Release waves are gone. Your update planning still needs a calendar.
Microsoft has dropped the twice-yearly release waves for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Plans now go onto the AI at Work roadmap whenever they're ready. We implement Dynamics 365 and keep watching that roadmap for the apps you actually use.
Customer engagement appsSales · Customer ServiceSecurity roles and teamsbusiness units · group teamsPower PlatformPower Automate · Copilot Studio
03 · Finance and operations
Finance and SCMgeneral ledger · procurement
04 · Data
Microsoft FabricOneLake · Power BISnowflakereporting warehouse
Microsoft Dynamics 365Microsoft Power PlatformMicrosoft Entra IDMicrosoft Fabric
in short·15-second read
Cohash implements and supports Microsoft Dynamics 365, including Sales, Customer Service, Finance and Business Central, on Dataverse and Power Platform.
Microsoft retired the release wave 1 and wave 2 model from September 2026, and Release Planner retires by 15 November 2026. We track the AI at Work roadmap for your apps and turn it into a test plan for each update.
you probably need this if
Your update planning still assumes release wave 1 and wave 2 dates.
Release Planner is on your team's checklist and it retires in November 2026.
Somebody assigns Dynamics security roles one person at a time instead of using Entra ID groups.
terms on this pageWavedefinitionOne batch of workloads moved together. Large migrations run as a series of these, so each one can be planned, cut over and reviewed on its own.explained in a field note →
Dynamics 365 CE functional consultantDynamics 365 CE developer (plug-ins, PCF)Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations developer (X++)
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate
From the first call to a setup your own team can run.
Here's what usually prompts a call about your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services, what we do about it and in which order, and where you end up.
01 · where it hurts02 · what we change03 · how it runs04 · where you end up
incident board · microsoft dynamics 365 services3 open
openYour update planning still assumes release wave 1 and wave 2 dates.
recurringRelease Planner is on your team's checklist and it retires in November 2026.
blockedSomebody assigns Dynamics security roles one person at a time instead of using Entra ID groups.
exposure
Customer engagement appsFinance and operations appsUpdate planning without release…Dataverse security and Entra IDIntegration and data exportCopilot and agent readiness
startrehearsehandover
Discovery
Design
Build and test
Run
we are here
ready to hand over
Tests now follow Microsoft's monthly publishing rhythm, and nothing hangs on Release…
Dynamics access follows Entra ID group membership.
Copilot answers stay within each seller's access because that access was fixed first.
Solution design and environment strategy
chapter 01 · where it hurts
Why teams reach out
Your update planning still assumes release wave 1 and wave 2 dates.
Release Planner is on your team's checklist and it retires in November 2026.
Somebody assigns Dynamics security roles one person at a time instead of using Entra ID groups.
chapter 02 · what we change
How we solve it
Customer engagement apps
Finance and operations apps
Update planning without release waves
Dataverse security and Entra ID
Integration and data export
Copilot and agent readiness
chapter 03 · how it runs
Our approach
Discovery
Design
Build and test
Run
chapter 04 · where you end up
What changes
Tests now follow Microsoft's monthly publishing rhythm, and nothing hangs on Release Planner anymore.
Dynamics access follows Entra ID group membership.
Copilot answers stay within each seller's access because that access was fixed first.
Solution design and environment strategy
what we do
Where we spend the hours
6 areas of work, each one done by an engineer who has run it in production.
Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service on Dataverse, using model-driven apps and business process flows. Plug-ins only when nothing simpler will do.
Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management configuration, integration and data migration, timed around your fiscal close.
A standing review of the AI at Work roadmap and Message Center for your apps, plus early-access testing in a sandbox before updates reach production.
We tie business units, security roles and teams to Entra ID groups, so a directory change shows up in Dynamics without anyone touching it.
We connect apps using dual-write, virtual tables or APIs, and for reporting we land Dataverse data in Fabric or Snowflake.
A review of which data Copilot features and agents can reach before you turn them on, based on the security roles they inherit.
capability 01 / 06in production
Customer engagement apps
Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service on Dataverse, using model-driven apps and business process flows. Plug-ins only when nothing simpler will do.
We pieced these together from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services situations that come up a lot. They're patterns. You won't find a specific client in them.
case file 01
Update testing still planned around release wave dates
composite · not a client story
Beforethe situation
The admin team schedules Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service testing around wave 1 and wave 2 and tracks features in Release Planner. Microsoft retired release waves from September 2026, and Release Planner retires by 15 November 2026.
What we dothe work
We track the AI at Work roadmap and Message Center instead, filtered to the apps you license. New items become test cases once a month. We run them in a sandbox, using early access where an app offers it, and record decisions in one log.
Afterwhere you end up
Tests now follow Microsoft's monthly publishing rhythm, and nothing hangs on Release Planner anymore.
case file 02
Security roles assigned by hand across four business units
composite · not a client story
Beforethe situation
A Dataverse environment has four business units and around a thousand users, every one assigned security roles by hand. Leavers hold roles until someone happens to notice. Two roles have been copied so many times nobody knows which is current.
What we dothe work
We consolidate roles into a short, documented set. Entra ID security groups get created per role and business unit and connected through Dataverse group teams. Direct user assignments come off once group-based access checks out with a pilot team.
