Dynamics 365 and replicating to an SQL database for reporting

Data migration takes at least 4 times longer than everyone estimates #HoskWisdom

It’s a common requirement to create a different data source for reporting this allows data to be aggregated and reduces the load on your production instance of Dynamics 365.

This post will look at the options to replicate your Dynamics 365 database to a SQL database.

Azure SQL database

Azure SQL is common database that is familiar with many report writers. The common requirement is to copy your Dynamics 365 database to an Azure SQL server.

What are the options for you to do this

The Data export service

The Data export service is a good choice because it’s free and can works with Dynamics 365. Choosing what entities you copy is setup with configuration with no code needed.

The Data export service is an add on that replicates your Dynamics 365 database (or CDS) into an Azure SQL Database. After the initial copy it syncronises the changes by using changing tracking.

It copies to Azure SQL subscription, or SQL Server on an Azure VM