Microsoft has made it easier for organizations, administrators, and partners to explore and experience the capabilities of Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations apps by providing free, subscription-based trial environments. These trial environments include apps such as Dynamics 365 Finance, Supply Chain Management, Project Operations, and Commerce, offering a streamlined and accessible way to test the software’s features before making a full commitment.
In this guide, I’ll Walk you through the steps to set up a trial environment for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.
Pre-requisites
Before you can deploy a trial environment, your tenant administrator must assign you a trial environment license. This is an essential step, as the license grants you access to deploy and use the environment for evaluation purposes.
Steps to Deploy a Trial Environment
Once the trial environment license has been assigned by your tenant administrator, you can follow these steps to deploy a trial environment:
- Sign in to the Power Platform Admin Center
- Head over to the Power Platform Admin Center and sign in with your organization’s credentials.
- Create a New Environment
- Once logged in, click on the + New button to create a new environment. This option will guide you through the steps needed to configure your trial environment.
- Configure the Environment Settings
- In the environment creation form, you will need to enter a few details:
- Select your preferred Language.
- Choose a Security Group if needed.
- Check the box to Enable Dynamics 365 Apps.
- Under the dropdown option Automatically deploy these apps, select the product (e.g., Dynamics 365 Finance or Supply Chain Management) you wish to deploy.
- Deploy the Environment
- After configuring the necessary settings, click Next and review your choices.
- Click Save to start the deployment process. The deployment can take up to an hour to complete, depending on the selected configurations and the app’s complexity.
Once the environment has been deployed, you can begin exploring the trial environment and evaluating the app’s features and functionalities.
Important Notes
Before using the trial environment, keep the following limitations in mind:
- No Visual Studio Support: The trial environments do not support development or customizations with Visual Studio. This environment is designed for testing, demonstration, and evaluation purposes only.
Conclusion
Setting up a trial environment for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is an excellent way to evaluate the software’s capabilities and explore new features before making any long-term commitments. The process is simplified and user-friendly, with Microsoft now offering free, subscription-based trials. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily create and deploy your own trial environment and get hands-on experience with Dynamics 365 apps.
Whether you are considering Dynamics 365 Finance, Supply Chain Management, Project Operations, or Commerce, these trial environments will give you valuable insights into how these apps can streamline and transform your organization’s operations.
