Microsoft Dynamics 365 Consulting: Sales and Business Central Set Up to Report Well
Most small companies did not buy Dynamics 365 for its screens. They bought it to know what is in the pipeline, what was invoiced and what is owed. When those answers still come from exports, the system was configured for data entry, not for reporting.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting from Lightray Solutions configures Dynamics 365 Sales or Business Central for small and mid-sized firms so that the data people enter is the data managers can report on, then builds the Power BI reports on top. Edward Pinela, MBA, does the configuration and reporting himself, remotely, from review to handover.
Lightray is not a Microsoft reseller and earns nothing on licences. Dynamics 365 Sales Professional and Enterprise can be bought directly from Microsoft, while Microsoft's Business Central pricing page sends buyers to one of its licensing providers. Either way the subscription is yours, and we work inside your tenant.
The first step is a free 30-minute strategy call with Edward; ask on the form below or by phone, and you hear back within 4 business hours. Configuration and reporting work is quoted after that call and a short review of your environment.
Which Dynamics 365 app fits a small or mid-sized firm: Sales or Business Central?
They answer different questions. Dynamics 365 Sales is a CRM for leads, opportunities, accounts and the pipeline. Business Central is an ERP for finance and operations: general ledger, sales and purchase orders, inventory, projects and, on the Premium plan, manufacturing. Many firms need one of them; some run both, with Sales feeding Business Central.
Microsoft's Business Central pricing page lists Essentials, Premium, which Microsoft describes as adding enhanced service management and manufacturing, and a Team Members licence for people who mainly read data and approve. The Dynamics 365 Sales pricing page lists Sales Professional, Sales Enterprise and Sales Premium. Prices change, so we read them with you on the call rather than print them here.
If Dynamics 365 is not yet chosen, start with CRM consulting services, which compares the platforms. This page assumes Dynamics is chosen or already running.
| Question | Dynamics 365 Sales | Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| What it runs | Leads, opportunities, accounts, contacts and sales activity | General ledger, receivables, payables, orders, inventory and projects |
| Where the data lives | Microsoft Dataverse | Business Central environments and companies, read through its APIs |
| Power BI connection | Dataverse connector; the TDS endpoint must be enabled | Business Central connector, with an option to read from a read-only replica |
| Ready-made reporting | In-app views, charts and dashboards | Microsoft's Power BI apps for finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, projects and more |
| How licences are bought | Professional and Enterprise directly from Microsoft; Premium through Microsoft sales | Microsoft directs buyers to a licensing provider |
What does configuring Dynamics 365 Sales for reporting involve?
Deciding what the pipeline report must show, then making the system collect it. That means sales stages with written exit criteria, required fields only where a report depends on them, consistent account and contact records, and a named owner for every open opportunity. Without those, no dashboard can be trusted, however polished it looks.
In-app views, charts and dashboards cover the day-to-day inside Sales. Power BI takes over when the pipeline must sit beside invoices, a budget or marketing data, or when people who never open Dynamics need the numbers.
- Stages. Stages that match how your team actually sells, each with a definition a new hire could apply the same way.
- Fields that feed reports. Lead source, product line and region captured as choice fields rather than free text, so they can be grouped.
- Duplicate control. Duplicate detection rules plus a one-time cleanup of accounts and contacts.
- Outlook and Teams. Email and meetings tracked against the right records, so activity reports mean something.
How do you report on Business Central in Power BI?
Start with what Microsoft already ships. Business Central has Power BI apps for finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, inventory valuation, projects, manufacturing, subscription billing and sustainability, each with a documented semantic model and KPIs. Install them, connect them and check them against your books before commissioning anything custom.
Because Microsoft documents how each app calculates its numbers, the apps are a useful reference even after you outgrow them. Custom reports earn their place when you need dimensions the apps don't carry, a consolidated view across several companies, or Business Central joined to a CRM, payroll or a budget kept elsewhere.
Custom models use the Business Central connector, which reads the environment and company you choose through Business Central's APIs and has an option to read from a read-only replica, keeping report load off the live database.
How does Power BI connect to Dynamics 365 Sales data?
