Dynamics 365 plugin and integration recovery

Lost the source code to your Dynamics 365 plugin? We can recover it.

Only the compiled assembly is left. We rebuild readable source from it, document what it does, and prove it with tests, so you can finally change it with confidence.

Request a Health Check What the Health Check includes
  • 20+ years with Dynamics CRM and Dynamics 365
  • Ten-time Microsoft MVP
  • Hundreds of custom plugins and workflow activities written for customers worldwide

It happens more than you'd think

  • The developer or vendor who wrote it is gone, and the source went with them.
  • The repository was deleted, or never existed.
  • The only copy was on a laptop that was wiped when someone left.
  • The only copy left is the compiled DLL running in production.
  • Nobody can say with confidence what it does to your data each day.
Don't rush to rewrite it. A rewrite swaps a system you can't change for one you can't trust, and throws away years of business rules that exist only in the compiled code.

How recovery works

1

Recover the source

We decompile the production assembly and clean it up so it builds from source again.

2

Write down what it does

A behavioral specification read out of the working code, including rules nobody documented.

3

Prove it with tests

Tests that run without touching your production system, against real data where possible.

4

Fix and modernize

Correct what the proof exposes, and update it for current platforms, with every change marked.

What you keep

  • Buildable source code in your own repository
  • Documentation of what each feed, plugin or activity actually does
  • A test suite you can re-run after any change
  • A list of defects found, with the fix for each marked at the line

Proof

A nightly integration with no source, recovered

A Windows service had imported Epicor master data into Dynamics 365 every day for years, with no source code, no version control and no documentation. We recovered it, documented it and moved it to Dynamics 365 Online.

20defects found and fixed
207automated tests, run offline
52,042rows of real production data in the tests
5feeds documented end to end
Seven of the twenty defects were silent. They dropped or corrupted data and reported success, and none would have been found by reading the code.
Read the full case study

Another recovery

The only copy was on a wiped laptop

A consulting firm needed to fix bugs in plugins built for a customer, but the consultant who wrote them had left and the laptop holding the source had been wiped. We recovered the source from the deployed assembly, fixed the bugs, redeployed the plugins, and set up source control so the firm can't lose code this way again.

~3 weeksfrom start to finish
~2 weeksto restore the source to readable code
Read the case study

Common questions

Can you really recover code from a compiled assembly?

In most cases, yes. We decompile it and reconstruct readable, buildable source. Results vary with how the assembly was built, and we'll tell you what to expect during the free consult.

Do you need access to our production system?

No. We can work from a solution export and the compiled assemblies, or with read-only access. Nothing changes in production without your approval.

Who owns the recovered code?

You do, along with the documentation and tests.

How much does it cost?

We start with a fixed-price Plugin Health Check, so you know exactly what you're spending. Any follow-on recovery work is quoted after that.

Don't wait for the migration that forces the issue

Book a free 30-minute consult. We'll tell you what we'd look at first, whether or not you hire us.

Request a Health Check

Free 30-minute consult first. Fixed price, quoted before we start.