28 use cases across four process areas
devonso solved concrete problems for concrete roles — from system administration through software development and controlling to compliance. Each of the 28 use cases describes the challenge, the solution without and with devonso, and the concrete outcome. The overview for each process area lets you scan the list before diving into the detail.
Use cases in system administration
System administrators carry the main burden when customizations become unmanageable over the years. devonso helped with efficient configuration, security monitoring, and compliance — with precise tools for troubleshooting and system optimization.
Change Management
System administrators face the challenge of monitoring numerous customizations and updates in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. A lack of overview can lead to errors that compromise system stability.
Traditionally, administrators rely on manual processes and various tools to document and track changes. This approach is time-consuming, error-prone, and offers no real-time visibility.
devonso automates change management, providing real-time monitoring and detailed logs of all system changes. Administrators receive instant alerts for critical changes, enabling fast responses.
With devonso, change management becomes more efficient, more secure, and less resource-intensive. System administrators can better protect system integrity and have more time for strategic tasks.
Audit Trail Management
Managing audit trails in complex IT environments is critical for compliance. A lack of transparency can lead to serious legal and financial consequences.
Manually compiling and reviewing audit logs is tedious and ineffective. The capacity to log all activity without gaps is often simply not there.
devonso provides a central solution to automatically capture, store, and make audit trails easily accessible. The software ensures the completeness and integrity of the data.
devonso significantly simplifies audit trail management, reduces the risk of compliance violations, and enables a fast response to potential issues.
Compliance Monitoring
Monitoring compliance with constantly changing regulations is an ongoing challenge. Manual processes can cause important compliance updates to be overlooked.
Without an automated solution, system administrators often rely on sporadic manual checks and various reporting tools that don't always deliver complete data. This increases the risk of compliance gaps.
devonso offers advanced monitoring tools specifically designed to proactively track compliance requirements. It seamlessly integrates monitoring and reporting to ensure that every aspect of the IT environment meets current laws and standards.
With devonso, system administrators can manage compliance proactively rather than reactively addressing issues. This increases not only security but also trust in the systems, reduces potential fines, and improves IT department efficiency.
User Management
Managing user accounts and access rights in a constantly changing environment can be confusing and complex.
Administrators must manually create, update, and deactivate user accounts, along with settings such as assignment to security roles, teams, business units, and field security profiles — which can lead to errors and security gaps.
devonso's User Profiling module enables centralized management of user profiles and permissions. It provides tools to automate the assignment and review of security roles and access rights.
devonso optimizes user management, minimizes the risk of errors, and improves security through consistent, controlled access management.
System Configuration and Maintenance
System administrators must ensure that Dynamics 365 and Power Platform environments are always up to date and optimally configured. Without automated tools, this can be time-consuming and error-prone.
Administrators rely on manual processes to perform updates and adjust system configurations. This requires detailed knowledge of the platform and can lead to inconsistencies.
With devonso's Development Tracking module, system administrators can run automated snapshots and comparisons to ensure all system changes are documented and traceable. Notifications inform them immediately of critical updates or configuration changes. Environment Comparison provides a clear overview of which customizations are missing from a given environment.
devonso simplifies the systematic monitoring and maintenance of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, saving administrators time and improving the accuracy of their work.
Security Management
Security management is critical to preventing unauthorized access and data leaks. Manual security controls are often inadequate and error-prone.
Manual monitoring of security settings and logs, which is time-consuming and potentially incomplete.
devonso's Security Audit and Security modules enable automated monitoring of security role changes and audit logs. Administrators can respond quickly to potential security breaches.
devonso ensures that security management is proactive, comprehensive, and timely — significantly reducing overall risk.
Troubleshooting and Technical Support
Efficiently diagnosing and resolving system errors and user issues can be time-consuming and complex without the right tools.
Technical support without devonso relies on manual error diagnosis and resolution, which often leads to long response times and unresolved issues.
The Development Tracking module, and in particular the Notifications feature, can be used to provide real-time alerts for system errors. The Instant Analysis and Deep Analysis modules provide deep insight into system configuration and performance, enabling fast diagnosis and resolution of issues.
devonso significantly improves the responsiveness and effectiveness of technical support. Automated error detection and detailed system analysis allow issues to be identified and resolved faster.
Use cases in software development
From requirements analysis through design, implementation, and testing to deployment and maintenance: devonso supported the entire software development process in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, making development and project management more efficient and accurate.
