Tag Archives: SharePoint Site

How to Integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Online with SharePoint and OneNote

In this post, we cover how to integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Online with SharePoint and OneNote. We start off with why you should consider integrating Dynamics 365 with SharePoint and OneNote. Secondly, a full step-by-step guide is provided on how to create a SharePoint Site for Dynamics 365 document management. Thirdly, a detailed guide on how to integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Online with SharePoint Online is provided. We conclude with an elaborate guide of how to integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Online with OneNote.

Why Consider Integrating Dynamics 365 with SharePoint and OneNote?

  • Cost: It is cheaper to store documents in Microsoft SharePoint than in Microsoft Dynamics 365 online.
  • Enhanced document Management functionality: SharePoint online is a Microsoft platform that specializes in document management and hence has more enhanced features focused on document management e.g. creating sub-sites, information rights management, SharePoint business intelligence, etc.
  • Enhance collaboration: teams can retain the great Dynamics 365 collaboration tools while also utilizing the advance document management features of SharePoint.
  • Enhanced productivity: by allowing users to access documents in multiple places. If someone is working in SharePoint, they do not need to go back to Dynamics 365 to access documents uploaded in Dynamics 365.
  • Seamless user experience: Despite the documents are stored in SharePoint after the integration, to a Dynamics 365 Online user, it feels like the documents still reside in Dynamics 365. The user experience is not compromised by this integration.

How To Create a SharePoint Site for Dynamics 365 Document Management

Step 1: Login in to https://admin.microsoft.com as a global or SharePoint administrator. If you see a notification that you have no permission to access the page, you do not have SharePoint administrator rights or Office 365 global administrator permissions in your organization.

Step 2: In the left pane, under Admin centers, select SharePoint. You might need to select Show all to see the full list of admin centers. This will take take you to the SharePoint home page.

Step 3: On the SharePoint home page, click Create site to start the process of creating a SharePoint site.
SharePoint Home Page

Step 4: You will get pop up window, asking you to choose the type of SharePoint site you would like to create. Choose Team site:
Choosing type of SharePoint site to create

Step 5: Enter details about your team site. Take note of Site Address, we will need it later when integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 with this SharePoint team site. Afterwards click Next.
3.2. Enter details about the SharePoint Site

Step 6: You can add members and/or additional owners of the site. This is not a required step, you can come and add site owners and additional members later after you have created the site. Click Finish to complete the process of creating your SharePoint site.
Add site members and additional owners

Step 7: After Step 6, your new site will be created and it will look similar to:
New SharePoint team site

Integrating Dynamics 365 Online With SharePoint

For this demonstration, we are using version 9.1.0000.9825 of Dynamics 365 (2019 release wave 2 enabled) online. However, the integration process is the same or very similar in other versions of Dynamics 365/CRM online.

Step 1: In your Dynamics 365/CRM instance, login with the System Administrator and/or System Customizer security role. Then navigate to Settings >> Document Management. On this page, click on Configure Server-Based SharePoint Integration.
D365 Document Management Page

Step 2: You will get the following pop up, asking you where your SharePoint sites are located. In this demonstration, we are working with Dynamics 365 online and SharePoint online, so the Online option is selected. Afterwards, click Next.
Choose location of SharePoint site

Step 3: Enter the URL of the SharePoint Site (see Step 5 of section How To Create a SharePoint Site for Dynamics 365 Document Management above). A check will be conducted on whether the URL you have provided is a valid SharePoint online site and if it exists in the same Office 365 tenant as your Dynamics 365 organization. After enabling server-based SharePoint integration, you cannot go back to the client-side integration, the default setting prior to this integration.  If you would like to proceed, click Next.
Enter SharePoint Site URL

Step 4: After your SharePoint site has been validated by Dynamics 365, click Finish.
Validation of SharePoint site by Dynamics 365

Step 5: In Dynamics 365, go to Settings >> Document Management. You will notice that the Configure Server-Based SharePoint Integration option, mentioned in Step 1, is no longer available. This is because we have correctly configured Dynamics 365 with SharePoint. On this page, now click on Document Management Settings to complete the process of integrating Dynamics 365 with SharePoint.
Document Management Settings

Step 6: After executing the previous step, the window below will pop up, where you can select the Dynamics 365 entities you would like to enable for document management in SharePoint. Afterwards click Next to continue the integration process.
Configure Dynamics 365 entities for document management

Step 7: Select the SharePoint folder structure for the entities selected in the previous step. In the example below, I have selected a folder structure based on entities. Afterwards, click Next.
Choose SharePoint folder structure

Step 8: The following window will pop up. Click OK, if you would like to proceed with the creation of document libraries in the provided SharePoint site.
SharePoint Document Libraries Creation

Step 9: Wait until the document libraries have been created. After the document libraries have been created you will get a window similar to the one below, notifying you that the process has been completed. Click Finish.
Document Library Creation Process Complete

You have successfully enabled Dynamics 365 for document management in SharePoint. For the entities enabled, files uploaded for their records will be stored in SharePoint and you can make utilize the full range of document management capabilities offered by SharePoint. Your documents will be accessible in both Dynamics 365 and SharePoint.

To view the SharePoint sites enabled for document management in your Dynamics 365 organization, go to Settings >> Document Management. Click on SharePoint Sites. You will get a window similar to the one below:
Active SharePoint Sites for Dynamics 365 Organization

To view the Dynamics 365 entities’ folders created in SharePoint, navigate to the SharePoint team site you provided above. In the left navigation panel, click on Site Contents. You will get a window similar to:
Dynamics 365 entities' folders in SharePoint

Integrating Dynamics 365 Online With OneNote

Step 1: In Dynamics 365, go to Settings >> Document Management. On this page, click on OneNote Integration.
OneNote Integration

Step 2: After executing the previous step, the window below will pop up, where you can select Dynamics 365 entities you would like to enable for OneNote Integration. Click Finish to complete the process.
Choose the entities to enable for OneNote Integration

You have successfully integrated Dynamics 365 with OneNote. For records of the enabled entities, notes made in Dynamics 365 will be synced with OneNote in SharePoint Online. Also, you can access these notes on your desktop (i.e. OneNote Desktop) and mobile devices (i.e. OneNote Mobile).