Part 28 - Entity and EntityReference Using Plugin in Dynamic 365 CRM

===> Lets understand Entity and EntityReference in simple way using below example.

1. Think of a Classroom:

• There are students.
• Each student has a student ID.
• The teacher wants to give marks to students.

In This Example:

• Student → Is like a Record (Entity) in CRM.
• Student ID → Is like an EntityReference in CRM.

2. Entity = Actual Student Details

===> A student has:

• Name: Vamshi
• Age: 15
• Class: 10th Grade

===> Entity stores all the actual student information.

3. EntityReference = Just the Student ID

===> The teacher doesn’t carry all student details.

===> Instead, they use the Student ID to find the record.

Student ID: 12345

===> EntityReference is like saying: "This Student ID belongs to John."

4. Why Do We Use Entity and EntityReference

===> Entity is used when we need all the student details.

Example: The teacher wants to see a student’s name, age, and marks

===> EntityReference is used when we just need to refer to a student using their ID.

Example: The teacher writes marks using the Student ID without seeing all the details.

5. Lets see How It Works in CRM Plugins:

Scenario:

===> A plugin runs when a new Order is created in CRM.

===> The plugin automatically creates an Invoice.

1. Entity:

• The plugin captures the actual Order data (like Order Number, Total Amount).

2. EntityReference:

• Instead of capturing all customer details, it just uses a Customer ID using EntityReference.

Order Created in CRM

• Order Number: 101
• Total Amount: ₹5000
• Customer: (EntityReference: Customer ID 123)

Invoice Created in CRM

• Invoice Number: INV-001
• Linked to Customer using Customer ID 123

Here’s how the plugin works using both Entity and EntityReference:

Explanation:

• Capture Order Details:

===> The plugin reads all the Order data using Entity.

• Get Customer Using EntityReference:

===> It doesn’t load all the customer details.

===> It just uses the Customer ID using EntityReference.

• Create an Invoice:

===> Using both the Order data and the Customer ID, the plugin creates an Invoice in CRM.

6. When to Use EntityReference:

.===> When Linking Records Using Relationships

===> When You Only Need a Reference Without Retrieving the Full Record

===> When Performing Updates on Lookup Fields

===> When Executing Requests That Require References

7. When NOT to Use EntityReference

• When you need detailed information from a record (e.g., all field values) — in this case, use Retrieve() or RetrieveMultiple().
• When performing complex queries using FetchXML or QueryExpression.
• When creating a new record — you would use an Entity instead.

Conclusion: