Coding Champ: Development Approach in Dynamics 365 For Operations

The are two ways of development approach in D365 one is Extension Development Approach and Overlayering development approch.

Extension Development Approach.
Overlayerring Development Approach.

Extension Development Approach:

This Approach is use if you want to create new objects or you don’t want to customize the existing standard AX functionality given by Microsoft.

In extension development approach you can enable or disable the controls of standard ax objects and you can do what you want with the new objects that you have created.

Benefit of using the Extension Development approach is that It would be easier for you to do the future upgrades but sometimes we might need to customize the existing standard AX object based on our requirement. in this case we use Over layering development Approach.

To do the extension development you first need to create the model and under that model add new objects or refer to the existing objects to enable and disable some of their controls.

Below are the steps for working in extension development approach.

Open Visual Studio Click Dynamics 365 -> model management -> Create Model

A new wizard will open where you give name and other details of the model.

Now click next.

In the above screen you have the option to use the extension development approach or the over layering development approach.

If you choose the 'Create new package' option than it will be the extension development approach.

And if you choose the 'Select existing package' than you have to select the existing model which you will be customizing that would be the over layering development approach.

If you select 'Create new Package' and then click next than you have the option to select the existing package if you want to use objects of that model. (note: you can only enable or disable control of existing AX objects but you cannot customize it)

Like this.

When you click next final screen will appear where you can check the checkbox Create new project so once you click next a new dialog will appear when u can create new project or u can uncheck the checkbox model will created and then you can create the project manually.

After creating the model In the above image I right click the standard AX form i.e cust table.

Now I have the option of either customize it or create extension. As you can see on the right pane I have use this form as customize and extension both (just for example).

It is because my module is over layering development approach. If my module would be total new I,e extension development approach then I won't be able to customize that form I extend that form.

Now I will show you the properties of the form that I have customize in which I have full authority to change any property.