What Should Be Included?

Reading time: 6 minutes

A Dynamics 365 F&SCM Managed Service should do more than resolve support tickets. It should help manage Microsoft updates, environments, testing, integrations, data flows, monitoring, releases and recurring problems. It should also help keep the ERP platform ready for increasing use of automation and AI.

A Dynamics 365 Finance or Supply Chain Management implementation does not stop changing when it goes live. Microsoft continues to update the platform. 

The business changes its processes. New integrations are added. Data volumes grow. Users request improvements. Third-party applications change.

And AI is starting to make greater use of ERP data and business processes.

That means the operating model after go-live matters. A service that only waits for users to report problems may keep tickets moving. It does not necessarily keep the ERP environment healthy.

The better question is:

Is the Managed Service simply keeping Dynamics 365 running, or is it making the environment easier, safer and more useful to operate over time?

Why does Dynamics 365 F&SCM need ongoing management?

Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management can support critical business processes such as:

  • accounts payable and receivable;
  • financial close;
  • procurement;
  • inventory;
  • manufacturing;
  • warehousing;
  • planning;
  • order processing.

The applications will often connect to other systems too. These can include CRM, banking, warehouse platforms, customer portals, data platforms and third-party applications.

So a problem may extend far beyond Dynamics itself. A failed interface can stop orders moving. A batch failure can delay finance processing. Poor master data can affect reporting.

A Microsoft update can expose an issue in an extension or integration.

This is why the service should be designed around business processes and dependencies, not just application tickets.

DigX’s Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management guide explains the wider role ERP can play in business transformation.

1. Incident support is only the starting point

Users need a clear route when something fails. A Managed Service should define:

  • how incidents are raised;
  • severity levels;
  • response and escalation;
  • ownership;
  • communication;
  • service restoration.

But closing incidents quickly is only one measure. If the same problem keeps coming back, the environment has not improved.

A stronger service should also ask:

Why did this happen, and how do we stop it happening again?

That means tracking:

  • repeat incidents;
  • recurring integration failures;
  • failed batch jobs;
  • manual interventions;
  • avoidable support requests.

The aim should be to reduce the amount of support the platform needs over time.

2. Environment management

Most F&SCM estates include more than production. There may be development, test, UAT, training and other environments. These need to be managed as part of the service.

That can include:

  • environment availability;
  • refresh planning;
  • configuration;
  • test readiness;
  • deployment coordination;
  • production preparation.

These environments are not just technical overhead. They are how the organisation proves that a change is safe before it reaches live operations.

DigX’s Managed Services include production and non-production environment management, refreshes and support during platform updates and technical change.

3. Microsoft update management

Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations applications follow Microsoft’s One Version model.

Microsoft currently releases four service updates each year, in February, April, July and October. Customers must take at least two updates a year and can pause only one consecutive update.

Microsoft’s One Version service update guidance explains the current release model.

That means update management cannot be left until somebody has time. A Managed Service should have a repeatable process for:

  1. reviewing upcoming updates;
  2. checking what is relevant;
  3. identifying risks to extensions and integrations;
  4. applying changes to non-production environments;
  5. testing important processes;
  6. resolving issues;
  7. planning production deployment;
  8. monitoring afterwards.

The value is not simply installing the Microsoft update. It is helping the business take updates without unnecessary disruption.

4. Regression testing

ERP processes are connected. A change in procurement may affect inventory and finance.

A warehouse change may affect fulfilment and invoicing. An integration change may affect several applications.

Regression testing should therefore focus on complete business processes.

Examples may include:

  • procure-to-pay;
  • order-to-cash;
  • financial posting;
  • warehouse processing;
  • customer or supplier creation;
  • key integrations.

Automation can reduce the effort needed to repeat these tests. Microsoft’s Regression Suite Automation Tool is still available, but it is marked for deprecation and support ends on 15 May 2027.

Microsoft’s current RSAT guidance confirms the end date.

That makes the wider point important:

A Managed Service should manage test coverage, not become dependent on one testing tool.

5. Integration support

Dynamics 365 rarely works alone.

