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Lasernet is a document output and document management platform used to design, generate and distribute business documents produced from Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM.
Organisations typically adopt Lasernet when document requirements outgrow native output tools (for example SSRS, Electronic Reporting, or Configurable Business Documents). At that point, changes become slower, governance gets harder, and frequent updates can introduce avoidable release risk.
Lasernet provides a dedicated document layer with controlled templates, predictable routing, and final-format preview (where configured), so customer-facing documents stay consistent, on-brand, and easier to maintain.
In Dynamics 365 FSCM, Lasernet is commonly used to: Standardise layouts and branding across entities and countries
The Lasernet Connector is the Dynamics-side component that integrates Lasernet into Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM so users can generate, preview, distribute, and archive documents from standard Dynamics workflows.
It connects Dynamics document data and posting processes to the Lasernet output layer, so output can be executed consistently without needing separate manual steps.
Lasernet is designed for organisations where documents are operationally important and change is frequent. It is a strong fit when finance and operations teams rely on consistent, customer-facing output and IT teams want a more controlled way to manage templates, distribution rules, and ongoing changes.In practice, Lasernet is commonly used by:
Lasernet is especially relevant for organisations with multiple legal entities, multiple brands, multi-country rollouts, or high document volume.
Organisations typically introduce Lasernet when documents become operationally critical and the cost of maintaining output in the native toolset starts to show up as delays, inconsistencies, or recurring incidents.
Many teams begin with SSRS, ER, or Configurable Business Documents for basic output. As the document landscape grows, even small changes can require disproportionate effort, carry release risk, and create dependency on a limited number of technical specialists.
Lasernet becomes relevant when the organisation needs a dedicated document layer with controlled templates, predictable distribution rules, and better operational visibility.
Organisations typically implement Lasernet when one or more of these triggers appear:
A typical onboarding is structured to reduce rework and protect production stability. The objective is to confirm scope, set up environments, establish template and distribution standards, and prove end-to-end output before go-live.
In Dynamics 365 FSCM, “end-to-end” usually means more than generating a PDF. It includes distribution through the right channel, correct archiving behaviour, and predictable handling when something fails.
A typical onboarding proceeds through these phases:
In practice, onboarding is often delivered in waves. A first set of high-impact documents goes live, then additional documents, entities, and channels follow once the operating model is stable.
Onboarding duration depends less on “install time” and more on the document scope, the amount of variation required, and the level of testing and governance you need.
A focused first-wave rollout can be delivered faster, while multi-entity programs with multiple channels, customer-specific variants, and tight release controls typically take longer to stabilise.
A typical onboarding ranges from a few weeks to several months depending on:
We request a set of inputs up front so we can align document requirements with your Dynamics processes and avoid surprises later. The goal is to understand what must be produced, what variations exist, and how distribution and archiving should behave for each scenario.
You will usually need:
a) A list of document types in scope (including samples of current outputs)
b) Dynamics legal entities, countries, languages, and branding variants
c) Distribution rules (who receives what, by which channel, and under what conditions)
d) Archive and retention expectations
e) Current pain points (change backlog, failures, performance, governance gaps)
Yes. Lasernet programs are often most successful when delivered in waves, starting with the documents that create the most operational pain or business risk. This approach lets you establish standards, template governance, and support routines before you expand the document estate.
Common ways organisations start small include:
Lasernet sits in the document layer between Dynamics transactions and the final distributed document. It takes approved business data from Dynamics, applies controlled layout and output rules, and then distributes and archives the resulting document according to your configured destinations.
This separation of concerns is valuable because it helps teams improve layouts, channels, and operational handling without changing core transaction logic in Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM.
Lasernet supports the document output layer:
Lasernet does not replace Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM or decide your business and compliance rules. Your organisation remains responsible for:
Most organisations start with customer-facing finance documents and then expand into logistics, warehouse, and internal operational output. The best candidates are documents that must be consistent, distributed through multiple channels, or maintained frequently.
In organisations that also run Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE), Lasernet is often used to support sales and service documents as well, so customer-facing output is consistent across both FSCM and CE processes.
Common document types include:
a) Invoices, credit notes, statements, and reminders
b) Order confirmations and delivery documents
c) Labels and warehouse documents
d) Internal operational printouts and customer correspondence
e) Quotes, proposals, and sales confirmations produced from Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement
f) Service and field service documents (for example work orders, service reports, and customer-facing service correspondence)
g) Contract, agreement, and onboarding documents that require controlled formatting and distribution
Outcomes vary by scope, but the most valuable improvements tend to be about speed, consistency, and operational control. The biggest shift is moving documents from ad hoc report artifacts to a governed document capability that supports ongoing change without destabilising production.
