Importing into Dynamics 365 can be concerning to even the most hardened of CRM consultants. Often, if we are importing into a production system, we have tight schedules to get in and out before the users log in.

If we are still importing data when the users come online, the system can be unacceptably slow and hinder business.

Here are some things to consider before setting the import free:

• Workflows and plugins:In the case of synchronous jobs, if it fires on the import of every single record, it will slow down importing while the next record waits for the job to finish. In the case of asynchronous jobs, they can stack up and still be executing well after the last record comes into the system and, in the worst case scenario, a record will be viewed before all jobs have run on it.
• Duplicate Detection: This is easy to turn on or off if you are using the Import Wizard but if you are using another import mechanism, do you need to adjust the settings so the records come in, as desired?
• Alternate Keys: If you have these defined, make sure your new records are compliant with the rules.
• Audit Logs: The creation of lots of records can man lots of audit entries and lots of additional storage consumed (which usually cannot be deleted for three months). Set the audit settings as you require.

By reviewing what will run, disabling processes and settings for the import where it makes sense, with the intention of re-enabling and potentially running them at the end of the import, we can save ourselves literally hours of import time and make for a much better experience for all stakeholders involved with the system.

Of course, if you want a rough indication of how long the import will take, you can always run a few test imports and vary the record totals to get an estimate.