This article answers common questions about the Cognism Microsoft Dynamics integration.
Can I use Microsoft Dynamics as my primary CRM?
Yes.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a full customer relationship management (CRM) platform that enables organisations to manage leads, contacts, accounts, opportunities, customer service, marketing, and other business processes.
The Cognism integration allows you to export prospect data directly into Dynamics, reducing manual data entry and helping keep your CRM up to date.
Who can configure the Microsoft Dynamics integration?
Only Cognism Administrators can:
- Enable the Microsoft Dynamics integration.
- Configure field mappings.
- Configure Update Rules.
- Configure Syncing Rules.
- Manage export settings.
Once configured, users can authenticate their own Microsoft Dynamics account and begin exporting records.
Can all users export to Microsoft Dynamics?
Yes.
Once the integration has been configured by an administrator, authorised users can sign in to their Microsoft Dynamics account and export records from the Cognism Web Application.
Can I export records as Leads or Contacts?
Yes.
Administrators can configure how prospects are exported using Syncing Rules.
Available options are:
- Leads and Contacts
- Leads only
- Contacts only
These settings apply to all users in your organisation.
What happens if the record already exists?
Before creating a new record, Cognism checks Microsoft Dynamics for an existing Lead, Contact, or Account.
If a matching record is found, Cognism updates the existing record according to your configured Update Rules instead of creating a duplicate.
How are duplicate records prevented?
Cognism uses matching rules before exporting records.
Leads and Contacts
Records are matched using:
- Cognism ID (if mapped)
- Email address
- First Name + Last Name + Company Name (+ Company City where available)
Accounts
Accounts are matched using:
- Cognism ID (if mapped)
- LinkedIn URL (if mapped)
- Company domain
- Company Name (+ City where available)
These matching rules help reduce duplicate records in Microsoft Dynamics.
Can I customise which fields are exported?
Yes.
Administrators can configure Contact and Account field mappings to determine which Cognism data is exported into Microsoft Dynamics.
You can also map Cognism data to supported custom Dynamics fields.
Can I use custom fields?
Yes.
Microsoft Dynamics supports mapping to custom fields, provided the field type is supported by the Cognism integration.
A common example is creating a custom field such as cognism_source to identify records created through Cognism.
Which Microsoft Dynamics field types are supported?
The Cognism integration supports the following field types:
- Boolean
- DateTime
- Double
- Integer
- String
- Picklist
- Supported Virtual fields
Some Virtual fields may not be available depending on your Microsoft Dynamics environment.
Which field types are not supported?
Unsupported field types, such as:
- Multi-select picklists
- Lookup fields
- Unsupported custom or complex field types
cannot be mapped and will not appear in the field mapping list.
Can I control how existing data is updated?
Yes.
Update Rules allow administrators to decide whether Cognism:
- Populates fields only when they are empty.
- Overwrites existing values with the latest Cognism data during every export.
This provides flexibility when enriching or maintaining CRM records.
Why can't I see a field when configuring mappings?
If a Microsoft Dynamics field does not appear in the mapping list, it is typically because the field type is not supported by the Cognism integration.
Review the supported field types or contact your Microsoft Dynamics Administrator if you believe the field should be available.