Connecting Act-On to Microsoft Dynamics (MS Dynamics) gives your marketing and sales teams a shared view of every lead and contact. Data flows both ways: push marketing activity into Dynamics so sales can see what a prospect has been doing, and pull Dynamics records - Leads, Contacts, and both Static and Dynamic Marketing Lists - into Act-On, where they become segments you can email, refine, and sync back to your CRM. This guide walks through the full integration, from connecting the two systems to setting up reporting for your sales team.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users)
- Act-On no longer supports Dynamics 2011 v5 through 2016 v8.1 - you need Dynamics 2016 v8.2 or 365.
- MFA is not supported for MS Dynamics integrations; connect using an App Password instead.
- Order of operations: connect your accounts, install the Act-On package in MS Dynamics, then set up Data Management to sync fields, lists, opt-outs, and reporting.
- Use the Act-On Contacts sync (preferred) unless you have a specific reason to use Marketing Lists instead.
Supported Versions
As of January 1, 2023, Act-On no longer supports the following Microsoft Dynamics integrations:
- 2011 v5
- 2013 v6
- 2015 v7
- 2016 v8.0
- 2016 v8.1
If you use any of these versions and cannot upgrade to Dynamics 2016 v8.2 or 365, Act-On will no longer provide support for any issues with the integration and you will not be able to use Act-On’s contact data management features.
Connect to MS Dynamics
Set Up Your Connection
Before integrating, the accounts must be connected. Follow our guide for setting up your connection between Act-On and your version of MS Dynamics.
Understand Your Data Options
There are several data options available when setting up your connection. These options will impact your data flow between MS Dynamics and Act-On. Make sure you understand each of these options so that you are managing your CRM data in Act-On effectively.
Microsoft Dynamics Connector Options
Set Up the Act-On Package in MS Dynamics
Install the Package and Register Users
The Act-On package in MS Dynamics will allow your users to utilize Act-On features directly from MS Dynamics.
You will need to work in conjunction with your MS Dynamics System Administrator to install this tool.
Install Act-On for Microsoft Dynamics and Register Users
Act-On Marketing Platform for Microsoft Dynamics - Troubleshooting Guide
Uninstall or Upgrade Your Package
Follow these instructions to upgrade or remove the package from your MS Dynamics account.
Synchronize MS Dynamics Data with Act-On
Now that you are connected, there are several steps to complete so that you can synchronize data fields, import marketing lists, generate reports based on CRM data, and send personalized emails on behalf of your sales team.
Data Management
The Data Management panel is a management tool for pulling the schema from MS Dynamics, which details the MS Dynamics objects (such as Leads and Contacts) and associated data fields.
A recurring synchronization is required for the following features:
This setup may be completed by an Act-On administrator or marketing user:
Act-On Contacts
Sync your lead and contact data to the All Contacts list and push updates to MS Dynamics using the Act-On Contacts data sync. This is the preferred method.
Synchronizing Microsoft Dynamics Data to Act-On Contacts
If you are syncing via Act-On Contacts, you can skip the steps outlined below in Marketing Lists.
Marketing Lists
If you are not using Act-On Contacts for your contact data management, you can set up a sync using Marketing Lists.
Configuring Standard Field Names in Act-On to match your MS Dynamics fields will prevent data management issues.
Act-On marketing and administrative users can complete this step.
You can now import your Leads and Contacts from MS Dynamics. This will create new marketing lists of Act-On contacts from which you can create segments & send emails. This article also applies to importing MS Dynamics Marketing Lists and Reports.
Act-On marketing and administrative users can import lists.
These data fields need specific setup to synchronize with MS Dynamics:
Reporting
Hot Prospects Setup
The Hot Prospects dashboard identifies the most active leads and contacts based on scoring rules defined in Act-On. Sales users will see their personal Top 20 Hot Prospects in the Act-On Tab in MS Dynamics.
Account Report Setup
You can also give your sales users access to the Account Report to easily view account-level data from Act-On from MS Dynamics. See the CRM Customization Toolkit Guide for setup instructions.
Additional Reports
Act-On has other reports available using CRM data. Follow these guides to set them up.
Related to