In the world of technology, the only constant is change, and Microsoft certainly delivers plenty of it. Twice a year—once in April and again in October—Microsoft rolls out updates to their software in the form of release waves. In their wake come new features, enhancements, and functionality improvements across the ecosystem of Microsoft products, including Dynamics 365 CRM applications.

To help customers prepare for upcoming changes, Microsoft publishes release plans through its release planner, an online resource for learning and managing the new features that await in each coming wave. While the release planner is an excellent tool for those who learn best by reading, it doesn’t always work so well for those who learn best by doing.

This brings us to release channels, a new setting that allows organizations to control when they receive updates and gain access to new functionality before it reaches general availability.

 

What are release channels?

Release channels replace Microsoft’s previous opt-in toggle for early access to updates. They provide organizations with greater control over when they receive updates. By selecting a release channel, you can determine the cadence at which new features become available in your applications and environments, as well as for your users. Within your system settings, you will see three options: auto, monthly channel, and semi-annual channel. Once you make your selection, configurations are automatically applied.

 

A note on the auto release channel
If you’re reading this and realizing you never explicitly selected a release channel, your environment has likely been set to the auto channel. Microsoft controls the update cadence for this channel and, since late 2024, it has generally followed the same schedule as the monthly channel.

While the auto channel requires little administrative oversight, it also provides less visibility and control over when new features arrive. For most organizations, we recommend selecting a channel intentionally rather than relying on Microsoft’s default schedule.

 

Monthly release channel

The monthly release channel provides early access to one update at a time in sandbox environments, six weeks before it becomes generally available in production. This gives organizations the opportunity to evaluate upcoming functionality at a measured pace and develop materials to prepare their users for future changes.

Release schedule

On the monthly channel, you can preview new features six weeks before they become generally available. Those features then become generally available once per month on the second Tuesday of the month, commonly known as “Patch Tuesday.”

Benefits

The early, metered access provided by the monthly release channel allows you and your organization to take a steadier approach to release waves:

• Explore and evaluate new features and fixes one at a time
• Identify opportunities to improve existing business processes around just one function
• Gather user feedback and submit it directly to Microsoft while new features are still in development

Considerations

While the monthly channel is a valuable tool, it also comes with some drawbacks:

• Early access features may be changed or removed at any time: Features released early in the monthly channel are still being evaluated by Microsoft. Based on customer feedback and internal testing, Microsoft may modify or discontinue a feature before general availability.
• Microsoft Support is limited: If you run into frustrations or blockers while testing new features, support isn’t as comprehensive as it is for generally available features.

 

Semi-annual release channel

The semi-annual release channel follows Microsoft’s traditional release wave schedule, with major updates coming out twice per year.

Environments set to the semi-annual channel don’t get early access to new features but will see updates automatically deployed in April and October. We recommend setting your production environment to the semi-annual channel, so you have time to evaluate the full scope of upcoming changes in your monthly channel sandbox first.

Release schedule

Release Wave 1: Production updates roll out beginning in April
Release Wave 2: Production updates roll out beginning in October

Benefits

A regularly scheduled release wave does have its advantages:

• All new features rolled out in semi-annual release waves have been thoroughly vetted and tested by Microsoft, meaning they won’t be rolled back like features in monthly release waves can be
• Updates hit all at once, compressing the amount of time spent on training end users

Considerations

The semi-annual channel could be the right choice for some situations but not others. Keep these things in mind:

• New features are available to semi-annual channel users later than monthly channel users
• Updates are rolled out all at once, potentially overwhelming end users
• Opportunities to provide early feedback to Microsoft are limited

 

 

Best practices for testing new features

Regardless of which release channel you choose, a structured testing process is crucial. To ensure your testing is thorough and remains consistent from wave to wave, we suggest following these testing best practices:

Always test in a sandbox environment

With new updates and features, there’s no way of knowing how they’ll behave or interact with your customizations, integrations, and extensions until you test them. Your sandbox environment is the perfect place for this. Built to be an isolated copy of your production environment, your sandbox is where you can safely evaluate new features, validate business processes, and identify potential issues without interrupting your operations.

Note: Microsoft does not automatically provide a sandbox environment. You must create one yourself. We can help.

Assign ownership

Make it clear who is leading testing initiatives for every feature. System administrators are often responsible for evaluating new features, coordinating testing efforts, and communicating upcoming changes to stakeholders, but it can depend on which team will be using the feature most and how it functions.

Create documentation

Maintaining a centralized record of release notes and testing outcomes can streamline future release planning efforts.

You and your team should document:

• New functionalities and their business use
• Potential impacts to customizations and integrations
• Testing results and recommendations

Develop training materials

Not every new feature will be major enough to require formal training, but all user-facing changes should be addressed. To get your team aligned on the contents of each release wave, you can consider creating:

• Quick-reference guides using system snapshots
• Short video demonstrations
• Team-specific, live training sessions

 

Release channel FAQs

Release waves can come with a lot of questions, especially around when and how to adopt new features and minimize disruption. With release channels, you have the flexibility to handle updates on your terms. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions to help you build a release strategy that works for your organization.

Which release channel should I use and when?

The right release channel depends on your organization’s tolerance for change and need for new functionality. You can also set different release channels for different users, and switch between channels at any time. The semi-annual channel is best for most end users because it provides a stable, fully supported environment with thoroughly tested features.

The monthly channel is ideal for sandbox environments, where administrators, developers, and testing teams can evaluate upcoming functionalities as they come out. Use sandbox environments to identify potential issues, test integrations, and prepare user training materials before new features become generally available.

What new features should I always test before live implementation?

While D365 CRM tends to be flexible when it comes to release waves, even seemingly minor updates can influence a finely tuned system. Be sure to run through key workflows in a sandbox environment before moving any changes into production.

Prioritize testing any features that could impact your critical business processes or the end user experience, including:

• Data integrations
• Sales automations
• Customer service tools
• Marketing touchpoints
• AI functionality

What’s the best way to use the Microsoft release planner?

Regularly monitoring the release planner helps your organization stay ahead of changes rather than reacting to them after deployment. We suggest reviewing the Microsoft release planner at the start of each release cycle to understand upcoming changes, their expected availability dates, and who they’ll be available for (users or admin). Then you can create a testing plan that aligns with your business processes, assign feature owners to evaluate relevant updates, and document any required configuration changes or user training needs.

How do I log bugs and request new features?

Bugs can be reported through your Microsoft Partner or directly to Microsoft through support channels. When submitting a bug or just feedback, include detailed reproduction steps, screenshots, error messages, and information about your environment. To request new features, you can use Microsoft feedback channels like the Dynamics 365 Ideas portal, where users can submit suggestions and vote on proposed enhancements.

 

Set your channel and surf release waves with ease

Release waves can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure how they might affect your customizations, integrations, and day-to-day operations. Release channels put you back in control with the ability to decide when updates happen to your system.

Our expert consultants at Syvantis can help you select the release channel that best fits your organization and build a testing and deployment plan that keeps your environment running smoothly. That way, you can stay current with Microsoft’s latest innovations without being caught off guard.

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