When most people think of Microsoft Dynamics 365, they picture the big-ticket features – Sales pipelines, Customer Service queues, Finance modules, and so on. But if you’ve spent any time under the hood, you’ll know that Dynamics 365 is packed with lesser-known features that can quietly supercharge your productivity.
Elantis has worked on many Dynamics 365 implementations, and we’ve seen firsthand how these “hidden gems” can save hours of manual work, improve data quality, and make users actually enjoy using the system (yes, really).
Here are 6 of our favourite under-the-radar features that every power user and admin should know about.
1. Use Copilot as your AI-Powered Assistant
What it does: Dynamics 365 Copilot uses generative AI to help users draft emails, summarize cases, and even suggest next steps in a sales process.
Why it matters: It’s like having a junior analyst on your team. For example, in Customer Service, Copilot can summarize a case history in seconds, perfect for handoffs or escalations.
Pro Tip: Make sure your environment has the right licensing and security roles to enable Copilot features. It’s worth the setup.
How to Enable Copilot for Dynamics 365:
1. Check Licensing: Ensure your organization has the appropriate Dynamics 365 license with Copilot capabilities.
2. Enable in Admin Center:
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- Go to Power Platform Admin Center > Environments.
- Select your environment, then go to Settings > Product > Features.
- Enable Copilot and AI features.
3. Security Roles: Assign users the appropriate roles (e.g., Salesperson, Customer Service Rep) to access Copilot features.
2. Editable Grids
What it does: Allows users to edit records directly in a view, no need to open each record individually.
Why it matters: This is a massive time-saver for bulk updates. Think about updating opportunity stages, contact preferences, or case statuses.
Pro Tip: Enable editable grids in the model-driven app designer under the view settings. Combine with business rules for inline validation.
How to Enable Editable Grids:
1. Open Power Apps > Solutions > Select your app.
2. Go to the Entity (e.g., Contacts) > Views.
3. Select a view and enable Editable Grid under the control settings.
3. Auto-Save and Auto-Numbering
What it does: Auto-save keeps your data safe without constant clicking. Auto-numbering generates unique IDs for records such as cases, quotes, or custom entities.
Why it matters: Reduces user friction and ensures consistent record tracking, especially useful in high-volume environments.
Pro Tip: Use Power Automate or custom workflows to create advanced numbering schemes (e.g., region-based prefixes or fiscal year tags).
How to Enable Auto-Save:
- Enabled by default in model-driven apps.
- To disable/enable: Go to Settings > Administration > System Settings > General Tab.
How to Enable Auto-Numbering:
- Navigate to Advanced Settings > Customization > Auto-Numbering.
- Choose the entity (e.g., Case, Quote) and define the format (prefix, number length, etc.).
4. Relevance Search (Dataverse Search)
What it does: Provides fast, full-text search across multiple tables and columns.
Why it matters: It’s like having a mini search engine inside your CRM. Great for finding records when you only remember part of a name or keyword.
Pro Tip: Admins can configure which fields are indexed. Prioritize fields that users commonly search by (e.g., email, phone, reference numbers).
How to Enable Relevance Search:
1. Go to Power Platform Admin Center > Environments.
2. Select your environment > Settings > Features.
3. Enable Dataverse Search.
4. Configure Searchable Fields:
- In Power Apps, go to the entity > Searchable Fields.
- Add or remove fields to optimize search results.
5. Business Process Flows with Branching Logic
What it does: Guides users through multi-stage processes with conditional paths.
Why it matters: Standardizes workflows across teams while allowing flexibility. Think onboarding, case resolution, or sales qualification.
Pro Tip: Use branching logic to adapt the flow based on record type, priority, or customer segment.
How to Create Business Process Flows with Branching Logic:
1. In Power Apps, go to Solutions > New > Business Process Flow.
2. Define stages and steps.
3. Use Conditions to create branches based on field values.
6. Timeline Control
What it does: Displays all activities, notes, and interactions in a single chronological view.
Why it matters: Gives users a 360° view of customer engagement without jumping between tabs.
Pro Tip: Customize the timeline to show only relevant activity types for each entity.
How to Customize Timelines:
1. Open the form editor for an entity (e.g., Case).
2. Add the Timeline control to the form.
3. Configure which activities (emails, notes, phone calls) to display.
Dynamics 365 is a powerhouse, but like any great tool, its real value comes from knowing how to use it well. These hidden features aren’t just “nice to have” , they’re practical, time-saving, and often underutilized. Whether you’re an admin, developer, or end-user, taking the time to explore and enable these capabilities can make a measurable difference in your day-to-day operations.
Interested in further customizing your Dynamics 365 environment? Whether it’s a new implementation or fine-tuning and optimizing what you have in place, Elantis is here to help. Reach out to our experts today.
