Flowon and the Microsoft Ecosystem
Flowon Logic, Flowon BPM, and Flowon API are delivered as native Dynamics 365 managed solutions. They are built using the same SDK, the same data platform, and the same security model that Microsoft's own products use not connected to D365 through APIs, but operating inside it.
This distinction matters. An external tool calling D365 crosses a network boundary, carries its own authentication, runs in a separate transaction, and can partially fail. Flowon operates inside the same process, in the same transaction, with the same security context with sub-millisecond execution and no synchronisation gap.
External tool Flowon (native)
───────────────────── ─────────────────────────────────
D365 ──[ API call ]──► Tool ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
100–500ms latency │ SHARED RUNTIME │
separate auth token │ D365 ◄──[ same SDK ]──► Flowon │
separate transaction │ │
can partially fail │ same transaction │
network dependency │ same security context │
│ same database < 1ms │
└───────────────────────────────────┘
How Flowon Taps Into Dynamics 365
Flowon Logic
Flowon Logic registers directly against the Dataverse plugin execution pipeline the same pipeline D365 uses for its own internal operations. When a record is created, updated, or deleted in D365, Flowon Logic participates in that transaction at the same execution points as a native plugin:
A record is saved in Dynamics 365
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DATAVERSE PLUGIN EXECUTION PIPELINE │
│ │
│ Pre-Validation ◄── Validation Sets enforce data rules │
│ │ before the record is written │
│ ▼ │
│ Pre-Operation ◄── Logic Flows execute: data manipulation, │
│ │ calculations, Decision Tables, │
│ │ Decision Trees, field defaults │
│ ▼ │
│ DATABASE WRITE │
│ │ │
│ Post-Operation ◄── Logic Recipes fire: downstream logic, │
│ │ Machine Workflows, Event publishing, │
│ │ Service Connection calls │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Every construct: Validations, Decision Tables, Decision Trees, Logic Flows, Machine Workflows, Recipes, Events, Schedules, Service Connections is configured no-code in Flowon's visual designer and stored as Flowon Language (FoL) artifacts in Dataverse. Logic inherits the D365 entity model, security context, and row-level access rules on every execution.
Flowon BPM
Flowon BPM attaches to D365 entities through the same Dataverse event infrastructure that drives Logic Recipes. When a triggering condition is met on any D365 entity a record created, a field changed, a status updated BPM creates a process instance and begins executing the defined process definition.
D365 entity event fires (create / update / status change)
│
▼
Flowon BPM creates a Process Instance
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROCESS INSTANCE LIFECYCLE │
│ │
│ Stage Entry ◄── On-Entering Logic Flows execute │
│ │ assignment rules applied │
│ │ SLA timer starts │
│ ▼ │
│ Stage Active ◄── Task completion tracked │
│ │ escalation engine monitors SLA │
│ │ human actors work the assignment │
│ ▼ │
│ Stage Exit ◄── On-Exiting Logic Flows execute │
│ │ transition guards evaluated │
│ │ next stage determined by routing rules │
│ ▼ │
│ [next stage or process complete] │
│ │
│ Full audit trail written to Dataverse at every step │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Every stage in a BPM process can call Flowon Logic using Decision Tables, Logic Flows, and Validation Sets as the intelligence layer for routing, assignment, and automation decisions. BPM stores all process state active instances, stage history, SLA status, assignment records, trace events as native Dataverse records, making the full execution history available to every other Microsoft tool that reads Dataverse.
Flowon API
Flowon API sits in front of Dynamics 365 and Dataverse, exposing their capabilities as governed REST and GraphQL endpoints configured no-code inside D365. The API runtime reads its configuration entity definitions, query shapes, access policies, action mappings from Dataverse, and serves requests through an .NET runtime that handles authentication, request validation, response mapping, and OpenAPI documentation generation automatically.