Through the Dataverse connector, because Dynamics 365 Sales keeps its data in Microsoft Dataverse. Microsoft's documentation says the TDS endpoint setting must be enabled in the environment, that both Import and DirectQuery are supported, and that the connector suits analytics on modest volumes, with Azure Synapse Link recommended for bulk extraction.
That settles a few decisions early: who in your tenant enables the TDS endpoint, whether reports refresh on a schedule or query live, and whether your history is large enough to need Synapse Link. Microsoft's guide figure of roughly 500 rows per second for most default tables is a useful yardstick when sizing a refresh.
How does a Dynamics 365 consulting engagement run, and what does it cost?
In four steps, beginning with the reports you want and working back to configuration. Scope is written down before work starts, and the price is quoted after the strategy call and an environment review; the number of apps, companies and integrations sets most of it. Licences are billed separately, by Microsoft or your licensing provider.
Moving records in from an older CRM or spreadsheets is covered on CRM data migration services, automating approvals or handoffs around Dynamics on Power Platform consulting, and the finance and pipeline reports themselves on Power BI dashboard development. Edward brings 20+ years of business systems work and 200+ delivered projects, and Lightray holds a 4.9 rating on Google.
- 1. Environment review. Apps and licences in use, configuration, data quality and the reports people rebuild by hand.
- 2. Configuration. Stages, fields, security roles and duplicate rules adjusted and tested in a non-production environment first.
- 3. Reporting. Microsoft's Power BI apps set up and checked, then custom Power BI reports where they fall short.
- 4. Handover. Changes documented, a recorded walkthrough, and a named internal owner for the system.
When should a small firm not take on Dynamics 365?
When a simpler system already does the job. A firm with a short sales cycle, a few users and accounting software that works may gain little from Business Central's extra structure, and a lighter CRM can suit a five-person sales team better than Dynamics 365 Sales. Configuration effort only pays when the reports it enables get used.
If that describes you, the strategy call will say so. Where Dynamics is already licensed and underused, fixing its configuration is usually cheaper and less disruptive than switching platforms.
Further reading: Microsoft Learn — Power BI apps for Business Central.
Want Dynamics 365 to answer your questions without exports?
Book a free 30-minute call with Edward Pinela, MBA. You get an honest read on what to fix first — and if we are not the right fit, you will hear that on the call.
Frequently asked questions
What does Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting cost?
Configuration and reporting work is quoted after a free strategy call and a review of your environment, at a fixed scope where possible. Microsoft licences are separate and billed by Microsoft or your licensing provider; Lightray adds no markup because it sells no licences.
How long does a Dynamics 365 reporting project take?
Setting up and checking Microsoft's Power BI apps for Business Central can take days rather than weeks. Reworking Sales stages and fields, cleaning duplicates and building custom reports takes longer, and the environment review gives you a timeline before the quote.
Can Dynamics 365 configuration be done fully remotely?
Yes. Dynamics 365 is a cloud service, so all configuration happens in your tenant over video and screen share, with your administrator granting a role for the work. Training sessions are recorded so new staff can watch them later.
What do you need from us?
An administrator who can grant access to the Dynamics 365 environment and enable settings such as the TDS endpoint, a list of the reports people rebuild in Excel today, and an hour with the person who owns sales or finance to agree what each report must show.
Can you sell us the Dynamics 365 licences too?
No. Lightray is not a Microsoft reseller and holds no Microsoft partner status. Sales Professional and Enterprise can be bought directly from Microsoft, and Business Central through a licensing provider you choose. We advise on which licences you need, with no commission riding on the answer.
You Won’t Get Handed Off to Junior Staff.
At most consulting firms, the senior person who sold you shows up for the kickoff — then you get handed to a team of juniors learning on your dime. That’s not how we work.
When you hire Lightray Solutions, you work directly with Edward Pinela, MBA — a principal consultant with 20+ years of experience across Power BI, web development, SEO, and CRM systems. Edward architects every engagement personally, stays involved through delivery, and answers his own phone.
Read Edward’s Full Bio“Mid-market companies deserve senior-level expertise without paying enterprise-agency prices. That’s the gap Lightray fills.”
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