Requirements Analysis
Understanding user needs and defining specific requirements for system customizations or new features.
Manually collecting and analyzing user feedback and existing system data, which is often incomplete and error-prone.
Instant Analysis: Provides fast insight into existing system customizations and usage patterns, helping to define user requirements more precisely.
devonso supports a data-driven requirements analysis by providing deeper insight into current system behavior and user interactions.
Design
Developing a system design that meets defined requirements and is easy to maintain and scale.
Design decisions are often based on incomplete information about existing dependencies and system architecture.
Instant Analysis: Identifies existing dependencies and potential conflicts, supporting the creation of an efficient and robust design.
devonso simplifies system design by providing precise information about existing system structures and their dependencies.
Implementation
Developing and customizing the system according to specifications.
Manual code development and review, which can lead to inefficiencies and errors.
Development Tracking: Provides tools for monitoring and documenting development progress, including Snapshot Jobs and Comparison.
devonso supports the implementation phase with automated tracking and analysis tools that make development more efficient and more resilient to errors.
Testing
Identifying and fixing bugs and ensuring the system meets requirements.
Often limited test coverage and manual testing processes.
Comparison: Compares different system states before and after changes to ensure all modifications work as expected.
devonso improves the testing process with precise tools that visualize changes and clearly show their effects.
Deployment
Ensuring new system versions are successfully rolled out to the production environment.
Manual deployment, which can lead to errors and downtime.
Environment Comparison: Ensures the production environment is consistent with the test environment, minimizing risk during go-live.
devonso supports efficient, safe deployment processes through precise comparison tools and real-time monitoring.
Maintenance
Continuous monitoring and optimization of the system to ensure performance and stability.
Reactive maintenance measures based on user reports or system failures.
Notifications: Enables proactive maintenance through alerts about critical system events or performance indicators.
devonso enables proactive maintenance through advanced monitoring and notification features that immediately inform system administrators and developers of relevant incidents.
Implementing a New Feature
Developers need to integrate a new feature into an existing software environment. The challenge lies in quickly identifying the affected tables (entities), reviewing existing implementations, and deciding whether to build the feature from scratch or adapt an existing one.
Analysis process: Developers must manually search through extensive code libraries to identify relevant implementations. This process is time-consuming and error-prone and can take several days. Challenges: no direct overview of relevant code; deep IT knowledge and direct code access are required to understand business logic.
The "Explorer" feature: provides an immediate overview of relevant code based on the selected tables. This makes it easier to identify affected tables and existing implementations for specific events. Benefits of devonso: no code access needed to view business logic; no deep IT background knowledge required to understand dependencies; analysis time for selected tables is instant, and reviewing client-side and business-side logic can be done in 3–5 minutes.
devonso enables efficient, fast analysis and decision-making when implementing features. By reducing analysis and review times from days to minutes, devonso improves productivity and effectiveness in the development process, reduces sources of error, and speeds up the entire implementation process.
Reviewing Implemented Business Logic
Developers and analysts need to check whether and how certain features have been implemented in a software environment, including the underlying business logic and the specific data structures (tables and columns).
Analysis process: Manually searching through large code libraries and database structures, which is time-consuming and error-prone. The lack of direct insight leads to long analysis times, often spanning days. Challenges: significant effort and deep IT knowledge are required to understand the implementations and their business logic.
devonso's Explorer feature: Lets users quickly identify the affected tables and columns and check which implementations already exist. The Explorer provides a direct overview of the business logic based on the selected tables. Benefits of devonso: no direct code access needed to understand business logic; no deep IT background knowledge required to analyze dependencies; analysis time for selected tables is instant; reviewing client-side and business-side logic can be done in 3–5 minutes.
devonso revolutionizes the way features and their implementations are reviewed by providing fast, intuitive, user-friendly tools. This leads to a significant reduction in the time required for analysis and makes the process more accessible to users without deep technical expertise.
Searching and Analyzing Components
Users need to locate and analyze specific components in a large Dynamics 365 system, which is time-consuming and complex without specialized tools.