External application (web · mobile · portal · partner system)
│
│── REST or GraphQL request
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Flowon API RUNTIME │
│ │
│ JWT authentication validated │
│ Access policy evaluated (role, pre-conditions) │
│ Request mapped to Dataverse operation │
│ │ │
│ ├── Entity read / write → Dataverse Web API │
│ ├── Query execution → Dataverse FetchXML / OData │
│ ├── File upload / download → Dataverse file storage │
│ ├── Flowon Logic action → Logic Flow execution │
│ └── Flowon BPM action → process instance operation │
│ │
│ Response mapped and returned │
│ OpenAPI spec auto-generated and served at /api/schema │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
API configuration is versioned independently: Draft, Published, and versioned releases so consuming applications are not affected by configuration changes until a new version is explicitly published. All Flowon API configuration is stored in Dataverse as FoL artifacts and managed through the same CI/CD pipeline as Logic and BPM.
What the three products inherit from D365: The Dataverse entity model, the plugin pipeline, the security and row-level access model, the async job infrastructure, the Dataverse storage layer, and the Microsoft Entra identity model.
What the three products add to D365: No-code business rule execution at the plugin level (Logic). Stage-by-stage process orchestration with SLA, assignment, and audit trail on any D365 entity (BPM). Governed REST and GraphQL API exposure of D365 capabilities without backend development (API).
How Flowon Interacts With the Microsoft Ecosystem
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Microsoft Ecosystem │
│ │
│ Power BI Power Apps Power Automate Copilot AI Foundry │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ └────────────┴───────────────┴──────────────┴───────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌─────────────────────┼──────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ Flowon Logic Flowon BPM Flowon API │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────┼──────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ Dataverse / Dynamics 365 │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Power BI
Power BI connects to Dataverse natively. Flowon BPM writes all process execution data stage entries, exits, durations, assignments, SLA compliance signals, rework events as structured Dataverse records. Power BI reads this data through the same Dataverse connector it uses for all D365 data.
The result is that process performance becomes an analytics topic in the same environment as business data, with no additional pipeline, export, or data engineering. Cycle time, bottleneck identification, SLA compliance rates, team workload distribution all derivable from Flowon BPM's Dataverse records via DirectQuery, always current.
Power BI Dataverse connector
│
reads standard D365 entity records (always was)
reads Flowon BPM process execution records (now also)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
same connector · same security scoping · no added pipeline
DirectQuery = data is current at query time, not batched
Power Apps
Power Apps surfaces canvas apps, model-driven forms, Power Pages portals interact with Flowon through two mechanisms.
Flowon API provides the REST and GraphQL layer. Applications call Flowon API endpoints to read and write D365 entity data, execute queries, trigger process actions, and upload or download files — without direct Dataverse access and without a custom backend. The API is configured no-code inside D365, versioned independently, and auto-generates its OpenAPI specification. A web app, mobile app, or customer portal calls a clean, governed API; Flowon API handles the D365 interaction beneath it.
Flowon BPM process state is stored in Dataverse and directly accessible to model-driven forms and PCF components through standard Dataverse queries no separate call, no API hop.
Canvas app / Power Pages portal
│── calls Flowon API endpoints (REST / GraphQL)
│ configured no-code in D365
│ auto-generated OpenAPI spec
│ versioned and governed
│ maps to D365 entities + process actions
│
Model-driven form / PCF component
│── reads Dataverse directly
Flowon BPM process records available
same data access model as any D365 data
Power Automate
Power Automate's connector library 400+ external systems handles integration work that Flowon is not designed for. The two products operate across a defined boundary.
Flowon Logic machine workflows (logic flows) and Flowon BPM stage logic trigger Power Automate flows by calling D365 custom actions a standard D365 mechanism that Power Automate already supports as a trigger. Power Automate takes over external connector work (DocuSign, SAP, Teams, payment gateways, and so on), then writes results back to D365 entity records. Flowon Logic and BPM respond to those record changes through the Dataverse plugin pipeline the same pipeline described above and advance the process state accordingly.
