Build MVC Applications with Connectivity to Dynamics CRM Data

In this article, we will guide you through the process of utilizing wizards within Visual Studio to seamlessly integrate the CData ADO.NET Provider for Dynamics CRM into a basic MVC (Model, View, Controller) project.

Getting Started

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Create the Entity Framework Model

Follow the steps below to save connection properties and map tables to entities in the data model.

1. Create a new MVC project in Visual Studio. In this example, the project name is MvcDynamicsCRMApp.

2. If you are using Entity Framework 6, you will need to take the preliminary step of registering the Dynamics CRM Entity Framework provider for your project. See the "LINQ and Entity Framework" chapter in the help documentation for a guide.

   Note that MVC 3 scaffolding and MVC 4 scaffolding do not support Entity Framework 6. You can use your scaffolding with Entity Framework 6 by upgrading to the latest version of MVC.
3. To add the .edmx file from the designer, right-click your Models folder and click Add New Item. Select ADO.NET Entity Data Model, name the model, and click Add. In this example, the name of the model is DynamicsCRMModel.
4. In the Entity Data Model wizard, select the option 'EF Designer from database'. The Entity Data Model wizard is displayed.
5. Click New Connection. Select CData Dynamics CRM Data Source in the dialog that is displayed.

6. Specify the required connection string properties.

   The connection string options meet the authentication and connection requirements of different Dynamics CRM instances. To connect to your instance, set the User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, to valid Dynamics CRM user credentials and set the Url to a valid Dynamics CRM server organization root. Additionally, set the CRMVersion property to 'CRM2011+' or 'CRMOnline'. IFD configurations are supported as well; set InternetFacingDeployment to true.

   Additionally, you can provide the security token service (STS) or AD FS endpoint in the STSURL property. This value can be retrieved with the GetSTSUrl stored procedure. Office 365 users can connect to the default STS URL by simply setting CRMVersion.

   A typical connection string is below:

   User=myuseraccount;Password=mypassword;URL=https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/;CRM Version=CRM Online;

   👁 The connection for the model. (QuickBooks is shown.)
   

7. Name the connection and select whether to include sensitive information, such as connection credentials, in the connection string. For simplicity, this example saves sensitive information in Web.config. The connection settings are saved as DynamicsCRMEntities.

   👁 The completed connection step in the ADO.NET Entity Data Model wizard. (A QuickBooks connection is shown.)
   
8. Select the tables and views you need. In this example, Account is imported. Also, the option to pluralize object names is deselected in this example. Click Finish to create the .edmx file.👁 Tables to be imported into the .edmx file. (QuickBooks is shown.)
   
9. Build your project to complete this step.

Scaffold the Controller and Views

Once you've established the model and completed the project build, you can employ ASP.NET Scaffolding wizards to generate both the controller and the views.

1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the controllers folder and click Add -> Controller. Select MVC 5 Controller with views, using Entity Framework.
2. In the Add Controller dialog that is then displayed, select the following options:
   • Model class: Select a table you imported; for example, Account.
   • Data context class: Select your context class.
3. Leave the default values for the other fields. 👁 Creating a new controller from an existing entity data model in the Add Controller dialog in MVC 5. (QuickBooks is shown.)
   

You can now access the list of Account records at http://MySite/Account. Next to each record are links to edit, delete, and see more information. You can also create new Account records. With every state change the site picks up any data changes. 👁 The live table. (QuickBooks is shown.)