Company
CRMPlus+
Industry
Technology Consulting / Data Integration
Target
Complete four ETL projects involving Dynamics 365, Business Central, HubSpot, and a geo-information system
Challenge
- Work with custom entities and specialized systems
- Ensure flexibility, simplicity, and maintainability across multiple complex integrations
KingswaySoft Solution
SSIS Integration Toolkit for Dynamics 365
SSIS Integration Toolkit for HubSpot
Value Delivered
A unified, code-free integration solution that enabled CRMPlus+ to complete four sophisticated ETL projects in significantly less time, offering improved data automation, simplified maintenance, and scalable performance across all systems.
Overview
Founded in 2010, CRMPlus+ is a Dutch-based consultancy and a KingswaySoft Authorized Implementation Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office 365.
The client, a fiber-optic service provider, is looking to complete four ETL projects with the help of CRMPlus+ and KingswaySoft’s Integration Toolkits. They use Microsoft products and tools to provide custom solutions to small- to medium-sized businesses in the Twin Cities, as well as large companies in the area and across the United States.
| PROJECT 1 | PROJECT 2 | PROJECT 3 | PROJECT 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back up of Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM Online to CRM Version On-Premises | Split Data from one Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM Online environment to three Business Central instances | Integrate CRM Accounts, Contacts & Sales Contracts with a geo-information system (Cocon) | Date Integration between Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM and HubSpot |
ETL Projects
Project 1: The challenges with the first migration project and subsequent back-up operation center on the numerous custom entities involved while retaining the ModifiedBy and ModifiedOn information which is not commonly available in other integration and migration tools. In addition, there has been challenges in migrating closed records as the Dynamics platform does not allow updating closed records.
Project 2: The project to integrate Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM with Business Central involves extracting data from a single Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM Online system to three Business Central instances (Customers, Suppliers and Holding Company). It requires returning invoice and purchase data from two Business Central instances back to Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM to provide users with near real-time integration on outstanding sales amounts versus budgeted sales for projects. In a previous data integration implementation between CDS/CRM and NAV, another major Dynamics integration vendor system had been used. However, the project solution proved too complicated and expensive to maintain and took a significant amount of time to set up initially. The client requires a more straightforward solution that allows data integration without sacrificing performance while allowing developers to adjust and make changes to their ETL work with ease.
Project 3: Working with an industry-specific application (Cocon) meant that research into how data can be added, updated and retrieved from the geo-information system is required. This challenge was compounded by the fact that the application has inadequate and unreliable documentation that can be used.
Project 4: Because HubSpot does not create the records immediately, the HubSpot IDs of newly created records could not be added directly into CRM. Therefore the integration has a slight delay when retrieving the HubSpot IDs from newly created records and in turn, updating CRM. Additionally in CRM, a hyperlink to the HubSpot record is created.
Challenges
Project 1: The challenges with the first migration project and subsequent back-up operation center on the numerous custom entities involved while retaining the ModifiedBy and ModifiedOn information which is not commonly available in other integration and migration tools. In addition, there has been challenges in migrating closed records as the Dynamics platform does not allow updating closed records.
Project 2: The project to integrate Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM with Business Central involves extracting data from a single Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM Online system to three Business Central instances (Customers, Suppliers and Holding Company). It requires returning invoice and purchase data from two Business Central instances back to Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM to provide users with near real-time integration on outstanding sales amounts versus budgeted sales for projects. In a previous data integration implementation between CDS/CRM and NAV, another major Dynamics integration vendor system had been used. However, the project solution proved too complicated and expensive to maintain and took a significant amount of time to set up initially. The client requires a more straightforward solution that allows data integration without sacrificing performance while allowing developers to adjust and make changes to their ETL work with ease.
Project 3: Working with an industry-specific application (Cocon) meant that research into how data can be added, updated and retrieved from the geo-information system is required. This challenge was compounded by the fact that the application has inadequate and unreliable documentation that can be used.