Neither product needs to know the internal mechanics of the other. The boundary is a D365 entity record. Flowon writes it, Power Automate reads it. Power Automate writes it, Flowon reads it.
Flowon Logic / BPM
│
│── calls D365 custom action
│
▼
Power Automate trigger fires
│
external connector work
(DocuSign, SAP, Teams, payment...)
│
PA writes result to D365 entity record
│
Flowon plugin pipeline fires on record change
│
process state advances
FlowOn MCP Server and Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is becoming the primary interface for knowledge workers in Dynamics 365 embedded in the D365 Customer Service Hub, Sales Hub, and across the Power Platform. It is the UI layer through which users increasingly ask questions, take actions, and manage their work. The quality of that experience depends entirely on what Copilot can reach and what it can do.
The Flowon MCP Server connects Copilot and any MCP-compatible AI model to the full operational depth of Flowon. It exposes 40+ structured tools across six capability groups: process discovery, diagnostics, SLA management, analytics, operational actions, and simulation. These are not generic data queries. They are purpose-built tools that give AI models the ability to reason about and act on live business operations.
The data these tools draw from is not limited to BPM process records. Flowon Logic writes business rule execution outcomes, decision results, validation events, and workflow traces to Dataverse. Flowon API logs request patterns and action executions. The MCP Server surfaces the full picture what the business rules decided, where the process stands, what the API layer is being asked to do as structured, typed tool responses that AI models can reason with precisely.
Every tool call executes under the calling user's D365 identity, resolved through the Microsoft Entra On-Behalf-Of (OBO) flow. Dataverse row-level security, business unit scoping, and team membership apply to every query and every action. The AI sees exactly what the user is permitted to see, and acts only within their permission boundary.
Copilot embedded in D365 (Customer Service · Sales · Power Platform)
│
│── natural language intent → MCP tool call
│ under user's D365 identity via Entra OBO
▼
Flowon MCP Server (40+ tools)
│── Logic: rule outcomes · decision results · validation events
│── BPM: process state · stage · SLA · assignment · history
│── API: action execution log · request patterns
│── Actions: reassign · escalate · advance · notify
│
D365 security enforced on every call · no elevated permissions
│
▼
Copilot responds with process-aware answers and executes actions
natively, inside the same D365 interface the user is already in
This is the native Copilot experience: the user does not leave D365, does not open a separate tool, does not switch context. They ask Copilot in the interface they are already working in and Copilot draws on the full operational depth of Flowon to answer and act.
Azure AI Foundry & FlowOn
Azure AI Foundry gives organisations access to 1,000+ AI models from Microsoft's own models to open-source and partner models hosted on Azure alongside the infrastructure to fine-tune, evaluate, and deploy them with enterprise governance. Prompt Flow enables multi-step AI pipelines. Azure AI Search provides vector and semantic search. Responsible AI tooling applies across every model and every output.
The value of that model catalogue and that infrastructure depends on the quality and structure of the data those models are trained on and scored against. Flowon provides a continuously growing, operationally grounded dataset in Dataverse that AI Foundry can consume directly.
Flowon Logic writes every business rule execution to Dataverse which decision path was taken, which validation fired, which calculation produced which result, under what conditions. Flowon BPM writes every process execution event — stage durations, routing decisions, assignment history, SLA outcomes, rework occurrences, escalation triggers. Flowon API logs every action executed through the API layer. Together, this is a structured, timestamped, labelled record of how the business actually operates not sampled, not manually assembled, but captured automatically with every transaction.
Azure AI Foundry (1,000+ models · Prompt Flow · AI Search · RAI)
│
│── reads from Dataverse
│ Flowon Logic: rule executions · decision outcomes
│ Flowon BPM: process traces · SLA results · routing
│ Flowon API: action logs · usage patterns
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ structured · labelled · timestamped · continuous
│
│── AI capabilities applied
│ fine-tune models on process execution patterns
│ semantic search across historical process data
│ predictive scoring on in-flight instances
│ Prompt Flow pipelines for multi-step reasoning
│
│── writes outputs back to Dataverse
risk scores · recommendations · pattern findings
│
surfaces in D365 forms (same environment)
surfaces in Power BI (same Dataverse connector)
surfaces through Copilot (same MCP layer)
─────────────────────────────────────────────
no separate reporting infrastructure required
The result is a feedback loop: Flowon's operational data trains and informs AI Foundry models, and those models' outputs return to the same Dataverse environment where they surface through every Microsoft tool already connected to it. The AI investment Microsoft customers make through Azure AI Foundry is grounded in data that reflects how their business actually runs.
