title: What is the correct way to access Microsoft Dynamics 365 data on the cloud? SDK vs Web Api
body: <p>I'm .NET Web Developer and new to Microsoft's CRM, so bear with me. I'm trying to find the correct way to connect to Microsoft Dynamics 365 and retrieve some PDF files. I need to know which is the correct way to do so. I have some questions of some topics found Googling around that don't make sense to me.</p>
  <p><strong>Accessing through the SDK</strong></p>
  <p>I have found <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/dynamicscrm-2016/developers-guide/hh547453(v=crm.8)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this Microsoft documentation</a> which explains the SDK. However there is a NOTE that says that this has changed with the 2016 update, and Googling more around, it seems to be that the SDK it's not used anymore. I am wrong?</p>
  <p><strong>Accessing data using Web API</strong></p>
  <p>There's yet another <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-engagement/web-api/about?view=dynamics-ce-odata-9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microsoft documentation</a> that tries to explain the way to connect through a Web Api, however from the start, it says: <em>&quot;This section contains reference documentation of the types, functions, and actions that constitute the Web API for Microsoft Dataverse and Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement <strong>(on-premises)</strong>&quot;</em>.</p>
  <p>That &quot;On-Premises&quot; comment bothers me. I don't want to learn something that doesn't work for me. Why the web api seems to work only on premise? Why not Dynamics in the cloud?</p>
  <p>And for what you can see, I'm utterly confused as to how in the world I can access data to retrieve a file programmatically through C# code from Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud based.</p>
  <p>Please, if you can point me in the right direction, I will really appreciate it.</p>
  <p>Thank you!</p>