Microsoft products like Dynamics 365, Power BI, and Power Apps, as well as other systems that can consume data in the CDM format.
By using the CDM, organizations can achieve consistency in their data across different platforms and ensure that applications can easily communicate with each other, without needing to worry about conflicting data models or formats.
Core Features and Benefits of the Common Data Model
1. Standardized Schema
The Common Data Model standardizes the way data is structured, making it easier to share, access, and manipulate. Instead of dealing with multiple proprietary data formats, organizations can use a consistent schema across different applications and services. This reduces the complexity of integrations, as developers and data architects don’t have to create custom mapping or transformation logic for each integration.
2. Interoperability Across Platforms
With the CDM, organizations can integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Azure more easily. By using the same data model, these applications can communicate and exchange information in a streamlined way, enabling a cross-platform experience.
3. Customization and Extensibility
While the CDM provides a standard set of entities, it also allows for customization and extension. Organizations can define additional custom entities and relationships to meet specific business needs. These custom entities can then be integrated with other systems using the same standard data model, which makes it easy to expand without disrupting existing systems.
4. Improved Data Quality and Consistency
Using the CDM helps improve the quality and consistency of data across the organization. As data is represented using a standard format, there is less room for errors or discrepancies. This ensures that applications and users are working with consistent and reliable data.
5. Simplified Integration
The CDM simplifies the integration of data across multiple systems, both within the Microsoft ecosystem and with external applications. With a standardized schema, businesses can easily connect different platforms, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, or data warehouses, without needing complex transformation logic.
Using the Common Data Model in Integration Scenarios
Now, let’s look at several practical use cases and integration scenarios where the Common Data Model plays a pivotal role.
1. Integrating Dynamics 365 with Power Platform
Microsoft’s Power Platform—which includes Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate—works seamlessly with the Common Data Model. Organizations can use the CDM to facilitate easy integration between Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, enabling smoother data sharing, reporting, and process automation.
Power BI and Dynamics 365
With Power BI, businesses can connect directly to their Dynamics 365 data via the CDM. The standardized schema makes it easy to pull data from Dynamics 365 entities like Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service into Power BI for advanced analytics and reporting. The integration allows organizations to quickly generate dashboards and reports based on the unified data model.
Power Apps and Dynamics 365
Power Apps enables users to create custom applications tailored to specific business needs. When integrated with Dynamics 365 using the CDM, users can create apps that pull data from the Common Data Service (CDS), which is based on the Common Data Model. This allows businesses to develop customized applications that interact with Dynamics 365 data in real-time, without worrying about data compatibility issues.
Power Automate and Dynamics 365
Power Automate facilitates workflow automation between different systems. Using the CDM as a common data structure, businesses can easily automate workflows between Dynamics 365 and other systems like SharePoint, Teams, or even third-party applications. For example, if a new Opportunity is created in Dynamics 365, Power Automate can trigger a flow to send notifications or update other systems accordingly.
2. Connecting External Applications to Dynamics 365 Using CDM
Apart from Microsoft’s ecosystem, businesses often need to integrate third-party or legacy systems with Dynamics 365. In such scenarios, the Common Data Model provides a bridge to connect external applications to Dynamics 365 in a way that reduces complexity.
API Integrations
APIs are one of the most common methods of integration. External applications can communicate with Dynamics 365 via APIs that follow the CDM standards, ensuring data consistency and reducing the need for complex data transformations. Whether integrating an eCommerce platform, a customer support tool, or a marketing automation solution, the CDM ensures that data from external applications can be ingested, processed, and stored consistently in Dynamics 365.
ETL Processes
For legacy systems that cannot communicate via APIs, businesses can use ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools to extract data, transform it to match the Common Data Model, and load it into Dynamics 365. By mapping external data to the CDM entities, organizations can ensure that data from different sources integrates seamlessly into their CRM systems, making it easier to generate insights and reports.
3. Enabling Data Sharing Across Organizations
In scenarios where different organizations or departments need to collaborate and share data, the CDM simplifies the process. By using the Common Data Service as a shared data layer, organizations can exchange data while maintaining consistency and governance.
Partner and Vendor Integrations
For businesses working with partners or vendors, the Common Data Model can be used to facilitate secure and consistent data sharing. Whether exchanging sales data, customer feedback, or inventory information, using the CDM ensures that both parties are speaking the same data language, minimizing the risk of errors or discrepancies.
Cross-Departmental Data Sharing
Large organizations often have different departments like sales, marketing, HR, and finance. By using the CDM, businesses can ensure that these departments are all working with the same data schema, making it easier to collaborate and share information. For example, when the HR system shares data on employees, it can be integrated into the Sales and Customer Service departments using the same CDM format.
4. Enabling Data Portability and Cloud Migrations
Migrating data between systems or moving applications to the cloud can be a complex task. The CDM simplifies this process by offering a consistent schema that can be used across different platforms, whether the data is hosted on-premises or in the cloud.
Data Migrations
When migrating data to Microsoft Dynamics 365 from another CRM or ERP system, the CDM provides a consistent framework for mapping and transforming data, reducing the effort involved in the migration process.
Hybrid Cloud Environments
In hybrid cloud environments, where businesses use a mix of on-premises and cloud-based systems, the Common Data Model offers a standardized approach to move data seamlessly between on-premises systems and cloud-based platforms like Azure or Office 365.
Best Practices for Using the Common Data Model in Integrations
1. Leverage Predefined Entities
Where possible, use the predefined entities in the CDM to avoid unnecessary customizations. These entities cover most business scenarios, including sales, service, marketing, and finance.
2. Extend Entities When Necessary
If your business has unique needs that are not covered by the predefined entities, extend the CDM by adding custom entities or fields. This allows you to tailor the model while still maintaining compatibility with other applications.
3. Use Data Transformation Tools
When integrating with external systems, use data transformation tools to map external data to the CDM format. This helps ensure data consistency and minimizes the risk of errors during integration.
4. Maintain Data Quality
Ensure data quality by regularly cleaning and validating data within the CDM. This helps maintain accurate and reliable information for reporting and analytics.
5. Monitor Integration Performance
As with any integration, it’s crucial to monitor the performance of data exchanges between systems. Keep track of failed integrations, processing times, and data discrepancies to ensure smooth operations.