Microsoft Sustainability Manager
A One-Stop Shop for All Your Sustainability Data
Microsoft Sustainability Manager Basic Architecture
Overall
The architecture blueprint for Microsoft Sustainability Manager (MSM) is a high-level overview of the different components that make up the MSM solution. The blueprint is divided into four main areas:
- Data: The data layer of MSM consists of the data sources that are used to collect sustainability data, as well as the data marts and data warehouses that are used to store and manage this data.
- Application: The application layer of MSM consists of the MSM application itself, as well as the various tools and utilities that are used to configure, manage, and use the MSM application.
- Infrastructure: The infrastructure layer of MSM consists of the hardware, software, and networking components that are used to run the MSM application.
- Governance: The governance layer of MSM consists of the policies, procedures, and roles that are used to ensure the security, compliance, and reliability of the MSM solution.
The architecture blueprint provides a high-level overview of the different components that make up the MSM solution, but it does not go into detail about the specific implementation of these components. The implementation of the MSM solution will vary depending on the specific needs of the organization.
Here is a diagram of the logical foundational building blocks of MSM:
Digging Deeper
Data: The data layer of MSM consists of the following concrete software building blocks:
- Azure Data Lake Storage: Azure Data Lake Storage is a cloud-based storage platform that is used to store large amounts of data.
- Azure Data Factory: Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that is used to move, transform, and load data.
- Power BI: Power BI is a cloud-based business intelligence platform that is used to visualize and analyze data.
The critical role of Dataverse
Dataverse is a cloud-based data platform that is used to store and manage data for a variety of Microsoft products, including MSM. Dataverse provides a number of features that make it well-suited for storing and managing sustainability data, including:
- Scalability: Dataverse can be scaled to meet the needs of even the largest organizations.
- Security: Dataverse is a secure platform that meets the compliance requirements of organizations of all sizes.
- Integration: Dataverse can be integrated with a variety of other Microsoft products, making it easy to share data across different applications.
In MSM, Dataverse plays a central role in storing and managing sustainability data. The data model for MSM is stored in Dataverse, and the application uses Dataverse to store and manage user data, configuration data, and operational data.
Application: The application layer of MSM consists of the following concrete software building blocks:
- Microsoft Sustainability Manager (MSM): for Sustainability is a cloud-based sustainability management solution that is used to collect, manage, and analyze sustainability data.
- Microsoft Power Platform: Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of cloud-based tools that are used to build and deploy applications.
- MSM is a model-driven app that is built on the Common Data Model (CDM). This means that MSM can be integrated with other Microsoft products that are built on the CDM, such as Power BI and Microsoft 365.
- MSM is a powerful tool that can help organizations to manage their sustainability efforts. It provides a centralized repository for sustainability data, and it offers a variety of features for tracking, reporting, and analyzing sustainability data.
Infrastructure: The infrastructure layer of MSM consists of the following concrete software building blocks:
- Azure Active Directory: Azure Active Directory is a cloud-based identity and access management service that is used to manage users and permissions.
- Azure Key Vault: Azure Key Vault is a cloud-based key management service that is used to store and manage encryption keys.
- Azure Monitor: Azure Monitor is a cloud-based monitoring service that is used to collect and analyze telemetry data.
Data Integration Options within MSM
Dynamics 365 vs Dynamics 365 for Sustainability
Here are some of the key differences between Dynamics 365 for Sustainability and Dynamics 365:
- Focus: Dynamics 365 for Sustainability is specifically designed to help organizations manage their sustainability efforts. Dynamics 365 is a general-purpose business management solution that can be used for a variety of purposes.
- Features: Dynamics 365 for Sustainability includes a number of features that are specifically designed for sustainability management, such as carbon accounting, waste management, and water management. Dynamics 365 does not include these specific features, but it can be used to track and manage sustainability data.
- Integrations: Dynamics 365 for Sustainability integrates with a number of other Microsoft products, such as Azure, Power BI, and Microsoft 365. Dynamics 365 can be integrated with other third-party products, but it does not have as many native integrations as Dynamics 365 for Sustainability.
