Today we continue with the blog series D365 V9.0 – A Feature a Day, and I am enjoying the self-discovery process of all the new improvements that have been made to the V9.0 platform. Today’s feature will be focusing on the new Admin API.
What is it?
The Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement Admin API allows you to perform administration functions that normally have been associated with the Dynamics 365 Administration Center through the Admin API Web Service.
With the new Admin API, it is possible to fully replace the Dynamics 365 Administration Center with your own custom admin clients. In fact, as Matt Barbour points out at the Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE Platform Update for Developers presentation, anything you can do with the Admin Center can be done with the API.
Another significant benefit for the Admin API is that it will allow you to have more control over your backup and restoration processes, and enable you to automate your ALM processes.
What services are available through the Admin API right now?
Currently supports a number of operations such as:
- Backup
- Restore
- Delete
- Create instances
- Check operational statuses
- Check languages supported
- Check currencies.
- Template Versions (e.g. D365 Sales, D365 Service, D365 Marketing)
- Service Versions (Versions available within a geography e.g. D365 8.2, CRM 2016 Update 1 8.1, CRM 2016 8.0, etc)
- Check Instance Types (e.g. tells you how many production, sandbox, trial instances you have available and have consumed)
And there will be a Powershell module coming out soon.
Where can I find the documentation?
Thankfully Admin API is Swagger enabled to enable easy development, discovery and integration.
You can find more information here:
https://admin.services.crm.dynamics.com/swagger/ui/index
Final Thoughts
Any investment into enterprise tools that enable partners to better support their deployments and projects is welcome in my mind. Very pleased with the latest round of enhancements with the Admin API, and will be keen to see what the ISV community does around creating their own custom Admin clients in the very near future.
Stay tuned for my next blog in the V9.0 series! Until then, thanks for reading.
If you’re keen on trying this new feature out yourself, head on down to https://trials.dynamics.com/Dynamics365/Signup
Other cool resources:
- Marius Pedersen’s blog on Using D365 Customer Engagement admin API with PowerShell (with GitHub links)
https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/crmviking/archive/2017/08/17/using-dynamics365-customer-engagement-admin-api-with-powershell-part3 - Matt Barbour’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE Platform Update for Developers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-AUhLIB05Q&feature=youtu.be