Units and Unit Mapping in Work 365

Applies To: Work 365 (Dynamics 365 / Power Platform)
Audience: System Administrators, Billing Managers, Implementation Teams

Overview

Accurate invoicing and proration in Work 365 depend on correct Units, Unit Groups, and Unit Mapping. Units define billing frequency (Monthly, Quarterly, Annual, etc.), while mapping tells Work 365 how each unit translates into billable periods. Misconfigured units commonly cause errors like “Please provide a valid Sales Unit.”

Key Concepts

Unit Groups & Units (Dynamics 365)
Create a Unit Group (e.g., Billing Frequency) with units such as:

• Monthly → 1-month cycle

• Quarterly → 3-month cycle

• Annual → 12-month cycle

• Triennial → 36-month cycle

Unit Mapping (Work 365)
Map CRM/Dynamics units to Work 365 billing logic:
Navigation: Work 365 → Administration → Application Settings → Unit Mapping

• Monthly → Monthly (= 1)

• Quarterly → Quarterly (= 3)

• Annual → Annual (= 12)

• Triennial → Triennial (= 36)

Fields used in billing (on Subscriptions & LCLs)

• Sales Unit – billing frequency (e.g., Monthly/Annual)

• Monthly Unit Selling Price – normalized monthly price (used for proration)

• Selling Price per Unit – price used by the billing engine for the unit/frequency

Formula tips

• For Annual pricing: Monthly Unit Selling Price = Annual Selling Price per Unit ÷ 12

• For Quarterly: Monthly Unit Selling Price = Quarterly Price ÷ 3

• For Triennial: Monthly Unit Selling Price = Triennial Price ÷ 36

Where Units Are Used

• Products & Price List Items (PLIs): Each PLI ties a product to a Sales Unit and price.

• Subscriptions & LCL/SLCL: Must carry a valid Sales Unit, a Selling Price per Unit, and a Monthly Unit Selling Price.

• Invoicing & Proration: Work 365 prorates using the Monthly Unit Selling Price and the mapped month count of the Sales Unit.

Usage-based subscriptions: Units don’t affect usage proration; usage is billed by actual consumption windows.

Setup & Configuration (Step-by-step)

1. Verify Unit Groups and Units (Dynamics 365)
   Settings → Business Management → Unit Groups

   • Ensure Monthly, Quarterly, Annual, Triennial exist (standardize names; avoid “Month” vs “Monthly” mixing).

2. Configure Unit Mapping (Work 365)
   Work 365 → Administration → Application Settings → Unit Mapping

   • Map each CRM unit to the correct Work 365 period (1/3/12/36 months). Save.

3. Review Products & PLIs

   • For each PLI, confirm Unit matches intended frequency.

   • Ensure price values align with the chosen unit (e.g., Annual price is the full 12-month amount).

4. Validate Subscriptions & LCLs

   • Confirm Sales Unit, Selling Price per Unit, and Monthly Unit Selling Price are populated.

   • Normalize monthly price using the formulas above (bulk update via Excel export/import if needed).

5. Smoke test

   • Generate a test invoice for a contract with mixed units; verify proration and totals.

Troubleshooting (Quick Matrix)

Common Pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Unit name drift (e.g., “Month” vs “Monthly”): standardize names; map exactly once.

• Changing unit after go-live: can break existing pricing; create a new product/PLI instead.

• Missing normalized monthly price: proration becomes inaccurate; always compute Monthly Unit Selling Price.

• Forgetting PLIs per currency: multi-currency catalogs need PLIs for each currency and unit.

FAQs

Q: Do I need both “Selling Price per Unit” and “Monthly Unit Selling Price”?
A: Yes. The Selling Price per Unit is used for the billing cycle; Monthly Unit Selling Price drives proration math.

Q: Can I use custom units (e.g., Biannual = 6 months)?
A: Yes—add the unit in Dynamics, then map it in Work 365 as 6 months, and update PLIs accordingly.

Q: Does unit mapping affect usage invoices?
A: No—usage lines bill from provider consumption, not unit mapping.

Quick Audit Checklist

• Dynamics Unit Group exists with Monthly/Quarterly/Annual/Triennial

• Work 365 Unit Mapping set: 1/3/12/36 months

• PLIs: Correct Unit + price per unit for each currency

• Subscriptions: Sales Unit, Selling Price per Unit, Monthly Unit Selling Price populated

•  Test invoice created; proration and totals verified

• Admin Hub → Clear Cache completed after changes