Microsoft Dynamics CRM features

Features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

The following topics provide an overview of significant features and
Capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The features described are related
Security, organization and business structure, the entity model, the database,
Workflow, and extending the system through custom business logic. The following describes key features and functions of CRM regarding security, organization, Business architecture, entities, databases, workflows, and custom expansion.

Security

The Microsoft Dynamics crm sdk provides a security model that provides
Improved data integrity and privacy, and also supports efficient data access,
Teamwork, and collaboration.

For more information about security, see security model.

Organization and business structures

There are three primary entities within the Organization. These are users,
Teams, and business units. Users represent people who use the Microsoft Dynamics
CRM application. Teams are arbitrary groups of users created and defined by
User in an organization. Business units are the structural units of
Organization, as defined by a user in the organization. They are the primary
Container entity within the organizational hierarchy. It is the business unit
Structure that determines and defines the concepts of basic, local, deep, and
Global access. For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Security and access levels
Sections. The following diwing is an example of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Business Unit structure for an organization.

The organization in the previous dimo-contains six business units in
Simple hierarchy. The business units directly underneath the Organization are
Unrelated in any apparent structural way too t that they all belong to the same
Organizational structure.

The two business units labeled Department A1 and department A2 are child
Business Units of business a. These two business units have a special
Relationship with regard to users parented to business A. They serve up business
Objects to users within business a who have "deep" access. notice that you
Cannot construct matrix organizations within the Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Organizational structure.

Users within Microsoft Dynamics CRM must be "parented" to a business unit and
Cannot be parented to the organization object itself. In the previous disince,
This means that users can be located at any node should t the top-level node
Labeled organization.

Because of the Multi-tenant architecture of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, multiple
Organizations can be hosted on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server.

Entity model

The entity model is your view to the objects that are used in Microsoft
Dynamics CRM. It supports Microsoft Dynamics CRM requirements for each entity in
The system. In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the platform consists of several
High-level areas: sales force automation, customer service and support,
Scheduling, and marketing automation. For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM entity
Model.

Database

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a metadata-driven product. The metadata Layer
Basically just acts the underlying data storage details, such as schema and Data
Access, from the higher level constructs of domain-logic implementation and user
Interface. The metadata can be thought of as a description of the underlying
Data structures that controls how the application (platform and user interface)
Operates and displays itself. This version contains new APIs that allow you
Add or update the metadata. For more information, see Web Services:
Metadataservice.

The platform uses the metadata to buffer itself from changes to
Underlying database structures. If a table definition changes, for example, when
Columns are added or removed, the platform code continues to operate without any
Performance or degradation. This means that Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be
Altered significantly to meet a participant business or vertical definition and
Still operate without interruption.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform is not the only consumer of the metadata.
The application layer uses the rules in the metadata to present the exact user
Experience offered by Vertical Solutions and customizations. These rules include
Attribute Type Definitions, entity definitions, and attribute context rules.
Attribute metadata describes the underlying type structure of a given attribute.
This parameter des the fundamental data type (suchString,Integer,
OrDate) And the information that corresponds tively limits the attribute's Type
Definition (such as its size and range values). Attribute context Rules describe
When and how a given attribute can be used. For example, some attributes are
Write-once, such as order numbers. Other attributes are always read-only and are
Supplied by the platform itself. The metadata captures all these rules about
Context. It also captures business-defined rules, such as business-recommended
And business-required attributes.

Workflow

The workflow feature supports extending the functionality of the Microsoft
Dynamics CRM system by enabling the user to create and execute custom business
Processes. The workflow feature is built on top of Windows Workflow Foundation,
Which provides the programming model, run-time engine, and tools for quickly
Building workflows. For more information about workflows and how to create your
Own custom workflows and workflow activities, see workflows.

Business logic extensions

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 provides an extension mechanic for implementing
Custom platform-based business logic. Developers are not limited to creating
Custom business logic through workflow processes alone. They can also construct
Business logic that is integrated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and executes in
Response to a particle system event for a specific entity. Be aware that these
Business logic extensions are not supported in Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Online.

This extension mechanic supports an event handler interface that is based on
A simple pipeline execution model. The pipeline model allows for event handlers,
Also known as plug-ins, to be executed before or after the core operation of
System. The platform metadata stores information about each entity in
System. This information about entities can be used to track the list of events
Handlers, the class names, and whether a given handler is required for
Action. For example, the account object can have several registered handlers.
These handlers are stored in call order, which is determined by priority. When
An action occurs caused by user interaction with the Web application or a Web
Service call, the platform checks the metadata for registered Event Handlers. If
A handler is registered for notification, the platform executes a well defined
Event Handler method, passing it run-time information.

For more information, see plug-ins.

APIS

The Platform APIs are your view to the logical Microsoft Dynamics CRM system.
The APIs are somewhat flat and require knowledge of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM entity
Model.

For a complete listing of APIS, refer to the programming reference
Section.

See also

Concepts

• Security Model
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM
  Entity model
• Workflow extensibility
• Plug-ins

Reference

• Programming reference

Other resources

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Overview