Copying Dynamics CRM form values to the clipboard with jscript

If you use Dynamics CRM, you may be familiar with the options for mail merge, bulk email, export to Excel, and other options to get data out of CRM.  These options work great, but what if you want to just export certain values from a single record?  You could export to Excel, but that is kind of overkill for one record.

Consider this real-world scenario:  an office manager periodically mails individual pieces of mail to a specific recipient.  When he does this, he prints the mailing label using a Dymo label printer.  Rather than typing the address in, he wants to get it from CRM. 

One of our genius developers put together an easy jscript function to give users the ability to copy the address fields from the contact record form to the Windows clipboard, and then they can easily paste the address into their label printer software.  This function can be adapted to copy any CRM entity field displayed on the record form.

First, add the function to the OnLoad event

CopyAddressToClipboard =

    function () {

        // Construct the address to suit your needs.

        var sAddress = crmForm.all.firstname.DataValue + " " + crmForm.all.lastname.DataValue + "\n" +

                       crmForm.all.address1_line1.DataValue + "\n" +

                       crmForm.all.address1_city.DataValue + ", " + crmForm.all.address1_stateorprovince.DataValue + " " + crmForm.all.address1_postalcode.DataValue;

        // Get the hidden copy area (creating it if it doesn't yet exist).

        var oCopyArea = document.getElementById("copyArea");

        if (oCopyArea == null) {

            oCopyArea = document.createElement("input");

            oCopyArea.setAttribute("id", "copyArea");

            oCopyArea.setAttribute("type", "hidden");

            document.getElementById("crmForm").appendChild(oCopyArea);

            }

        // Copy the address to the hidden copy area.

        oCopyArea.innerText = sAddress;

        // Copy from the hidden copy area to the clipboard.

        var oCopyTextRange = oCopyArea.createTextRange();

        oCopyTextRange.execCommand("Copy");

        };

 

Then create a toolbar button via IsvConfig:

 

        <Entity name="contact" >

          <ToolBar>

            <Button JavaScript="CopyAddressToClipboard();" Icon="/_imgs/ico_16_132.gif" ValidForCreate="1" ValidForUpdate="1" AvailableOffline="true">

              <Titles>

                <Title LCID="1033" Text="Copy Address" />

              </Titles>

              <ToolTips>

                <ToolTip LCID="1033" Text="Copy this contact's name and address to the clipboard." />

              </ToolTips>

            </Button>

          </ToolBar>

        </Entity>

 

Now you will have a button on the toolbar that you can push to copy the name and address.

del.icio.us Tags: Dynamics CRM,jscript,javascript,copy

Security Update Now Available to protect MSCRM Servers

We recommend installing this update as soon as possible on your web-servers.  - While all CRM Servers need this patch, CRM deployments that have enabled the IFD (Internet Facing Deployment) option are especially important to keep secure.

Where do I find these hotfixes?

Links to the ASP.Net Security Updates are available here - or from Microsoft Downloads

I ran Windows Update – is that enough?

Not yet, these patches are new enough that they are not yet in the download channels for Windows Update.

Is the previously blogged CRM Update/Hotfix still needed?

No.

How does this change functionality within CRM?

It doesn’t in any meaningful way for users. – The only change would be the removal of some encrypted data previously included in error messages. 

-----------------------------------------

Note - The following information from Scott Guthrie is helpful and important to users – especially if they have multiple CRM servers in a web-farm / cluster.

What is the impact of applying the update to a live web-server?

If you apply the update to a live web-server, there will be some period of time when the web-server will be offline (although an OS reboot should not be required). You’ll want to schedule and coordinate your updates appropriately.

Importantly – if your site or application is running across multiple web-servers in a web-farm, you’ll want to make sure the update is applied to all of the machines (and not just some of them). This is because the update changes the encryption/signing behavior of certain features in ASP.NET, and a mix of patched and un-patched servers will cause that encryption/signing behavior to be incompatible between them.  If you are using a web-farm topology, you might want to look at pulling half of the machines out of rotation, update them, and then swap the active and inactive machines (so that the updated machines are in rotation, and the non-updated ones are pulled from rotation and patched next) to avoid these mismatches.

