Dynamics 365 Application Development

Dynamics 365 Application Development

by Deepesh Somani, Nishant Rana
Released January 2018
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781788399784

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Book description

Learn, develop, and design applications using the new features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

About This Book

  • Implement business logic using processes, plugins, and client-side scripts with MS Dynamics 365
  • Develop custom CRM solutions to improve your business applications
  • A comprehensive guide that covers the new features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and increasingly advanced topics.

Who This Book Is For

This book targets skilled developers who are looking to build business-solution software and are new to application development in Microsoft Dynamics 365, especially for CRM.

What You Will Learn

  • Discover new designers tools included in Dynamics 365 CRM
  • Develop apps using the platform-agnostic Web API
  • Leverage Azure Extensions to design cloud-aware applications
  • Learn how to implement CRUD operation
  • Create integrated real-world apps using Microsoft PowerApps and Flow by combining services such as Twitter, Facebook, and SharePoint
  • Configure and use Artificial Intelligence Azure Cognitive Services for Recommendation and Text Analytic services

In Detail

Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM is the most trusted name in enterprise-level customer relationship management. Thelatest version of Dynamics CRM comes with the important addition of exciting features guaranteed to make your life easier. It comes straight off the shelf with a whole new frontier of updated business rules, process enhancements, SDK methods, and other enhancements.

This book will introduce you to the components of the new designer tools, such as SiteMap, App Module, and Visual Designer for Business Processes. Going deeper, this book teaches you how to develop custom SaaS applications leveraging the features of PowerApps available in Dynamics 365.Further, you will learn how to automate business processes using Microsoft Flow, and then we explore Web API, the most important platform update in Dynamics 365 CRM. Here, you'll also learn how to implement Web API in custom applications. You will learn how to write an Azure-aware plugin to design and integrate cloud-aware solutions. The book concludes with configuring services using newly released features such as Editable grids, Data Export Service, LinkedIn Integration, Relationship Insights, and Live Assist.

Style and approach

The book takes a pragmatic approach, exploring Dynamics 365 and its CRM features with the help of real-world scenarios.

