Dynamics 365 Activate: how AI speeds up CRM migration to Dynamics 365
On September 9, 2026, Microsoft launched the public preview of Dynamics 365 Activate. It's an AI tool that analyzes a company's current CRM, builds a migration plan, generates the Dynamics 365 configuration, and automates data migration. The first supported scenario is moving from Salesforce. Microsoft says ERP scenarios will follow later in 2026.
Why CRM migration is always expensive
In a typical CRM-to-CRM project, most of the time doesn't go into moving data. It goes into figuring out what to move. The team manually works through objects, fields, business processes, automations, code, and integrations, then works out which of them are still in use and which are leftovers from previous contractors. This discovery phase can take weeks, and it's where the risk builds up: a missed dependency often surfaces only after go-live.
Activate automates this part of the work. Microsoft says the tool cuts the time spent on "resource-intensive workstreams like discovery and analysis," so the implementation team can focus on architecture and change management.
How Dynamics 365 Activate works
Discovery of the current system
Activate analyzes the Salesforce environment: objects and records, data models, customizations, workflows, code, and integrations.
Profiling data and dependencies
The tool maps relationships between entities, business process dependencies, and the customizations that need special attention.
Assessment and migration plan
The output is a detailed blueprint of the current environment, migration recommendations, and a risk analysis.
Generating the Dynamics 365 configuration
Based on the analysis, Activate produces a configuration for the target system, not just a field-mapping spreadsheet.
Data migration and validation
Data migration is automated, with built-in guardrails. Throughout the project, the tool provides visibility and validation so risks show up early rather than after go-live.
What early customers say
Comcast says Activate's discovery capabilities sped up its migration assessment by giving it better visibility into its Salesforce landscape and key risks. The CEO of New Zealand pet food maker Ziwi Pets points to something else: more visibility and validation at every stage of delivery, which reduces risk and increases confidence in the outcome.
What AI handles and what stays with the partner
Microsoft explicitly positions Activate as a tool for implementation partners, not a replacement for them. The split looks like this.
Activate
Inventory of the current CRM, data profiling, dependency discovery, a draft configuration, automated record migration, and checks.
Implementation partner
Project methodology, solution architecture, decisions on which processes to move as-is and which to redesign, and integrations with the company's other systems.
Customer
Business priorities, sign-off on target processes, team training, and actually using the new CRM.
This split matters. AI can describe exactly how the old system is built, but it can't tell you whether its processes were designed well. Moving a chaotic sales pipeline faster isn't the same as getting a manageable one. So the most valuable part of a migration project shifts from manual analysis to decisions about the target process.
This is the role Progresia takes on in migration projects: we run discovery, design the target processes in Dynamics 365 together with the business, and own the integrations, so the new CRM doesn't inherit the old one's problems.
Preview limitations to keep in mind
- Salesforce only. Activate currently supports CRM migration from Salesforce. Microsoft plans to add other CRM and ERP sources later, with no specific dates.
- ERP later in 2026. ERP scenarios aren't available in the preview yet.
- Some features are still on the roadmap. Agentic data mapping, test sampling, natural-language guidance, and executive summaries are announced as next steps.
- Access by sign-up. To join the preview, you need to register on Microsoft's program page.
What this means for companies in Ukraine and CEE
Relatively few Ukrainian companies run Salesforce, mostly large and international ones. For them, Activate is a direct way to cut the time and risk of moving to Dynamics 365. If you're comparing the two platforms, start with our article Microsoft CRM vs Salesforce.
Far more often, companies in the region move to Dynamics 365 from Bitrix24, custom-built systems, Excel, or CRM modules of accounting systems. Activate doesn't cover these sources yet, but its approach already applies: first a full inventory of data and processes, then a decision on the target model, and only then the migration itself. Discovery is the step teams most often cut corners on, and it's where post-launch problems come from.
Progresia runs this kind of audit for any source: Salesforce, Bitrix24, a custom CRM, or Excel. The output is a list of what we migrate, what we redesign, and what we leave behind, along with a timeline estimate.
How to prepare for migration now
You can work through these steps on your own or with the Progresia team as part of a pre-migration audit.
Pin down what's actually in use
Which objects, fields, and reports teams need every day, and which are leftovers from old processes. This reduces the migration scope.
Document integrations
Telephony, messengers, the accounting system, the website, data enrichment services. Integrations are the most common cause of migration delays.
Clean up your data
Duplicate contacts, empty fields, and stale deals are best removed before migration. We covered how in CRM and Power BI data quality.
Define the target sales and service process
A new CRM is a chance to rethink the pipeline, deal stages, and case-handling rules instead of copying the old ones.
FAQ
What is Dynamics 365 Activate?
It's Microsoft's AI tool for migrating to and implementing Dynamics 365. It analyzes the current business system, generates a migration plan and a Dynamics 365 configuration, and automates data migration. The public preview launched on September 9, 2026.
Which systems can you migrate from with Activate?
Currently only Salesforce CRM. Microsoft plans to add other CRM and ERP systems, with ERP scenarios coming later in 2026.
Does Activate replace the implementation partner?
No. Microsoft positions Activate as a partner tool: it handles analysis and routine steps, while methodology, solution architecture, integrations, and change management stay with the implementation team.
What if we use Bitrix24, a custom CRM, or Excel?
Activate doesn't support these sources yet. Migration follows the classic path: audit of the current system and data, design of target processes in Dynamics 365, then data migration and validation. The principles behind Activate apply here too.
Planning a move to Dynamics 365?
Progresia will audit your current CRM, assess the volume of data, integrations, and customizations, propose a target process model, and run the migration, whether you're coming from Salesforce, Bitrix24, a custom system, or Excel.