D365 introduces new Optimisation advisor

Errors in configuration and setup of modules in Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations can negatively impact the availability of features, system performance, and the smooth operation of business processes. The quality of business data also affects system performance, and an organisation's decision-making capabilities and productivity.

The Optimisation advisor works by periodically running a set of best practice rules, using telemetry to analyse business processes, and finding optimisation opportunities. A default set of rules was released with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations version 8.0 (April 2018), and users can also create rules that are specific to their customisations and business data.

Whenever the Optimisation advisor detects a rule has been infringed it generates an optimisation opportunity. For example, the optimisation opportunities shown below are specific to the configuration of the Warehouse management module and will only be actionable by users with the appropriate access to Warehouse management setup.

More information can be accessed on a particular opportunity if required and the user can then decide whether to take the recommended action.

For some opportunities, when the recommended action is taken, the system can then calculate, and display in the Impact tab, the result of the optimisation in terms of the reduction in the runtime of business processes. If a corrective action doesn't fully resolve the issue, the opportunity will be generated again the next time that rule is run. Opportunities can be hidden from a user’s list or the rule deactivated.

Optimisation opportunities can be company-specific or cross-company, and new rules can be coded to apply per legal entity or to the whole system. The Optimisation advisor should prove an invaluable tool for increasing application performance.

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