Streamlining Cross-Company Data Sharing in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

In this post, we'll walk you through the process of configuring Cross-Company Data Sharing (CCDS) in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. This feature enables businesses to share master data, like vendor or customer information, automatically across multiple legal entities.

Business Scenario: A Real-World Application

BlueWave Group, a large multinational conglomerate with multiple legal entities, faces challenges in managing vendor data, as each entity maintains separate vendor records. This leads to duplication, inefficiencies, and inconsistent data.

To address this, the company implements Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations' Cross-Company Data Sharing feature. This allows vendor profiles to be created in one legal entity and automatically replicated across others — streamlining operations, reducing duplication, and ensuring consistency across the entire group.

Prerequisites for Setting Up CCDS

Before diving into the setup, ensure you have:

• Shared Number Sequence: The number sequence for the vendor master must be shared between the legal entities where data sharing is required.
• Reference Data Availability: Ensure that all necessary reference data (e.g., vendor group, sales tax group, and other configurations) is available across the legal entities involved.
• Enable the Feature: The "Customer and Vendor Master Data Sharing" feature must be enabled in the Feature Management workspace.

Configuring Cross-Company Data Sharing

Step 1: Create a New CCDS Configuration

1. Navigate to System Administration > Setup > Configure Cross-Company Data Sharing.
2. Click Create New and give your configuration a name.

Step 2: Add the Legal Entities

Specify the legal entities between which data should be shared. These will be the entities where the vendor or customer data will be synced automatically. (Example: USMF and GLMF)

Step 3: Select the Tables and Fields to Share

This step is critical — it involves selecting the tables and fields that will be shared between the legal entities.

For example, when sharing vendor data, you'll need to choose:

• VendTable — the main vendor table
• VendBankAccount — vendor bank details
• ContactPerson — vendor contact information

1. Add the VendTable from the dropdown list.
2. Once added, all related fields from the VendTable will appear under the table node.
3. Select any related tables such as VendBankAccount and ContactPerson that should also be included.

Step 4: Enable the Configuration

Once all legal entities, tables, and fields are configured, click Enable to activate the configuration.

Testing the CCDS Setup

To test the configuration, create a vendor in one legal entity (e.g., USMF) and verify it appears in the other (e.g., GLMF):

1. In USMF, create a new vendor group — e.g., 101 Foreign Vendors
2. The same vendor group will automatically appear in GLMF (because we included VendGroup in the sharing policy).
3. In USMF, create a new vendor — e.g., V000001
4. Check GLMF — the vendor data, along with its associated reference data (Contact details), should be automatically synced and visible.

This seamless data sharing saves time and ensures vendor/customer records remain consistent across your organization.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

• Default Dimensions: Default dimensions set up for a vendor or customer cannot be shared across companies. When setting up CCDS for a customer or vendor, the Default Dimension field will be disabled and cannot be included in the sharing configuration.

For more details, visit the official Microsoft Cross-Company Data Sharing documentation.