Common Data Service for Apps

CDS is also known as Common Data Service, previously a Microsoft Azure-Based Business Application to store and merge data from different services of Microsoft Family of services like SharePoint, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Office etc. It is like a hub between different services.

Updates in the Common Data Service for Apps

In spring Update, huge structural changes were made. The platform supporting Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement and the functionality of the Common Data Service are merged together. Providing a common platform for customers to extend and develop applications while allowing them to benefit from the rich set of features available in the Dynamics 365 Platform. Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement platform has become the Common Data Service for Apps.

Applications created within the Common Data Service for Apps (so the Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement core, if you follow me) are now called PowerApps Model-Driven Apps. These apps leverage the new Unified Interface (UI). CRM instances have become CDS instances/environments.

Calculated fields, validation, and server-side logic

Data stored within CDS for Apps can now benefit from rich server-side logic to ensure data quality, and reduce repetitive code in each individual app. In this update, we are introducing new capabilities like:

• Calculated and rollup fields.
• Business Rules and validation
• Business process flow.
• Workflows
• Plugins

New Data Types

Data stored in CDS for Apps in both standard and custom entities can use an updated list of data types. Data types provide a basic validation of the data stored in a field, as well as different experiences within apps to ensure the correct type of data is collected.

Support for IME Mode for complex characters and symbols such as Japanese Kanji characters is now supported on Single and Multiline text data types.

New data types available include:

• Multi-Select Option Sets.
• Two Options.
• Floating Point Number.

Developer capabilities

The previous version of Common data service has a limited preview of a Software Development Kit, with this update we are now releasing a new SDK to better support more complex requirements and development scenarios for CDS for Apps.

The SDK can be used by developers to create and customize:

• Entities (including fields and views)
• Charts and dashboards
• Business processes
• Virtual entities
• Plug-ins, Azure extensions, and webhooks
• Code-based data generation and import
• Solution creation and management (ALM)

Limitation
Common Data Service for Apps does not support change tracking, (get the changes in the record) or such as refresh the data that was updated before some days etc.

Conclusion

Common Data Service for Apps is a great effort to combine different kinds of services together and easily extend these services to help a corporation need.