A Practical Guide to Managing User Permissions in Dynamics 365 Finance & SCM

Ever opened up your ERP and thought, “Wait… why does the intern have access to payroll data?” 

That’s not an edge case. That’s Tuesday for a lot of companies. 

It usually starts small. A few overlapping roles. Someone gets tagged to the wrong duty. Maybe someone forgot to remove access after a role change. Before you know it, unauthorized hands are sitting on top of sensitive data—and no one notices until there’s damage. 

Here’s the thing: user permissions in Dynamics 365 aren’t just technical configurations. They're trust checkpoints. They're how you make sure the right people see the right data—and only that. And yet, most teams don’t manage them properly. Not because they don’t care. But because Microsoft’s native structure can feel… well, a bit much. 

So, what do we do? 

In this blog, we’ll talk real. We’ll show you what can go wrong, what you can fix, and how tools (like DynaTech’s Security Tool for F&SCM) can save you hours of permission headaches. 

What Happens When You Don’t Manage Permissions Properly in Dynamics 365 

Mistakes don’t always come with red flags. Sometimes they wear access cards. Sometimes they sit in Accounts Payable. Sometimes they just… go unnoticed. For weeks. Or worse — for quarters. 

And it usually starts with good intentions. 
 
Someone joins. You assign a standard role. But that role? It lets them view sensitive reports. Or post journal entries. Maybe even approve purchase orders. 
 
They weren’t supposed to. But the system said “access granted.” That’s how user permissions in Dynamics quietly spin out of control. 

Here's what typically goes wrong: 

1. Excess Access, No Oversight
   Let’s say you bring in a new buyer. They need vendor access. But they also got edit rights for payment terms. Why? Because the role they inherited covers a wide range of duties. Nobody noticed.
   It’s not malicious. It’s just lazy security. 
2. Dormant Roles Stay Active
   Someone moves teams. Their new job is in Sales Ops. But they still carry their Finance permissions. No one cleans up. And if that person is accessing Power BI dashboards? Exporting files? That’s a real gap.
3. You Get Caught Off Guard in an Audit
   Your auditor asks:
   "Can you show us which users had access to journal postings in Q3?" 
   You freeze. The system has the info. But it’s messy. 
   No logs. No revocations. No trail. 
   And that’s a problem. Especially in regulated industries. 
4. You Face an Internal Breach (That You Never See Coming)

88% of breaches come from internal misconfigurations and human error — not outside attackers. 
(Source: IBM Security Report) 

No firewall in the world can stop someone who already has access. 
That’s why system security in Dynamics has to start with how you manage permissions — not just how you deploy the software. 

What Can Go Wrong Without Role-Based Permissions in D365

Steps:

1. Broad role assigned to a user 
2. Access to sensitive finance/supply chain data 
3. Action taken (edit/export) 
4. No alerts triggered 
5. Audit/Compliance Risk → Financial Penalty 

Use caption: “Mismanaged permissions in Dynamics 365 don’t crash systems. They quietly expose them.” 

What Microsoft Offers by Default (and Why It Isn’t Enough) 

To be fair, Microsoft didn’t leave you stranded. Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management (F&SCM) comes with a layered, role-based security model. It’s pretty robust out of the box. 

You've got: 

• Roles 
• Duties 
• Privileges

In theory, this lets you control everything from who can view customer records to who can approve vendor payments. 

Sounds perfect, right? 
On paper — yes. 
In the real world? Not quite. 

Where It Starts Falling Short: 

1. Default Roles Are Too Broad 

The default security roles Microsoft provides are meant to cover general use cases. But your business isn’t “general.” It has layers. Exceptions. Specific compliance requirements. And when you use these roles as-is, users often get way more access than they need. 

That’s how things slip through. One checkbox in the wrong duty and a junior exec suddenly has rights to approve invoices worth millions. 

2. Manual Assignment Is Tedious (and Risky) 

To assign security roles in Dynamics 365, an admin has to go in, navigate through multiple menus, map duties to roles, and ensure users don’t have overlapping access. One mistake and the permission set is off. 
Do that at scale — for hundreds of users across departments — and it’s easy to lose control. 

