Build Dynamics CRM-Connected Apps in Bubble

Bubble is a no-code platform that simplifies the process of developing and launching apps and businesses. When coupled with CData Connect AI, you gain effortless no-code access to Dynamics CRM data for streamlined app development. This article guides you through the integration process from Bubble to Dynamics CRM using CData Connect AI.

CData Connect AI provides a pure cloud-to-cloud OData interface for Dynamics CRM data that allows you to integrate from Bubble to Dynamics CRM data in real time.

Getting Started

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Connect to Dynamics CRM from Bubble

To work with Dynamics CRM data from Bubble, we need to connect to Dynamics CRM from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Dynamics CRM data.

Connect to Dynamics CRM from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "Dynamics CRM" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics CRM.

   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.

   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Dynamics CRM Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions
   

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
   
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure Dynamics CRM Endpoints for Bubble

After connecting to Dynamics CRM, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace). 👁 The Workspaces page.
   👁 Adding a new Workspace.
   
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the Dynamics CRM connection (e.g. DynamicsCRM1) and click Next. 👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
   
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm. 👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
   
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Dynamics CRM data from Bubble.

Build a Dynamics CRM-Connected App

With OData endpoints added to Connect AI, you can build an app in Bubble with live access to Dynamics CRM data.

Configure the Bubble API Connector

To start, Configure the API Connector for accessing CData Connect AI from Bubble.

1. In your app, click the Plugins tab and click Add plugins
2. Search for "API Connector" and click Install 👁 Installing the API Connector plugin
   
3. After installation, click the "Add another API" button and configure the API:
   • Name the API
   • Set Authentication to "HTTP Basic Auth"
   • Set Username to a Connect AI user (e.g. [email protected])
   • Set Password to the PAT for the user
   • Expand the API Call, select the "GET" command and set the URL to a Workspace endpoint you previously configured (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}/Account)
   👁 Configuring the API Call
   
4. Click the "Initialize call" button to adjust data types in the response (as needed) 👁 Initializing the call
   
5. After making any necessary changes, click "Save" 👁 Saving the data types
   

Configure the App UI

With the API Connector configure, you are ready to retrieve Dynamics CRM data in your Bubble app. In this article, we request the data with a UI component that can display an Excel-like table.

1. On the Plugin tab, install the "Excel-like HandsonTable" 👁 Adding the Excel-like HandsonTable plugin
   
2. On the Design tab, add an "Excel Table" to the workspace 👁 Adding an Excel Table to the app
   
3. In the Excel Table, in Data source, select "Get data from an external API"
4. Set Type of content to "API Call value"
5. Set Data source to "CData Connect AI - API Call's value" (or equivalent) 👁 Binding the Excel Table to the API Call
   
6. Click "Preview" to ensure the data was retrieved from Dynamics CRM. 👁 Previewing the app
   

At this point, you can develop applications with live access to Dynamics CRM data without needing to know the complexities of the back-end API.

Live Access to Dynamics CRM Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live Dynamics CRM data from Bubble. You can create more Dynamics CRM-connected apps — all without writing any code or replicating Dynamics CRM data.

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, see the CData Connect AI.