The Requirements-as-Code Dimension
One aspect of Flowon's interaction with the Microsoft ecosystem that distinguishes it from other tools is how its configuration is managed.
All Flowon Logic, BPM, and API definitions are expressed in Flowon Language (FoL) a declarative, JSON-based domain-specific language. These artifacts are stored in Dataverse, but they are also exported as files and managed in source control through Flowon CI/CD Tools.
This means that every business rule, every process definition, and every API configuration is:
- Stored in Git with full version history
- Deployable through automated CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps)
- Portable between D365 environments with environment-specific mapping files
- Reviewable through standard code review processes
- Rollback-capable to any previous version
Functional consultant changes a business rule in Flowon Logic
│
FoL artifact updated in Dataverse
│
Flowon CI/CD Tools export to .flop file
│
committed to Git → pipeline triggers
│
environment mappings applied (UAT / Production GUIDs, URLs)
│
deployed to target D365 environment
│
process definitions travel with the deployment
same behaviour in Dev, UAT, and Production
Every business rule, process definition, and API configuration is versioned, auditable, and manageable through standard engineering practices.
Cloud and On-Premises
Flowon Logic, BPM, and API run identically on Dynamics 365 online and Dynamics 365 on-premises. The product behaviour, configuration model, API runtime, and CI/CD tooling are the same in both environments. FoL artifacts the process definitions, business rules, API configurations are portable between them.
Flowon Logic · Flowon BPM · Flowon API · Flowon CI/CD Tools
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
same products · same FoL artifacts · same behaviour
│ │
D365 online D365 on-premises
+ Dataverse + SQL Server
The Microsoft Power Platform, Copilot, MCP connectivity, and Azure AI Foundry require Dynamics 365 online. These are architectural boundaries of the Microsoft platform on-premises D365 does not have access to these services regardless of what is installed on top of it.
Cloud On-Premises
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Flowon Logic ✓ ✓
Flowon BPM ✓ ✓
Flowon API ✓ ✓
Flowon CI/CD Tools ✓ ✓
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Power BI (Dataverse connector) ✓ ✗
Power Apps + PCF ✓ ✗
Power Automate ✓ ✗
Copilot + MCP ✓ ✗
Azure AI Foundry ✓ ✗
On-premises organisations have full access to all Flowon products. The Microsoft cloud services analytics, AI, automation connectors, and conversational interfaces become available when the D365 deployment moves to the cloud.
Because FoL artifacts are portable, the implementation built on-premises deploys to D365 online without modification. The business rules, process definitions, and API configurations built today are the same ones that run in the cloud when the migration happens and at that point, the full Microsoft ecosystem layer connects to them immediately.
Alignment With Microsoft's Success by Design Framework
Microsoft FastTrack for Dynamics 365 defines Success by Design as the implementation methodology for enterprise D365 projects. It structures delivery through a series of staged reviews — Solution Blueprint, Gap Analysis, Performance, Data Migration, Testing, and Cutover — each assessing whether the implementation is on track against a defined set of quality criteria.
Flowon is designed to support and reinforce every pillar of that framework. This is not incidental — it is a direct consequence of how Flowon is built and how it manages configuration.
Success by Design Review Stages
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Initiate & Plan → Design → Build → Test → Deploy → Operate
│ │ │ │ │ │
└───────────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘
│
Flowon participates at every stage
Solution Blueprint and Architecture Review
Success by Design requires the solution architecture to align with Microsoft's established patterns for D365 using platform-native extensibility rather than workarounds, maintaining upgrade compatibility, and avoiding architectural decisions that create long-term maintenance risk.
