Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta Released :)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 has a many improvements. As, I have alreday shared many features in different posts on this blog. I will be highlighting all new excisting key feature with usability, advantages and disadvantages in next up comming days on my blog.So Get Ready for a new wonderfull journey with full flying colors. Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Key Features
Key Features	- Productive through improved navigational features. - Tighter integration with Microsoft Office Excel and Outlook. - Collaborative by using Microsoft SharePoint. - Insightful by using public and private dashboards. - Responsive through improved business process automation.
Navigational Feature	Provides new functionality which enables users to more easily navigate throughout the application. For example, if a user were on a particular Account, they could navigate to a different account they owned from the form without having to leave the record and open a separate Account window.
In-record browsing	Users can view their most recently viewed records and views.
-HELP-	Users can get help easier. By using the Getting Started pane, users can now access tips on how to use a particular application feature or even watch a video on how to use that feature..
Personalization	2011 enables users to better use the application in relation to their job role or roles. With the help of  - Personal dashboards - Personal default views - Roles based forms..
Visualizations	Users can evaluate data graphically by using charts and graphs available on any personal of public view. This functionality is also available on personalized and public dashboards.
Connections	Users can link different records together i.e. connections can be made between any entities.
Recurring Activities	Create recurring appointments which can be synced with 2011 Outlook client.
Goal Management	Identify, create, and track progress against individual or business specific goals. Using this feature we can track sales, service and marketing goals.
Easier form customizations	- Drag fields on the customization form. - Add, move and delete navigation items to the left navigational area through the customization interface. - Create custom attributes and relationships from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM customization form directly. - Change attribute level properties directly from the customization form. - Configure field level security and roll based forms i.e. Can be configured to have one interface for the sales team and one interface for the customer service team
Option Sets [Picklists]	Option Sets can be used on one or more forms i.e. Can also create globally available JScripts which are made available to any entity within the Microsoft Dynamic CRM deployment.
Solution management	- The solution provider can control which customizations are modifiable and which customization are not. - This solution record can be separately imported or exported and managed separately from other Microsoft Dynamics CRM customizations. - Manage third-party solutions or externally created customizations within their environment.
Current Tools	Suport Tools such as: - Visual Studio 2008/2010 - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 - Windows Azure.
Dialogs	- Dialogs and Workflows are part of the “Process” functionality in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. - Dialogs enable a user to use a “wizard-like” interface to answer questions.
Hardware and software requirements	The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 on x64 operating systems and hardware.
Record ownership by teams	Users can assign records and views to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Teams i.e. to control the access of a group of people to a particular record orview, the record or view can be assigned to a team and members can then be added to that team.
Record auditing	- Users can view audit history for any particular record. - customizers can configure the auditing for an entity or an attribute within that entity through the customization module.
Productivity Features	- Personalizing Home page - Tracking recently viewed records and modules - Easier previewing of records - ”In record” browsing without needing multiple windows open. - Microsoft® Excel® style views in Microsoft Dynamics CRM views - Faster learning with Getting Started pane
Collaboration	- Users and customizers will be able to incorporate and interact with already existing SharePoint sites and take advantage of the collaboration tools native to SharePoint. - Can create record specific folders. NOTE: This is achiveable in 4.0 through code and third party utilities. In 2011, Its a inbuilt functionality.
Analysis and Visualizations	- Can create personal inline graphs and charts to better analyze and report on data as preferred. - Users can now interact with views much like they can with Excel spreadsheets. - Addition of custom column by column filtering and conditional formatting, users can access and view information as needed and provide a deeper level of insight.
Connections	Users can make their own connections between any entities as in MSCRM 4.0 could make loosely coupled connections between Accounts, Contacts, and Opportunities.
Recurring Activities	Users can now create recurring activities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. This functionality will resemble what a user would experience in Microsoft Outlook.
Goal Management	Users can create goals for users or teams not just for sales numbers, but on almost any kind of metric.
Customization and Extensibility	- Provides a robust default user experience for both the built-in and custom components configured for a solution. - Default user experience can then be additionally customized for specific solution requirements by using the extensibility hooks. - Many of these customizations can be performed by using the form and view editors and do not require code i.e. “layout on forms”, “columns on views” and “even sub grids to display related data inline on a form can all be created using Web-based editors and do not require code. - JScript to handle form events. - Web Resources can have many content types including HTML, images and SilverLight. - Silverlight controls that are added to forms run inline and have full access to interact with the form. - Navigation is a key part of the user experience guiding the user to the solution features by using intuitive paths.
Form Customization Improvement	- Reusing global customizations such as JScripts, picklists, and other resources across multiple entities. - Web Resources which lets organizations register, embed, and consume content such as images, HTML, Silverlight controls, JScripts, style sheets such as CSS and XSL files, and other various resources within Microsoft Dynamics CRM forms. - Dragging attributes on to the form or to even move fields and sections easily from one location on the form to another. - Filtered grids (views) - Record modification auditing - Field Level security
Customization Management Features	Ability to group customizations by Solutions . i.e customizers can import a specific solution and uninstall that solution without affecting existing customizations such as clientside script, picklist values, and form customizations.
Extensibility features	Can extend through: - Visual Studio - Windows Workflow Foundation 4 on on-primise deployment. - Windows Communication Foundation - Inclusion of the REST Endpoint (Representational State Transfer)for AJAX - Silverlight - LINQ [.Net Language-Integrated Query for writing queries]. - Ability to interact with the Windows Azure Platform through coupling the Microsoft Dynamics CRM event execution pipeline to the AppFabric Service Bus in the cloud.
Processes: Dialogs and Workflows	Processes include Workflows and Dialogs.
Dialogs	Dialogs are synchronous processes and require user inputs to run until they are completed. When you run these processes, a wizard-like interface is presented to the user to make appropriate selections in the wizard pages based on requirements..

