Learn how to automate business processes in Dynamics 365 using the built-in workflow designer. This guide will help you streamline tasks, ensure consistency, and reduce manual data entry.
Sign in to your Dynamics 365 environment. Go to Settings (gear icon in the top right) > Advanced Settings. Then, navigate to Settings > Processes.
Click the New button. In the dialog box, enter a Process name, select Workflow for the Category, and choose the Entity (e.g., Lead, Account) you want the workflow to run on. Click OK.
In the workflow editor, configure when the workflow should start. Under Start when, you can select options like Record is created, Record status changes, or Record fields change.
Click Add Step to define the logic. You can add conditions (Check Condition), actions (Create Record, Update Record, Send Email), or wait conditions (Wait).
For each step, click Set Properties to configure its details. For example, when sending an email, you'll define the recipient, subject, and body content, often using dynamic data from the record.
Once you have defined all your steps and logic, click Save and then click the Activate button in the top menu. Confirm the activation to make your workflow live.
Tips for Effective Workflow Automation
For more complex integrations and modern automation, consider using Power Automate (Flows). It's the successor to classic workflows and offers more connectors and capabilities.
Always build and test your workflows in a Sandbox or development environment before deploying them to your production environment to avoid unintended consequences.
Give your workflows and steps descriptive names. This makes them easier to understand, manage, and troubleshoot later on.
Choose whether your workflow runs in the background (asynchronous) or in real-time (synchronous). Real-time workflows execute immediately and can provide instant feedback to the user.
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