5 Ways to Fix a Slow Dynamics 365 System
Are you struggling with a slow Dynamics 365 system? Are the current performance issues causing you to rethink your decision to invest in Dynamics 365? Let us be clear – a slow Dynamics 365 environment is not a Microsoft issue. It is not because your business is growing, and your D365 tenant can’t keep up with it. It is almost always because of bad architecture decisions that accumulate over time.
In this article, we will be talking about some of the practical ways for Dynamics 365 optimization. These methods will make your system more efficient and responsive.
5 Effective Dynamics 365 Optimization Methods
Let us start by looking at some of the most common issues and how you can fix each of them with Dynamics 365 troubleshooting support from Evolvous.
#1: Fix the Data Models, Not Just the Screens
Users often struggle with issues, like:
- Simple views take several seconds to load.
- Reports feel resource heavy
- Even small changes take a lot of time to load.
Now, in most cases, users simply customize screens. These are like patchwork. In most cases the problems exist within the data models and not just the screens.
What Causes Them?
- Most of the core entities like Accounts, Contacts, and Opportunity are overloaded with several unused fields.
- There is an excessive number of calculated and rollup fields that recalculate on every stage.
- Entity relations are poorly designed. This might cause large joins even for simple views.
- Few fields are added without any real need, but they are constantly queried.
What Should You Do?
- Rationalize the fields. Identify the ones that are sparingly used, if at all.
- Simplify relationships. Remove unnecessary ones.
- Replace resource-heavy real-time calculations with simpler logic.
- Redesign the data model around how users actually work.
#2: Reduce Plugin & Workflow Load
If you face issues like:
- Random delays during save
- The system ‘hangs’ often.
- No definite reason behind slow performance.
Then, you should look at how your plugins and workflows are configured.
What Causes Them?
- Synchronous plugins run on every save.
- A single even triggers multiple workflows.
- Irrelevant or dated plugins are still in use.
- Business logic is duplicated across plugins and workflows
What Should You Do?
- Analyze the execution paths. Always map what runs during ‘create’ and ‘update’ events.
- In the case that real-time feedback is not required, convert synchronous plugins into asynchronous ones.
- Structure and consolidate logic into more well-defined automation layers.
- Remove all dated logic that no longer fits your current processes.
Analyze Your Current Dynamics 365 Environment
Schedule a health check with our Microsoft certified Dynamics 365 consultants and get a detailed report on how your existing reporting is doing, and what you can do to enhance its performance.
#3: Re-architect Integrations
If you are experiencing challenges like:
- Data synchronization issues
- Inconsistent records across integrated systems.
- Performance taking a hit when you integrate additional platforms.
Then the issue might be your point-to-point syncs. Here are some of the possible reasons behind these issues:
What Causes Them?
- Multiple systems are pushing and/or pulling data simultaneously from D365.
- You have no control over the integrations and when they run.
- Retries increase significantly when systems down the line fail.
What Should You Do?
- Define which systems will be accessing which data. This brings clarity in data pulling and pushing.
- Implement staged or event-driven integration patterns instead of real-time syncing all the time.
- Try to schedule data sync windows that are based on your actual usage patterns.
#4: Optimize Data Security Roles and Access Controls
Your users might experience:
- Slower load times, especially for power users.
- Performance varies according to user roles.
- Admin changes take longer than desired.
Sometimes, these might be caused by improperly configured security roles and their access.
What Causes Them?
- Users are assigned multiple roles, which overlap with each other.
- Broad privileges are granted to avoid any usage issues.
- Security models are designed to ensure data governance, but not for system efficiency.
What Should You Do?
- Rationalize the user roles. This will reduce overlap and redundancy.
- Follow the principles of least privilege. Only grant those access privileges that are necessary.
- Focus on performance when it comes to system security design. This is especially useful for power users.
#5: Design for Peak Load, Not for Average Usage
You might often experience:
- Slowdown during heavy month-end workloads.
- Quarterly reporting taking days
This is probably because you have designed the system based on the load on ‘normal’ workdays, not for when things get tough
What Causes Them?
- Lack of understanding peak usage requirements.
- Inefficient configuration is based on wrong usage patterns.
What Should You Do?
- Perform peak load mapping according to your business needs.
- Reschedule resource intensive jobs outside of high usage windows.
- Test performance levels regularly, not when failures occur.
Also read: – Preventing Ransomware Attacks with Akamai Cyber Security
Download FREE eBook on Dynamics 365 Business Central
Download FREE eBook to learn more about the intricate details of Dynamics 365 Business Central and how you can enhance its performance for your business.
How We Help Improve Slow Dynamics 365 System?
As a professional Dynamics 365 consultant, we will conduct an extensive review to help with Dynamics 365 optimization. Here is an overview of the process that we follow:
Phase 1: Usage Mapping
We start by understanding how you plan to use or are currently using the Dynamics 365 environment. Here are some of the things that we do:
- Identify the most commonly used entities.
- Measure peak usage.
- Engage with power users and other stakeholders.
Phase 2: Identify Architectural Issues
Next, we move towards analyzing the performance of bottlenecks. Here is what we do:
- Plugin execution analysis.
- Reviews existing workflows.
- Measuring integration loads.
- Mapping security roles.
Phase 3: Preparing an Optimization Plan
- Perform quick fixes. These are implemented within 30 days and give a quick boost to your system performance.
- Implement structural changes. These take about 30 to 90 days and help you achieve long-term performance enhancement.
- Set up governance, security, and access controls.
Schedule a FREE Discovery Call with Dynamics 365 Performance experts
Is your current slow Dynamics 365 system holding your business back? Do you need expert Dynamics 365 troubleshooting support? Contact our team for a FREE discovery call and effective solutions.
Schedule a FREE Discovery Call
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Dynamics 365 Optimization?
It is a set of methods that are employed to enhance the performance of your system. It includes, but is not limited to, structural revisions, customization cleanup, mapping improvements, and security re-structuring.
- Will performance optimization disrupt my day-to-day activities?
We make sure that our Dynamics 365 performance upgrades are minimally disruptive. We make incremental improvements and execute the tasks outside of the peak usage windows. Contact our team for more information.
- How much time will it take to upgrade performance?
It depends on the challenges you are facing, the underlying issues, the usage pattern, and the scope of the deployment. After our initial analysis, you will be getting a detailed timeline for the entire project.
- Can I improve AI performance after Dynamics 365 optimization?
Yes. AI features like Copilot and predictive analytics, depend heavily on the system’s performance. So, if you are already using AI, you will see a significant increase in performance after we are done with the optimization.