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 is now 2011

A Journey from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 – ["The Power of Choice"]  TO  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – ["The Power of Productivity"] Download

Migration and Upgrade CRM 4.0 to 2011

Solution Management	The concept is quite powerful as it allows components to be layered on to the base system but also on top of other solutions (i.e. when there are inter-dependencies). It also provides a way to protect the intellectual property of the components in your solution and includes change management and versioning.
Plug-In Transaction Support	In CRM 4.0 you could register a plug-in to run either before (pre-event) or after (post-event) the CRM platform operation. However, you were not able to run as part of the transaction itself, so you had to write your own compensation logic in the event the CRM platform operation failed. CRM 5.0 addresses this limitation, and you can now choose to register you plug-in as part of the platform operation. The CRM 5.0 plug-in registration tool has been modified to support this.
Automatic Plug-In Profiling	CRM 5.0 will keep track of how a plug-in is executing, what resources it consumes, if it is causing unexpected exceptions and whether or not it is violating security constraints. If a particular plug-in fails a number of times it is automatically disabled from executing, helping to maintain system integrity.
ADO.Net Data Services and .Net RIA services support	Enables an easier data access for web applications, AJAX and Silverlight
Workflow Up gradation	Workflows in CRM 4.0 will be migrated automatically to CRM 5.0 as part of the upgrade process. Running workflow instances in CRM 4.0 will resume at the point they were stopped once the upgrade process has completed. Custom workflow activities written for CRM 4.0 will continue to run in CRM 5.0 after migration, and will be wrapped by the new WF interop activity. Also can replace Plug Ins by Workflow since workflows provides Pre and Post Image as wells as Input and Output parameter in Workflow Context.
Claims based Authentication and Federation	CRM 5.0 will enable us to integrate transparently authentication with other applications either On-Premise or on the Cloud.
Unstructured Relationships	CRM 5.0 allows you to define ad-hoc relationships between any two entities.
Team Ownership	Entities in CRM 4.0 were either User Owned or Organization Owned. Now Team Owned entities are added in CRM5, and integrated into the role-based security model.
Native SharePoint Integration	Integration with Windows SharePoint Services for document management, which includes site and document library provisioning, document metadata, item security, and check-in/check-out capabilities.
Others	User friendly analytical tool which includes new dashboards. Tighter integration with Outlook