Design Principles for Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability
The design principles for building a sustainable solution are based on the following guidelines: First, every design decision must be justified by a business requirement. Second, the solution must provide visibility into the sustainability reporting, efforts, and transformation of the business. Third, the solution must implement least privilege across the application and control plane to prevent data breaches and attacks. Fourth, the solution must use emission factors and factor mappings to dynamically calculate emissions from the activity and reference data or use precalculated emissions data. Fifth, the solution must assess the characteristics of the source data and set up an appropriate ETL strategy to prepare it for ingestion. Sixth, the solution must use native Power Query connectors instead of custom ones to ingest and transform data. Seventh, the solution must evaluate the default calculation models, factor libraries, and factor mappings in Microsoft Sustainability Manager and configure new ones based on industry standards if needed. Eighth, the solution must standardize and centralize logging and auditing using Application Insights and Log Analytics. Ninth, the solution must monitor the scalability and resiliency of the infrastructure, application, and dependent services using key performance counters. Tenth, the solution must streamline the delivery of accurate, reliable, and auditable sustainability reports to stakeholders. Eleventh, the solution must ingest only the necessary activity data for calculations and handle extra data outside of the solution.
Emissions Impact Solution Architecture Dashboard
Each Emissions Impact Dashboard is a Power BI app that interfaces with users.
Microsoft Sustainability Manager provides the connected experience by integrating with the Emissions Impact Dashboard through its connector framework. Azure customers can use Microsoft Sustainability Manager not only to determine their overall carbon emissions across the different scopes but also to gain insight into their scope 3 emissions from Azure services.
If you need to access the same emissions data used in dashboards for your own custom scenarios, you can use the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability API (preview). This API enables you to programmatically access greenhouse gas emissions data from data centers associated with your usage of Microsoft 365 services, by scope type, month, year, and region.
Thinking about managing data for Sustainability
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/well-architected/sustainability/data-migration-strategy
How the Competition stacks up
Salesforce has a product called Salesforce Sustainability Cloud, which is a carbon accounting solution that helps customers measure, analyze, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. It leverages the Salesforce platform to provide data integration, analytics, and reporting capabilities. It also supports various sustainability standards and frameworks, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, CDP, and Science Based Targets Initiative.
SAP has a suite of solutions called SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises, which covers various aspects of sustainability management, such as ESG reporting, carbon accounting, circular economy, responsible design and production, product footprint management, and social responsibility. It integrates with SAP’s core business applications and provides visibility and transparency into the environmental and social impact of business activities. It also helps customers comply with regulations, optimize processes, and create new business opportunities.
Comparing Microsoft Sustainability Manager with Salesforce Sustainability Cloud and SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises is not straightforward, as they have different scopes and features. However, some possible criteria for comparison are:
- Coverage: Microsoft Sustainability Manager focuses mainly on environmental impact measurement and reporting, while Salesforce Sustainability Cloud covers only carbon accounting. SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises has a broader scope that includes ESG reporting, circular economy, responsible design and production, product footprint management, and social responsibility.
- Integration: Microsoft Sustainability Manager integrates with Microsoft’s cloud services, such as Azure, Dynamics 365, Power BI, and Power Platform. It also supports data ingestion from various sources, such as IoT devices, ERP systems, and third-party providers. Salesforce Sustainability Cloud leverages the Salesforce platform to integrate with other Salesforce products and services, such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Tableau. It also allows data import from external sources via APIs or CSV files. SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises integrates with SAP’s core business applications, such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, SAP SuccessFactors, and SAP Business Network. It also connects with external data sources via APIs or SAP Data Intelligence.
- Standards: Microsoft Sustainability Manager supports various sustainability standards and frameworks, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, CDP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, WRI, WBCSD, WEF, CDSB, IIRC, VBA, ISSB, CSRD, EPR, etc. Salesforce Sustainability Cloud supports the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, CDP, and Science Based Targets Initiative. SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises supports the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, CDP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, WRI, WBCSD, WEF, CDSB, IIRC, VBA, ISSB, CSRD, EPR, etc.
