Best books for D365 F&O Developers and Consultants

In my experience with D365 F&O, I have read many D365 F&O books for developers and consultants. I think that reading a book sometimes it’s better to have a good understanding of how to do things in the best way and not just solve the problem. If you are a junior it’s also a very good way to understand the basics of D365 F&O. In this article I will sort my Top 5 D365 F&O books based on my experience.

5. X++ Programming: A 1-Hour Crash Course (Best D365 F&O Book for beginners)

If you are a beginner I think this is the best book for you. In this book, you will find the basic knowledge of the X++ programming language. X++ is a language very similar language with C++ that allows you to easily do some customization capabilities to your Microsoft Dynamics AX environment. So if you are familiar with C++, learning X++ will be easier for you. This book describes very well the X++ language, and how you can use it to deploy your own customization on D365 F&O. This book has only 56 pages, and it’s the cheapest book you can find. This book was published in 2014 and for this reason, you can think it’s outdated but it’s not true. The basics of X++ haven’t changed. What has changed is the way of customizing the Dynamics application using X++.

4.Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations

If you want to learn and understand the functionality of Microsoft’s enterprise solution I think this is one of the best book you can read. This book will give you precise instructions and descriptions to make you understand Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (formerly Dynamics AX) rapidly. This book provides the required knowledge to handle all basic business processes in Dynamics 365 F&O. The exercises in the book also make it a good choice for self-study. On this book you can find all needed information about those topics :

• Basics and Technology
• Navigation and User Interface
• Supply Chain Management
• Trade and Logistics
• Advanced Warehouse Management
• Manufacturing
• Financial Management

This book is published at end of 2019 and it’s quite updated with the latest change on Dynamics 365 f&o version. I will definitely recommend this book, especially for the junior consultants.

3.Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Apps

If you want to learn best practices, architecture, tools, techniques of D365 F&O this is this is the best book you can read. This book will give you an introduction to Microsoft Dynamics 365, describing different apps and tools under it. You will learn about different implementation methodologies such as Waterfall and Agile, for your projects. In this book will be also covered various application components and architectures of Dynamics such as requirements processing, development, reports and analytics, and integration. You will find tips, techniques and best practices about D365F&O Implementation. You’ll explore strategies for managing configurations and data migrations, also you’ll discover development tools and processes in Dynamics for building customized solutions in Dynamics.

Key Features

• Manage and plan different Dynamics configurations, designs, and products
• Learn how to manage projects for pre-sales and implementation using Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS)
• Discover various integration planning techniques, tools, and frameworks such as PowerApps and Power Automate

What you will learn

• Understand the architecture of Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Apps
• Implement Dynamics with confidence to manage finances in your business
• Get up to speed with different methodologies and support cycles of the Microsoft Dynamics architecture
• Explore best practices to analyze the requirements of your business
• Understand the technique of data migration from legacy systems
• Leverage the capabilities of Power BI to make informed business decisions
• Manage all your upgrades through One Version service updates

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations
2. Methodology and Initiation
3. Lifecycle Services (LCS) and Tools
4. Architecture, Deployment, and Environments
5. Requirements and Process Analysis
6. Configuration and Data Management
7. Solution Planning and Design
8. Integration Technologies, Planning, and Design
9. Customization and Extension
10. Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Reporting
11. Testing and Training
12. Managing Go-Live and Post Go-Live
13. One Version Service Updates

If you have experience in Dynamics 365 F&O development but you want to learn more about all steps of implementation process this is the right book for you.

2.Extending Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management Cookbook

If you are a working mostly with SCM or Supply chain management this is very nice book you can read. In this book you can find the latest features of Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management including Chain of Command (CoC), Acceptance Test Libraries (ATL), and Business Events. The book not only features more than 100 tutorials that allow you to create and extend business solutions, but also addresses specific problems and offers solutions with insights into how they work. This cookbook starts by helping you set up a Azure DevOps project and taking you through the different data types and structures used to create tables. You will then gain an understanding of user interfaces, write extensible code, manage data entities, and even model Dynamics 365 ERP for security. As you advance, you’ll learn how to work with various in-built Dynamics frameworks such as SysOperation, SysTest, and Business Events. Finally, you’ll get to grips with automated build management and workflows for better application state management. In the end of this book I think you will become proficient in packaging and deploying end-to-end solutions with D365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.

What you will learn

• Understand the importance of using patterns and frameworks for creating unique solutions
• Write code that can make your solution extendable
• Leverage new frameworks that allow your solution to adapt as your business grows
• Design the UI and business logic to fit standard patterns
• Understand how to not only write unit tests, but also perform efficient unit testing to automate the testing process
• Design your security model and policies to provide code access privileges

Table of Contents

1. Starting a New Project
2. Data Structures
3. Creating the User Interface
4. Working with Form Logic and Frameworks
5. Application Extensibility
6. Writing for Extensibility
7. Advanced Data Handling
8. Business Events
9. Security
10. Data Management, OData, and Office
11. Consuming and Exposing Services
12. Unit Testing
13. Automated Build Management
14. Workflow Development
15. State Machines

This book was published on March 2020 and I think is the most updated book about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.

1.Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Development Cookbook

In my opinion this is the best book for D365F&O Developers. On this book you can find everything you need to know from Processing data to Integrations and Improve Development efficiency and performance. This book is very well structured and here you can see many examples that will help you learn more how to develop a D365F&O application.

Table of Contents

• Processing Data
• Working with forms
• Working with Data in forms
• Building Lookups
• Processing Business Tasks
• Data management
• Integration with Microsoft Office
• Integration with Power BI
• Integration with Services
• Improving Development Efficiency and Performance