Sage CRM Developers Course

Using the Web Services API (1)

Looking ahead to the classes

DP01: Introduction to the Development Partner ProgramDP02: Entities and the Data Model (Part 1 of 2)DP03: Entities and the Data Model (Part 2 of 2)DP04: Implementing Screen Based Rules (Part 1 of 2)DP05: Implementing Screen Based Rules (Part 2 of 2)DP06: Screen and User Independent Business RulesDP07: Workflow (Part 1 of 2)DP08: Workflow (Part 2 of 2)DP09: Using the API Objects in ASP Pages (Part 1 of 2)DP10 : Using the API Objects in ASP Pages (Part 2 of 2)

DP11: Using the Component ManagerDP12: Programming for the Advanced Email ManagerDP13: Using the Web Services APIDP14: Using the Web Services API (Part 2 of 2)DP15: Coding the Web Self Service COM API (Part 1 of 2)DP16: Coding the Web Self Service COM API (Part 2 of 2)DP17: Using the .NET API (Part 1 of 2)DP18: Using the .NET API (Part 2 of 2)

Agenda

Introduction to the Web Services APIConfiguration and Setup of Web ServicesCreating a SessionUsage of Objects and Functions

Introduction to the SOAP Web Services API

Software Requirements

To set up Web Services, you will need: CRM installed on a server with a standard license key.– For the SOAP web services

– All up-to-date development environments that are compatible with Soap 1.1 are compatible with Sage CRM Web Services.

– For the SData Rest web services– Sage CRM Version 7.x

Limitations

Does not provide users with a GUIWeb Services share business logic, data, and processesCan add the Web Service to a GUI, such as a Web page or an executable program, to provide users with the required functionalityProgrammer must control error handling and session managementPerformance ConsiderationsSOAP overheads include: extracting the SOAP envelope; parsing the contained XML information; The XML parser will also have to carry out type checking and conversion, wellformedness checking, or ambiguity resolution, and this all affects speed. The Web Service SOAP messages move much more data than the average HTTP GET or POST call, adversely impacting network performance. Repeated SOAP-client calls to access the server could start to degrade the performance. So you may have to consider the design of the web service client application.To ensure secure transfer of XML data then HTTPS maybe desirable for the Web Service access. Web Services that only use HTTP are vulnerable to eavesdroppers and "man in the middle attacks". HTTPS requests are very slightly slower than HTTP requests.There are a range of factors that will affect performance such as: web server response time and availability; client application execution time; database views and indexes that are implicitly referenced in CRM.

Configuration and Set Up of Web ServicesPreparation for Use

WSDL file contents

http://server/CRM/eware.dll/webservice/webservice.wsdl

Control & Configuration of Web Services

Forcing LogonsDate ConsiderationsRestriction of Requests to Known MachinesControlling absolute request sizeControlling Records Returned

Configuring Web Services

Maximum Number Of Records To Return

The maximum number of records you want Web Services to be able to return at one time.

Maximum Size Of Request The maximum number of characters you want users to be able to send to Web Services.

Make WSDL Available To All When set to Yes, the WSDL file can be viewed by anyone from: http://CRMservername/CRMinstallname/eWare.dll/webservice/webservice.wsdlUsers will not need to be logged in to view the file. It is accessible to anyone.

Enable Web Services Set to Yes to enable the Web Services functionality. Set to No to disable Web Services.

Dropdown Fields As Strings In WSDL File

Default is Yes. Drop down fields are displayed in the WSDL as enumerated types, for example comp_status as an enumeration with the drop down values in it. When set to Yes, makes the enumerated types "Strings". This is the recommended setting. This means that, for example, within Company the field comp_status now has a type of "String".

Send And Return All Dates And Times In Universal Times

When this is selected, all dates coming from the server will be set to universal time. Also, all dates coming to the web server will be offset from universal time. This is primarily important for migrations to the hosting service from different time zones.

Accept Web Request From IP Address

The unique IP address that you want the WSDL file to be accessed from.

Force webservice log on When logging on if the user id used in Web Service is already logged on then cause existing session to be destroyed.

