Sending Batch Requests To Dynamics 365 Web Api Using C#

Sending Batch Requests to Dynamics 365 Web API Using C#

Executing several CRUD operations in a single network call lowers latency and boosts performance when integrating with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Web API. Batch requests, which are supported by the OData $batch endpoint, are used for this.

In addition to examining how to manage multipart responses in an organized and reusable manner, this blog will walk through the process of implementing batch requests step-by-step.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into code:

• You need access to a Dynamics 365 environment.
• You must register your app in Azure AD and acquire an access token.
• The Web API version we use is v9.1.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Understand the Structure of a Batch Request

• A batch request is a multipart/mixed HTTP request.
• Inside the batch, you can have one or more change sets (multipart/mixed) if you're doing write operations like POST, PATCH, or DELETE.
• GET requests can be added directly to the batch but write operations must go inside a changeset.

2. Create a Simple Batch Request (Basic Example)

string batchBoundary = "batch_" + Guid.NewGuid(); // unique boundary

var batchContent = new MultipartContent("mixed", batchBoundary);

 

string changeSetId = "changeset_" + Guid.NewGuid(); // unique changeset

var changeSetContent = new MultipartContent("mixed", changeSetId);

 

// Add a PATCH request to the changeset

var updateRequest = new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Patch, baseUrl + "/api/data/v9.1/accounts(AccountId)");

updateRequest.Content = new StringContent("{ \"name\": \"Updated Account Name\" }", Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");

changeSetContent.Add(updateRequest);

 

// Add changeset to batch

batchContent.Add(changeSetContent);

 3. Send Batch Request Using HttpClient

using (var client = new HttpClient())

{

    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("OData-Version", "4.0");

    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("OData-MaxVersion", "4.0");

    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Bearer", accessToken);

    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json"));

 

    var response = await client.PostAsync(baseUrl + "/api/data/v9.1/$batch", batchContent);

    string responseBody = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();

    Console.WriteLine(responseBody);

}

 Reusable Batch Request Function

For larger systems, a reusable method is useful. Let’s walk through your SendBatchRequestAsync:

4. Construct Reusable Batch Sender

public static async Task<List<JObject>> SendBatchRequestAsync(

    HttpClient httpClient,

    List<HttpContent> listOfRequests,

    ILogger log,

    int count = 0,

    string methodType = null)

✔ Key Responsibilities:

• Wraps the list of individual requests in a MultipartContent.
• Creates an outer batch request to $batch.
• Sends the request and parses the multipart response.
• Uses helper methods ReadHttpContents() and HandleResponses().

 5. Handle Nested Multipart Response

Responses from batch are in multipart/mixed format. To process them:

MultipartMemoryStreamProvider body = await response.Content.ReadAsMultipartAsync();

List<HttpResponseMessage> responses = await ReadHttpContents(body, log);

 6. Helper Method to Read HTTP Parts

 

public static async Task<List<HttpResponseMessage>> ReadHttpContents(MultipartMemoryStreamProvider body, ILogger log)

 Responsibilities:

• Loops through each content part.
• If content is multipart → recursive read.
• If content is HttpResponseMessageContent, deserialize it.
• Adds all responses into a list for further processing.

 7. Deserialize Plain HTTP Content

If a content part isn’t a full HTTP response, you can still deserialize the stream manually into an HttpResponseMessage.

HttpResponseMessage responseMessage = DeserializeToResponse(await c.ReadAsStreamAsync(), log);

You can implement DeserializeToResponse using custom logic or libraries like HttpClientMock/manual parsing.

 Example Use Case

You may need to:

• Update multiple records in one go (like bulk status update).
• Create multiple leads or contacts together.
• Delete many records with a single HTTP request.

This method helps you optimize by reducing the number of round trips to the server.

Best Practices

• Always set unique boundaries using Guid.NewGuid() to avoid conflicts.
• Log both request and response for troubleshooting.
• Handle rate limits and retries if needed.
• Validate HTTP status of each sub-response to ensure batch success.

 Summary

In this guide, you learned:

• How to structure and send batch requests to Dynamics 365 Web API.
• How to process and read multipart responses.
• How to build a reusable function for batch requests using HttpClient.
• Key best practices for production-grade code.

 Ready-to-Use Template

You can package this logic into a utility class like DynamicsBatchHelper, making it reusable across microservices or Azure Functions.

 

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