Starting March 25, 2025, the current Data Lake integration for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations will no longer be supported.
This integration, which facilitates the export of data in table format and incremental changes, plays a crucial role for many organizations that use D365 F&O data in their Power BI reports.
Microsoft has proposed alternative solutions.
Microsoft offers both a basic solution and a more advanced option, with the advanced solution built on the Azure Synapse Link service.
Basic solution:
This option, with costs similar to the old Data Lake integration, provides an unstructured data export. The data is delivered in CSV files without metadata, requiring companies to build the structure themselves using scripts.
This creates significantly more work, which for many organizations is unfeasible in terms of both resources and time.
Comprehensive solution:
The more advanced option does offer a full data export, but comes with significantly higher costs. In addition to Synapse Link, other services like Spark Nodes are required.
Organizations with relatively small amounts of data can expect additional costs ranging from €500 to €700 per month, while companies needing to export large volumes of data may face costs reaching tens of thousands of euros annually.
Are these alternatives suitable for your situation?
In discussions with F&O users, it became clear to us that while these alternatives may work in theory, they are often impractical for many organizations in practice. Factors such as cost, limited resources, and the need for continuity play a significant role in this.
This is where BIRDS comes in.
BIRDS leverages alternative Azure components, allowing you to achieve a complete data export to Data Lake without the drawbacks of the standard Microsoft solutions.
Additionally, BIRDS provides a fully automated, monitored, and documented process to make D365 F&O data available in Power BI, without the extra technical complexity and high costs often associated with Azure Synapse Link.
Can the BIRDS alternative be implemented in the short term?
Another major advantage of BIRDS is its rapid implementation time.
Implementing the cost-neutral version of Microsoft's alternative on your own requires significant resources and technical expertise. This can result in weeks of work before a functional solution is in place.
Additionally, this solution will require ongoing maintenance to ensure the stability of the connection.
In contrast, BIRDS' proven standard solution can be implemented within a single day. This not only offers significant time savings but also reduces costs and ensures stable, continuous operation.
A Reliable Solution for the Future
For organizations seeking a fast, reliable, and affordable way to export their D365 F&O data to a Data Lake for analysis in Power BI, BIRDS offers a proven alternative.
More than 350 companies are now using BIRDS to make their Dynamics data structured and available in Power BI, with facts and dimensions for comprehensive reporting and in-depth analysis.
With this solution, you can count on an efficient and structured process, without the unpredictable costs and additional resources often associated with the alternatives currently offered by Microsoft.
Feel free to contact us for a no-obligation consultation to discover if BIRDS is the right solution for your situation.