Optimize year-end close with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance

Year-end close can be a stressful time. To ease stress and to execute a successful year-end close it is essential to utilize all resources for increasing performance. With the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Optimize year-end close service add in, you can increase performance and minimize the impact on SQL database.  In this blog, we will introduce you and your team to the year-end close add-in and highlight the following topics: improved performance, new options and visibility, architecture and data flow, and a high level flow for year-end close processing.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Optimize year-end close service add-in uses microservice technology to allow the year-end close processing to operate outside the Application Object Server (AOS).  In order to optimize the year-end close add-in you should complete the following steps: 

1. Install the Optimize year-end close service add-in
2. In feature management, enable Optimize year-end close feature 

Improved Performance

Especially with large volumes of data, year-end close can be challenging; the Optimize year-end close feature is created to accelerate year-end close processing and ease the difficulty of the process. The Optimize year-end close feature aids in accomplishing the following goals: 

• Improve performance of year-end close by reducing runtime 
• Decrease impact on other processes duringyear-end close run 
• Because time of year-end close run is reduced, reporting and adjustments for year-end results are improved 

New options and visibility

With the Optimize year-end close feature enabled, two new columns, Results and Status, will be added to the following places: 

• Year-end close page 
• Year-end close results dialog box 
• Balance sheet financial dimension transfer options on Year-end close template page 

The image below shows the Results and Status columns on the Year-end close page. In the Results column, select the View Results link to open the results of the year-end close. The status column shows the current state of the year-end close process. 

Additionally, with the Optimize year-end close feature, the Balance sheet financial dimensions FastTab is available on the Year-end close template page.  This FastTab is useful to specify balance sheet financial dimensions in detail when closing a year. 

Architecture and data flow

In order to use the Optimize year-end close feature and to run the year-end close on a microservice, the Optimize year-end close service add-in must be installed from Lifecycle Services.  Then, the Optimize year-end close feature must be enabled in Feature management.  

The image below shows the year-end close processing verifies that the add-in is both installed and that the feature is enabled.  With both of these steps complete, the year-end close will run on the micro service. 

High-level flow for year-end close processing

1. The year-end close process starts in Finance, at General ledger > Period close > Year-end close.  The process creates tasks for the legal entities that are being closed along with batch jobs. 
2. The year-end close determines whether the year-end close should run on the current closing logic or on the microservice. 
   • If the Optimize year-end close service add-in is both installed in Lifecycle Services, and the Optimize year-end close feature is enabled, the year-end close will run on the microservice. 

1. The Optimize year-end close feature creates a different year-end close service job for each legal entity that is being closed. Then, it runs the year-end close logic.  The microservice performs the year-end close. 
2. Finance listens to the year-end close through the microservice in order to determine when the microservice has finished.  Then, the year-end close results update on the Year-end close page in Finance.  

• If the Optimize year-end close service is not installed and enabled, the year-end close will run on the current closing logic.