How to Properly Map the Provider Account to the Account

Modified on Wed, Oct 29 at 10:05 AM

Applies To: Work 365 (Provider Integrations)
Audience: System Administrators | Billing & Operations Teams

Overview

Mapping a Provider Account to the corresponding CRM Account in Work 365 ensures accurate synchronization of customers and subscriptions between your provider (e.g., Microsoft Partner Center, TD Synnex, Ingram Micro) and Dynamics 365/Dataverse. Each Provider Account represents a customer in the provider’s system; the mapping links that record to your internal Account so subscriptions, billing contracts, usage, and provisioning data all land on the right customer.

Why it matters: Without the mapping, subscriptions can’t associate to the correct customer, billing contracts may fail, and provisioning can create orphaned records. In short, the Provider Account is the bridge between your provider’s customer and your CRM Account.

Key Concepts

Provider Account (Work 365): A record synced from your provider listing that customer in the provider’s tenant/portal.
Account (CRM/Dynamics): Your internal customer record used for quotes, subscriptions, invoices, and reporting.
Mapping (Account lookup on Provider Account): The link that tells Work 365 which CRM Account corresponds to the provider’s customer.

How It Works

Work 365 syncs customers from the connected provider and creates/updates Provider Account records.
You (or your process) map each Provider Account to the matching CRM Account via the Account lookup on the Provider Account.
Once mapped, Work 365 can correctly attach Subscriptions, Billing Contracts, Usage, and Invoices to the right customer, and provisioning updates won’t create orphans.

Use Cases

Onboarding a new CSP customer: Provider Account arrives via sync → map to existing CRM Account (or create one, then map).
Post-migration clean-up: After importing Accounts, reconcile and map all Provider Accounts to prevent orphaned subscriptions.
Multi-provider scenarios: Map the same CRM Account to each Provider Account record that represents that customer across Partner Center, TD Synnex, Ingram, etc.

Step-by-Step: Map the Provider Account

1) Open Provider Management

In Work 365, switch to Provider Management (bottom-left app area).
Select Provider Accounts.

2) Review Provider Accounts

In the grid, the Account column shows the mapped CRM Account (blank = unmapped).
? Use the Unmapped Provider Accounts view to quickly find items that need mapping.

3) Map to the Correct CRM Account

Open an unmapped Provider Account.
In the Account lookup, search/select the correct CRM Account (names don’t have to match exactly—confirm it’s the same customer).
Save & Close.
Repeat for remaining unmapped records.

4) Validate the Mapping & Sync

Back in the list, confirm each Provider Account now shows a mapped Account.
Run a quick verification: Work 365 → Providers → [Your Provider] → Verify Connectivity / Run Sync.
Open a mapped customer’s Subscription and confirm:
- Customer (Account) is populated.
- Subscription/billing data link to the expected Account and Billing Contract.

Best Practices

✅ Always verify mappings: Double-check the selected CRM Account matches the provider customer.
? Never leave Provider Accounts unmapped: This causes failures in sync, billing, and provisioning.
? Review after each sync/onboarding: New Provider Accounts often arrive with daily/weekly syncs—map promptly.
? Repeat per provider: If you use Partner Center and distributors, map in each provider’s Provider Accounts list.
? Automate detection: Create a Power Automate flow or dashboard that flags Unmapped Provider Accounts.
? Keep names searchable: Standardize Account naming so the right match is easy to find.

Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
Provider Account left unmapped	Subscriptions show missing Customer; provisioning/LCLs fail	Map the Provider Account to the correct CRM Account and re-sync
Mapped to the wrong Account	Invoices/usage appear under the wrong customer	Remap Provider Account to the correct Account; review affected Subscriptions/Invoices
Multi-provider not mapped consistently	One provider bills correctly; another shows orphans	Map each Provider Account (Partner Center, TD Synnex, Ingram, etc.) to the same CRM Account
Mapping done after subscriptions synced	Existing subscriptions orphaned or mislinked	After mapping, run Resync; validate Subscriptions point to the mapped Account
Duplicate CRM Accounts	Confusing lookups; risk of wrong mapping	Merge or clearly label duplicates before mapping

Troubleshooting

I mapped the Provider Account, but Subscriptions still show no customer.
- Run Verify Connectivity / Run Sync on the provider; then open a Subscription and confirm the Customer field.
The correct CRM Account doesn’t exist yet.
- Create the CRM Account first (with proper ownership/BU), then map the Provider Account.
We changed the customer’s legal name. How does that impact mapping?
- Mapping uses the lookup, not just the name. If the CRM Account changed names, mapping remains intact.
Multiple Provider Accounts represent the same customer (e.g., multiple tenants).
- Map each Provider Account to the appropriate CRM Account based on your business model (one-to-one or one-to-many), and document the approach.

FAQs / Common Questions

Q: Can Work 365 auto-create the CRM Account from the Provider Account?
A: Some deployments script or customize this, but best practice is to review/match to avoid duplicates.

Q: Does mapping affect historical invoices?
A: Mapping governs ongoing linkage/sync. Historical invoices tied to a different Account won’t be retro-mapped automatically.

Q: We use multiple providers—should we map all of them?
A: Yes. Map every Provider Account from each connected provider to ensure unified billing and provisioning.

Summary

Proper mapping of Provider Accounts → CRM Accounts is essential for clean syncs, accurate billing, and reliable provisioning. Incorporate mapping into onboarding and post-sync reviews, automate detection of unmapped records, and validate with a quick provider sync to keep your tenant clean and audit-ready.