3. There’s No Built-in Risk Scoring or Alerts 

Unlike modern IAM (identity & access management) platforms, D365 doesn't tell you when something seems risky. There’s no “hey, this user has way more access than others in the same role” alert. 
It trusts you to know. And most teams just don’t have the time to monitor every detail. 

Reality Check 

Managing user permission in Dynamics is a full-time job if you’re doing it manually. And even then, you’re still depending on tribal knowledge:

"Oh yeah, give him the AP Supervisor role — that should cover it." 

That’s not strategy. That’s guesswork. 

And when guesswork gets baked into your ERP security, you don’t just risk a mistake — you risk exposing critical data across your organization. 

That’s why businesses start looking beyond native security.

Native D365 Security vs. Custom Role Management 

How DynaTech’s Security Tool Simplifies User Permissions in F&SCM 

Let’s be honest — managing user permissions in Dynamics isn’t just tedious. It’s risky. 
You make one mistake while assigning duties or roles, and suddenly your operations guy is editing vendor bank details. 

Now imagine that scenario — across 50 users. Across 10 departments. 
That’s where it starts breaking. 

That’s also where DynaTech’s Security Tool for Dynamics 365 F&SCM steps in. 

Not as a fancy add-on, but as a necessary layer of precision, control, and visibility that Microsoft’s native setup just doesn’t give you. 

What Does the Security Tool Actually Do? 

Role-Based Access Designer 

Create and assign roles without guesswork. 
You don’t have to rely on default Microsoft roles anymore. With the tool, you can design roles around actual job responsibilities — not assumptions. 
It’s a real-time way to assign security roles in Dynamics 365 without touching X++ or relying on IT. 

Visual Access Matrix 

Ever tried to figure out who has what access in D365? 

Yeah — not fun. 

The tool gives you a clean, visual breakdown of every user, their roles, and what data they touch. One glance, and you know who has what — and who shouldn’t. 

Segregation of Duties (SoD) Checker 

You can’t have one person approving and creating POs. That’s basic finance control. 

The SoD checker flags conflicts before they become problems. 

It’s the easiest way to keep your system security in Dynamics tight — and audit-ready. 

One-Click Audits 

Running a role audit used to take hours. 

Now? It’s literally one click. 

Export user-role mappings, track changes, revoke access, and log everything — without digging into layers of navigation. 

Pre-Built Compliance Templates 

Industries like pharma, finance, and manufacturing can’t afford sloppy permissions. 

Our tool includes templates mapped to industry-standard compliance requirements. 

HIPAA. SOX. FDA. You name it. 

A Real Use Case: 

One of our manufacturing clients had over 120 users in F&SCM. 
After implementing the Security Tool: 

• 42 redundant roles were identified 
• 11 role conflicts flagged 
• Audit time dropped by 60%

They didn't just clean up their user access — they finally understood it. 

How to Secure Data with F&SCM? 

Not by guessing. Not by hoping. 

But by: 

• Controlling who sees what 
• Defining custom roles for your workflows 
• Using automation to detect conflicts 
• Auditing without pain

That’s how you build real Dynamics 365 data security. 

Wrapping Up 

If you’ve made it this far, chances are you already know: 

Managing user permissions in Dynamics 365 isn’t optional anymore. It’s the backbone of your data integrity, audit readiness, and business continuity. 

Microsoft gives you the building blocks. But building the structure? 

That’s on you. And honestly, the native tools just don’t go far enough. Not if you’re scaling. Not if you care about compliance. Not if you value control. 

That’s where DynaTech comes in. 

With our Security Tool for Dynamics 365 F&SCM, you don’t have to guess. You don’t have to struggle. You just set it up, manage roles with clarity, and get back to focusing on your business — not firefighting permissions. 

Ready to Take Control of Your D365 Security? 

Let our team show you how simple, clean, and scalable security can be — with the right tool and the right partner. 

Explore DynaTech’s Security Tool for F&SCM

Or talk to one of our Dynamics security experts. 

Recap: What We Covered 

• What happens when permissions go wrong 
• Why the native D365 model needs support 
• How to assign security roles in Dynamics 365 — the smarter way 
• How to manage user permissions in Dynamics 365 F&SCM 
• How to secure data with F&SCM using role visibility, conflict checks & compliance

You don’t need to overhaul your ERP. You just need to secure it better. 

Let’s get that done.