Let’s talk Service Objects in Dynamics 365
Today we will chat about Service Objects in Dynamics 365! You know, those individual pieces of equipment or objects that need repair, maintenance, or any other attention such as a washing machine, an automobile or a Revocable Trust.
How best to keep track of the tangible or intangible things the organization services with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service Agreements and/or Service Orders, you may ask? By creating Service Objects, that’s how!
At a high level, Service Objects can be grouped into Service Object Groups for reporting and classifying purposes. Service Objects are attached to Service Agreements and Service Orders for tracking and reporting purposes.
If the exact serial number of the Service Object is important, the Service Object must be created in reference to an Item Master where a Tracking Dimension (such as Serial Number) is designated.
Service Object Groups
To create a Service Object Group, Navigate to Service Management > Setup > Service Objects > Service Object Groups
Click New and enter a Service Object Group and a Group Description. Create Groups that lend themselves to reporting, analysis and stats for the organization. For example: regions, departments, types, product lines, manufacturers, or meaningful categories.
Service Objects
Next, create the Service Objects themselves. Navigate to Service Management > Setup > Service Objects > Service Objects
Service Objects will have an identifier which can be manually entered or systematically assigned, depending on how the Number Sequence was configured.
Give the Service Object a Description and assign it to a Service Object Group. Select the Item number from the drop down, if an item has been created. If that item has tracking or Product dimensions identified, those dimension fields will open up for entry.
Service Objects are specific, and not general in nature, typically, like Dishwasher Model 3200-A, or Harry Lumus, Estate Trust.
Service Agreement
When a Service Object falls under a Service Agreement, Navigate to Service Management > Service Agreements > Service Agreements
Click New to create a Service Agreement, or select an existing agreement to maintain the Service Object Relation.
Once in the Service Agreement, Navigate to Service Objects > New in the Relations area. Select the Service Object from the list of available Service Objects created following the procedure above.
So an example of this would be a Service Agreement with Grandma Betty’s Kitchen, would have on it a Model 3200-A Dishwasher, a Model BTW Mixer (serial number 4593A75T), and an unspecified Garbage Disposal.
Service Order
When Grandma Betty calls to have the Mixer beaters untangled, create a Service Order specific to the Model BTW Mixer (serial number 4593A75T). Navigate to Service Management > Service Orders > Service Order
Click New or select an existing Service Order to maintain the Service Object Relation.
Once in the Service Order, Navigate to Service Objects in the Relations area.
Select the Mixer from the list of available Service Objects created following the procedure above. The vast majority of this functionality is available in Dynamics AX 2009 and AX 2012.
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