Now Reading: Perth Panthers are ready to take the ice with Field Service
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Perth Panthers are ready to take the ice with Field Service
The Perth Panthers have long relied on Excel spreadsheets, physical booking sheets, shared Outlook calendars, and shared mailboxes to manage their arena maintenance, equipment scheduling, and technician assignments. While these methods have been useful, they lack automation, efficiency, and real-time insights, which are essential for a growing and fast-paced operation.
Now, the Panthers are making the move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service, a centralized, intelligent system that will transform the way they manage work orders, bookings, and maintenance schedules.
However, to ensure a smooth transition, the Panthers must prepare their data, format it correctly, and import it in the right sequence to avoid errors. This blog outlines the migration structure, the correct import sequence, and the steps to ensure a seamless transition.
Step 1: Preparing Data for Import
Before the Panthers can fully transition to Field Service, they need to extract and consolidate their existing data from multiple sources, including:
- Excel Spreadsheets – Containing work orders, technician assignments, and maintenance schedules.
- Physical Booking Sheets – Tracking past and future reservations for ice time, maintenance, and equipment usage.
- Outlook Shared Calendars – Managing scheduled maintenance, technician availability, and rink bookings.
- Shared Mailboxes – Storing customer requests, maintenance inquiries, and service follow-ups.
Once extracted, this data must be structured into import templates that align with Dynamics 365 Field Service requirements. Proper formatting is crucial to ensure a successful import and avoid data mismatches or system errors.
Step 2: Import Sequence for Dynamics 365 Field Service
To prevent data integrity issues, information must be imported in a structured sequence. Importing data in the wrong order could result in missing relationships between records, such as work orders that need to be linked to an account before importing.
The Correct Import Sequence
| Step | Entity to Import | Description | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Currency | Defines the currency types used in transactions. | None |
| 2 | Unit Group | Defines units of measurement for products. | None |
| 3 | Product (Service / Inventory / Non-Inventory) | Defines products, including services, inventory, and non-inventory items. | Unit Group |
| 4 | Price List | Contains price definitions for products. | Currency |
| 5 | Price List Item | Maps products to price lists. | Price List, Product |
| 6 | Org Unit | Represents business units for service operations. | None |
| 7 | Territories | Defines geographical areas for service assignments. | None |
| 8 | Contact | Stores customer or individual contact details. | None |
| 9 | Account | Stores company or business details. | None |
| 10 | Equipment | Represents tools, vehicles, and other resources used in service. | None |
| 11 | Skill | Defines competencies required for work orders. | None |
| 12 | Trades | Groups similar skills under specific trades. | None |
| 13 | Resources | Defines field technicians, contractors, or assets used for scheduling. | Account, Contact, Equipment |
| 14 | Time Off Requests | Records time-off requests for resources. | Resources |
| 15 | Resource Skills | Maps skills to resources. | Resources, Skill |
| 16 | Work Order Types | Defines categories of work orders. | None |
| 17 | Incident Types | Predefined templates for common work orders. | Work Order Types |
| 18 | Resolutions | Defines possible resolutions for incidents. | Incident Types |
| 19 | Assets | Represents customer-owned equipment that requires service. | Account |
| 20 | Agreements | Defines service contracts that generate work orders. | Account, Assets |
| 21 | Functional Locations | Represents service locations for assets and accounts. | Account, Assets |
| 22 | Service Task Types | Defines standard service tasks. | None |
| 23 | Incident Type Products | Maps products needed for specific incident types. | Incident Types, Product |
| 24 | Incident Type Services | Maps services needed for specific incident types. | Incident Types, Product |
| 25 | Incident Type Service Tasks | Maps service tasks to incident types. | Incident Types, Service Task Types |
| 26 | Incident Type Skills | Maps required skills for incident types. | Incident Types, Skill |
| 27 | Incident Type Resolutions | Maps resolution types to incident types. | Incident Types, Resolutions |
| 28 | Cases (If Needed) | Tracks customer service cases. | Contact, Account |
| 29 | Work Order | Central entity defining service jobs. | Account, Contact, Incident Types, Assets, Agreements |
| 30 | Bookings | Schedules work orders to resources. | Work Order, Resources |
| 31 | Insurance | Defines insurance coverage for work orders. | Account |
| 32 | Warranty | Defines warranties associated with assets or services. | Assets |
The Panthers must ensure each step is completed before moving to the next to maintain data integrity and system functionality.
Step 3: Importing Data into Dynamics 365 Field Service
Setting Up Data Templates
The first step in the import process is preparing CSV templates for each entity. These templates must follow specific formatting guidelines:
- Column headers must match Dynamics 365 Field Service field names.
- Data types must be formatted correctly, such as dates in YYYY-MM-DD format.
- Duplicate records should be removed to avoid inconsistencies.
Each work order, resource, product, and schedule must be structured properly so that Dynamics 365 can recognize and process the data.
Step 4: Testing and Going Live
Before fully switching to live operations, the Panthers should test the new system to confirm that all data has been successfully migrated and that it functions correctly.
Key Tests to Run
- Verify Accounts and Contacts – Ensure all customers and vendors are correctly linked.
- Test Work Order Assignments – Assign technicians to tasks and check scheduling accuracy.
- Review Scheduling Board – Confirm that bookings display properly in the Field Service Schedule Board.
- Simulate Service Calls – Ensure field technicians can access work orders via the Field Service Mobile App.
Conclusion: A Smarter Future for the Perth Panthers
By transitioning from Excel sheets and shared calendars to Dynamics 365 Field Service, the Perth Panthers are setting themselves up for:
- Efficient scheduling of maintenance and repairs
- Improved technician tracking and job assignments
- Accurate billing and cost tracking
- Better communication across teams
This migration requires careful planning and structured data imports, but once complete, the Panthers will operate with greater efficiency, visibility, and accuracy.
The Perth Panthers are now ready to fully embrace Field Service, ensuring seamless operations for years to come.
