What kind of question fits on this hub?

Decision questions people type into Google — 'Do I need Business Central or Finance and Operations?', 'What's the difference between Dataverse and SQL Server?'. Each page gives one direct answer up front, then three or four paragraphs of nuance, then the guides on this site that go deeper.

Are the answers Microsoft-official?

No. The answers are opinionated — grounded in Microsoft's licensing and product docs but written to give a defensible recommendation, not to restate the manual. Where Microsoft's docs are ambiguous, that ambiguity is called out.

Can I suggest a question?

Yes — via the contact form. Good candidates are questions that come up in real conversations, have a defensible answer, and don't just duplicate an existing guide.

How often is this list refreshed?

Every release wave (April and October) the whole list is reviewed for Microsoft product changes; individual answers are edited immediately when a licensing or product change makes them wrong.

Questions answered

Direct answers to the licensing, product-choice, and platform questions people actually type into Google — one page per question, one accepted answer, and the guides that go deeper.

17 questions, grouped by topic. Each page is a single question with a direct answer, then the guides that go deeper. Send more questions via the contact form.

Buying

Can I use Dynamics 365 without a Microsoft partner?Yes for the pure subscription — Microsoft sells Dynamics 365 direct through the web store, and Business Central and the CE apps provision themselves in minutes. But you almost certainly want a partner for the implementation: data migration, integrations, security roles, training, and the two hundred small decisions that determine whether the system works in six months. Buying direct and implementing yourself is realistic for tiny scope; anything beyond it becomes an expensive DIY project.

Copilot

Should I use Copilot Studio or Copilot for Dynamics 365?Copilot for Dynamics 365 is the built-in Copilot experience inside each app — inline summaries, next-best-action suggestions, and record-level chat that Microsoft ships and licenses per app. Copilot Studio is the low-code builder for custom agents that live outside those defaults — bespoke conversation flows, custom knowledge sources, and agents that other apps embed. Use both; they solve different problems.

ERP

Foundations

Is Microsoft Dynamics 365 the same as Microsoft 365?No. Microsoft 365 is the productivity suite — Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Entra ID. Dynamics 365 is the business-applications family — Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Business Central, Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Insights. Different products, different SKUs, different admin surfaces; they integrate deeply but are licensed and bought separately.

Licensing

Platform

Product changes

What happened to Dynamics 365 Marketing?Microsoft rebranded and split it: outbound and real-time features moved into Dynamics 365 Customer Insights — Journeys, and the audience/data side became Dynamics 365 Customer Insights — Data. There is no longer a product called 'Dynamics 365 Marketing' — new deployments buy the Customer Insights bundle, and existing Marketing tenants are on a Microsoft-published migration path.

Sales

Dynamics 365 Sales Professional or Enterprise?Professional for standard pipeline management on out-of-the-box entities with light customisation; Enterprise the moment you need custom entities beyond the small allowance, hierarchical territories, product bundles, embedded intelligence, or the full sales-forecasting model. Enterprise is roughly double the price — the break-even is 'do I need customisation and forecasting' not headcount.

About this hub

What kind of question fits on this hub?: Decision questions people type into Google — 'Do I need Business Central or Finance and Operations?', 'What's the difference between Dataverse and SQL Server?'. Each page gives one direct answer up front, then three or four paragraphs of nuance, then the guides on this site that go deeper.
Are the answers Microsoft-official?: No. The answers are opinionated — grounded in Microsoft's licensing and product docs but written to give a defensible recommendation, not to restate the manual. Where Microsoft's docs are ambiguous, that ambiguity is called out.
Can I suggest a question?: Yes — via the contact form. Good candidates are questions that come up in real conversations, have a defensible answer, and don't just duplicate an existing guide.
How often is this list refreshed?: Every release wave (April and October) the whole list is reviewed for Microsoft product changes; individual answers are edited immediately when a licensing or product change makes them wrong.