Knowledge Article: creating a reference library in Dynamics 365

How often do you have to dig through hours of files to find any instructions? Do you like to rewrite some cheat sheets, help articles? To avoid these annoying to-dos, we offer to create a convenient library directly in CRM.

You need only TWO steps to organize all texts necessary for internal use by employees.

• 1st step: Create a Dynamics 365 KnowledgeArticle entity.
• Now access to the library is available right from the Dynamics 365 general menu! You can rename this menu item as you like: ‘Tips’, ‘Instructions’. The main thing is that it should reflect the purpose of the information.
• 2nd step: Customize this entity according to your needs.
• First, set the required fields for each item in the future list of articles: Author, Title, Text, Category, Uploading files. Keep in mind that you can upload PNG, JPEG files right into the article body. While you can upload PDF, DOC, XLS files via SharePoint.
• Then set up a search within an entity by these fields. Plus, you can organize the search for articles alphabetically, as in the actual library.
• To track the most read materials, provide a rating of publications by the number of views.

• For even more convenience, enable access for users to the knowledge base from other entities. Add the tab ‘Knowledge Articles’ to the list of the tabs for the desired entry. It will allow opening the list of articles, for example, to look through a particular case or contract.

• Each added article goes through the ‘Author — Preview — Posting‘ sequence. All materials remain as a draft until they get posted. You can make drafts visible to all users but limit access to make changes or not (optionally).

• It is also worth noting that there are ample opportunities for formatting articles.

That’s all!

Now the accumulated knowledge can be easily managed: share, add, update, delete articles. Start to fill in the library as soon as possible if you do not want to disappoint your team with emptiness

We recommend reading this article for those who wish to delve deeper into the intricacies of working with Dynamics 365 Knowledge Articles.

Or you can simply entrust the empowering of your CRM to professionals. Stay tuned with us to enjoy the rational solutions by UDS Systems. Feel free to contact us if you have questions or need some explanations.

This article originally appeared on UDS Systems Blog by Karyna.