Afterwhere you end up
Dynamics access follows Entra ID group membership. Leave the group and the roles go with it. The set is small enough to review every quarter.
case file 03
Copilot turned on in Sales before regional access was checked
composite · not a client story
Beforethe situation
Copilot features in Dynamics 365 Sales went live in production. Sellers can summarize opportunities and email threads. Nobody checked whether their security roles let them read other regions' records.
What we dothe work
For Copilot users we go through security roles, business units and field security profiles, and test with a persona from each region. Read access that's too broad gets corrected. You then choose which features stay on per environment, and compliance gets it in writing.
Afterwhere you end up
Copilot answers stay within each seller's access because that access was fixed first. Compliance has a record of what is on and why.
How Dynamics 365 connects to Entra ID, Power Platform and your warehouse
Entra ID groups drive Dataverse security roles and teams, so directory changes reach Dynamics 365. Customer engagement and finance apps share data through dual-write, and Dataverse data lands in Fabric or Snowflake for reporting.
01 · Identity
Entra IDusers · security groups → Security roles and teams · group teams
02 · Dataverse
Customer engagement appsSales · Customer Service → Finance and SCM · dual-write→ Microsoft Fabric · Fabric link→ Snowflake · Dataverse export
Security roles and teamsbusiness units · group teams → Customer engagement apps · record access
Power PlatformPower Automate · Copilot Studio → Customer engagement apps · flows and agents
03 · Finance and operations
Finance and SCMgeneral ledger · procurement → Microsoft Fabric · Fabric link
04 · Data
Microsoft FabricOneLake · Power BI
Snowflakereporting warehouse
Read the diagram as text
Entra ID → Security roles and teams: group teams
Security roles and teams → Customer engagement apps: record access
Power Platform → Customer engagement apps: flows and agents
Customer engagement apps → Finance and SCM: dual-write
Customer engagement apps → Microsoft Fabric: Fabric link
We don't start a step until the last one has produced something you can check.
step 01
Discovery
Apps, customizations, integrations and licenses inventoried, with the processes each one supports.
step 02
Design
Solution design, security model and data migration plan agreed with business owners and IT.
step 03
Build and test
Managed solutions built in development environments and moved through pipelines, tested against real scenarios.
step 04
Run
Go-live, then a recurring update review so roadmap changes become a known list of tests.
you keep
What you're left with
We write these for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services setup, and they're working documents. Your team should be able to keep things running from them long after we've gone.
design01
Solution design and environment strategy
yours to keep
design02
Security role model mapped to Entra ID groups
yours to keep
inventory03
Data migration mapping and reconciliation
yours to keep
plan04
Update review checklist tied to the AI at Work roadmap
talent and delivery · microsoft dynamics 365 services
Certified engineers, wherever you need them.
Some clients want a project team, some want a couple of engineers on theirs. Either works. Onsite, nearshore or offshore, with handovers across time zones that keep things moving.
Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations developer (X++)
Dataverse integration developer
Dynamics 365 solution architect
Power Platform developer
due diligence · microsoft dynamics 365 services
Questions to ask any partner, including us.
Put these to anyone bidding on your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services work. The ones who've done it answer differently from the ones who've read about it.
Q1
Where will you track Dynamics 365 changes now that release waves are retired?
Microsoft moved plans to the AI at Work roadmap from September 2026 and retires Release Planner by 15 November 2026. A partner still quoting wave dates hasn't caught up.
Q2
Will security roles be assigned through Entra ID groups or user by user?
Roles assigned straight to users stick around after people change jobs. Tie group teams to Entra ID security groups and Dynamics access gets handled like every other joiner, mover or leaver change.
Q3
How are customizations packaged and promoted between environments?
If someone edits production directly, you lose the trail and the clean way out. Managed solutions moved through pipelines keep versions and let you roll back.
Q4
What can Copilot and agents read under our current security model?
Copilot features work within the user's access. If that access is broader than intended, Copilot makes over-sharing faster to find and easier to exploit.
Q5
How will Dataverse data reach our warehouse, and what will it cost?
Link to Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse Link and direct APIs differ in latency, storage use and licensing. Pick one on purpose before reports start depending on it.
01Are Dynamics 365 release waves really gone?
Yes. Microsoft's Dynamics 365 blog says it is retiring the twice-yearly release wave model in favor of continuous publishing. New plans stop appearing in Release Plans on Learn from September 2026, existing plans stay for reference, and Release Planner retires by 15 November 2026. The AI at Work roadmap becomes the main source.
02Does that change how often updates reach our environment?
The roadmap change is about how Microsoft publishes plans. Update mechanics still differ by app, so check the per-app guidance Microsoft links from its release schedule page. We map that out for the apps you license.
03Can you integrate Dynamics 365 with Salesforce or SAP?
Yes. We design which system owns each record and field, then build the sync through APIs, Azure integration services or middleware you already own.
04How long does a Dynamics 365 implementation take?
It depends on the apps in scope, the amount of data to migrate and the number of integrations. Finance projects also depend on when you can cut over without disrupting a close. We estimate after discovery.
05Can you take over a Dynamics 365 environment another partner set up?
Yes. We go through solutions, plug-ins, security roles and integrations, list the unmanaged changes in production and agree what to fix first. Then a pipeline goes in, so the next change leaves a trail.
related
Often paired with
Projects on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services usually end up touching one of these, so they're worth a look.
