Crafting a Unique Custom Document Generator with .NET

The ability to create effective proposals is vital for Ancillare, a provider of ancillary supply chain management to clinical research organizations. The organization was managing proposal generation using Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM where it started facing many challenges due to limitations of the software.

Dynamics CRM has inherent limitations, including issues with data-source compatibility, challenges in handling large volumes of data, and difficulties with highly complex document templates. This posed hurdles for the client.

To overcome the challenge and to generate specific documents (using its predefined templates) from data stored within Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Business Central, the client needed to develop a custom document generator.

This solution not only needed to seamlessly fetch data from both Dynamics 365 and Business Central but also had the additional complexity of importing images directly from Business Central.

Additionally, the client sought a robust alert generation tool to receive notifications for any database changes from new opportunities to tasks remaining idle for a month.

The team at SoHo developed a tailored proposal generator using the .NET Framework to address the client's unique needs.

The solution included the following key features:

Integration with Dynamics 365 and Business Central:

The custom proposal generator seamlessly integrated with both Dynamics 365 and Business Central, ensuring the retrieval of accurate and up-to-date data.

As the client was already using the Telerik platform for other solutions, SoHo utilized the Telerik controls for this tool as well.

Data consolidation:

The solution can intelligently gather and combine data from both platforms in a cohesive manner, providing a unified and comprehensive dataset for efficient proposal creation.

Image import functionality:

To enhance the visual appeal of proposals, the solution facilitated the direct importation of images from Business Central, allowing for a more engaging and professional presentation. SoHo leveraged Microsoft Power Automate to fetch images from Business Central.

Alert generation:

Using Power Automate, SoHo developed a dynamic alert system, that delivers consolidated information in tabular form via emails on all tasks.

By customizing Power Automate configurations, alerts are systematically generated, ensuring comprehensive progress notifications at every level. Notably, the system promptly warns participants if a task remains pending for over a month.

With the new proposal generator, the company enjoys the following benefits:

• Enhanced proposal efficiency- Streamlined proposal generation through a custom document generator helped the customers minimize response times and improve overall operational efficiency.
• Data accuracy and integration- Seamless integration with Dynamics 365 and Business Central ensures accurate and up-to-date data retrieval, enhancing the reliability of proposal content. Moreover, the incorporation of images elevates the proposal’s visual appeal.
• Cost-effective Telerik integration- Leveraging controls in Telerik already in use by the client optimizes costs and provides a familiar and efficient platform for the proposal generation tool.
• Efficient alert-driven task management- A dynamic alert solution driven by Power Automate ensures consolidated, timely updates, improving task monitoring, and overall project management.
• Proactive issue resolution- Immediate notifications for pending tasks over a month enable proactive issue resolution, preventing delays and enhancing project timelines.

The custom document generator built in the .NET Framework adapts to the complexities of the client company, providing a competitive advantage in proposal creation and project management.