Common outcomes include:
Lasernet is typically adopted when document output becomes business-critical and the native toolset is being stretched. This is common in multi-entity rollouts, high-volume operational environments, and organisations that need stronger control over distribution, archiving, and troubleshooting.
In those situations, Lasernet is used to standardise documents while still supporting controlled variations by entity, country, customer, channel, and process.
Common usage cases include:
Typical reason: A Dynamics 365 FSCM rollout spans multiple legal entities and countries, and documents must remain consistent while still supporting local variation.
What tends to be difficult with native output: As the document estate grows, teams can end up with duplicated report artifacts and slower change cycles, especially when each entity needs controlled differences.
What Lasernet enables: A dedicated output layer where templates can be standardised and then varied in a governed way, so changes remain repeatable and supportable as you scale.
Learn more: Dunlop Protective Footwear case study
Typical reason: Labels must print at speed, and the right label must reach the right printer based on site, warehouse process, user, device, or location.
What tends to be difficult with native output: Native approaches are not designed as a label routing engine, so teams often face complex workarounds for printer selection, conditional variants, and automated print execution.
What Lasernet enables: Rule-driven label routing and stable label templates, with the ability to trigger printing from within the ERP workflow and support multi-device patterns (including thermal printers).
Typical reason: The business needs frequent changes to invoices, delivery notes, packing slips, or customer-facing documents, and the change backlog becomes a recurring operational issue.
What tends to be difficult with native output: Layout changes can become time-consuming and heavily dependent on technical development, with long test and release cycles.
What Lasernet enables: A more controlled document design and template model that supports faster changes, reusable components, and a clearer release approach across environments.
Typical reason: Different customers, channels, or scenarios require different wording blocks, optional fields, or alternative layouts.
What tends to be difficult with native output: Scenario-driven variations often lead to report sprawl or conditional logic spread across multiple tooling approaches.
What Lasernet enables: Controlled variants without losing standardisation, including rule-based versions and user-selectable options where appropriate.
Learn more: Mustad case study
Typical reason: Teams need consistent delivery rules that vary by customer, document type, or process, including predictable file naming, email subject/body content, and attachment handling.
What tends to be difficult with native output: Distribution logic often becomes fragmented across customisations, manual steps, or inconsistent processes between teams.
What Lasernet enables: A centralised output layer with destination rules and configurable delivery behaviour so distribution is consistent, auditable, and easier to support.
Learn more: Van Ommen case study
Typical reason: Document volume grows and the business needs predictable throughput, background processing, and the ability to execute output as part of automated process steps.
What tends to be difficult with native output: High-volume output and complex execution patterns can place pressure on the ERP processing model and create operational bottlenecks.
What Lasernet enables: Batch-oriented output patterns, event-driven execution (where configured), and options to design output in a way that reduces end-user friction and supports more consistent throughput.
Typical reason: Contracts, agreements, onboarding documents, and approvals need secure, remote signing with an audit trail.
What tends to be difficult without integration: Teams rely on manual email chains and ad hoc PDF handling, which reduces traceability and can slow down approval cycles.
What Lasernet enables: Digital signature workflows that route documents for signing, track completion status, and retain signed outputs with a stronger audit approach.
Typical reason: The organisation wants a single, governed place to design and maintain customer-facing documents, rather than having layouts spread across multiple tools, duplicated artifacts, or local variations.
What tends to be difficult with native output: When layouts are fragmented, teams often see inconsistent branding, duplicated effort, and higher release risk because there is no single design standard and ownership varies by tool and team.
What Lasernet enables: A “single source of truth” for templates with reusable components and controlled variants, supported by a repeatable build, test, and promote workflow so changes are easier to review, validate, and deploy across environments
Typical reason: Some organisations have print-heavy operations or external print partners where output must be produced in a very specific physical format, often with multiple copies and strict handling rules.
What tends to be difficult with native output: Native printing approaches are not designed for advanced finishing and multi-part behaviours, so teams often rely on manual steps, printer-specific workarounds, or separate print processes that are hard to govern and repeat consistently.
What Lasernet enables: A controlled print strategy where print packaging, copy handling, and destination behaviour can be driven by rules, so advanced requirements are executed consistently by document type, site, process, and channel.
Lasernet enhances automation by turning document output into a governed, repeatable process that runs as part of standard Dynamics workflows. Instead of treating documents as one-off report files, teams define templates, routing rules, and operational handling patterns that can be executed consistently at scale.
This is particularly valuable when output is high volume, time-sensitive, or business-critical, and when teams need a predictable way to reprocess documents without re-posting transactions.
In practice, automation improvements commonly include:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM gives teams multiple ways to produce documents, including SSRS reports, ER formats, and CBD. For straightforward requirements, these can be sufficient.
