Microsoft Dynamics 365 includes a handy feature for Generate PDF files directly from Dynamics 365 records and send them to your customers. The PDF file is generated using a standard Word template from your organization.
You can do this from the following standard entities: Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Sales Opportunities, Quotes, Orders, and Invoices. With Release Wave 2 of 2020, this functionality was further expanded to include custom entities.
Please note: If you want to generate PDFs from your Dynamics 365 environment, your system administrator must first enable this option in App Settings > Convert to PDF. It must specify every standard and custom entity for which you want to create PDFs. If PDF generation is not enabled, you will not see the option to create a PDF file.
Another improvement since Release 2 of 2020 is that you now see a preview of the PDF first. This allows you to verify that the correct template has been selected and that the document has been personalized with each field value.
HOW TO: Create a PDF File from Dynamics 365 Sales
1. Open a specific record from a standard or custom entity.
2. Select “Export to PDF” from the command bar.
3. The “Export to PDF” dialog box, which includes a PDF preview, appears. If you want to use a different template, you can search for and select it in the “Select a template to generate a PDF document” box. After you select a different template, the preview will be refreshed.
4. In the “Save As” field, change the name of the PDF file if you wish.
5. Next, follow these steps:
- Select “”Download" to download the PDF file to your computer.
- Select “”Email" if you want to send the PDF file to your customer via email. The PDF file will then be attached to the email
- Select “”Save to SharePoint" to save the PDF file to a SharePoint site. This button is available when SharePoint integration is enabled for your organization and the Document Management checkbox is selected on the entity page. If you do not see this button, please contact your system administrator.
- Select “”Save to Dynamics" to save the PDF file as a note associated with the primary record. The "Save to Dynamics" button is available if notes are enabled for the primary entity.