(From Scott Guthrie - http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/09/28/asp-net-security-update-now-available.aspx )

Solving Common Scribe Issues

When working with Scribe, there are some common issues that you may run into.  I’ve found that following a troubleshooting strategy can help to quickly resolve these issues.  Here are the top 3 that I run into or hear about from clients:

1.  Job runs in the Workbench, but not in the Console. 

Consider this scenario—you create a Scribe DTS and test it in the Scribe Workbench.  The job runs without error.  When you schedule the job to run in the Scribe Console, the job fails

The reason for this error is typically related to database permissions.  When you run a SQL DTS in the workbench, Scribe connects to ODBC connections using the credentials of the running user.  When a Scribe DTS is executed by the Console, it runs using the credentials of the Windows account that the Scribe Services run as.  So if that account does not have permission to read the source database, the job will fail when run by the Console.

Also, the Windows account that runs the Scribe Services must also have permissions for the Scribe Schema in the SCRIBEINTERNAL database.  In SQL Management Studio, expand the security node under the Scribeinternal database and double click the user record for the execution account.  Under “Schemas owned by this user” select the SCRIBE schema.

2.  Generic SQL error

This can be the most frustrating error.  Rows fail and the only error message is “Generic SQL Error.”  The main reason for this error is that there is some data constraint on the target that is being violated by the data inserted.  It’s important to underscore that Scribe is mainly passing along errors generated by the source or target database.  If the target gives generic errors, the scribe error message will also be generic.  You will sometimes see this when inserting through the CRM adapter if there is a field length or data type issue.

The best way to troubleshoot this is through a process of elimination.  Here are the steps I follow:

1. Make a copy of your dts.
2. Remove all data links except for the required fields.
3. Run the DTS filtered to the row that was rejected
4. If the dts succeeds, add 1-2 additional data links and run the job again.
5. Continue this process until you receive the error message again.  This will identify which row is the problem.
6. Once you identify the problem field, create a record via the UI for CRM inserting the value from the source record.  This will typically tell you what the problem is.

An example of where I recently saw this.  I was importing contacts, and 3 of them from Australia failed.  After verifying that the mapping was correct and viewing the scribe event logs to see if there was more information, I followed the troubleshooting process above.  When I got to the Address 1: Line 1 field, I got the error, so that told me that was the problem field.

By manually creating a record through the front-end of CRM, I found that the issue was that the user had increased the field length of the Street 1 field to 200 characters.  While this is not typically a problem (as pointed out in this post), in this case it was due to the way that address fields work in CRM.  The address fields on the account and contact are not actually stored in the account and contact entities, but rather in the address entity.  That means if you increase the field length of CRM address fields on the contact record, you must also increase the length in the address entity.

After increasing the length in the address entity, the records inserted without error.

3.  Field doesn’t update

Consider this scenario—the job runs, and records are updated, but one field in particular does not get updated.

In the Scribe Workbench, when you view your data links, there is a column with the heading “Overwrite.”  This column indicates whether an update step should overwrite an existing value in the column.  If there is a * in the column, the field will be updated with new values, if it is not, the existing values will not be updated.

To check or uncheck the “Overwrite” bit, just click on the “overwrite” column for the data link. 

The issue is that it is very easy to inadvertently  click on the “Overwrite” column when trying to double click the Formula column to edit a data formula.  If you do this, the column will not get updated when a job runs.

Lesson learned—be careful where you click.  If you want to change a formula, be sure to click on the formula column or select the row and click the “formula” button.  Also, I like to give the data links a visual once over when I finish the DTS to make sure that I have not accidentally unchecked the “Overwrite” flag.

del.icio.us Tags: Scribe Insight,troubleshooting

Important Security Update for Microsoft CRM to address ASP.net vulnerability

Recently a security vulnerability was discovered/disclosed that affects almost an website built using ASP.net – Including Microsoft CRM.

The fix has been released – Check here for immediate access to the patch for your windows server – this addresses the underlying issue for any ASP.Net application including CRM.
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/09/28/asp-net-security-update-now-available.aspx

 

A rapid response hotfix for CRM has been published to address this until a more comprehensive fix is applied to ASP.net. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=2421203

Once a security update is made available, the hotfix associated with this KB article should be uninstalled as this is only a temporary solution.

Although this vulnerability affects any ASP.net website including CRM Hosted or On-Premise, this is critically important for any organization that has deployed/configured CRM to be available via an "internet facing deployment" (IFD).

