Dataverse Plugins (Server-Side .NET)

Purpose: emit C# plugins / custom workflow activities and their registration so logic runs inside the Dataverse transaction -- the pro-code escape hatch when Power Automate / business rules cannot enforce a rule reliably.

When to Use (and When Not To)

Use a plugin when you need synchronous, transactional, low-latency server enforcement:

• Cross-record validation that MUST block a save
• Derived/calculated values that must be set in the same transaction
• Integration that must commit-or-rollback with the record

Prefer low-code first: business rules (form logic), calculated/rollup columns, and Power Automate flows (async, no compile/deploy). A plugin adds a C# build, signing, and deployment pipeline -- only pay that cost when the low-code options cannot meet the requirement.

The Event Pipeline

A plugin registers against a message + table + stage. Dataverse runs it when that message fires.