Download

Release dates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0

Microsoft is gearing up to provide early adopters with the Beta development milestone of the next iteration of Dynamics CRM in just a couple of months. At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2010, the Redmond company demonstrated the new capabilities that are in stored for the evolution of its next-generation customer relationship management (CRM) solution. According to the software giant, customers will get to try the Beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in September 2010.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta Drops in September 2010 Download Microsoft Demonstrates Next-Generation CRM Release at Worldwide Partner Conference Download

Update Rollups for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Update Rollup 12 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 12. This is a tested, cumulative set of updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. It includes performance enhancements that are packaged together for easy deployment. Microsoft has released for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Packs, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 11 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 11 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Packs, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 10 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Update Rollup 10 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available. This article describes the hotfixes and the updates that are included in this update rollup. This update rollup is available for all languages that are supported by Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. Download
Update Rollup 9 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 9 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 8 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 8. This is a tested, cumulative set of updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. It includes performance enhancements that are packaged together for easy deployment. Download
Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 5 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 5 on 2.July.2009 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. To maintain parity between the the application components of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, this update rollup includes packages for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Language Packs, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router. Download
Update Rollup 4 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Microsoft has released Update Rollup 4. This is a tested, cumulative set of updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. It includes performance enhancements that are packaged together for easy deployment. Download
Get Latest Updates Rollup 4 information for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	Update Rollup 4 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available. This article describes the hotfixes and the updates that are included in this update rollup. This update rollup is available for all languages that are supported by Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. Download
White Paper:Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	This white paper details techniques, considerations, and best practices for optimizing and maintaining the performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 implementations. Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 updates and hotfixes	This article lists the updates and the hotfixes that are available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005	The Microsoft Dynamic CRM 4.0 Management Pack enables you to administer the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server application in Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005. Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 New Features

 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 is currently on schedule to ship as part of the Office14 Wave (most likely end of 2010), and the team is only part way through the development cycle. There is already much to get excited about. Here is a list of features:

New Features For End Users

Enhanced Navigation	I guess it was inevitable, but CRM5 uses the same “Fluent UI” (aka the Ribbon) as Office 2007. This new “command bar” replaces the CRM 4.0 “tool bars” at the top of each page, and is context sensitive. In addition, the “command bar” is fully customizable and you can add your own buttons much like you can with ISV.Config file today. Incidentally, something that isn’t discussed but appears on the ribbon is the “Add to Queue” command, from which I can only surmise that you will be add any entity (including custom entities) to a Queue.
Single Page Forms	The form model in CRM 4.0 made use of tabs to divide a form into multiple pages. In CRM5 tabs are displayed in the same way as section, with each form just having a single, scrolling page. As you can see from the navigation page of an Account entity, tabs are now displayed as a series of “quick access” navigation shortcuts under the “Information” link.
Data Filtering	One often requested feature is the ability to filter data in grids, much like Excel. Now you can navigate to the “DataView”, click the “Filter” command, and you can perform your own in-line filtering. Again, although not explicitly stated, it looks as though you can quickly save your filters as a View, as well as setting your own Default View.
In-line Visualizations	Although not Business Intelligence in the true sense of the phrase, CRM5 allows you to visualize numeric data using in-line charts. This is not SQL Server Reporting Services, but looks very much like the .NET charting solution from Dundas
Team Ownership	Entities in CRM 4.0 were either User Owned or Organisation Owned. Now Team Owned entities are added in CRM5, and integrated into the role-based security model.
Native SharePoint Integration	Integration with Windows SharePoint Services for document management, which includes site and document library provisioning, document metadata, item security, and check-in/check-out capabilities.
Unstructured Relationships	The next generation of “set regarding” and “relationship roles” functionality, allowing you to define ad-hoc relationships between any two entities

