Excel has always been the ultimate choice to view data easily and quickly, convert it into information using charts and pivots, make informed decisions, and share the decisions with the other stakeholders.

The following screenshot depicts various Excel options available out of box:

With Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise edition, you get two choices while working with Excel:

• Export to Excel:
  • One-way export of data seen in the web form to Excel
  • Native functionality in all forms open via a web browser

• Open in Excel:
  • Bidirectional export of data to Excel using the Office Excel app for Dynamics.
  • The Microsoft Dynamics Excel Data Connector App (Excel App) is used to Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise edition.
  • The connector uses OData services that are created for any entity left in the default state of public (DataEntity.Public=Yes)
  • Users can update, create, and publish new data.
  • Open in Excel experience is implemented using document templates and data entities.

The following screenshot shows the Excel Data Connector app for Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise edition:

We'll quickly reiterate some of the salient features and benefits of OData and data entities, which you learned in Chapter 6, Configuration and data management:

• OData are REST-based services exposing all public data entities of Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, Enterprise edition (AX) and supporting the Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) operations to the outside world.
• Data entities are conceptual abstractions and encapsulations (denormalized view) from the physical implementation of database tables representing key data concepts and functionalities
• OData are useful in setting up document templates, which are explained as follows:
  • The Excel Data Connector App is injected into a workbook when a generated Open in Excel experience is triggered or when a workbook is created using Common | Common | Office integration | Excel workbook designer form
  • When a template listed in Common | Common | Office integration | Document templates form (DocuTemplate) has ShowInOpenInOfficeMenu set to yes and has the same root datasource (table) as the current form, it will be added as an option in the Open in Excel section of the page

Let's now explore an analytical tool that makes life easier for informative decision making in the next section.