Tip: Make Microsoft CRM Administration Easier by Organizing Settings Navigation Bar

In an XRM deployment, there are typically some entity links that you do not want to display in the main Wunderbar areas, such as administrative type entities or entities that function as master lists to feed lookups.  You can display these entities in the Settings area so admin users can access them, but they are out of the way of most users.

One problem that can arise in many XRM implementations that include many custom entities is what I refer to as “Settings Clutter.”  This is where you have 50 links in the Setting navigation bar, and it can become very unruly to find the link for which you are looking.

Part of the problem lies in the way that navigation bar items are added to Wunderbar areas.  In the CRM web interface, links are displayed in the order in which they were added.  If you use Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook, this isn’t an issue, because Outlook displays folder alphabetically.

So unless you create your entities in alphabetical order, they will not be in alphabetical order.  This makes it very difficult to find a link when you need it.

Solution 1—remove from settings and re-add

1.  In CRM, navigate to settings—>customization—>customize entities

2.  Open the customization for the first entity displayed in settings

3.  Uncheck the “Settings” checkbox under “Areas that display this entity”

4. Save and Close the entity customization

5.  Repeat steps 2-4 for each entity currently displayed in settings

6.  Re-add each entity to settings, in alphabetical order

The result will be that all custom entities will be in alphabetical order in Settings.  This is good, but in my book, not good enough, because the standard subareas such as Administration, Business Management, Customization, Templates, etc will still be at the top of the list, so it is still not in alphabetical order

Solution 2—Sitemap Surgery

The layout of the CRM Wunderbar is controlled by the CRM Sitemap.  If you are not familiar with editing the CRM Sitemap, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sitemap Surgery Tips.

1.  Determine the alphabetical order of the links in Settings.  For this, I typically use Microsoft Excel and type in the names of the settings links and use Excel’s sorting functionality to arrange them in alphabetical order

2.  In CRM, navigate to settings—>customization—>Export Entities

3.  Export the sitemap and open it in your xml editor of choice.

4.  You will find the Settings area under

<Area Id="Settings" ResourceId="Area_Settings" Icon="/_imgs/settings_24x24.gif" DescriptionResourceId="Settings_Area_Description">

5.  by default, the system entities are under

        <Group Id="Settings">

and the custom entities are under

<Group Id="Extensions" ResourceId="Group_Extensions">

6.  Move the subarea lines under the Settings group line  If the Extensions group does not have any items in it, it will not display.  Do not delete the Extensions group.

7.  Referring to your alphabetical list of Entities, arrange the sitemap settings lines in alphabetical order.

8.  In CRM, navigate to settings—>customizations—>import customizations and import your alphabetical sitemap

The result will be that everything in settings will be in alphabetical order, and it will be very easy for admin users to find what they are looking for.

This is a quick change that can make a major impact on user experience.

Along with adding icons to custom entities, this is one small change that can make the difference between a good CRM experience and a great CRM experience.

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Comments

[Acai Optimum]

This is an excellent resource... Thanks for the step by step guide... Very helpful!