(CRM) system and walk away. Sure, you can optimize and improve business processes with a new system, but if you really want to digitally transform and reduce your operating costs to see the full return on investment, then you will need to look beyond just moving your basic business processes into a new system. This is where ML/AI can come into play.
Most organizations don't choose to replace their ERP system for the sake of replacement. Instead, ERP systems are replaced by necessity and a culmination of events and circumstances that usually require a system to be replaced. Replacing an ERP is a difficult and time‐consuming process in and of itself, but you would be remiss to not consider how you can leverage emerging technologies such as ML/AI in this process to get more value out of your investment. Whether you are considering a new ERP, or you have been running Dynamics 365 for some time, this book offers practical advice for leveraging ML/AI to achieve more with your solution.
There are tons of books out there that can give you all the technical and mathematical theory that goes along with ML/AI, but this book is the first to bring real‐life examples and experiences that show you how to apply ML/AI to your Dynamics 365 and Power Platform projects.
In my 12‐part TechTalk series on using the Power Platform to extend Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations apps, one key message throughout is about using the technologies together to bring more value at a faster pace. The authors of this book capture this essence and take it three steps further by giving you all the details you need to be successful in making your solution come to life with Dynamics 365, the Power Platform, and ML/AI.
What I like about this book is that the authors really showcase their expertise. They provide not only real‐life examples to help you relate to your business, but they also provide the details and technical advice required to achieve similar results in your own organization. I can recall the first time I worked with Aurelien to co‐present at a virtual conference on the topic of virtual entities with Finance and Operations apps. His passion for adopting and using hot new technology was evident. The passion shown by Aurelien and Vinnie for helping the community with their knowledge and expertise has always been evident, and this book is just another great example. I believe that when you combine the passion for the technology with the passion for the community, the reader can only benefit from the knowledge and experience of the authors.
I recommend that you read this insightful book, full of practical advice and technical guidance no matter where you are in your Dynamics 365 implementation to help shape your digital transformation.
Rachel Profitt
Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
Preface
WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND artificial intelligence contributing solutions to many sectors from communication and finance to transportation, manufacturing, and even agriculture, enterprises are accelerating their adoption of AI, focusing on those initiatives that can help them achieve revenue growth and cost reduction. In this book, we want to show you how the fusion of the two technologies, Machine Learning and Dynamics 365, can help you to build solutions that can solve real‐world problems. With the knowledge in this book, you can build your own system that can help you make more efficient and intelligent business decisions. There are tons of ML applications in the market today, and the learning is endless; and, considering the intensity with which the data is growing, it's only wise to use this data to make intelligent systems for your business. This book is your companion to machine learning with Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Whether you are a Dynamics 365 and Power Platform developer or a technical consultant or solution architect new to machine learning or someone who wants to deepen your knowledge of the latest developments, this book is the one stop.
WHY DID WE WRITE THIS BOOK?
In the current market, not many books offer information on incorporating machine learning in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform or provide any practical examples. This is the first book focusing on machine learning with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform that provides tips and techniques for organizations that are planning their digital transformation journey.
The book is a practical approach to understanding the concepts of machine learning and deep learning.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS SUBJECT?
The truth is that developers, technical consultants, and solution architects are constantly being assessed on their knowledge and skills. So how can they stay on top of the game?
Goalposts in the workplace and/or projects keep moving. This might be because of new technologies such as artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), customer demand, or simply because there is a new program director with a different vision. All these changes invariably have implications for us. So, if you want to protect your employability, you need to take charge of your personal development.
No doubt machine learning is a highly trending technology these days for different kinds of business applications and is one of the hottest topics in AI. When combined with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, it can do wonders for its users, which includes getting experimental results and deriving conclusions by utilizing the past data. A blend of machine learning and Microsoft Business Applications Solutions Ecosystem (BASE) and/or Dynamics 365 and Power Platform is beneficial for businesses to make proactive decisions by using predictive data analytics. It also provides businesses the ability to utilize future predictions in order to perform operations more efficiently.
Acknowledgments
WHETHER WATCHING AN AWARD‐WINNING movie in a cinema hall or having the luxury of watching from home in recent times, the audience is left with a lasting impression by the actors. Usually, the actors and directors are awarded, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. There is a huge team of people that supports and contributes to making a movie a success. Until we wrote this book, we didn't realize the amount of effort that goes into the making of a book. We are profoundly grateful for our incredibly supportive, respected, and diligent advisory team who made this dream possible. This book is theirs as much as ours.
The initial drafts of the book have passed multiple hands and undergone several revisions. Each revision provided us with invaluable feedback from the following reviewers. They have been relentless in their contributions, which enabled us to include additional concepts, refine ideas, increase our focus, add clarity, and continuously evolve.
We owe immense gratitude to all our reviewers, who are industry experts and leaders in their own professions and gave their time by providing great input and valuable suggestions, offering insights, and challenging the draft chapters constructively throughout the production of the book. Without their support our work would not have evolved into the book that you are reading now.
We are forever indebted to all of them:
1 Saurabh Nijhawan—Lead Consultant at Microsoft
2 Nick Brady—Senior Program Manager at Microsoft
3 Stefaan Lampaert—Enterprise Solution Architect at Microsoft
4 Fredrik Saetre—Technology Specialist Manager at Microsoft
5 Deepak Agarwal—Project Lead at KPMG, Microsoft MVP
6 Christopher Davis—Technical Strategist at Microsoft
7 Vadim Korepin—Functional Architect at Microsoft
8 Markus Turunen—CIO and Business Lead (Machine Learning and Intelligent