Organisations typically introduce the Lasernet Connector when document output becomes a recurring source of friction, for example:
What the connector and Lasernet provide in practice is a more unified output model:
The goal is not to replace Dynamics, but to reduce the day-to-day document friction that appears when SSRS, ER, and CBD are stretched beyond their practical comfort zone.
The connector follows its own release cycle and must remain compatible with your Dynamics platform version.
In practice, connector updates should be planned alongside your Dynamics servicing cadence so output remains stable and supportable.
The connector roadmap describes the direction of change for connector capabilities, compatibility, and operational features over time.
August Bridge tracks roadmap and release information through our direct association with the Lasernet Group and can answer questions about what is changing, what is relevant for your environment, and how to plan adoption. We also proactively inform customers when releases are critically important (for example security, stability, or compatibility) or particularly beneficial.
The roadmap matters because it can influence:
Yes. Lasernet can be used to create and distribute documents from Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (for example Sales and Field Service) using the Lasernet CE Connector.
In a combined Dynamics landscape, this helps organisations keep consistent branding and document behaviour across both operational documents (often driven from FSCM) and sales or service documents (often driven from CE).
The Lasernet CE Connector links Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement to Dynamics 365 FSCM so users in CE can run Lasernet reports.
Rather than connecting CE directly to the Lasernet server, CE sends the report request to FSCM. FSCM then uses the Lasernet Connector for Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM capabilities (for example Query Wizard, Language Texts, and Destination settings) to assemble data, generate the XML payload, and run the standard Lasernet output process.
This design lets CE users trigger document generation from inside the CE application without requiring a separate FSCM user to switch applications.
Yes. In many scenarios, a report can combine data from CE and FSCM so the final document reflects both customer engagement context and operational or master data maintained in FSCM.
A common example is a quote or offer where the document is initiated from CE, but certain product or operational details are sourced from FSCM.
Organisations typically use Lasernet in CE for sales and service documents that need controlled layout, predictable distribution, and a true “final-format” preview before sending.
Common examples include:
A typical setup aligns three environments so they can communicate reliably:
Configuration typically includes Azure App Registration, a CE application user with appropriate privileges, and FSCM-side settings that map CE requests to the correct report execution.
After go-live, teams typically want confidence that documents are generating correctly, reaching the right destinations, and can be reprocessed predictably when something fails.
Visibility depends on how your environment is configured, but operational handling typically focuses on:
Lasernet Tracking is designed to improve operational visibility when documents fail to generate, fail to save to storage, or fail to distribute.
File tracking can be used to confirm that generated files are successfully saved in the intended storage. This is especially useful when paired with standard Dynamics alerts so specific users can be notified if a file is missing and the team can investigate quickly.
In practice, tracking is typically configured selectively:
Depending on how archiving is designed for a report, file tracking may require specific configuration choices. August Bridge confirms the right pattern during onboarding so tracking supports operations without creating conflicting settings.
Yes, where configured. Email tracking can be set up so Lasernet can monitor a designated mailbox and track sent and bounced email outcomes.
This supports finance and customer service teams by improving traceability when customers report missing documents, and it supports support teams by shortening the time to isolate whether the issue is generation, distribution, or delivery.
In many scenarios, teams want the ability to re-send documents without re-posting the underlying transaction.
The practical approach depends on how distribution is configured and what controls you want around reprocessing, audit traceability, and customer communication rules.
The Lasernet Healthcheck is designed for:
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
The August Bridge Lasernet Healthcheck is a comprehensive review designed to optimise the performance, stability, and future readiness of your Lasernet installation.
Our consultants dive deep into your environment to uncover inefficiencies, reduce operational risk, and highlight opportunities for optimisation.
Findings are translated into a practical, prioritised roadmap that supports confident decision-making and long-term scalability.
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
The Healthcheck focuses on five areas:
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
Upon instruction, the Healthcheck takes approximately two days to complete.
Production is not impacted. Your environment continues to run as normal while the Healthcheck takes place.
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
You receive a comprehensive document of findings, including recommendations and next steps.
Yes. August Bridge can work with you after the Healthcheck to put the recommendations in place and help ensure your Lasernet installation is optimised.
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
The advantage is control at scale. As document requirements grow, many organisations find that traditional approaches become harder to maintain: changes take longer, distribution logic becomes fragmented, and output issues are harder to troubleshoot consistently.
Lasernet addresses this by separating document design and delivery behaviour from core transaction processing. This makes it easier to manage templates, apply governed change, and run consistent output across entities, languages, channels, and environments.
Common advantages include:
In practice, “flexibility” is about whether you can assemble the right business context for a document without building fragile custom report logic. In Dynamics 365 FSCM, that typically means combining the base transaction with additional related records, language-specific content, customer-specific elements, and distribution metadata.