New Features For Administrator

Flexible Form Layout	We now have much more flexibility in how forms are laid out, for example, we can position sections side-by-side, as well as field labels on top, left or right of each field. Best of all, we can now configure “In-Line Sub-Grids” for child records, so a combination of IFrames & JScript is no longer required to make this work.
Filtered Lookups	One of the most requested features has finally made it into the product. Whilst customizing the form, you can choose a pre-defined view or better still you can filter by a related lookup on the same form.
Form Headers & Footers	Now that all tabs, sections and fields appear on a single, scrolling form, it is quite possible the form will get become quite long and you will end up scrolling up and down more often to find the information you require. In order to make the most commonly required visible at all times, you can now place these fields in a header or footer so that they will always be displayed regardless of the scrolling.
Solution Management	With CRM 4.0, you had to implement a manual process when customizing your solution, to make sure that you didn’t overwrite previous customizations, or disrupt any 3rd party ISV solutions. In CRM5 we had now added the concept of solutions. A solution is a defined set of entity customizations, workflows, e-mail templates, security roles, plug-ins etc. that can be managed as a single unit. Each solution is version controlled so presumably your can have multiple versions of the same solution installed, and roll-back to a previous version if necessary. You can also define solution dependencies where one solution can only be installed if another solution is also installed. For example, you might have a base solution for your whole organisation, with a departmental specific solution built on top of it. Namespace collision is avoided by defining publishers, with each publisher having a unique namespace. This avoids the common issue where the default namespace “new_” is used for all customizations, leading to potential namespace conflict. One final plus point is that you can now specify which attributes will be exported as part of a solution, rather than having no choice but to export the whole entity.
Multiple Option Sets	Otherwise known as “Global Picklists”, you can define these at the solution level, and re-use them across multiple entities.
Drag and Drop Form Editor	One of the most time consuming customization tasks in CRM 4.0 is the form design. Every time you want to add, remove or re-position tabs, sections and attributes, you have to go through a multi-click process. With CRM5, you can now drag and drop all elements of a form, speeding up the process considerably
Audit	Although not explicitly mentioned during the sessions, I spotted an “auditing” setting on the attribute designer form, allowing you to turn auditing on or off.

New Features For Developer

Custom Code Sandbox	There is a new server role for running custom plug-in code and custom workflow activities without requiring full trust. This means that it will be possible to run custom code in the CRM Online environment and achieve true parity between On-Premise, Partner-Hosted and Microsoft-Hosted deployments.
Plug-In Transaction Support	In CRM 4.0 you could register a plug-in to run either before (pre-event) or after (post-event) the CRM platform operation. However, you were not able to run as part of the transaction itself, so you had to right your own compensation logic in the event the CRM platform operation failed. CRM5 addresses this limitation, and you can now choose to register you plug-in as part of the platform operation. The CRM5 plug-in registration tool has been modified to support this.
Automatic Plug-In Profiling	CRM5 will keep track of how a plug-in is executing, what resources it consumes, if it is causing unexpected exceptions and whether or not it is violating security constraints. If a particular plug-in fails a number of times it is automatically disabled from executing, helping to maintain system integrity.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 Screenshots

Microsoft CRM 5.0 screenshots look modern and Office 2007 with the Ribbon interface.

Presentation	Functionality	Administration	Developers
Enhanced user experience with the Ribbon interface.	Data Filtering available on the List View of records.	More customizable form layout options.	Custom Code Sandbox
Single page forms – no more tabs!  Pages are links on the left nav bar.	Team Ownership security model.	More options with filtered lookups in form customization.	Plug-in Transaction Support
In-line Reports – allows charts to be embedded where the Form Assistant in v4 typically pops out.	Native SharePoint integration.	Customize Headers and Footers to display record information.	Automatic Plug-in Profiling
	Unstructured Relationships – allows definition of ad-hoc relationships.	Solution Management – enhanced ability to manage customizations to your CRM build.
		Multiple Option Sets, also known as global picklists across multiple entities.
		Drag-and-Drop Form Editor
		Data Audit capability

 

 

 

