The XRM framework defines a strategic approach of customizing the out-of-the-box features available in Dynamics CRM to make sure that it implements all the business aspects of a system. The central idea of the XRM framework is to extend the standard functionalities provided in Dynamics CRM to suit any business requirement. Businesses could be of varying types, such as public sector, insurance, banking, retail, telecom, and so on.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Student management application via the XRM framework of Dynamics CRM 2016
• Understanding custom entities, views, attributes, and so on, in Dynamics CRM 2016
• Understanding calculated fields in Dynamics CRM 2016

Owing to the underlying .NET Framework, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 provides a very powerful tool that can be easily extended to map any business requirement that is not provided out of the box.

In many places in the book, you may have read about the term, out-of-the-box. Out-of-box features mean the components that come packaged with Dynamics CRM 2016, right after an instance is set up. Out-of-box Dynamics CRM 2016 consists of three modules: Sales, Service, and Marketing. These modules consist of standard business processes, which are followed in their respective industries.

Let's explore some scenarios to understand the XRM framework in further detail.