Flowon satisfies these requirements by design. It uses the Dataverse plugin pipeline, the D365 managed solution framework, and the standard Dataverse data model the same extensibility mechanisms Microsoft documents and supports. There are no custom database tables outside Dataverse, no bypass of the security model, no direct SQL access. The architecture is reviewable, explainable, and consistent with Microsoft's own guidance for how D365 should be extended.
Microsoft extensibility guidance Flowon compliance
────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────
Use managed solutions All Flowon products delivered
as managed solutions
Use plugin pipeline for logic Flowon Logic,BPM, API registers natively
against the pipeline
Use Dataverse for all data All Flowon config and runtime
data lives in Dataverse
Maintain upgrade compatibility No platform hacks, no bypasses
upgrade-safe by construction
Gap Analysis and Fit Assessment
Success by Design includes a structured Gap Analysis review identifying where business requirements exceed the standard D365 capability set and how those gaps are addressed. The quality criterion is that gaps are addressed through platform-supported mechanisms, not custom code that increases complexity and maintenance overhead.
Flowon addresses this directly. Business rules, decision logic, process automation, and API exposure requirements that would otherwise require custom development are implemented through Flowon's no-code configuration layer, which is itself a managed solution running inside D365. The Gap Analysis reviewer sees a supported, documented product addressing the requirement, not bespoke code.
Gap Analysis requirement Flowon response
────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────
Complex business logic Flowon Logic: no-code, in-platform
Enterprise process management Flowon BPM: managed solution
Custom API layer Flowon API: configured, versioned
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
All addressed through supported, no bespoke C# plugins
documented, in-platform products no custom assemblies to maintain
Performance and Scalability Review
Success by Design's Performance review assesses whether the implementation will scale under production load examining synchronous plugin chains, database query patterns, and async execution strategies.
Flowon Logic executes inside the Dataverse plugin pipeline in the same execution context as any native plugin. It is subject to the same timeout and resource governance rules that D365 enforces on all plugin code. Flowon BPM uses Dataverse's async execution infrastructure for non-synchronous operations. Flowon API runs as an .NET service with its own scaling characteristics, independent of the D365 plugin pipeline. These are architecturally sound patterns that a Success by Design Performance review can assess and validate against platform norms.
Synchronous operations Flowon Logic runs inside plugin pipeline
subject to D365 plugin timeout governance
same constraints as any native plugin
Async operations Flowon BPM uses Dataverse async job queue
Flowon Schedules use platform job engine
API operations Flowon API runs independently of D365 pipeline
scales separately from the D365 environment
Testing Strategy Review
Success by Design requires a documented testing strategy covering unit testing, integration testing, user acceptance testing, and performance testing. A key quality indicator is whether testing is repeatable, environment-consistent, and traceable to requirements.
Flowon CI/CD Tools generate test artifacts from FoL definitions and support automated deployment into test environments. Because FoL artifacts are environment-portable with mapping files handling GUID and URL differences between Dev, UAT, and Production the same configuration that passes testing is exactly what gets deployed. There is no manual step that can introduce discrepancy between the tested and deployed state.
Success by Design testing criteria Flowon CI/CD approach
────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────
Repeatable test execution FoL artifacts deployed
consistently across environments
Traceability to requirements FoL definitions are the
requirements and the implementation
Environment consistency Mapping files resolve environment
differences at deploy time
Automated where possible CI/CD pipeline: Azure DevOps
or GitHub Actions compatible
Cutover and Go-Live Readiness
Success by Design's Cutover review confirms that the deployment process is documented, rehearsable, and low-risk. It looks for automated deployment sequences, rollback plans, and environment parity.