The vulnerability lies in the way server error messages are displayed – the messages include enough information that over time a skilled individual could re-create a security code and gain access to the database. See  http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/09/18/important-asp-net-security-vulnerability.aspx for more information and for current updates.

After applying the CRM update – All CRM errors will return a generic error message – this prevents the unauthorized resource from gaining any useful information about the servers/environment.

Scott

 

ASP.NET Security Update Shipping Tuesday, Sept 28th

Microsoft released an advance notification security bulletin announcing an out-of-band security update to address the ASP.NET Security Vulnerability.  The security update is fully tested, and is scheduled for release - Tuesday September 28th – at approximately 10:00 AM PDT.

The update will be released via the Microsoft Download Center and then update via Windows Update and the Windows Server Update Service within a few days.

Thanks,

Scott

A closer look at CRM 2011 Jscript Libraries

One of the things that will be apparent to anyone who digs into CRM 2011 form customization is that it is quite a bit different than Dynamics CRM 4.  One of the fundamental differences is the approach to form scripting.  In CRM 4, each entity form has a set of events that you can script using jscript, including on change of the form, on load of the form, and on save of the form.  This is great functionality, but in CRM 4, it was somewhat difficult to manage the jscript, because you wound up with multiple copies of the same functions on various entities. This made updating these functions problematic, because there was no central jscript library.

CRM 2011 changes this in a big way, by introducing support for common jscript libraries that can be called from any entity.  This makes it easier to upgrade your jscript functions and manage them like any other code.

This is great change, and also probably one that may be a bit of a learning curve for long time Dynamics CRM customizers.

My MVP friend Ayaz Ahmad has recently posted a detailed look at how to use jscript libraries in CRM 2011, with screenshots.

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4, it is a very tedious task for system customizers to manage and track JavaScript. System Customizers/Developers have to write JavaScript on every event handler on the form. But Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 provides JavaScript libraries that can be utilized on events and forms across the solution. Now common JavaScript functions can be written at one centralized JavaScript file and utilized across solution.

Moreover, multiple JavaScript libraries can be created. For example, one common library for general CRM Service calls and one common library for UI manipulation and so on.

Read the rest of the post at Ayaz' blog.  He's definitely a "must follow" on Twitter too!  

Scribe Insight Announces Cloud Integration Platform

I’m in Bedford, NH for the inaugural Scribe User Conference.  I’ve never been to New Hampshire before, and it is a very beautiful place to visit during the fall.

During the keynote address yesterday, Scribe CEO Lou Guercia announced a new product, codenamed “Denali,” that will be Scribes first cloud-based offering.  The initial release, slated for the end of this year, is going to function as a database replication tool for CRM Online users, allowing them to replicate their CRM Online databases to a local database, which they can then use for reporting and analytical purposes, or to integrate their crm data with on-prem systems.

Scribe Online is going to be hosted on Azure, and the initial base product will be free.

You can read the Scribe press release here.

del.icio.us Tags: Scribe Insight,Online,CRM Online

Development Environment for MS Dynamics CRM Online Customers?

So I came across a situation this week that I was not sure how to handle.  I have a client that has a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online solution.  They are contracting our organization to help them develop and configure some additional functionality.  So the question came up:  “Where do we do the development work?”  I realized I wasn’t exactly sure of the answer.  - so I decided to go find out.

Traditionally, when medium-to-large organizations are implementing any sort of new technology or application, there are multiple types of environments.  These include, but are not limited to the following:

• Development Environment
• Test Environment
• Production Environment

As the names imply, each environment is reserved for a particular type of activity in the context of a large system implementation.  Management cringes at the idea of developers “free-wheeling” around on production servers – hence the use of “development” environments whereby programmers and technical consultants build out their solutions.  Similarly, Test Environments are usually “playgrounds”, reserved for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – otherwise known as “Scripting”.  Users can test-drive the application without repercussions from errors or problems encountered while working through pre-defined test scripts.

