How to manage configuration settings in workflow Activities / Plug-in in CRM 4.0

How to manage configuration settings in workflow Activities / Plug-in in CRM 4.0

This way(that recommended from Microsoft that comes with the registration tool) of manage configuration keys is very "strange" and most likely it is a "default option" – it seems to be that the team who developed the product (that there no question about it – it is a distributed system and it should act like it) forgotten what most developers will have to use: The ability to manage configuration keys and value that can be read and access from any context (Sync plug-in, A-Sync , Workflow activities or from yours ISV web site … ).
I don't want to paste for every step I have registered a string of XML , I want the ability to hold my keys in one place \ file \ table and that I can access it from any code that runs from at any context.
From my and our experience there few ways:
1. Use the default way and read keys from the string that provided with the registration steps Disadvantages: see the above …

2. Store it in a CRM entity and read it every time from the CRMDisadvantages: There is no Cache managed and every call or read key will get it by the SDK and from the DB – very low performance!!!

3. Using / Build a Central Configuration Manager that can be read and access at any time from any place and context.This can be achieve by developing a configuration utility that work against .Config file for any system and module.you can to the follow:Create a file name myApp.config and Store it in particular folderPoint the file from the local Machine.config.It will be available from any context , and by default it manage Cache with file dependency.

link to discussion with this issue:
http://blogs.msdn.com/crm/archive/2008/10/24/storing-configuration-data-for-microsoft-dynamics-crm-plug-ins.aspx


Thanks
ItzikBS