Microsoft CRM 4.0 and magic strings

Question

Is there a method/tool/technique for developing with Microsoft CRM 4.0 that keeps the developer from having to use strings for entity names and attributes?

Answer 1

We've built our own model classes and store entity names, attribute names, and picklist values there. It's just a bunch of enums and constant strings, but at least it's using a centralized constant so we can know when something breaks.

Answer 2

We use our own mapper which translates objects into dynamic entities. This is all configured by attributes on the classes or types. You can find a project which uses a similar approach here: http://xrm.codeplex.com

On the other hand, you have the possibility to create early bound types. See Code Generation Using the CrmSvcUtil Tool.