Table of contents

  1. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. To get the most out of this book
      1. Download the example code files
      2. Download the color images
      3. Conventions used
    4. Get in touch
      1. Reviews
  2. Customize Application Navigation
    1. Overview of the site map
      1. Overview of Site Map Designer
      2. Understanding components in the site map
      3. Getting to know the area, group, and subarea properties
    2. Common operations using Site Map Designer
      1. Editing an existing component in the site map
      2. Adding a component to the site map
      3. Cutting, copying, and pasting a component to the site map
      4. Cloning a component to the site map
      5. Deleting a component from the site map
      6. Organizing a component within the site map
      7. Saving, validating, and publishing changes in the site map
      8. Adding a Subarea component in the site map
      9. Hiding a Subarea component in the site map
      10. Passing parameters to a URL from the site map
    3. Editing the site map and support for clients
      1. Site map editors
      2. Supported clients
    4. Summary
  3. Design Apps Using App Module Designer
    1. Overview of apps in Dynamics 365
    2. Privileges required for configuring apps
    3. Configuring Dynamics 365 apps
    4. Understanding the app properties and designer interface
    5. Understanding the App Designer interface and adding components to the app
    6. Using the custom app
    7. Securing an app
    8. Editing an existing app
    9. Importing and exporting an app
    10. Deleting an app
    11. Web browser and OS support for App Designer
    12. Summary
  4. Define Processes Using Visual Process Designer
    1. Overview of Business Process Flow
    2. Understanding the Business Process Flow users interface
    3. Prerequisites and security roles required for creating a Business Process Flow
    4. Overview of Business Process Flow designer
    5. Creating a Business Process Flow
    6. Editing a Business Process Flow
    7. Understanding task flows
    8. Components of Task Flow
    9. Creating a task flow
    10. Summary
  5. Define Business Rules Using Business Rule Designer
    1. Evolution of business rules
    2. Getting to know the new Business Rule Designer
      1. Specifying conditions using condition components
      2. Taking actions for conditions using action components
        1. Recommendation in action
      3. Additional features of Business Rule Designer
        1. Cut, copy, and paste the component
        2. Deleting the component
        3. Taking a snapshot of the business rule
        4. Set zoom level and Fit to Canvas for ease of readability
        5. Navigating easily using Minimap
        6. Using Business Rule (Text View) to read through the business rule
    3. A few key points about business rules
    4. Summary
  6. Creating Custom Business Apps
    1. Overview of PowerApps in Dynamics 365
    2. Prerequisite for designing PowerApps
    3. Connectors in PowerApps
    4. Managing data for PowerApps
    5. Fetching on-premises data for PowerApps
    6. PowerApps designer
    7. Creating PowerApps using Dynamics 365 data
    8. Creating a PowerApps for case entity
    9. Running PowerApps on a mobile or tablet device
    10. Common Data Service
    11. Creating PowerApps using Common Data Connection
    12. Creating a custom entity
    13. Customizing PowerApps
    14. Summary
  7. Automate Business Processes Using Microsoft Flow
    1. Getting to know Microsoft Flow
      1. Choosing the right Microsoft Flow plan
      2. Understanding the different components of a Flow
    2. Understanding Microsoft Flow in the context of Dynamics 365
      1. Creating a Dynamics 365 Flow
    3. Dynamics 365 Workflow versus Microsoft Flow
    4. Summary
  8. Develop Apps using Web API
    1. Getting started with Dynamics 365 Web API (client-side JavaScript)
      1. JavaScript web resources
        1. Single Page Applications
        2. Working with XMLHttpRequest in Dynamics 365 Web API
        3. Web API URL and versions
        4. Querying data using Dynamics 365 Web API
        5. Standard query options
        6. CRUD operations using Dynamics 365 Web API
        7. Impersonation in Dynamics 365 Web API
        8. Retrieving metadata using Web API
        9. Updates for Web API in Dynamics 365 in version 9.0
    2. Summary
  9. Leverage Azure Extensions in Dynamics 365
    1. Understanding Azure integration with Dynamics 365
      1. Introduction to Microsoft Azure Service Bus
      2. Understanding Dynamics 365 and Azure Service Bus
        1. Understanding the Azure-aware plugin
        2. Understanding different contracts between Dynamics 365 and an Azure solution
      3. Configuring Dynamics 365 and Azure Service Bus integration
        1. Writing a queue listener
        2. Writing a topic listener
        3. Writing a one-way listener
        4. Writing a two-way listener and an Azure-aware plugin
        5. Writing a REST listener
        6. Writing an event hub listener
    2. Summary
  10. Using Editable Grids in Apps
    1. Overview of Editable Grid in Dynamics 365
    2. Prerequisite and security privileges required for configuring Editable Grid
    3. Entities and views supported by Editable Grid
    4. Supported out-of-the-box entities
      1. Web/tablet/phone
      2. Tablet/phone only
      3. Web only
    5. Supported and unsupported data types by Editable Grid
    6. Configuring editable grids for main entity views
    7. Configuring editable sub-grid for forms
    8. Using JavaScript in Editable Grid
    9. Editable Grid and business rules
    10. Editable Grid on mobile devices
    11. Summary
  11. Configure Microsoft Cognitive services
    1. Understanding Microsoft Cognitive Services
      1. Enabling Dynamics 365 Microsoft Cognitive Services Integration
      2. Connecting Text Analytics API with Dynamics 365
    2. Configuring Knowledge Base Suggestions in Dynamics 365
    3. Configuring Similar Records Suggestions in Dynamics 365
    4. Configuring Document Suggestions in Dynamics 365
    5. Monitoring the Text Analytics Service inside the Azure Portal
    6. Summary
  12. Train the Users through Learning Path
    1. Learning Path overview
    2. Prerequisites for using the Learning Path
    3. Enabling Learning Path in Dynamics 365
    4.  Content Library of Dynamics 365 Learning Path
    5. Steps to create and configure Learning Path
    6. Publishing content and publishing group
    7. Summary
  13. Other New Features in Dynamics 365
    1. Top new features introduced in Dynamics 365
      1. Understanding visual changes introduced in the web client refresh
      2. Selecting multiple options using multiselect option set
      3. Doing advanced find with Does Not Contain Data filter
      4. Defining web resource dependencies
      5. Understanding the new unified interface
      6. Integrating external data using virtual entity
      7. Implementing auto numbering
      8. Using Relevance Search for improved search experience
        1. Enabling Relevance Search
      9. Exporting Dynamics 365 data using Data Export Service
        1. Configuring Data Export Service
      10. Configuring Relationship Insights
        1. Enabling Relationship Insights
        2. Configuring Relationship Assistant
        3. Configuring Auto Capture
        4. Configuring Email Engagement
      11. Configuring Dynamics 365 Live Assist
      12. Configuring Dynamics 365 Connector for LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
    2. Summary
  14. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Leave a review - let other readers know what you think

Product information

  • Title: Dynamics 365 Application Development
  • Author(s): Deepesh Somani, Nishant Rana
  • Release date: January 2018
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781788399784