What’s new in Dynamics 365 SCM 10.0.39: Key Features overview

Microsoft unveils the latest update to Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, marking a significant milestone in its product development roadmap. This release is part of Microsoft's structured update policy, which dictates the rollout of four updates annually, including two major ones, to ensure users have access to the latest features and improvements.

As of February 2024, Microsoft has implemented a policy where only one consecutive update can be skipped. This means the forthcoming release is classified as a "Major One," with the next significant update scheduled for September of the same year. This approach underscores Microsoft's commitment to keeping its software solutions at the forefront of technological advancements and industry standards.

This update is particularly noteworthy, introducing approximately ten key enhancements that promise to elevate the functionality and user experience of the Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management platform. These improvements span various aspects of the software, from inventory and logistics to sales, marketing, and warehouse management, reflecting a comprehensive effort to refine and advance the system's capabilities.

Among the notable enhancements in inventory and logistics is the introduction of inventory visibility adjustments. This feature aims to streamline the synchronization of inventory changes across systems, preventing duplicate entries and improving the overall performance of inventory transactions. Users can now set default filters for the inventory transactions details page, allowing for a more focused and efficient overview of frequently checked inventory transactions.

The sales and marketing module also receives significant updates, including the ability to specify whether alternative items should automatically replace original items on sales lines. This flexibility enhances order customization and accuracy. Additionally, a new data export policy allows for more controlled exporting of sales and quotation orders, further refining the system's data management capabilities.

In the realm of master planning, the update introduces improvements such as mean max coverage code rounding for planning optimization. This feature provides users with greater control over value rounding, ensuring quantities remain within desired limits, whether for physical warehouse space or calculated values to meet demand.

The warehouse management area sees the introduction of user-based authentication for the warehouse management mobile app, transitioning to Microsoft Enterprise ID. This change facilitates multiple operational scenarios, including shared device usage and personal mobile device utilization, enhancing security and user convenience.

Lastly, the update streamlines the customer returns process, addressing a historically time-consuming task. With the new system, workers can process returned items immediately upon receipt using the warehouse management mobile app, simplifying return order line creation and RMA number generation.

These enhancements, among others, reflect Microsoft's ongoing commitment to providing robust, efficient, and user-friendly supply chain management solutions. As Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management continues to evolve, users can look forward to an increasingly sophisticated platform capable of addressing the complex challenges of modern supply chain operations.

Demo 1

This demonstration delves into the newly introduced performance enhancement for the Inventory Transaction Details page in Dynamics 365. This enhancement is designed to incrementally improve the existing feature set, aiming to augment user experience without disrupting current customizations or preferences. To achieve this, each new enhancement is initially turned off by default, allowing users to opt in as they see fit.

Initially, we'll explore the default state of the Inventory Management page, specifically under inquiries and reports for transactions, before any new features are activated. This baseline view offers a comprehensive array of information and filtering options, albeit in its most basic form.

Upon activating the enhancement via the Feature Management section, users are greeted with a transformed page. This new version boasts improved filter capabilities, enabling more targeted and efficient data manipulation. To illustrate, let's consider a scenario where one needs to prioritize inventory movements linked to high-priority sales orders that are ready for shipment. The enhanced filtering allows for precise selection of sales orders, issue statuses, and specific warehouses, providing a more refined view of relevant transactions.

Additionally, the demo showcases useful tips and tricks for leveraging the enhanced features, such as customizing filters to include issue status or specifying warehouses to narrow down the inventory focus. These adjustments not only streamline the process of locating specific inventory items but also enhance the overall management of warehouse operations.

Further illustrating the enhancement's utility, another scenario presented involves a sales manager inquiring about HDMI cables' availability. By utilizing a custom query, the manager can quickly identify and assess stock levels for these specific items, demonstrating the feature's value in responding to customer inquiries efficiently.

Moreover, the demonstration highlights the importance of saving and naming custom queries for future use, a feature that adds significant convenience and efficiency to inventory management tasks. The ability to join additional tables, like the items table, to the inventory transactions view is also showcased, further expanding the analytical capabilities available to users.

Finally, the demo emphasizes the flexibility offered by these enhancements, allowing users to toggle between the traditional view and the enhanced view of the Inventory Transaction Details page. This flexibility ensures that users can adapt the system to their specific needs, whether they require a more general overview or detailed, filtered insights into inventory transactions.

To sum up, this demo of the Inventory Transaction Details page performance improvement in Dynamics 365 showcases a significant step forward in inventory management. By introducing user-friendly enhancements that can be customized and activated as needed, Dynamics 365 continues to evolve, offering solutions that meet the diverse and changing needs of its user base.

Demo 2

Today, we will explore the new functionality within the Dynamics 365 Warehouse Management System (WMS) that streamlines the return process using the Warehouse Mobile Application. This enhancement is geared towards improving efficiency and accuracy in handling returned items from customers.

First, let's take a brief look at the necessary settings within the Warehouse Management module. There are two pivotal settings for handling returns: the Returning Item Receiving Policy and the Return Item Policy. The Receiving Policy offers two options for processing returns: Blind Return and Return Details. Blind Return is utilized when there is no return ID associated with the returned items, often used when a customer returns items without the specific label or identification initially sent. Return Details, on the other hand, are used when the return ID is provided by the customer, enabling a more streamlined tracking and processing of the returned items.

The Return Item Policy allows for customization based on the item or group of items, including setting restrictions on the return timeframe post-shipment, and determining whether returns are always allowed, never allowed, or allowed within a specific number of days.

Additionally, setting up Mobile Device Menu Items is crucial. These settings include menu items for both Blind Return and Return Details, aligning with the discussed receiving policies. Moreover, the Return Details form is essential for managing information about shipments and enabling the return of goods based on this information.

For demonstration purposes, a sales order with two different items has been prepared, and the sales picking process completed. Upon confirming the shipment, a new record appears in the Return Details form, which includes the return ID and the details of the shipped items. This form also allows for the printing of return shipment labels, facilitating the physical return process.

The demonstration then shifts focus to the Blind Return process, showcasing its practicality through the Warehouse Mobile Application. By selecting the Inbound process and choosing Blind Return, the user can initiate the return process without a return ID by entering the customer number and item codes directly into the application.

This process not only simplifies the return of items but also demonstrates the system's flexibility in handling returns without detailed pre-information. Upon completing the return entry, the system automatically creates a return order, reflecting the returned items with the appropriate quantities and negative amounts, indicating their return status.

This new functionality within Dynamics 365's Warehouse Management System highlights Microsoft's commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and adaptability in warehouse management. By streamlining the returns process, businesses can more effectively manage inventory, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce the complexities associated with returns management.

Thank you for reading this article! Reach out to me directly if you have any questions. I’d be glad to have a conversation!

Also, we've recently had a live demo of the new features (10.0.39). You can request the demo recording and slides here: https://nprogression.com/events/whats-new-in-dynamics-365-supply-chain-management-10-0-39-live-demo