Lasernet supports this by allowing output to be driven by structured payloads and enrichment patterns, so the document layer can stay consistent even as business requirements evolve.
Common patterns include:
From a format perspective, most scenarios rely on structured data (for example XML) for repeatable output and governance. The exact formats used depend on your source systems and design approach.
August Bridge confirms the required sources and formats during discovery so the solution is stable, supportable, and aligned with your controls.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM includes native options for document output, including Configurable Business Documents (CBD). For straightforward requirements, these can be sufficient.
Organisations typically introduce Lasernet when document requirements become more complex, for example:
Lasernet provides a dedicated document layer focused on layout control, distribution rules, and maintainable template management.
Not always. Many template and layout changes can be handled through structured configuration and document design practices, reducing the need for repeated technical report development.
In practice, successful teams still apply governance:
August Bridge typically sets up this operating model during onboarding and can provide ongoing support after go-live.
A common approach is to design a core template set and then apply controlled variants where the business truly needs differences (language, legal blocks, customer-specific elements, or branding).
To keep maintenance predictable, teams typically implement:
Lasernet is commonly used to produce and distribute documents through multiple channels and formats, such as:
Output formats often include PDF and structured formats where required by downstream processes. The exact configuration depends on your document scope and delivery rules.
Lasernet is commonly selected in environments with significant document volumes, including print-heavy operations.
As with any output platform, consistent performance depends on:
August Bridge can validate performance assumptions during onboarding or as part of a Healthcheck.
Learn more: Lasernet Healthcheck
Many organisations use Lasernet to support consistent archiving and retrieval of the final distributed document, often with metadata that helps users locate documents quickly for customer service, dispute handling, or audit support.
Depending on your requirements, some teams keep the archive close to Dynamics, while others extend the approach with more structured document management capabilities (for example, metadata-driven classification, controlled access histories, and automated retention policies).
Your organisation remains responsible for retention decisions and legal archive requirements, access controls and segregation of duties, and internal policies for reprints and re-sends.
Consistency usually comes from two things: design standards and change governance.
Most teams implement:
August Bridge can help establish a repeatable template approach and a release model that supports ongoing change.
Documents are often impacted by platform change, even when the underlying business process remains the same.
A practical approach is to plan documents as a workstream, including:
This is a common reason organisations request a Healthcheck to confirm upgrade readiness, surface risks, and prioritise improvements before major change.
The Test and Performance Suite is most valuable as a practical way to measure and improve Lasernet output performance at scale in Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM.
August Bridge primarily uses it when customers need predictable throughput, for example large invoice runs, peak-period processing, or print-heavy operations where output must complete within a defined time window.
The suite can also support functional validation, but in practice we use that capability selectively. Full, automated regression testing can require significant setup effort relative to the benefit, so we focus on pragmatic validation for the documents that matter most.
Organisations typically use the Test and Performance Suite to:
A typical approach is to define a representative workload and then measure performance under controlled conditions.
Common steps include:
Where functional validation is needed, teams typically keep it focused on a small set of critical documents and scenarios, rather than trying to automate regression testing for every document.
Post go-live support at August Bridge is run as a structured support model with clear ticket handling, defined ownership, and controlled change and release routines. The goal is to keep production output stable while still enabling the business to evolve templates, distribution rules, and document scope over time.
How do we raise support requests and where are they tracked?
Support work is centred on the August Bridge support portal (Freshdesk). Tickets may originate in a customer’s preferred tool (for example Azure DevOps or a customer portal), but they are still registered in Freshdesk so communication, traceability, and time registration remain consistent.
To help the team act quickly, a good ticket includes:
Tickets are triaged so the right specialist can take ownership quickly.
Triage typically includes:
Response-time handling is aligned to your Service Response Time Agreement tier. August Bridge confirms receipt, assigns ownership, and communicates next steps based on response time commitments.
Response time is not the same as resolution time. Resolution depends on scope, complexity, and whether third-party action is required.
Investigation is based on evidence and repeatability.
Common investigation steps include:
August Bridge uses controlled reprocessing and re-send procedures designed to avoid re-posting transactions where possible and to preserve audit traceability.
Practical handling depends on your distribution setup and your internal controls, including who is permitted to re-send customer-facing documents and how re-send events are recorded.
Changes are delivered through a governed workflow so production remains stable.
A typical change path includes:
This approach is used for new documents, layout updates, destination changes, and rule updates.
Release governance is aligned to your Dynamics servicing cadence and Lasernet Connector for Microsoft Dynamics 365 FSCM updates.
In practice, this includes:
August Bridge maintains documentation and continuity artifacts so support remains consistent over time.
This includes:
Escalation paths are used for priority incidents and recurring issues. Structured communication is applied when production output is blocked or customer-facing risk is high.
