Organizations using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales, Customer Service, or Field Service often underestimate how quickly storage usage can spiral. Every email tracked, every file uploaded, and every note added to a timeline contributes to the problem.
The reality: Microsoft charges $40/GB/month for Dataverse database storage and $2/GB/month for file storage. Even modest CRM usage patterns can create unexpected cost exposure over time.
That’s why we built AttachmentExtractor—a background service designed to reduce Dynamics 365 storage consumption without sacrificing user experience, visibility, or security.
What AttachmentExtractor Does
AttachmentExtractor removes storage-heavy data from Dynamics 365 while maintaining full front-end functionality.
Specifically, the tool:
- Extracts rich email bodies from the ActivityPointerBase table and stores them in Azure Blob
- Extracts attachments and notes from the Attachment and AnnotationBase tables and stores them in SharePoint or Azure Blob
- Leaves a transparent UI passthrough, so end users still access the original files and emails from within the Dynamics timeline
There’s no change to how end users work, no disruption to CRM operations, and no lock-in—we never host or store your data. Everything stays within your own Microsoft 365 environment.
Deployment and Configuration
AttachmentExtractor is available as a hosted service or as a self-hosted application (Windows Service or Azure WebJob). Most organizations deploy in under an hour.
After installation, admins can:
- Enable batch extraction of historical data
- Configure filters to prioritize large files
- Set whitelist/blacklist rules to include or exclude attachments by record type
- Schedule extraction to run during low-traffic periods (overnight, weekends)
Once configured, the service runs continuously. It monitors your Dynamics instance and extracts eligible content in near real time.
Immediate ROI Without Custom Development
Unlike Microsoft’s native migration options—which only move emails older than 12 months on a slow recurring schedule—AttachmentExtractor:
- Extracts content the moment it’s created
- Works with all email, note, and attachment types
- Applies logic-based filtering and targeting
- Preserves full end-user access to extracted content
Storage reductions of 40% on data capacity and up to 80% on file storage are typical based on live customer environments. These reductions result in direct cost avoidance with zero impact on performance, uptime, or CRM structure.
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | Description |
| Transparent UI passthrough | Users see and access extracted content as if it were native to Dynamics |
| Smart file extraction | Prioritizes large or costly data first |
| Entity-level controls | Includes/excludes records with whitelists and blacklists |
| Storage scheduling | Run extraction jobs during low usage periods |
| Full audit trail | Real-time monitoring, extraction logs, reporting support |
| Self-hosting available | Retain full control in highly regulated environments |
Security and Compliance
Your data remains on your infrastructure. AttachmentExtractor never stores, intercepts, or retains any content on external servers. For regulated industries and government clients, this is often a prerequisite.
We also support self-hosted deployments for customers with internal security policies that prohibit SaaS-based processing.
Try It in Your Own Environment
Ready to take the leap? You can start a full-featured 14-day trial in your sandbox or production environment with no obligations. Or you can use our Storage Savings Calculator to estimate cost reductions based on your actual Dataverse and file usage.