Dynamics 365 CE(CRM) ↔ F&O: Comparison Cheat Sheet

Audience: CE developers moving into F&O or working across both. 

Goal: map concepts, components, and patterns one-to-one with concise examples.

Big Picture

Aspect	CE (Customer Engagement / Dataverse)	F&O (Finance & Operations)
Purpose	CRM workloads (sales, service, marketing)	ERP (finance, supply chain, production)
Runtime	Multi-tenant SaaS	AOS server per environment
Code	C#, JavaScript, Power Automate	X++ (compiled to IL/CIL), SysOperation
Dev machine	Browser only	DevBox VM (Tier-1)

Data Layer

Concept	CE	F&O
Table	Dataverse table	AOT table (compiled)
Field/Column	Dataverse column	Table field (often via EDT)
Add field to Microsoft OOB table	Direct in solution	Table extension (fields live in the extension but become real columns)
Custom table	Create in solution	Create table and add fields directly (no extension)
Reusable type	—	EDT (Extended Data Type)
Relations	N:1, 1:N, N:N	Table relations, RefRecId, enums
Keys	Primary, alternate	Primary keys, indexes (clustered/nonclustered)

UI Layer

Concept	CE	F&O
Form/page	Model-driven form	Form with patterns (Detail, ListPage, Workspace)
View/list	Views	Grids, queries
Custom control	PCF	Extensible Control (TS/JS, contract-bound)
Client scripting	JavaScript via Xrm.*	No Xrm; optional Extensible Control; business logic in X++
Simple rules	Business rules	Form methods + validate/modified

Logic & Pipeline

Topic	CE	F&O
Server hooks	Plugins (C#) on staged pipeline	CoC on specific methods:   validateField,   modifiedField,   validateWrite,   insert/update/delete
Flow/automation	Power Automate	Batch/SysOperation, Business events
Transaction	Managed by Dataverse	ttsBegin/ttsCommit; checkFailed() or returning false cancels save
Execution order	PreValidation → PreOperation → PostOperation	One chain per method; next <method>() calls base/previous extension (sequential)

Plugin Stages (CE) vs CoC Methods (F&O)

CE plugin stage	CE plugin When it runs	F&O CoC hook	F&O Purpose
PreValidation	Before DB txn, before main pipeline	validateField(), modifiedField()	Field-level checks and reactions
PreOperation	Inside txn, before write	validateWrite()	Row-level gate; return false to cancel
Operation	—	insert() / update() (ttsBegin/ttsCommit)	Actual persistence logic
PostOperation	After write, still in txn	Post-handlers or post-update()	Side-effects that need the same txn
Async (Post)	After commit, async	Batch/SysOperation, Business events	Out-of-band processing

F&O Save Sequence (Simplified)

Step	Meaning
validateField()	Is the new field value allowed?
modifiedField()	React to change (defaults, lookups, recalcs)
validateWrite()	Gate before save (create & update)
ttsBegin → insert()/update() → ttsCommit	Transactional persistence
Delete path	validateDelete() → delete()

Labels & Localization

Aspect	CE	F&O
Where	Solution labels	Label files (.ald) per model/language
Usage	Captions, choices	All text: captions, errors, tooltips; referenced as @Model:LabelId
Storage	Platform-managed	Compiled resources in the package

Integration

Need	CE	F&O
API	Dataverse Web API	OData via Data Entities; custom services
Files/ETL	Dataflows / ADF	DMF (CSV/Package), Electronic Reporting, Recurring Integrations
Events	Webhooks, plugins	Business events, Batch

Reporting & Analytics

CE	F&O
Power BI, views, Advanced Find	SSRS (DP/Contract/Report), Power BI, Inquiry pages, ER

Security

CE	F&O
Roles, privileges, teams	Role → Duty → Privilege → Entry point (+ table permissions)

ALM & Environments

CE	F&O
Dev/Test/Prod orgs; solution moves	DevBox for code, Build server, Tier-2+ Sandboxes/Prod via LCS; deployable packages

Extensible Control vs PCF

Topic	PCF (CE)	Extensible Control (F&O)
Host	Dataverse form	F&O form control
Data access	context.parameters	Bound properties + control contract
Deploy	Solution import	In model/package; deploy via build/LCS
Role	Can carry logic	UI widget only; business rules in X++

Typical Patterns (with Examples)

Task	CE way	F&O way
Add field to OOB table	New column in solution	Table extension + field (via EDT); Form extension to show it
Required-field validation	Business rule or PreOp plugin	CoC on validateWrite(); checkFailed("@My:Label") + return false
Lookup	Lookup column	EDT with Relation + ReferenceGroup control (auto-lookup)
Background job	Flow or plugin (async)	SysOperation (contract/service/controller) + batch
Export vendors	Web API / Dataflow	DMF Export VendVendorV2Entity (CSV)
Custom UI widget	PCF	Extensible Control (TS/JS)

Mini X++ Example: CoC Required Field

// HX_VendTable_ValidateWrite_CoC
// ----------------
// Enforces non-empty HX_ExternalRefId on vendor save.
//
// Sep 20, 2025: Created by Forrest Zhang for Bootcamp D01
[ExtensionOf(tableStr(VendTable))]
final class HX_VendTable_ValidateWrite_CoC
{
    public boolean validateWrite()
    {
        boolean ok = next validateWrite();
        if (!ok) return ok;

        if (this.(fieldNum(VendTable, HX_ExternalRefId)) == '' || this.(fieldNum(VendTable, HX_ExternalRefId)) == null)
        {
            checkFailed("@HX:ExternalRefIdRequired");
            return false;
        }
        return true;
    }
}

Quick Answers

• Do fields in a table extension become real columns? Yes—on Microsoft OOB tables. On your own custom table, add fields directly.
• Is there validateCreate()? No. Use validateWrite() for create/update; use CoC on insert() for create-only logic.
• AOS & CIL? AOS = Application Object Server (runtime). X++ compiles to .NET IL/CIL; AOS executes it.

Author: Forrest Zhang — Dynamics 365 CE & F&O Developer