So with these concepts in mind, let’s circle back to the original question for my MS Dynamics CRM Online customer who wants to do development.  “Where do they do development work?”  There are a couple of options here.  I will go through each of them and provide a few details around each:

• Buy Another Online Account:  The customer always has the option of buying another “temporary” account to conduct their development and/or testing.
• Rent a Hosted Server:  There are a number of organizations that offer what is essentially “server leasing”.  This can be a dedicated or shared server.  In this example, MS Dynamics would be installed on the server.  The developers would then do their testing on this server "(“box”) and the export the configuration when finished.
• Request a Sandbox/Demo Subscription:    After contacting the Microsoft Regional Sales Manager for my client, another option is that my client can open a new 30-Day Trial Subscription.  This type of subscription can be found here.  The Sales Manager is going to extend this to a 6-Month Pilot Subscription, which should be plenty of time for the planned configuration.

Out of the options above, in my opinion, there’s not a “correct answer”.  - As it largely depends on the type of project / configuration changes that the organization is looking to implement.  Larger-scaled implementations will command a more structured approach.  More simplistic implementations may allow for a more nimble team that only needs a sandbox environment for a brief period of time. 

One other point of consideration is the current production system data and configuration.  This will be handled as well, with assistance from Microsoft.  We’ll import the customizations, after exporting to a .XML file.  Our Microsoft Sales Manager is going to submit a support ticket in order to get the existing data migrated over to our new Pilot Subscription.  Shortly thereafter, we should be in a good position to begin our new configurations!

Here are a few links to good information that I found as I researched this subject:

How to Differentiate Your CRM Environments

Setting Up a Mirror Production Environment

Good luck with your MS Dynamics CRM Online projects!

Is 13 the lucky number?

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 13 for Dynamics CRM 4.0 today.  This is the latest cumulative update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and includes all fixes in Update Rollup 1-12.

This update fixes some of the biggest known issues with using CRM with the new Internet Explorer 9 beta, including jscript errors when creating accounts or other records.  This means that you can now start to use the great IE9 beta. I would caution to not run it on a production PC, since it is a beta.

We have seen some environments with Update Rollup 11-12 have errors when adding members to Marketing List.  This fix is included in Update Rollup 13.  I tested on an environment that had the issue with Update Rollup 11, and it worked after installing UR 13.

• You can download Update Rollup 13 here
• You can read the knowledge base article here
• You can read the official CRM Team blog announcement here

The following is the full list of new fixes included in Update Rollup 13:

Hotfixes and updates that were released as individual fixes

Update Rollup 13 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 contains the following hotfixes and updates that were released as individual fixes:

• 2306930 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2306930/ ) "System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Subquery returned more than 1 value" error message when you try to use the Advanced Find option to add members to a marketing list in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

• 2387536 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2387536/ ) You experience high CPU usage and high memory usage when lots of notifications are generated in a short time on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server

• 2306918 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2306918/ ) You experience slow performance when you move to views that include custom attributes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

• 2346217 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2346217/ ) Outlook crashes when you finish a mail merge process by using the Edit Individual Documents option in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Outlook

• 2385412 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2385412/ ) You are prompted to log on unexpectedly when you try to create a new record from a lookup form in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

• 2406746 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2406746/ ) An IRM-protected email message is promoted to an email activity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 unexpectedly

• 2308072 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2308072/ ) Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router cannot resume to process email messages after Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router encounters an issue

Issues that were not previously documented in a Knowledge Base article

Update Rollup 13 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 resolves the following issues that were not previously documented in a Knowledge Base article:

• You receive an error message when you set a value in the Duration field of a record in the Arabic version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
• The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook downloads notification events for all organizations instead of dowload notifications only for the configured organization. Therefore, you experience high CPU usage and high memory usage.
• When you try to reopen an Opportunity entity, you do not have the rights to complete the process unexpectedly. Additionally, the value in the ActualRevenue field and the value in the ActualCloseDate field are reset to a null value even though the opportunity is not reopened.
• If you enable the Duplicate Detection feature for entities that you try to import to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you cannot use the Import Data feature to import the entities. This problem occurs if the entities contain lookup attributes.
• The deletion service cannot delete records successfully because of the inefficient queries in the CleanupInactiveWorkflowAssemblies stored procedure.
• When you run a duplicate detection job, the Potential duplicate records grid displays incorrect data.
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You receive an e-mail message from a router that uses a POP3 e-mail account.
  • The e-mail message contains an attachment that uses the UTF-8 encoding.
  In this scenario, the attachment shows invalid characters.
• When you import an organization to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, Deployment Manager crashes. This problem occurs on computers that run the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 or that run the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 R2.
• When you change the privileges on a security role, the date in the Last Modified On field is not updated.
• You cannot run the Configuration Wizard in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Microsoft Office Outlook with Offline Access if the user account contains an apostrophe (').
• When the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router processes e-mail messages from the Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 mailboxes, the current end date is incorrect.
• The Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router does not track the Out of Office (OOF) e-mail messages.
• Emails receive a duplicate tracking token when you create the emails from a workflow.
• Assume that you run the Beta version of Internet Explorer 9. When you try to create an account, you receive a script error.
• Assume that you run the Beta version of Internet Explorer 9. When you run the Print Preview function, you cannot select the All records on all pages option in the Print List dialog box.

