Developers Call Mobile SDK for Microsoft Dynamics CRM a Game Changer

The early reviews are positive for the updated software development kit (SDK) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM that Microsoft released in July.

Equipping developers with native mobile tools allows them to create task-centric user interfaces more quickly within Dynamics CRM, says Jim Steger, partner with Chicago-based Sonoma Partners and a Microsoft MVP. Sonoma Partners helped architect the Mobile SDK. The firm is a CRM and enterprise mobile development partner for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

"Another of the big goals was to enable developers to create dynamic mobile apps within the enterprise," says Steger. "Microsoft felt strongly that developers needed better tools to get them excited about connecting mobile apps to Dynamics CRM."

The closer integration of mobile apps to the Dynamics CRM platform helps apps perform faster, more reliably and more robustly, Steger notes. The updated Mobile SDK features starter kits and code samples to accelerate development by both in-house developers and consultants.

More efficient R&D

Steger says the update enhances the interface between apps and back-end systems using Java and Objective-C, using common frameworks to support development. An example from an earlier release is an activity tracker app. Microsoft included samples written in Windows, Java, and Objective-C to give developers a jumping off point to develop their own apps with activity tracker as the base.

Webfortis, a Microsoft partner that works exclusively on Dynamics CRM and related technology, has already used the Mobile SDK for a handful of projects, reports Thomas Day, solutions architect, Public Sector. Using the customer engagement functionality of Parature, which Microsoft purchased early last year, Webfortis created ...