Project 4: Because HubSpot does not create the records immediately, the HubSpot IDs of newly created records could not be added directly into CRM. Therefore the integration has a slight delay when retrieving the HubSpot IDs from newly created records and in turn, updating CRM. Additionally in CRM, a hyperlink to the HubSpot record is created.
The Solution
Project 1: As mentioned previously, the client had already used a major Dynamics integration vendor with limited success to integrate data between CDS/CRM and NAV. For this project, CRMPlus+ suggested KingswaySoft thanks to the flexibility, ease-of-use, and cost-effectiveness of its SSIS Integration Toolkits. With the Ultimate Edition, the client has access to every SSIS integration component produced by KingswaySoft, all through one single license. Utilizing the SSIS Integration Toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics 365 (for CDS/CRM and NAV/BC), the client successfully implemented the Microsoft Dynamics CDS/CRM integration in just a few weeks. In contrast, their previous attempt took months to set up and was challenging to maintain. Unique features within KingswaySoft's SSIS Integration Toolkits have translated into cost-effective and time-saving solutions for the client.
Project 2: With the SSIS Integration Toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics 365 and component in KingswaySoft’s SSIS Productivity Pack, CRMPlus+ split the data from one source to three destinations by first filtering the owning business unit and then filtering the relationshiptype (customer or supplier). Using KingswaySoft’s Diff Detector, used to facilitate incremental writing, CRMPlus+ checked whether the records processed are new or changed and deployed a similar procedure for the purchase and sales contracts. Success on this project required close collaboration between NAV/BC and CRM consultants.
Project 3: Working with a system that utilizes XML as the data store or service endpoint has created some significant challenges since there isn't an easy way to consume or write complex XML messages within an ETL process. Using KingswaySoft’s XML Extract component, the response from Cocon is received and converted into required rows and columns. Using the Pivot transformation and KingswaySoft’s CRM/CDS Destination component, the data is written to Dynamics CDS/CRM. KingswaySoft's XML Processing components provide developers with unique capabilities to load or extract data from applications or database systems regardless if they are custom-built or specialized. Thanks to the flexibility of KingswaySoft’s XML components, developers are empowered to create integration packages that easily work with virtually any other application or database system.
Project 4: Using KingswaySoft’s Premium Derived Column and Timer Task, CRMPlus+ team can easily convert DataTypes (DT_WSTR to DT_GUID), add pre-defined variables & wait a mere 10 seconds to retrieve HubSpot IDs from newly created records & to update CRM. Both CRM data & HubSpot data are joined on the CRM AccountID attribute - both have been added in the Creation process in KingswaySoft’s HubSpot solution with a few clicks, streamlining the client’s process in a very efficient manner.
The Results
Setting up the integration project (involving unique complexities in the client's Business Central instances) with Dynamics 365 CDS/CRM Online began on October 25, 2019. It took only 120 hours to complete versus the months spent achieving a similar goal with the other Dynamics integration vendor back in 2016. This achievement meant that the client could focus time & resources on the business rather than on the implementation work. The integration with their geo-information system began in April 2020 & required 95 hours to complete. Its successful completion means that customers receive notifications of possible disruptions as soon as the event occurs, a vital milestone in the client's overall "Pro-Active Maintenance Project". The final integration began on November 2020 & required 30 hours to complete; the client was able to synchronize CRM Accounts & Contacts to HubSpot in an coherent fashion. Their integration shows that with a minimal amount of effort, an integration between Dynamics CRM & HubSpot can be obtained with KingswaySoft solutions.
During all four ETL projects, CRMPlus+ reached out to the KingswaySoft Support team on several occasions for questions & guidance with the software. The KingswaySoft team provided responsive support throughout the project & suggested best practices to achieve efficient outcomes with the components. KingswaySoft’s intuitive solutions, coupled with their team’s collaborations, paved the way for a smooth & painless integration from start to finish.
Delivered Improvements
60,000+ Emails with Attachments
3000+ Accounts accurately synchronized
5000+ Quotes seamlessly integrated
6500+ Contacts unified across systems
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