It may exchange information with:

  • CRM;
  • banks;
  • payment services;
  • warehouse systems;
  • e-commerce;
  • HR;
  • data platforms;
  • third-party ISVs.

An integration can fail while Dynamics itself remains available. The business process can still stop.

A Managed Service should therefore consider:

  • failed messages;
  • growing queues;
  • delayed transactions;
  • data that has not arrived;
  • recurring interface errors;
  • changes made by third-party systems.

Where several suppliers are involved, ownership must also be clear.

A production incident is not the right time to discover that three providers each believe another provider owns the interface.

DigX’s Technical and Integration Services cover enterprise integration, automation and data flows across complex technology environments.

6. Monitoring should show whether the business process works

Microsoft supports direct telemetry from Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management into Azure Application Insights. That can help with detection, diagnosis and proactive alerting.

Microsoft’s monitoring and telemetry guidance explains the available capability.

But technical monitoring should not stop at system health. A useful Managed Service should also ask whether important business processes are completing.

For example:

  • Are sales orders processing?
  • Are supplier invoices posting?
  • Are overnight jobs finishing?
  • Are warehouse processes completing?
  • Are integrations keeping up?
  • Are transaction queues growing?

A technically “green” system is little comfort if the business cannot complete the process it depends on.

7. Batch jobs and data flows

ERP systems rely heavily on scheduled processing and data movement. Problems can arise when:

  • batch jobs fail;
  • imports are incomplete;
  • integrations create duplicates;
  • data arrives late;
  • downstream systems receive incorrect information.

The service should therefore define which jobs and data flows matter most and who responds when they fail. That does not make the Managed Service responsible for all data quality.

Business teams still need to own what the data means. But the service should be able to identify technical problems that affect data reliability.

DigX’s Enterprise Data Management article explains why ownership, quality and reliable movement of data need to work together.

8. Change and release management

Microsoft updates are only one source of change.

The business will also ask for:

  • configuration changes;
  • reports;
  • workflows;
  • integrations;
  • extensions;
  • automation.

The Managed Service should provide a clear path from request to production.

For example:

Request → assess → build or configure → test → approve → release → monitor

The aim is not more bureaucracy. It is predictable change. Changes should also take account of the business calendar.

A finance team may not want a major release just before period-end.

A retailer or distributor may have peak trading periods.

Manufacturing operations may have limited maintenance windows.

Technical release plans need to reflect how the business actually operates.

For more on safer releases, see DigX’s How to Deliver Technology Change Without Disrupting Operations.

9. Access, roles and operational control

F&SCM permissions can affect important financial and operational processes.

The Managed Service scope should therefore make clear who owns:

  • user access;
  • security roles;
  • role changes;
  • privileged access;
  • segregation-of-duties decisions;
  • access reviews.

These responsibilities may stay with the customer, the provider or be shared.

The important point is that they are clear.

An ERP Managed Service should not create a situation where nobody knows who can approve access to a sensitive process.

10. Continuous improvement

A basic Managed Service reports what happened. A stronger Managed Service also reports what improved.

That can include:

  • repeat problems removed;
  • manual steps automated;
  • technical debt reduced;
  • monitoring improved;
  • test coverage increased;
  • integration failures reduced;
  • unused workarounds removed.

There should be an improvement backlog as well as a support backlog.

The monthly conversation then becomes:

What did we make better this month?

not only:

How many tickets did we close?

11. Keep the ERP environment ready for AI

AI is becoming more closely connected to Dynamics 365 ERP.

Microsoft’s current Finance and Operations Copilot capabilities include embedded AI experiences and support for AI agents that can work with ERP data and business logic.

Microsoft’s overview of Copilot in Finance and Operations shows how AI is becoming part of the ERP platform.

That changes the importance of the underlying environment.

Before AI is allowed to support or automate important ERP processes, organisations need to understand:

  • whether the data is trustworthy;
  • whether integrations are reliable;
  • whether access rights are suitable;
  • whether changes are traceable;
  • whether activity can be monitored;
  • whether important processes are well understood.

A Managed Service does not make the organisation AI-ready on its own.

But it can maintain some of the foundations AI depends on.