Analysis process: Manually searching and opening every single component to gather and analyze the necessary information. This process is tedious and inefficient, often without a clear overview of the relevant components. Challenges: lengthy analysis times that can take hours or days, with no guarantee of capturing all relevant components.
devonso's Search feature: Functions: Enables fast searching for component types based on specific search terms. Users can narrow their search to specific component types and columns and additionally apply filters such as creation/modification date. Direct access: Enables instant access to detailed information for each component with a simple click on "Show Records". Benefits of devonso: Overview and efficiency: provides a quick overview of the component types and the scope of components matching the search criteria. Fast analysis time: the entire analysis can be completed in just 3–5 minutes, with detailed component information instantly available on demand.
devonso revolutionizes the process of searching and analyzing components in Dynamics 365 by providing powerful search and filter tools that enable fast, precise analysis. This significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of the review process, reduces the time required, and ensures users get the information they need quickly and easily.
Detecting Table Relationships in the Data Model
Users need to understand which relationships exist between different tables in a Dynamics system, which is essential for data management and system integration.
Analysis process: Manually reviewing every table to identify 1:N, N:1, and N:N relationships. This requires opening and analyzing individual tables, which is time-consuming and inefficient, especially when numerous tables are involved. Challenges: without a central overview, it is difficult to capture all relevant relationships quickly and completely. The analysis can take several hours to days, depending on the number of tables.
devonso's Search feature: Functions: Allows selecting the component type "Table Relation" and provides an interface for choosing primary and linked tables and quickly determining their relationships. Benefits of devonso: Better overview: provides a direct view of all relationships between the selected tables. Fast analysis time: analyzing a table relationship takes only about 30 seconds, and users can get a full overview of the relationships within one minute.
devonso revolutionizes the process of searching and analyzing components in Dynamics 365 by providing powerful search and filter tools that enable fast, precise analysis. This significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of the review process, reduces the time required, and ensures users get the information they need quickly and easily.
Tracking Development Progress
Project managers and development leads need to monitor the progress of software development projects to ensure development stays on schedule and matches specifications.
Analysis process: manually reviewing all changes and implementations within the development environment, which is time-consuming and error-prone, especially without technical expertise. Challenges: no direct overview of added, edited, or removed components, leading to inefficient resource use and potential project delays.
Development Tracking feature: Features: Enables determining progress within a given solution, tracking changes at defined intervals through Solution Jobs, and comparing different solution states with the Comparison function. Visualization: Displays changes as donut charts for a quick overview, with detailed insight into specific components via the Show Records function. Direct access: provides the ability to view changes directly in code via "Details" and perform side-by-side comparisons. Benefits of devonso: Fast analysis and review times: information about changes is available instantly, and detailed reviews can be completed in minutes. Accessibility: makes tracking easier for non-technical users, enabling them to monitor development progress without deep technical knowledge.
devonso transforms the tracking of development progress by providing efficient, automated tools for monitoring and analyzing software development projects. This results in significant time savings, improves transparency, and supports effective project control and oversight.
Effective controlling in software projects
For precise budget control, ROI analysis, and compliance monitoring in software development projects, devonso gave controlling reliable, timely monitoring data instead of after-the-fact estimates.
Cost Tracking and Analysis in Software Development Projects
Controlling needs precise cost tracking and analysis in development projects to avoid budget overruns and improve cost control.
Manual tracking and allocation of development costs, which is error-prone and time-consuming. Difficulty monitoring budget deviations in real time and allocating costs to specific development activities.
Module: Development Tracking Features: Snapshot Jobs, Comparison. Regular snapshots and comparisons enable precise monitoring of development progress and its costs. Benefits: devonso enables automated, precise cost analysis, leading to more effective budget control and optimized resource use.
Without devonso, Controlling is often confronted with inefficient, error-prone manual processes that increase the risk of budget overruns. devonso transforms this process through automated tools that enable precise, timely monitoring, significantly improving budget control and financial transparency.
Compliance and Audit Tracking
Compliance requirements and audits in development projects require precise documentation and tracking of changes.
Manual logging of changes and configurations, which is inefficient and carries the risk of errors or missing important details. Difficulty preparing for audits, since the required information is often scattered and incomplete.
Modules: Audit, Security Audit. Features: Configuration, Analysis. Automated logging and analysis of configuration changes and security settings. Benefits: devonso simplifies compliance monitoring and improves documentation, enabling reliable audit preparation and compliance with requirements.
In an environment without devonso, compliance tracking is often tedious and risky, which can lead to difficulties during audits and potential compliance violations. With devonso, the process is significantly simplified through automated data collection and analysis, which not only improves compliance but also makes audit preparation more efficient and reduces the risk of violations.
