Building a content approval process in Dynamics 365 Marketing

Approval process as a Dynamics 365 solution

The most comprehensive version of an approval process requires a new solution to be created in Dynamics 365. Solutions are system customizations that can contain one or more components like entities, processes, web resources, etc. Of the two options for creating an approval process, this is the most details and requires some Dynamics 365 administration knowledge.

The approval solution will replace the Go Live button that is typically located on the command bar of the Dynamics 365 window when viewing content like an email design or marketing form in Dynamics 365 Marketing. In its place, will be three separate buttons for Approve, Reject, and Ask Approval.

Once implemented, two views can be created for each content entity that limit the view to records that need to be approved and those already approved. For full instructions on creating this type of solution, check out Microsoft’s documentation.

Approval process using a Power Automate button

The second option, and potentially the most appealing to organizations already using Power Automate for automated workflows, is creating a flow to notify a manager when a piece of marketing content is ready to be reviewed in Dynamics 365 Marketing. Power Automate gives admins additional flexibility to customize the approval process to their exact needs.

For example, the approval flow can include an automatic email notification that includes reject and approve buttons for the manager, or an optional secondary email could be sent to the content creator letting them know whether the content is approved or rejected. This flexibility allows administrators to customize the approval process and adjust it as needed from the easy-to-use interface of Power Automate.

Power Automate also allows for a very simple approval process as well. A simple flow could be created that sends a manager an email with a link to the content in Dynamics 365 Marketing when a flow button is pressed from the content window in Dynamics 365 Marketing. While the Go-live button still exists for the Dynamics 365 Marketing user, they can be trained not to go-live with any content until a manager communicates that it has been approved.

Get started

Whether you use a Dynamics 365 solution or a simple flow in Power Automate, these approval processes can be customized to fit the exact needs of your operations—and we can help. Schedule a call with us to review your approval process goals and answer any questions about available options.