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Dynamics 365 July 2017 Update: Application Platform Separation

Post Author: Joe D365 |

Historically, the CRM workloads for Dynamics 365 contained Sales, Service and Marketing functionality as core or base system functionality. Recent functionality such as Field Service or Project Service were offered as apps or solutions that can be installed as required. There was not an option to exclude Sales, Service, or Marketing. For example, if an organization's only function was to manage incidents or tickets, and therefore had no use for Sales and Marketing, there was no way to only install the service module and turn off the sales or marketing functionality. Well, hold onto your hats folks because, with the July 2017 Dynamics 365 Update, all that's about to change.

Application Platform Separation

Figure 1: Application Platform Separation – July 2017 Release

Application Platform Separation looks at extracting the Sales, Service and Marketing functionality from the core application into distinct app modules that can be installed independently of each other. This will be seamless to the end user and will not affect any functionality as available today for the Web, Mobile or Integrated Service Hub. The diagram below shows the changes for separating the Sales, Service and Marketing functionality form the Core CRM (or xRM Server).

Application Platform Separation

Figure 2: The Sales, Service and Marketing functionality which were part of the core "CRM Solution" is not extracted as separate solutions, independent and outside of the xRM Server.

Why the Separation?

Separating out the application functionality from the platform provides several benefits:

  • Clear separation between the code base for the platform features vs the application functionality
  • Updates and enhancements to Sales, Service and Marketing can now be done independently of platform or each other leading to faster releases and feature enhancements
  • Specific solution can be imported and developed on as required leading to developer productivity
  • Invest in and improve the solution infrastructure and follow app module / solution structure for sales, service and marketing

Inside the Separation

So, how exactly is the separation done for extracting the application functionality from the platform? Here are a few highlights:

  • On the Server Side, Application code is moved to plugins using Custom Control Framework (CCF)
  • All entity metadata has been extracted into solutions
  • On the Client Side, ASPX controls have been moved to Custom Controls
  • ASPX dialogs have been moved to meta-data driven dialogs
  • JavaScript have been moved to Typescript with the latest client APIs

Application Platform Separation

Figure 3: The Platform Stack without the Sales, Service or Marketing functionality

To learn more about the Application Platform Separation and many other new features of D365 July update, be sure to tune in to our nine-part webinar series – starting Tuesday, July 25! Register now.

Happy Dynamics 365'ing!

Joe CRM
By Joe D365
Joe D365 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 superhero who runs on pure Dynamics adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe D365’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics 365 and bring the application to more businesses and organizations around the world.

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