del.icio.us Tags: Dynamics CRM 4.0,Microsoft CRM,Update Rollup 13,Marketing Lists

What to do if you can’t publish a report in Dynamics CRM

Sometimes when writing SSRS reports for CRM, you will find that the report works fine in Visual Studio, but will fail when you upload them to Dynamics CRM.  This can be frustrating, because it can sometimes be difficult to identify the cause of the issue—it works fine when you preview it in Visual Studio, but when you upload it, the upload will fail, and typically the error message created will be very generic—something to the extent of “Call your System Administrator.”

Typically when you see this problem, it has to do with SSRS functionality specific to CRM reports.  Here are the top 3 causes that I see reported by users:

1.  Data source—When you create an SSRS report, you have the choice of using an Embedded data source or a shared data source.  For CRM reports, you must use an embedded data source.  If you use a shared data source, your report will preview in Visual Studio, but you will not be able to upload it.

2.  Hidden parameters—If you use the special hidden CRM parameters, such as the CRM_URL parameter to build dynamic hyperlinks to CRM records, if you don’t set them up properly, the report upload to CRM will fail, but it will still preview OK in Visual Studio.  Make sure that the parameters are set to hidden and allow null values.

3.  Pre-filters—When using CRM Report Pre-Filtering, if you use pre-filtering incorrectly, sometimes the report may fail to upload correctly.  In this case, like the others, the report will preview without error in Visual Studio, but will have issues uploading to CRM.

Troubleshooting

So now that we’ve talked about what some of the common causes for the “works in Visual Studio, but not in CRM” issue, how do you troubleshoot what is causing your report issue?  The best place to start is the event log of the CRM Server.  If you get a “Contact your Administrator” error message, frequently you will see a more detailed error message.  Recently I had a user experiencing this issue, and I checked the event log on the CRM server.  I found the following error message captured in the event log:

The parameter ‘CRM_URL’ has no default. A default is required for all non-nullable parameters without a prompt or the valid values list has to contain Null.

After modifying the SSRS report CRM_URL parameter to accept null values, the report could be successfully uploaded.
                     

del.icio.us Tags: CRM,reporting errors

Help! My Field Is Too Short!

Sometimes it's the little things that surprise you.  If you are an "old timer" CRM user like me, you may recall that there used to be a time when field lengths in Microsoft Dynamics CRM could not be changed, and especially could not be made longer than the original length after the field was created.  This meant that if you didn't make it long enough, you had to recreate the field.

I'm not aware if this is documented in the "official" documentation, but with Dynamics CRM 4.0, you can actually increase the maximum length of fields after they are created.  All you have to do is go to customization for the entity, open the attribute, and increase the length. I've found two main areas where you may find yourself needing to do this:

1.  Activity descriptions.  If you are like me and like to put the notes from your meetings in the description field of your Outlook appointment, you may find that you exceed the length of the CRM appointment description field.  In this case, your notes will get truncated.  By increasing this field size to 8,000-10,000 characters, you will probably never run out of space.

2.  Name fields.  Say you create a custom entity.  For the main attribute you go with the default 100 character length.  Later you may find that people need to use more than 100 characters.  The primary attribute "name" field is unique because it is what is displayed in lookup fields from other entities.  That's why frequently the requirements for the field change once users start using the application, and it's really nice to be able to change the length as your needs change.

Considerations

There are some considerations that you need to make before changing field lengths:

1.  Mapped fields.  If a field is mapped in a relationship between two entities--such as Address1: Street 1--it is important to keep the lengths consistent between both entities.