ROI Analysis of Software Development Projects
Development and customization of the system according to specifications.
ROI estimates are based on incomplete data or delayed reports, which can lead to potential misjudgments and inefficient investment decisions. Manual compilation and analysis of data, which takes a lot of time.
Module: Development Tracking. Features: Snapshot Jobs, Comparison. Systematic capture and analysis of performance and costs over time. Benefits: devonso enables precise measurement and tracking of ROI, supporting strategic decisions and promoting project profitability.
Without devonso, ROI calculations are often based on incomplete or outdated data, which can lead to suboptimal decisions. devonso enables a well-founded, data-driven assessment of ROI by continuously providing precise performance and cost data. This supports not only effective project control but also strategic investment decisions based on reliable analysis.
Efficient compliance management
The Audit, Security, Security Audit, and User Profiling modules supported compliance with regulatory requirements and improved security standards in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.
Complete Audit Trail Documentation
Organizations must ensure that all changes in their systems are documented without gaps in order to meet regulatory requirements.
Manual documentation of changes, which is error-prone and inefficient, often resulting in incomplete or incorrect audit trails.
The Audit module automates the capture and documentation of all system changes, provides comprehensive audit logs, and enables easy review and external auditing. It stores audit logs in devonso's own database and makes them available even after accidental or intentional deletion in Dynamics 365.
devonso improves the auditability of systems through automation and helps organizations ensure compliance with less effort and greater accuracy.
Monitoring Security Role Changes and Assignments
Organizations need to monitor all changes to security roles in order to meet internal security policies and external compliance requirements.
Manual monitoring of role changes, which is not only time-consuming but also error-prone.
The Security Audit module uses dedicated audit logs to automatically capture and record all changes to security roles and assignments.
With devonso, organizations can ensure that all changes to security roles are fully documented and immediately verifiable, making it easier to meet security standards and compliance requirements.
Managing Access Permissions
Compliance with access permissions is critical for data security and compliance.
Difficulties in precisely controlling and adjusting access rights often arise, since they have to be managed manually. In Dynamics 365 or Power Platform environments, they can quickly become so complex that they are difficult to oversee.
The Security module provides detailed insight into and management of access permissions on a table basis, enabling precise control and compliance monitoring.
devonso provides comprehensive control and transparency over access permissions, which not only increases security but also ensures compliance regarding access to sensitive data.
Standardizing User Profiles
Ensuring the consistency and compliance of user profiles in large organizations is often a challenge.
Manual management and adjustment of user profiles, which can lead to inconsistencies and compliance gaps.
The User Profiling module enables centralized management and standardization of user profiles, supporting compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
devonso simplifies the management of user profiles and helps organizations effectively enforce consistent security and compliance standards.
Reviewing Customizations for Compliance Risks
Organizations must ensure that all customizations comply with compliance requirements in order to avoid legal and security-related risks.
Manual review of customizations, which is often time-consuming and error-prone, and carries the risk that not all compliance-relevant aspects are captured.
The Instant Analysis module can be used to quickly and efficiently analyze all customizations and ensure they comply with legal requirements and internal policies. Features such as "Search" and "Dependency Check" provide deep insight into customizations and their dependencies.
devonso helps organizations quickly identify and address compliance risks in customizations, increasing security and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Long-Term Monitoring and Auditing of Customizations
Sustainable compliance requires monitoring and documenting all customizations throughout their entire lifecycle.
Long-term monitoring and documentation of customizations is difficult to manage without automated tools, especially in complex or large-scale systems.
The Deep Analysis module offers comprehensive capabilities to track customizations over long periods. Features such as "Snapshots" and "Code Search" allow historical data to be collected and, when needed, detailed analyses to be performed to ensure compliance over time.
devonso enables detailed, long-term monitoring of customizations, which not only improves compliance but also strengthens the foundation for future audits and assessments.
Tracking Development Changes for Compliance Purposes
Continuous monitoring of development changes is essential to ensure that all customizations comply with current compliance standards.
Without an automated tracking system, it is difficult to document and review all changes without gaps, which can lead to compliance gaps.
The Development Tracking module, in particular the "Snapshot Jobs" and "Comparison" features, makes it possible to systematically capture all development changes and compare them as needed. This helps ensure compliance requirements are met at every development step.
devonso provides effective tools to continuously review the development process for compliance, increasing transparency and helping to avoid regulatory sanctions or security violations.