Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations Online (ERP) Life Cycle

Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations Online is expected to receive new features twice a year in April and October updates, although the team has struggled to maintain a consistent release schedule in the past. Current and upcoming versions of the online service are shown here. The latest version, called 8.0, became generally available in Apr. 2018.

In the Aug. 2018 Business Applications Summit, Microsoft announced that it was modifying the existing support end dates for older versions and, beginning in early 2019, will support only the latest generally available version of the service. The new servicing model will require customers to accept updates twice per year, resulting in more testing of customizations and recertification of systems for regulatory compliance. The one exception is for customers on version 7.3 that have unfulfilled extension requests with Microsoft. The change from 7.3 to 8.0 removed customization capabilities, and Microsoft has committed to support customers on 7.3 until the extension framework provides features for those customizations.