Sure Step Methodology An Overview

Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides partners, customers and Microsoft Consulting Services with end to end, business process flows that guide users through field-tested best practices, proven project management principles and user-friendly tools, enabling deployment, migration, configuration and upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics products.
Sure Step supports a broad range of products: Dynamics AX, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP, Dynamcis SL and Dynamics CRM. And different project types: Full Implementation, Rapid Implementation, Optimization and Upgrade. Products and project types can be combined. Microsoft provides the Sure Step Overview Diagram for sales and training situations.
Download
Benefits of Sure Step Methodology
Sure Step helps improve services’ delivery and efficiency so that increased profitability and customer satisfaction are achieved.This can be accomplished because Sure Step provides a consistent framework and a repeatable process that help improve the customer experience. All of this helps you hone the way you deploy Microsoft Dynamics solutions. Sure Step provides guidance for partners who support small, medium, and large implementations, including: Rapid project types on projects which primarily require a smaller implementation with little to no need for customization, typically in the small business    and lower mid market space. Standard project types on projects with more users and some customization required, typically for customers in the mid market space. Enterprise project types on projects for a large client with multiple sites and a large number of users, typically in the corporate account and enterprise   spaces.
Sure Step Methodology has six phases: Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment & Operation. While Diagnostic is a pre-implementation phase, the Analysis through Operation phases represent the five phases of an implementation project. The Operation phase also encompasses post-implementation activities, in that it extends the project lifecycle beyond the implementation and into the Support stage.
Diagnostic Phase The first phase in the Sure Step Methodology is the Diagnostic phase, which marks the transition from the sales cycle to implementation. The Diagnostic phase consists primarily of high-level planning and high-level analysis of the customer’s business processes and infrastructure. The goal of the Diagnostic phase is to collect information to define a high-level project scope and then create a customer proposal for the remaining phases of the implementation project. The Diagnostic phase consists of the following activities: 1. Diagnostic preparation 2. High-level analysis of business processes 3. Detailed analysis of selected business processes (Optional) 4. Project scoping 5. Infrastructure analysis 6. Project planning 7. Proposal management Analysis Phase The activities in the Analysis phase help identify the decisions the customer must make that will guide the implementation. This phase is similar to Diagnostic in that work involves: 1. Determining and documenting current business processes. 2. Describing improved business processes 3. Describing any modifications needed for the system to support future business processes.At the end of this phase, customers will have a good understanding of the proposed Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation. This includes the project cost, deliverables, and milestones. The Analysis phase consists of the following activities: 1.Planning 2.Training 3.Data migration 4.Detailed analysis of business processes 5.Document and present functional requirements 6.Proposal management Design Phase Building on the deliverables created during Analysis, this phase consists of determining the design for the overall MS Dynamics implementation and designing solutions for specific customizations, integr-ations, and data migration needed to satisfy business requirements identified during the Analysis phase. The primary deliverables from this phase are a high-level design specification and a detailed technical design specification, both that satisfy the high-level decisions determined in the previous phases. These design specifications will guide the development activities in the following phase. The Design phase consists of the following activities: 1. Planning 2. Data migration design 3. Design specification 4. Technical design specification 5. Proposal management Development Phase The primary purpose of the Development phase is to develop the customizations,integrations, and data migration processes that were defined in the design specifications created and approved in the Design phase. The primary deliverables of development are the completed and tested customizations, reports, integrations, and any data migration programs and processes. Each component developed in this phase is tested and verified to be functioning as defined by the Functional requirements, design specifications, and testing criteria.An important feature of the Development phase is that development activities,such as individual features, integrations, or data migration, can continue through the Development phase at the same time. This depends on the size and complexity of the project and the number of resources available to work on individual components. The Development phase consists of the following activities and tasks: 1. Planning 2. Environment setup 3. Development 4. Customer testing and acceptance Deployment Phase The primary deliverable from the Deployment phase is a functioning live system.Activities in this phase prepare the infrastructure, application environment, and end-users for the cutover to the new system. Activities in this phase include the following: 1. Preparing Go-Live plans, system test plans, and end-user training plans. 2. Configuring the live and test environments 3. Performing system testing and load testing using a subset of the customer’s data 4. Preparing and delivering end-user training 5. Completing final data migration and validation 6. Completing all Go-Live activities to launch the new systemFor rapid implementation projects, there is an additional activity at the beginning of the Deployment phase. Because rapid implementation projects go to deployment directly from the Diagnostic phase, you must complete additional activities to prepare for the deployment. After you complete those activities, a rapid deployment continues: The Deployment phase consists of the following activities: 1. Rapid implementation 2. Planning 3. Environment configuration 4. Testing 5. Go-Live Operation Phase The primary purpose of the Operation phase is to support the customer technically and functionally during the initial Go-Live period for the new system.Additionally, you will perform tasks to close the project. At the end of the phase,you transition the project to the customer, and pursue the opportunity to provide on-going support and continued account management. The Operation phase consists of the following activities: 1. Project closing 2. Post live support 3. Final acceptance sign-off 4. Project review 5. On-going product support 6. On-going account management The Sure Step Methodology model also defines two additional phases that you can perform after a Microsoft Dynamics solution goes live in the customer’s production environment: Optimization Phase The Optimization phase is designed to provide structure to manage post Go-Live processes. This phase also provides an opportunity to maintain a relationship with the customer after an initial implementation project or as a way to provide services to a new customer.The purpose of this phase is to review a customer’s existing Microsoft Dynamics implementation and adjust business processes, configuration, or performance to enhance the effectiveness of the solution. The Optimization phase mirrors a full implementation process because it encapsulates many of the same activities and tasks. The phase includes: 1. Analysis activities to gather information about process,configuration, and performance 2. Proposals for scope of work 3. The work to perform and deploy the optimization itself. After completing the initial Analysis activities in the Optimization phase, you may determine that a full implementation approach is required to address the customer’s issues. An Optimization project consists of the following activities: 1. Analysis 2. Planning 3. Defining optimizations 4. Deploying optimizations 5. Operation Upgrade Phase The purpose of the upgrade phase is to upgrade a customer to a major new version of Microsoft Dynamics (upgrade projects are not intended for service pack releases). Like an optimization project, an upgrade project consists of many similar activities performed in a full implementation project. This includes analysis, planning, testing, training, and upgrading the customer’s production environment.During the upgrade analysis activity, you may determine that the complexity of an upgrade requires a full implementation. This starts at the Diagnostic phase. An Upgrade project consists of the following activities: 1. Analysis 2. Planning 3. Performing the upgrade 4. Testing 5. Go-Live 6. Operation