Flowon CI/CD Tools provide a command-line toolkit (Flowon export, Flowon import, Flowon apply-mappings) that makes the deployment sequence scripted, version-controlled, and repeatable. A cutover rehearsal runs the same commands against UAT that will run against Production. Rollback is a re-import of the previous version. There is no manual configuration step that introduces risk between rehearsal and go-live.
Flowon export → packages FoL artifacts from source environment
Flowon apply-mappings → transforms GUIDs, URLs for target environment
Flowon import → deploys to target D365 environment
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
same command sequence in rehearsal and go-live
rollback = re-run with previous version artifacts
no manual configuration between environments
Operational Health and Continuous Improvement
Success by Design extends beyond go-live into operational health monitoring, change management, and the ability to evolve the solution as business needs change. It expects that the implementation can be maintained and extended without disproportionate effort.
Flowon's no-code configuration model means that business rule changes, process adjustments, and API updates are made by functional consultants in Flowon's visual designer and promoted through the CI/CD pipeline. Changes go through the same Git-based review and automated deployment process as the original implementation. The operational change cycle is the same as the build cycle no separate maintenance mode, no manual intervention required.
Business requirement changes
│
Functional consultant updates FoL artifact in Flowon designer
│
Committed to Git → same CI/CD pipeline triggers
│
Deployed to UAT → validated → promoted to Production
│
Full audit trail in Git · same process as original build
Summary: Flowon and Success by Design
| Review Stage | What Success by Design Assesses | How Flowon Supports It |
|---|---|---|
| Solution Blueprint | Platform-native architecture, upgrade compatibility | Managed solutions, plugin pipeline, Dataverse-only data model |
| Gap Analysis | Requirements addressed through supported mechanisms | No-code products address logic, BPM, and API requirements in-platform |
| Performance | Plugin governance, async strategy, scalability | Pipeline-native execution, async job queue, independent API runtime |
| Testing | Repeatability, traceability, environment consistency | CI/CD Tools, FoL portability, automated deployment pipeline |
| Cutover | Scripted deployment, rollback capability, rehearsability | CLI toolkit, version-controlled artifacts, identical rehearsal and go-live |
| Operations | Maintainability, change velocity, audit trail | No-code change cycle, Git history, same CI/CD process post go-live |
Why Flowon Is the Right Choice to Extend the Microsoft Ecosystem
Microsoft's ecosystem: Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure AI, Copilot provides the infrastructure, the data platform, the security model, the AI services, and the connectivity that enterprise organisations need. Flowon extends that ecosystem with business rule intelligence, process orchestration, and API capabilities that operate natively within it.
The case for Flowon as the extension layer rests on three concrete attributes:
Native, not integrated. Flowon runs inside the Dataverse runtime, in the same transaction, under the same security model, using the same SDK as the platform itself. Every other tool that reads Dataverse Power BI, Power Apps, Copilot, AI Foundry reads Flowon's data automatically, without any additional integration work.
Aligned with Microsoft's own quality standards. Flowon is architecturally consistent with Success by Design. It uses the extensibility mechanisms Microsoft recommends, avoids the patterns Microsoft flags as risk, and supports the CI/CD and testing disciplines the framework requires. A FastTrack review of a Flowon implementation will find an architecture that follows the rules.
Built for the full lifecycle. Flowon CI/CD Tools, the FoL artifact model, and environment portability mean that what is built, tested, and deployed follows a disciplined, repeatable process from Day 1 through every subsequent change. The investment made in the initial implementation compounds rather than accumulates debt.
Microsoft Ecosystem Flowon extends with
────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────
Dynamics 365 + Dataverse Business rules, BPM, APIs native
Power Platform Process data available immediately
Copilot + MCP Process intelligence and actions
Azure AI Foundry Structured execution data for AI
Success by Design Architecture aligned at every stage
────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────────
The platform organisations The extension layer built
have invested in to honour that investment
Flowon Logic, Flowon BPM, and Flowon API are built natively for Dynamics 365, using Microsoft's own SDK and data platform, aligned with Microsoft's Success by Design framework, and designed to extend the Microsoft ecosystem's capabilities at every layer.