Core Concepts
Dynamics 365 Applications
- Sales - Sales force automation and CRM
- Customer Service - Service management and support
- Field Service - Field operations management
- Marketing - Marketing automation
- Finance - Financial management
- Supply Chain - Operations and logistics
- Human Resources - HR management
- Commerce - E-commerce and retail
Dataverse Platform
- Tables - Data storage entities (formerly entities)
- Columns - Field definitions (formerly attributes)
- Relationships - Entity associations
- Business Rules - No-code validation logic
- Security Roles - Role-based access control
- Solutions - Packaging and deployment
Customization & Development
- Model-Driven Apps - Data-driven applications
- Canvas Apps - Flexible UI applications
- Plugins - Server-side event handlers (C#)
- Custom Workflows - Process automation
- Web Resources - JavaScript, CSS, HTML files
- Power Automate - Cloud flows and automation
Best Practices
Solution Architecture
- Use solutions for all customizations
- Implement managed solutions for production
- Use segmented solutions for modularity
- Version control solution files
- Document dependencies
- Test in dev/test environments
Plugin Development
- Register plugins in sandbox mode
- Implement proper exception handling
- Use tracing for debugging
- Follow early-bound vs late-bound patterns
- Optimize for performance
- Write unit tests
Security & Compliance
- Implement field-level security
- Use security roles appropriately
- Apply hierarchical security when needed
- Enable auditing for compliance
- Regular security reviews
- Follow data privacy regulations
Performance Optimization
- Minimize plugin executions
- Use asynchronous plugins when possible
- Optimize FetchXML queries
- Implement caching strategies
- Use bulk operations
- Monitor plugin performance
Anti-Patterns
Development Issues
- Synchronous plugins for long operations
- Insufficient error handling
- Hard-coded GUIDs and URLs
- Missing null checks
- Recursive plugin loops
- Overuse of JavaScript on forms
Design Problems
- Over-customization of entities
- Poor data model design
- Inconsistent naming conventions
- Not using solutions
- Missing documentation
- No testing strategy
Performance Problems
- Retrieving all columns when not needed
- Nested loops in plugins
- Synchronous workflows for batch operations
- Missing indexes on custom fields
- Inefficient FetchXML queries
- Too many form scripts
Reference Documentation
Detailed material lives alongside this skill and is read on demand:
- Implementation Examples — Plugin Development (C#), JavaScript Web Resource, Power Automate Flow with Dataverse
Resources
Official Documentation
- Dynamics 365 Documentation - Complete guide
- Dataverse Documentation - Platform docs
- Power Platform Documentation - Platform overview
- Web API Reference - API docs
Learning Platforms
- Microsoft Learn - Training paths
- Power Platform Learning - Courses
- Dynamics 365 Training - Official training
- Microsoft Virtual Training Days - Live events
Tools & Resources
- XrmToolBox - Essential toolset
- Plugin Registration Tool - Register plugins
- Configuration Migration Tool - Data migration
- Solution Packager - Version control
Community Resources
- Power Platform Community - Forums
- Dynamics 365 Community - User community
- GitHub Power Platform - Sample code
- Power Platform Blog - Product updates