Data

Poor customer, supplier or product data can weaken AI outputs.

Integration

AI may depend on information moving between ERP and other applications.

Access

AI should not gain broader access than the user or process requires.

Monitoring

Organisations need visibility when AI starts reading or changing ERP information.

Change control

New AI capability should be introduced with the same discipline as other business-critical technology change.

This is especially important as AI moves from giving advice towards taking actions.

For organisations thinking about AI readiness, the ERP environment should therefore be part of the assessment.

What should the service report?

Monthly reporting should tell leadership more than how many tickets were closed.

Measure What it tells you
 Critical incidents  Is serious disruption reducing?
 Repeat incidents  Are root causes being removed?
 Failed integrations  Are connected processes healthy?
 Batch failures  Are scheduled processes completing? 
 Release success  Is change being introduced safely?
 Regression coverage  Are important processes protected?
 Update readiness  Are Microsoft updates under control?
 Data-flow exceptions  Are technical issues affecting data?
 Improvement backlog   Is the environment getting better?

The trend over several months is often more useful than one month’s result.

What should you ask a Dynamics 365 Managed Service provider?

Before selecting a provider, ask:

  1. How will you manage Microsoft’s update cycle?
  2. How will you test important business processes?
  3. How will integrations be monitored and supported?
  4. How will recurring problems be removed?
  5. How will environments be managed?
  6. How will changes move safely into production?
  7. How will batch jobs and important data flows be monitored?
  8. How are access and security responsibilities divided?
  9. What continuous improvement is included?
  10. How will the service support future automation and AI use?
  11. How will you work with Microsoft, ISVs and other suppliers during an incident?
  12. What documentation and knowledge remain with us?

The answers reveal whether you are buying a ticket service or an operating capability.

A Managed Service should leave the ERP in better condition

Keeping Dynamics 365 available is important. But it is the minimum.

Over time, the service should make the ERP environment:

  • easier to monitor;
  • easier to test;
  • easier to update;
  • easier to integrate;
  • easier to support;
  • easier to change;
  • better prepared for automation and AI.

DigX’s Managed Services cover Dynamics 365 release and change management, environment support, integration management, automation and ongoing monitoring.

Combined with DigX’s wider integration and data capabilities, this allows the ERP service to be considered as part of the organisation’s wider technology environment rather than as an isolated application.

The objective is not simply to manage Dynamics 365.

It is to help make the ERP service more reliable, easier to change and more useful to the business over time.

If the Managed Service is fixing the same problems twelve months from now, has the environment really improved?

Talk to DigX about Dynamics 365 Managed Services, integration, data and ongoing ERP support.

ERP Blog
Frequently asked questions
What should Dynamics 365 F&SCM Managed Services include?

A service may include incident and problem management, environment support, Microsoft updates, regression testing, integrations, monitoring, batch processing, release management and continuous improvement. The exact scope should reflect the organisation’s systems and operating model.

How often is Dynamics 365 F&SCM updated?

Microsoft currently releases Finance and Operations service updates four times a year, in February, April, July and October. Customers are required to remain within Microsoft’s supported update policy.

Should Dynamics 365 Managed Services include integration support?

In many larger organisations, yes. F&SCM often connects with banks, CRM, warehouse systems, data platforms and third-party applications. An integration failure can disrupt a business process even when Dynamics itself remains available.

Should a Managed Service include regression testing?

Regression testing helps confirm that important business processes still work after Microsoft updates and internal changes. Automation can reduce the effort needed to repeat these tests.

What should a Dynamics 365 Managed Service measure?

Useful measures include critical incidents, repeat problems, failed integrations, batch failures, release success, test coverage, update readiness and improvement activity.

How can Dynamics 365 Managed Services support AI readiness?

A Managed Service can help maintain reliable data flows, integrations, access controls, monitoring and disciplined change. These are important technical foundations when AI begins using ERP data or business logic.

Does a Managed Service replace the internal ERP team?

Not necessarily. A hybrid model can work well, with internal teams retaining business ownership, priorities and key decisions while an external provider supplies specialist skills and operating capacity.