Why XRM

xRM is an “anything relationship management” platform, upon which hundreds of partners,ISVs and customers already have written line-of-business apps (LOBs) using the core stack that powers Microsoft Dynamics CRM.XRM is a line-of-business (LOB) application platform for the management of any business entity.Some customers are relying on xRM to help them consolidate their applications, making them more easily customizable and manageable because they are written on top of a common, .Net-based platform. Others are using xRM to create extensions to CRM, Microsoft execs said. Some users decide to “turn off” Dynamics CRM but still use the xRM core to create and maintain other applications, they added, as part of their move to reduce use and dependency on legacy applications.XRM provides customer relationship management (CRM) applications to manage customer relationships in marketing, sales, and customer service. XRM is the same platform that underlies Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

CRM XRM Definition C = Customer: Manage customers through the automation of marketing, sales, and service processes X = Any Business Entity: Many any business relationship through the automation of relevant business unit processes Used by Marketing, sales, and customer service teams Any team To Manage Customer relationships Any relationship Automates Marketing, sales, and service processes Any business process Tracks Interactions, activities, tasks, and 360-degree history of the customer Interactions, activities, tasks, and 360-degree history of “X” Provides Customer-centric analytic “X”-centric analytics

Sample Solutions:

Vendor: Certification, purchasing, compliance Employee New employee, benefits enrollment Prospect: Resume submission, screening and scheduling Broadcasting: Script creation, negotiation Notifiable Disease: Outbreak tracking, testing, alert Environmental Legislation: Enquiry, compliance reporting Project: RFP, new project kick-off, status update Conservation Contract: Contract selection, contract maintenance Grant: RFG, proposal evaluation, grant tracking

Download

Microsoft Launches Preview of Dynamics CRM 5.0

Microsoft has delivered a new Community Technology preview (CTP) of the next generation of the company’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM software, codenamed “CRM5.” It’s preview Released Worldwide, On Premises and Online.