2.  Field type.  While you can change the length of the field after it is created, you cannot change the type of the field.  For example, if your field type is INT, you cannot change it to a money field.  You would have to recreate the field.  If the field is a money or decimal field, you can change the number of decimal points after the field is created.

Claims-Based Identity and CRM 2011

Microsoft is leading the effort to standardize Claims-based identity across the internet to create a common way for applications to acquire the identity information they need from users inside an organization, in other organizations, and on the Internet.  This new standard will make single sign-on much easier to achieve, and applications (like CRM 2011) will no longer responsible for:

• Authenticating users
• Sorting user accounts and passwords
• Calling enterprise directories to look up user details
• Integrating with identity systems from other platforms or companies

Think of the convenience within CRM 2011 for integrating users across multiple organizations and installs of CRM that connect to many internal / external applications or web services, while the application always knows that users specific rights in each instance through a single login.

This is achieved by utilizing Tokens that contain many Claims (ex. name, contact info, groups, permissions, etc.) and a Digital Signature to verify the user.  These tokens will be issued by a Security Token Service (STS) owned by an Identity provider or issuer (the users company or and external company in a hosted environment).

Then the application (CRM 2011) will specify exactly what it needs from a token and which identity providers it trusts. While the user can be setup to use many different identities and choose which one they want to access the application with.

As I stated earlier Microsoft is leading this effort by combining a suite of applications to allow an organization to implement claims-based identity.  The applications are as follows:

• Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 (AD FS 2.0) for STS
• Windows Identity Foundation (WIF) for Applications
• Cardspace 2.0 for User Identity Management (in web facing environments)

However any of these components can be swapped out with an alternative implementation (like IBM Tivoli or Novell Access Manager).

The graph below shows how CRM 2011 will use Claims-based identity in a Microsoft environment.

_______________________________________________

Additional Resources:

Claims-based identity for Windows.pdf

Identity Management: Windows Identity Foundation

Anticipating the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace

At the Worldwide Partner Conference in July, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace.  When completed, this service will allow developers of all Dynamics platforms to showcase their applications to users.  First at bat from the Dynamics roster of products is the CRM Marketplace, which will allow partners, like Customer Effective, to share their specialized vertical CRM solutions.  The Marketplace will allow users to download apps directly  from CRM 2011, as well as directly connect with  partners.  Users will be able to search for applications by Business Need (Marketing, HR, Finance), Industry Focus (Financial Services, Manufacturing) and geography.  Users will also be able to evaluate and rate the solutions on the Marketplace.

The Marketplace is set to launch this month (September).

In an interview with Channel9, Microsoft's's Dan Bien says:

Initially, it will be a search able repository of download-able custom solutions and extensions to help accelerate and/or extend the value of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and on-premises deployments. Publishers of solutions can get also more detailed web analytical information about their listings. In the future, Marketplace will provide e-commerce and offer financial transaction capabilities for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and on-premise, as well as Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions.

The Marketplaceis set to launch this month (September).  Check back to CE Blog for frequent updates.

 

 

 

 

 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Global Beta Released - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

As announced earlier today on the CRM Team blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/crm), the public beta for Dynamics CRM 2011 has been released! This is a very exciting milestone for Dynamics CRM 2011, and it's great to (finally) be able to talk about it.

Stay tuned to the CEI Blog for more details--we'll be digging in to feature focuses, and providing best practice guidance as you plan your move to Dynamics CRM 2011.

Here's what the CRM Tem Blog says about it:

Today, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM team has reached a key milestone as it releases the beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, for both cloud-based and on-premises deployments. Available for download and testing in eight languages (English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese) and 36 markets, this release marks the first global public beta for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Additionally, beta for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 on-premises is available in 40 markets in eight languages.

There is definitely high anticipation for this new release among partners and customers based on the very positive response received when the team first talked about the new product at WPC, and specifically highlighted how Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will deliver the Power of Productivity through familiar, connected and intelligent experiences for users inside and outside an organization.

Here is what Garrett Klas, application development manager at CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer who had the opportunity to experience a pre-beta version of the new release had to say:

“We are enthusiastic about the guided process capabilities of CRM 2011 as a means of reducing the required user training and enhancing our data stewardship program given our highly regulated industry. We value the flexibility offered by the current version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM so can't wait to try out the next generation product and witness the new features first hand.”

