Connecting to Dynamics 365 from other systems using .NET

In this recipe, we will cover a simple data access layer that allows you to connect to Dynamics 365 from an external .NET application using the Dynamics 365 SDK.

Getting ready

To get going with this recipe, you will require a Visual Studio IDE and the Dynamics CRM NuGet packages to access the SDK libraries. Alternatively, you can download the SDK and reference the assembly manually.

If you want to use the unit of work pattern using the organization service context, you will also need to generate the early bound classes with an organization service context. Refer to the Creating early bound entity classes recipe of Chapter 3, SDK Enterprise Capabilities, for further details.

How to do it...

1. Create or reuse a new C# library solution in Visual Studio called Packt.Xrm.Extensions.
2. Create a new public class called Dynamics365DataAccessLayer.
3. Right-click on the References and click on Manage NuGet Packages. Search and install Microsoft.CrmSdk.XrmTooling...