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Get the Report →Rapidly Develop Dynamics CRM-Driven Apps with Active Query Builder
Leverage the Active Query Builder SQL interface builder and the ease of .NET data access to create data-driven WinForms and ASP.NET apps.
Write standard .NET to expose Dynamics CRM data through an SQL interface: Active Query Builder helps developers write SQL interfaces; the CData ODBC Driver for Dynamics CRM enables standards-based access to Dynamics CRM. This integration uses the Microsoft ADO.NET Provider for ODBC as a bridge between the ODBC Driver and the Active Query Builder objects to build a visual SQL composer.
Connect to Dynamics CRM as an ODBC Data Source
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
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.
About Dynamics CRM Data Integration
CData simplifies access and integration of live Microsoft Dynamics CRM data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:
- Read and write data in the Dynamics CRM 2011+ Services and Dynamics CRM Online.
- Extend the native features of Dynamics CRM with customizable caching and intelligent query aggregation and separation.
- Authenticate securely with Dynamics CRM in a variety of ways, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Managed Service Identity credentials, and Azure Service Principal using either a client secret or a certificate.
CData customers use our Dynamics CRM connectivity solutions for a variety of reasons, whether they're looking to replicate their data into a data warehouse (alongside other data sources) or analyze live Dynamics CRMa data from their preferred data tools inside the Microsoft ecosystem (Power BI, Excel, etc.) or with external tools (Tableau, Looker, etc.).
Getting Started
Use SQL to Interact with Dynamics CRM
Follow the steps below to create a WinForms visual query builder.
- Open Active Query Builder for .NET WinForms.
- In the new Windows Forms project go to the "File" menu and click "Connect..."
- Under Database Connections, click "Add..."
- Set your desired Connection Name (e.g. CData Dynamics CRM), set Connection Type to "ODBC" and locate your previously configured DSN in the "User/System" DSN dropdown.
- Click "OK" to save the new connection.
- Back in the Database Connection wizard, select the newly created connection and click "OK."
- Click "File" > "New Query" to create a QueryBuilder
You can now build queries visually: Double-click a table in the Columns Pane Area and an entity/relationship diagram is displayed in the Query Building Area. Columns that you select in the diagram are added to the query.