Additionally, the all new Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace online catalog (also announced at WPC) will be released as a beta later this month and will offer customers and partners a searchable and filterable catalog of more than 700 applications and professional services. This service will offer partners an easy way to market and distribute solutions to Microsoft Dynamics customers and customers a convenient way to find solutions that meet their business needs. 

To try out the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 beta or sign up for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online beta visit www.crm2011beta.com.

The full press release issued today is located here: Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Next-Generation CRM Product.  And be sure to engage and follow the Microsoft Dynamics CRM community @MSDynamicsCRM.

via blogs.msdn.com

“First Look at CRM 2011” Video

The XRM Virtual User Group has posted a video from their meeting earlier this week with Eric Boocock, Senior Technical Product Manager with Microsoft.  Eric gives a first look at CRM 2011 and takes an in-depth dive into the great new functionality, including:

• New Outlook client
• Personalization
• Role based forms
• Sharepoint document library integration
• Customization enhancements
• Dialogue scripting
• Dashboards and visualizations
• Much more

There will be a lot of information coming out about the new functionality available in 2011.  This video is a great starting point to see the main new functionality in one place.

You can watch it here: http://www.screencast.com/t/ZTIzYjVmNz

del.icio.us Tags: XRM,Dynamics CRM 2011,Microsoft CRM 2011,CRM 5

SSRS: Working with Multi-Value Parameters

An SSRS feature that was introduced in Visual Studio 2005 is the ability to add multi-value parameters (MVPs) or basically parameters that allow the user to choose from a set of values and apply them to a report. Here I will describe how to setup an SSRS report with multiple MVPs, along with tips that will assist you to utilize this functionality in Visual Studio 2008.

1. Setup your main dataset that will populate your report.

Here is an example statement that returns a few different values from the FilteredOpportunity view:

SELECT new_saleschannelname, accountidname, owneridname                                  FROM FilteredOpportunity

2. Utilize separate datasets for each Multi-Value Parameter.

After setting up the main SQL dataset, create additional datasets to return a list of values to represent each individual MVP.

TIP: When possible use the DISTINCT command to pass only the values that will be available to the main SQL dataset.

Here are the three datasets used for this example:

A. Sales Channel:                                                                                                       SELECT DISTINCT new_saleschannelname                                                                FROM FilteredOpportunity                                                                                       ORDER BY new_saleschannelname

B. Account:                                                                                                                   SELECT DISTINCT accountidname                                                                             FROM FilteredOpportunity                                                                                      ORDER BY accountidname

C. Owner:                                                                                                              SELECT DISTINCT owneridname                                                                              FROM FilteredOpportunity                                                                                         ORDER BY owneridname

3. Setup the Multi Value Parameter(s)

Add each MVP to the list of report Parameters as follows:

General Tab: Set the Name and Prompt for the parameter. Check the Allow blank value (""), and Allow multiple values. Set visibility to (Visible).

Available Values Tab: Select 'Get values from a query' and utilize the corresponding query for your MVP. Select the correct dataset and set the Value and Label fields from your query.

TIP: Default Values Tab - If you want to have all values for an MVP selected by default you can set the default value of the parameter to the same Value field used in the 'Available values' tab.

4. Use the "IN" statement to call the MVP from the WHERE clause in the main SQL dataset.

The statement (FieldName IN (@Parameter)) tells SSRS that @Parameter is a multi value parameter and to act accordingly.

SELECT saleschannelname, accountidname, owneridname                                           FROM FilteredOpportunity                                                                                     WHERE (new_saleschannelname IN (@Channel))AND (accountidname IN (@Client)) AND (owneridname IN (@Owner))

Also, be sure that each parameter is properly declared in the Properties of the Main SQL dataset:

TIP: If you don’t properly declare each parameter using the IN statement or in the dataset parameters you will receive the error “Must declare the scalar variable “@Parameter”.”

5. The result is a clean report that gives users the power to filter the results of a report to very specific data points:

Using the (free) CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP

The CRM/GP integration was featured front and center at Dynamics Convergence this summer in Atlanta.  The demo (below)  is  a pretty good demonstration of what a seamless supply chain - CRM workflow should look like.  Like any out of the box solution, it has it's bound to have it's limitations, but it's already creating a buzz with GP customers who are anxious upgrade their CRM experience.