Web Service Requests from Specific Clients

Accept web request from IP AddressControls the unique IP address that you want the WSDL file to be accessed fromIf a single IP address is entered here then only the machine that has this address may make calls to use the WSDL file. Any other machine having a different IP address will be unable to access the WSDL file and will be returned with an "IP Address Mismatch" error.

Possible to specify a range of machines that can access the WSDL file by entering a partial IP address. Only numeric characters are allowed and the * (asterisk) wildcard character is not supported.

Example usage:If the following is entered into "Accept web request from IP Address":– 192.168Then machines with IP addresses that begin– 192.168.1.*– 192.168.2.*– 192.168.3.*– etccan access the wsdl file.

If the following is entered– 192.168.2Then only machines within IP addresses beginning with this will be allowed to access the wsdl file– 192.168.2.1– 192.168.2.2– etc.

Enabling the Web Services User

Administration -> Users -> UsersAllow Web Service Access = TrueOption for dedicated user or reuse existing userCannot be a resource userNB: security is applied to the user!

Control of SOAP and REST access

New Checkboxes to control access in Table Customization screenCan also be set in Advanced Customization wizardNew entities and existing tables can then be access either by standard SOAP requests or by SData URLs– E.g. http://myserver/sdata/crm72j/sagecrm/-/projectExternally linked tables can also be made available via webservices and the SData provider.Meta Data information may be accessed using SOAP Functions– getmetadata()– getallmetadata();SData REST– http://myserver/sdata/crm72j/sagecrm/-/$schema– http://myserver/sdata/crm72j/sagecrm/-/company/$schema

Adding Web Reference

Wide range of methods to allow data manipulation of exposed tablesLogon/Logoff, session managementQueryingUpdate– Delete

Insert/Create

NOTE: Rights controlled by user logon usedMay trigger Table level scripts

Creating a Session

Session Management

Log on and Log offError HandlingInteraction with Security

Web Service Session (logon/logoff)

Web Services are Session based similar to interactive user logonsTo initiate a session call the logon method– logon(string username, string password)

To end a session call the logoff method– logoff(string sessionId)

Usage: logon()

Syntaxlogon ( username As string , password As string ) As logonresult

Usage

private void buttonLogon_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { try { logonresult CRMlogon = crm72.logon("Admin", ""); crm72.SessionHeaderValue = new SessionHeader(); crm72.SessionHeaderValue.sessionId = CRMlogon.sessionid; } catch (Exception exc) { MessageBox.Show(exc.Message); } }

NoteException handling required/Existing Session Management

Usage: logoff()

Syntaxlogoff ( sessionId As string ) As logoffresult

Usage

private void buttonLogoff_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { crm72.logoff(crm72.SessionHeaderValue.sessionId); }

Using /sysadmin to control sessions during build

Interactions

Session UsageWeb Service usage shows in Activity Reports– Activity table– SysAdmin– LockingWeb and Web Service logon– 1 instance of each allowed– C.f. “Force Web Service Logon”

Triggering of Tablelevel scriptsInformation Available– Values() Collection– WhereClause

Logging

CRM Web Service Logs provide details of InteractionsSOAP RequestsThese are logged when logging level is set to max

Tip:Where data is being migrated or a system is being tested then these files could become very large.

Log Information

Example Task

Build a simple ‘3 button form’LogonDisplay VersionLogoff

Q&A

Looking ahead to the classes

DP01: Introduction to the Development Partner ProgramDP02: Entities and the Data Model (Part 1 of 2)DP03: Entities and the Data Model (Part 2 of 2)DP04: Implementing Screen Based Rules (Part 1 of 2)DP05: Implementing Screen Based Rules (Part 2 of 2)DP06: Screen and User Independent Business RulesDP07: Workflow (Part 1 of 2)DP08: Workflow (Part 2 of 2)DP09: Using the API Objects in ASP Pages (Part 1 of 2)DP10 : Using the API Objects in ASP Pages (Part 2 of 2)

DP11: Using the Component ManagerDP12: Programming for the Advanced Email ManagerDP13: Using the Web Services APIDP14: Using the Web Services API (Part 2 of 2)DP15: Coding the Web Self Service COM API (Part 1 of 2)DP16: Coding the Web Self Service COM API (Part 2 of 2)DP17: Using the .NET API (Part 1 of 2)DP18: Using the .NET API (Part 2 of 2)