Microsoft built an AI tool to pull Salesforce customers onto its own software

Key points

• Microsoft launched a public preview of Dynamics 365 Activate on Wednesday, targeting businesses that currently run Salesforce.
• The AI tool scans a company's existing customer-management software, maps its data and workflows, and produces a migration blueprint.
• Microsoft's business-applications division generated $140 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2026, up nearly 15 percent year-on-year.
• Salesforce holds roughly 20 percent of the CRM market; Microsoft holds an estimated 4 to 5 percent.
• Two recent reports suggest Salesforce's AI platform, Agentforce, has failed to excite users, which Microsoft is clearly hoping to capitalise on.

Microsoft wants Salesforce customers to consider leaving, and it has built a piece of software to make that easier.

The new tool is called Dynamics 365 Activate. It is now available as a public preview, meaning any business can try it, though it is not yet the finished product. Jeff Teper, Microsoft's executive vice president for Apps and Agents, described it as a way for companies to move to Dynamics 365 faster, with less manual effort and lower migration risk.

What does it actually do?

Activate scans your existing Salesforce environment, the software your sales and customer-service teams use every day, and builds a detailed picture of what is there. It identifies every type of data, every automated process, and every custom feature someone has bolted on over the years. Then it tells your IT team what can move across as-is, what needs to change, and what would be better rebuilt from scratch.

Think of it like a surveyor walking through a house before a renovation. Instead of guessing what is behind the walls, you get a full report before the work starts.

Microsoft is particularly targeting the consultants and technology partners who manage these migrations on behalf of large businesses. Those projects can take months and cost a significant amount in professional fees. The company argues Activate will cut the time consultants spend on the diagnostic phase, so they can focus on actually designing the new system.

More migration paths, covering other business software categories beyond CRM (customer relationship management, the software companies use to track sales leads and customer interactions), are planned for later this year.

Why is Microsoft doing this now?

Timing matters here. Salesforce dominates the CRM market with around 20 percent share; Microsoft sits at an estimated 4 to 5 percent. Closing that gap is the obvious motive.

But there is a specific opening right now. Salesforce has heavily promoted its own AI platform, called Agentforce, and two recent industry reports suggest customers are not impressed. At the same time, that AI investment has squeezed Salesforce's profit margins. Unhappy customers whose bills are rising are exactly the audience Microsoft wants to reach.

The Register AI first reported the tool's launch details.

What does this mean if your company uses Salesforce?

Nothing changes immediately. Activate is an analysis tool, not a switch you flip. But if your business is already frustrated with Salesforce costs or its AI features, this lowers the practical barrier to exploring an alternative.

Microsoft's business-application division is not small. The broader unit that includes Dynamics brought in $140 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2026. The company has been in this market since acquiring Great Plains Software back in 2001. It is a genuine competitor, not a new entrant.

The immediate next step for any Salesforce customer curious about switching is straightforward: ask Microsoft or one of its partners to run Activate against your environment. The output is a report, not a commitment.