Microsoft Dynamics 365 Order Automation
10 minutes
Nov 21, 2025
The Gap Between Customers and Dynamics
Dynamics 365 order automation connects external order intake systems to your ERP, enabling customer orders from any format to flow into Business Central, Finance and Supply Chain Management, or legacy GP and NAV systems without manual data entry. Instead of copying data from emails and PDFs into sales orders, order automation handles extraction, validation, and delivery of clean order data ready for Dynamics processing.
The problem isn't Dynamics. Dynamics handles inventory, order fulfillment, and financials brilliantly. The problem is everything that happens before the order hits Dynamics.
Your customers send PDFs with their part numbers, Excel attachments in whatever format made sense to them, and emails that say "same as last time, rush please." Someone has to translate that chaos into a valid sales order with the correct customer record, item numbers, pricing, and payment terms.
That someone is your order entry team, switching between Outlook and Dynamics hundreds of times per day. They're not just typing. They're translating customer language into Dynamics language and validating every field along the way.
A distributor processing 100 orders daily often finds their team spends 15 to 25 hours per week on manual entry. That's before fixing errors or handling customer complaints about slow confirmations. When your best order entry person gives two weeks notice, suddenly everyone realizes how much process knowledge is about to walk out the door.
Platforms like Crew Capable sit between your customers and Dynamics, handling that translation so your team doesn't have to.
If you're evaluating whether order automation makes sense for your operation, our complete guide to order entry automation covers the decision framework from manual entry costs to implementation approaches.
Which Dynamics Product Are You Running?
"Microsoft Dynamics" is actually multiple products with different integration approaches. Based on typical Dynamics implementations, the version you're running determines your path forward.
Business Central
Evolved from Dynamics NAV and serves small to mid-sized companies. Modern REST API (v2.0) with OAuth 2.0 authentication and solid documentation. If you migrated from QuickBooks, Sage, or older NAV, this is likely your system.
Business Central offers the most straightforward integration path for mid-market companies. Configuration packages support Excel-based bulk import into Sales Header (table 36) and Sales Line (table 37).
Finance and Supply Chain Management
Formerly Finance and Operations, originally Dynamics AX. Targets larger enterprises with complex manufacturing and multi-entity operations. Uses data entities and the Data Management workspace for bulk imports. More complex than Business Central but handles enterprise-scale operations.
Legacy Systems
Dynamics GP, on-premise NAV, and Dynamics SL still power thousands of businesses. These use older integration approaches, typically file-based or SOAP web services. If you're on legacy Dynamics, you're likely planning migration to Business Central eventually.
The advantage of working with Crew Capable: one platform handles order automation regardless of which Dynamics product you run. No need to switch solutions if you migrate from GP to Business Central.
How Does Order Automation Connect?
Three primary integration paths exist. Start simple and upgrade when volume or workflow justifies it.
Approach | Timeline | IT Required | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Configuration Package/Excel | 1-5 days | Minimal | Immediate start, proving value |
REST API (Business Central) | 4-10 weeks | BC admin or developer | Full automation |
Data Entities (F&SCM) | 6-12 weeks | Developer | Enterprise automation |
Excel Import: Start Here
Business Central includes configuration packages for Excel-based import into Sales Header and Sales Line tables. Create a package, export the template, populate with order data, and import.
This is where most companies start with Crew Capable. Forward your order emails, receive validated Excel files, import into Business Central. No API configuration required. Value on day one.
Based on typical implementations, many companies stay at Excel import permanently because it works and requires no ongoing IT maintenance. For 50 to 150 orders daily, Excel import eliminates the manual entry burden without any development work.
REST API: Full Automation When Ready
Business Central's v2.0 API provides endpoints for creating sales order headers and adding line items. OAuth 2.0 authentication with Azure AD app registration. Throttling occurs when concurrent requests exceed tenant limits.
Realistic timeline: 4 to 10 weeks. Crew Capable connects directly to Business Central's API when you're ready. But you don't have to wait for API integration to start seeing value.
Data Entities for F&SCM
Finance and Supply Chain Management uses data entities through the Data Management workspace. Sales order import requires Sales order headers V2 and Sales order lines V2 entities. More complex than Business Central but handles enterprise-scale operations.
For a deeper look at integration approaches across different ERPs, see how order automation ERP integration works.
What Should Automation Handle Before Data Reaches Dynamics?
The value isn't just speed. It's clean, validated, ready-to-process data. According to APQC research, order entry errors cost $5 to $25 per order to correct after the fact. Catching problems before they hit Dynamics is dramatically cheaper than fixing them downstream.
Format Flexibility
PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, email body text, portal exports. Crew Capable handles all customer formats through one system. Customers keep sending orders however they want. You stop asking them to conform to your preferred format.
EDI only automates customers who send EDI. For most mid-market companies on Dynamics, that's a fraction of orders. Here's how AI-powered automation handles the rest, including the emails and PDFs that make up the bulk of your order volume.
Customer Matching
Translate "Acme Corp" or a customer PO number into the correct Dynamics customer record with proper customer ID, price group, and payment terms. Crew Capable's AI learns customer patterns from historical orders. Name variations, different ship-to addresses, and PO number formats all get mapped correctly.
Item Validation
Convert customer part numbers to your Dynamics item numbers. Verify items exist and are active. Unlike template-based OCR that breaks when customers change their PO format, AI-powered extraction adapts automatically.
Pricing Verification
Business Central supports customer price groups, campaign pricing, line discounts, and invoice discounts. Crew Capable validates pricing against your Dynamics price lists before delivering order data, catching margin issues before orders are created.
Multi-Company Handling
Business Central supports multiple companies within a single tenant. Crew Capable learns your multi-company structure. When an order arrives, we identify not just the customer but which company they belong to, routing the order correctly.
Getting Started with Dynamics 365 Order Automation
Why Companies Choose Crew Capable for Dynamics
Start in days, not months. Excel import works immediately with no API configuration.
Works across Dynamics versions. Same platform handles Business Central, F&SCM, and legacy GP/NAV through different output formats.
2 minutes per order vs 8-15 minutes manual. Your team reviews exceptions instead of typing every line item.
No risk of a failed integration project. You're validating with real orders from day one. If it doesn't work for your setup, you'll know in the first week.
Your customers change nothing. They keep sending orders however they send them now.
The Fastest Path to Value
Day 1: Forward customer order emails to Crew Capable. Upload your Dynamics product catalog and customer list.
Day 2-3: Review the first batch of extracted orders. See how customer names map to your Dynamics records, how customer part numbers translate to your item numbers, and where exceptions get flagged.
Week 1: Start importing validated orders via configuration package. Your team reviews exceptions instead of typing every line item. You're already saving hours.
Week 2 and beyond: Accuracy improves as the AI learns your specific customer patterns and item variations.
When ready: Add API integration for full automation. Or don't. Many companies process hundreds of orders daily through Excel import because it works and requires zero IT maintenance.
According to Aberdeen Group research, companies with automated order processing report 12% higher perfect order rates than those relying on manual entry. The difference comes from consistent validation catching errors before they cascade through fulfillment.
Not sure what to look for when evaluating order automation platforms? Our comparison guide covers the questions to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crew Capable processes orders from any format and delivers Dynamics-ready data for Business Central, F&SCM, or legacy GP and NAV systems. Excel import works on day one. API integration comes when you're ready.
See exactly what Crew Capable does with a Dynamics order. We'll walk you through a real example in 15 minutes - your order or ours.