Microsoft Dynamics “CRM5” Technology Preview Released Worldwide, On Premises and Online Download Microsoft Releases Technical Preview of Next Generation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Download Microsoft Unveils Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Tools List

CRM Plugin Registration Tool	PluginRegistration tool is enhanced version of the tool that is published with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 SDK. Download
Demonstration Tools	The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Demonstration Tools provide a simple user interface that allows you to easily enter and edit data to populate or modify your instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It also allows you to load and store your data in XML format, so that you can reuse your data in the future. Download
Bulk Update and Export tool	Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Bulk Update and Export tool makes it easier for people to update and/or export data from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. You won’t need to do everything manually. Let the computer do the work, you do the thinking. It’s developed in C# on the microsoft CRM SDK. Download
CRM Configuration Manager
Documentation Generator
Javascript Intellisense Generator
Form JavaScript Manager
Isv.config Manager
View Layout Replicator
Event Listener
View Layout Replicator
Sitemap & ISV.Config Editor aka CRM Xml Editor
Developers Tool
CRM Trace Log Viewer
Stunnware Tools
Internet Facing Deployment Configuration Tool
Configuration Data Utility
Deployment Job Editor
Customization Comparison Utility

How to Shuffle users between the Organizations

Below are the steps to shuffle the users between the organizations with the same roles:

1 Create a mapping document which contains the following fields: a. User Name b. Current Business Unit Name c. New Business Unit Name d. User ID 2 Write a .net code 3 Retrieve all the users from the Mapping document. 4 For each user search user in the CRM. 5 Check if first user does not exists in the CRM then exit. 6 Else retrieve current user roles against the current business unit to which it is mapped. 7 Save user roles in an array. 8 Check if new business unit exist in the CRM, if not then exit. 9 Else get the business unit ID for the new business unit. 10 Assign user to the new business unit id 11 Check weather the role saved previously saved in an array exists against this new organization 12 Check weather the role saved previously saved in an array exists against this new organization 13 If roles doesn’t exists then exit. 14 Else get the role ids and assign them to the current user.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and MapPoint Integration

Microsoft Provides MapPoint Web Service to enrich application with mapping functionality. It allows you to integrate maps, driving directions, order tracking and proximity searches into a wide range of solutions. Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Interview Questions

