D365 Release Management

Since the adoption of the One Version Service Update Model, Dynamics 365 is constantly updated, and each release brings new features and fixes to the product(s).

The service updates are predictable and generally available for self-deployment approximately 2 weeks prior to Microsoft automatically applying the update.

They are usually grouped in waves, and there are two of them for each year:

• Release wave 1 covers features releasing from April through September.
• Release wave 2 covers features releasing from October through March.

More information about the Release Management can be found here. 

For the targeted release schedule instead, please click here.

Which update should we apply to our D365 Products?

The service updates can be applied as soon as a new version is available or accordingly to the business needs: for example, sometimes is not possible to apply an update due to high season or financial closing periods, or simply we would like to wait to the next one available because it includes an important fix that we are looking for.

How often should we apply the updates?

Microsoft’s Customers can have up to 8 service updates per year; however, only a minimum of 2 service updates per year is required, pausing up to 3 consecutive updates.

In this case, if the pause window has ended and the customer has not applied to a supported service update, Microsoft will automatically apply the latest version based on the configuration selection made available in Lifecycle Services (LCS).

To learn more about how to pause service updates, click here.

Are the service updates mandatory?

They are in a way, especially if you want to work with an up-do-date product and use its latest features.

Besides, Microsoft offers support only for the latest version of its products: it is therefore recommended to update your system before it reaches its end-of-service date.

Why are you reading this?

As Microsoft Gold Partner, our intention is to give you a summary and to keep you posted with what is going on with your Dynamics 365 products and help you to understand its capabilities and the new features.

In our blog you will find a quick overview of the new features generally available with the upcoming service updates for the main products Axperience offers: D365 for Finance and Operation and D365 Commerce.

The blog entries are in English and based on the official Microsoft Documentation: you will find an URL link for each topic so you can jump to the webpage, where you can change it to your favourite language.