Storage of activities in Dynamics 365 can become costly, especially if large amounts of data are stored. Activity storage refers to customer activities, such as emails, appointments, tasks and other interactions, within the Dynamics 365 environment.

The cost of storing activities can vary depending on the Dynamics 365 plan you use, the number of users, the number of activities generated, and the length of time you choose to store the data. As data accumulates over time, it can increase storage requirements and potentially result in higher costs.

Consider the following 5 tips to effectively manage activity storage costs:

1 Data interest policy

Define data retention policies based on your business needs. For example, you can choose to keep certain types of activities for a specific period of time and then delete or archive older data to reduce storage space usage.

2 Clearing and archiving policy

Review and clean up unnecessary or obsolete activities regularly. Archiving historical data to a separate storage system can help cut costs while still maintaining access to older records. Microsoft recently announced that they are moving the Description column of emails older than 12 months to unstructured Azure Blob storage. This will actually reduce your database storage and increase your file storage, which will help many organizations reduce costs. For larger organizations, however, this may be limited because you cannot currently change the threshold, and the search options are not ideal. We have developed custom solutions for our customers that can get around these limitations by using Azure Cosmos and Virtual Entities.

3 Use monitors

Monitor storage consumption and volume of activity to identify unexpected spikes or trends. This can help you prepare for potential cost adjustments and optimize the use of storage.

4 Optimize activity tracking

Track only essential activities that add value to your business. Reducing unnecessary tracking can help control storage growth.

5 Consider different licensing options

Depending on your organization’s needs, educate yourself about different Dynamics 365 plans and licensing options to find the most cost-effective solution.