1	What is CRM Service of MSCRM?
2	What is Metadata service of MSCRM?
3	What is discovery Service?
4	What is a Plug-in?
5	What is a Workflow?
6	What are the differences between Plug-in and a Workflow?
7	What are the differences between Asynchronous Plug-in and a Workflow?
8	When will you use a workflow and when will you use a Plug-in? Give some Real-lifescenario?
9	What is an Email-Router?
10	What are the steps to configure an Email router?
11	How the Plug-in and Workflow will behave in case of Off-line client?
12	What is Metadata?
13	What is CRM Discovery Service?
14	What is Sales and Marketing life cycle in MSCRM?
15	What is Queue entity in MSCRM?
16	What is 1:1, 1:N and N:N relationship in Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
17	How a Plug-in is different from a Call-out?
18	What is ‘Append’ and ‘Append To’ privilege in MSCRM? Give one example of it?
19	How to create a Custom Entity record using SDK?
20	How to join two table using Query Expression?
21	Can we modify the name of Root Business Unit?
22	Suppose if I have 100 user license and I have created 100 users. What will happen if I create 101User?
23	What are the maximum number of tabs allowed on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 form?
24	How to enable/disable the form assistant? How to make sure the form assitant is expanded/cllapsedon a form?
25	What is Filtered Views?
26	Can we change a base currency?
27	Can we remove the root Business Unit?
28	Can we use the same database for different instance?
29	Can we use Oracle in replace of SQL server?
30	Can we add new button in Actions menu?
31	Can we hide Add Existing from Entity?
32	Relationships in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0 (parental, referential, Non Referential)?
33	Relationship Behavior in MS DynamICS CRM 4.0 (Cascading, Cascading to record, Cascading None, SetConfigure)?
34	How to achieve 1:1 Relationship in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
35	How to develop custom WF?
36	How to get parameter for Custom WF from UI of the workflow?
37	How to debug the WF?
38	Regarding Plug In ask what if you want to right some logic on deletion of record referring todeletion for record what he will do like custom entity?
39	What is the difference in Using CRM Web Service and SDK DLL?
40	What is the benefit of using SDK DLL over web service?
41	Different way of registering plugin(database, file and GAC)?
42	Difference between entity and Dynamic Entity?
43	Field Level Security. People will say using JS and all and then u can ask @ what will happen toviews?
44	Roles. Different Level of privileges?
45	Web service call through JavaScript. JS Debugging?
46	Different Modules in MS Dynamics CRM and Each Module flow?
47	Difference between Discovery and Metadata Service?
48	DB Structure for MS Dynamics CRM 4.0. What information MSCRM_Config DB will have?
49	How do you move an organization from one server to other server. What all are the steps u willfollow?
50	What all are the software requires/ prerequisite to install MS Dynamics CRM(SQL, AD, Report Serveretc.)?
51	How do you build the custom report. How u will you upload in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
52	Team Concept in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0. Where do you use it?
53	Give some scenario of SLA and Notification based on SLA + Email to Case?
54	Site Map and ISV Config difference and use in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
55	How many tabs you can have on form and how to increase the count of it ?
56	What all different view in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
57	How you will achieve Hierarchal Picklist or Look Up?
58	What is meant by Dynamic Picklist?
59	How many by default reports are there in mscrm ?How many is of case?
60	Difference between outlook client and webclient?
61	Explain Service Life Cycle?
62	Explain Sales Cycle?
63	Memory of SQL Express Edition?
64	Can workflows,CRM Webservice can be hosted on another system?
65	Difference between plugins & workflows?
66	Explain CRM flavours?
67	Explain editions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0?
68	Email Router steps?
69	Plugin registration steps?
70	Email to case creation condition?
71	Features of MS Dynamics CRM 2011 as compared to MSCRM 4.0?
72	Integration?
73	Export data from attribute of one data type to another data type e.g. Float toInteger?
74	Architecture of MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
75	Plugin step by step creation procedure?
76	List entities of Service Module?
77	If CRM user is there and if he doesn’t have account in Active Directory will he be able to accessCRM?
78	Difference between Marketing Campaign and Quick Campaign?
79	How do u track Campaign Response?
80	For Asp.Net integration with MSCRM what are prerequisite?
81	Does MS Dynamics CRM 4.0 works with SQL Server 2000?
82	In Visual studio 2005 and VS 2008 what is the difference while creating plugins /workflows. What add-ons need to be added while Asp.Net integration with MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
83	Indexing in SQL Server 2005?
84	What setting has to be done to plugin run in offline mode?
85	Which parameter is passed in Execute Method?
86	Which interface you have to implement in Plugin?
87	Which Method is there in Plugin?
88	Can we create service using sdk and sdktypeproxy dll?
89	How to update Primary Contact in Account using Plugin.Whether single Query Expression is requiredor 2 is required?
90	Difference between abstract class & Interface?
91	Difference Between value type & reference type?
92	Explain boxing & unboxing?
93	Retreive Contact’s information using Account entity?
94	Types of Joins?
95	How to pass parameters to Report?
96	Types of CRM Service?
97	Can we update Dispaly Name of Entity through MetaData Service?
98	Purpose of Discovery Service?
99	Explain Dynamic Entity?
100	Pre event & Post event Plugin?
101	How to give web link or URL in email activity of MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
102	Purpose of MetaData Service?
103	Types of WebService?
104	Types of Authentication in MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
105	How to give windows Authentication in Asp.Net application?
106	Concept of Multitenancy?
107	Deployment of pluign types?
108	Benefit of deploying plugin in Database?
109	Which type of deployment u hav used of MS Dynamics CRM 4.0?
110	Have u used CrmWebservice in Asp.Net application?
111	How we can login in Asp.Net application?

Microsoft Dynamics CRM webinars

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Overview Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Deep Dive Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Custom Development Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 as a Platform Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Workflows Download 1 Download 2

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Reporting Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Report Wizard Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Installation Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Multi-Currency Download 1 Download 2

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Multi-Language Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Manager Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Office Communication Server Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Advanced Find Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Import Data Wizard Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Duplicate Detection Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Security Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Multitenancy Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Download

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Best Practise

Tricks and Tips

Tricks and Tips from Users of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Download