 

 

The integration directions and included entities are below.  Some entity information is not bidirectional.  For example, a product entered in CRM cannot be integrated back to GP as a Sale Item, but GP Sales Items will integrate to CRM as a Product.

Like I said, this is a free adapter for active Microsoft Dynamics GP customers who have a current SA Support Plan.  Please let Customer Effective know if you have any questions about GP/CRM integration.

 

Join Customer Effective for the 2010 CRM User Conference

Don’t forget to register for the third annual Customer Effective CRM User Conference taking place on October 13- 15, 2010 at the Westin Poinsett hotel in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.

 

This year’s conference will highlight a keynote address from Jamie Tozzi, General Manager, Microsoft CRM, US Dynamics; the launch of CRM 2011; customer presentations, a customer panel and customer awards ceremony; and more!

 

Thursday evening, we will host a Customer Appreciation Dinner catered by Larkin’s on the River at the Wyche Pavilion, overlooking the Reedy River in downtown Greenville.

We hope you will join us, as always, registration is free but space is limited so please register now.

 

 

Conference Registration Information

 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Applications Exam (MB2-632)

If you have ever worked for an Information Technology organization, chances are that you have had to get “certified” in a particular application or software suite. Depending on the application, this can sometimes be an intimidating task. I am currently working to become a Microsoft Certified IT Professional for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The first step will be completing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Applications Exam MB2-632. For more information on the various types of Microsoft Professional certifications for Dynamics, please visit here. The purpose of this blog is to outline my experience in preparing for this exam and provide readers with some helpful tips, training methods and resources for the MB2-632 exam.

Everyone prepares for exams differently. Some people respond better to hearing training, in the form of speaking trainers/presenters. Some people like to watch training in the form of videos. Still others like to have a training document/book, complete with highlighters and notes. As this is my first Microsoft Exam, I wasn’t sure which avenue would prove most successful for me – so I explored a lot of them! Here’s a recap of some of the types of training I utilized:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Books:

• Positives: One-stop shop for content. A used copy of most of the books runs about $20.
• Negatives: The book is very large and weighs about 3 pounds. Carrying it around is cumbersome if you are used to having a computer bag with your files and laptop. Bulky.
• Some Example Books

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Online Training:

• Positives: The training has multiple modules. During the module, there are visual walkthroughs for many of the tasks and activities. Each module has mini-exams at the end to test your knowledge.
• Negatives: The speaker begins to get monotonous after a few modules. If you are not a Microsoft Customer or Partner and do not have access to the “free” training, it can be expensive. Online training for this course is $349.
• The online Collection 8913: Applications in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 can be found here.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Application:

• Positives: Nothing can help a person learn and application faster than actually practicing in the application. The free trial was fast and easy to install.
• Negatives: The trial period lasts 30 days.
• The signup is located here.

Personally, I found that the book, along with using the installed online application was sufficient to get a good working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. By “reading and practicing”, I was able to read through a few chapters of content and then go through some of the exercises in the book. The default data in the installed trial application is rather deficient. I would suggest creating a sample fictional company and then taking the time to populate the “company” with some default information, including price lists, products, customers, accounts, contacts, etc. It will help immensely in working through the various activities and tasks in the training – whatever format you choose.

Taking the Exam:

I’ve done some preliminary research on the exam itself. On the surface, the exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions. You have 50 minutes to complete the questions. The passing score is 70% or higher. There are a lot of mixed comments on the test itself. After reviewing some of the sample questions available throughout the web, I tend to agree. The questions are very picky, testing your knowledge of very tiny minutia around system navigation, processes and Microsoft nomenclature. It’s the kind of question where you read the four answers and all four of them look possibly correct.

With this said, there are a number of ways to get in some “practice” before the actual examination. Most of the training books, courses and materials I previously mentioned have practice questions. There are some organizations that offer sample questions and testing. Feedback on these has been fairly good, even if it helps familiarize you with the test taking methodology.

Once you are ready to sit for the exam, contact Prometrics for testing times and locations.

Good Luck!

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Additional information can be found on the following websites:

Microsoft Dynamics Website

Microsoft Dynamics Training Website

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Training

Collection 8913: Applications in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0