Hello,
Yes, Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement does provide a strong front‑end experience designed exactly for this type of visibility, without the need to export data to Excel.
Dynamics 365 CE includes role‑based dashboards and interactive analytics that can act as the CRM “front page” for Sales and Management teams. These dashboards can show, in real time:
- Pipeline value and pipeline by stage
- 80/20 analysis (e.g., top 20% of customers or opportunities contributing to 80% of revenue)
- Opportunities closing soon
- Win/Loss trends and reasons
- Source of opportunity (lead source, campaign, referral, etc.)
Dashboards can be:
- Personal dashboards (created by users)
- System dashboards (shared and aligned with governance)
- Role‑based (executives, sales managers, reps)
They can also be embedded directly in the Sales Hub home page, entity forms (e.g., Opportunity), or exposed via model‑driven app navigation, so users immediately land on insights rather than raw data.
For more advanced scenarios, Dynamics 365 CE also integrates natively with Power BI, allowing richer visuals and cross‑system analytics while still keeping the CRM as the main operational front end.
If your current setup is heavily finance/production‑driven, this is usually a configuration and UX gap, not a product limitation. With the right dashboards and views, you can eliminate most manual Excel analysis.
Step‑by‑Step: How to Create Dashboards in Dynamics 365 CE
✅ Step 1 – Define the KPIs (Very Important)
Before building anything, clarify what the “front page” must answer:
Typical sales KPIs:
- Total pipeline value
- Pipeline by stage
- Opportunities closing in the next X days
- Win rate vs loss trend
- Top customers / 80–20 contribution
- Opportunity source
✅ Step 2 – Create the Supporting Views
Dashboards are powered by views, not raw tables.
Go to:
Advanced Settings → Customizations → Customize the System
For each entity (usually Opportunity), create views such as:
- Opportunities – Closing in Next 30 Days
- Open Opportunities by Pipeline Stage
- Lost Opportunities – Last 6 Months
- Opportunities by Origin / Source
- Top Opportunities by Estimated Revenue
✅ Tip: Filter and sort properly — dashboards only reflect what the view returns.
✅ Step 3 – Create Charts
Charts give visual insight on top of views.
- Go to Solution Explorer → Entities → Opportunity → Charts
- Create charts such as:
- Pipeline by Stage (funnel or stacked bar)
- Revenue by Opportunity Owner
- Opportunities by Source
- Won vs Lost Trend (line or column chart)
Each chart is tied to a specific view.
✅ Step 4 – Create a System Dashboard
- Go to Customization → Dashboards
- Click New
- Choose layout (2‑column, 3‑column, etc.)
- Add components:
- Charts
- Lists (views)
- KPIs (optional
Example layout:
- Top: Pipeline value by stage
- Left: Opportunities closing soon
- Right: Win/Loss trend
- Bottom: Opportunities by source
Save and publish.
✅ Step 5 – Assign the Dashboard as Default
To make it a true “front page”:
- Assign the dashboard to security roles
- Set it as the default dashboard for Sales users or managers
- Ensure users land on the Sales Hub where dashboards are the home view
✅ Step 6 – (Optional) Use Interactive Dashboards
For deeper analysis:
- Enable Interactive Experience Dashboards
- Allow users to drill down directly from charts into records
- Ideal for managers who want exploration without Excel
✅ Step 7 – Power BI (Optional but Powerful)
If you need:
- Complex 80/20 analysis
- Cross‑system data (ERP + CRM)
- Advanced trends
Use Power BI:
- Connect directly to Dataverse
- Embed Power BI dashboards inside Dynamics 365
- Keep Dynamics as the front end, Power BI as analytics layer
✅ Final Recommendation
What you’re missing today is not functionality, but:
- CRM UX design for leadership
- Proper dashboards, views, and charts
- A default “executive front page”
This is a very common gap — and usually quick to fix with the right setup.
Regards,
Jimmy Passeti | Microsoft MVP
✅ Please mark as Verified if this answered your question!
