Nitin Dhawan CRM Discussion

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Audit Plugin

nitindhawan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:28:37 +0000

Audit Plugin

Microsoft CRM 4.0 Audit Plugin is a simple-to-use plugin enabling basic data auditing capabilities. Configured via Plugin Manage. The Microsoft DynamicsTM CRM 4.0 Audit Plug-in was created to address the package’s minimal auditing capability. The audit plug-in can be used by the Microsoft CRM partners and customers to quickly increase the package’s auditing capability to track field level changes.The Audit plug-in is distributed in source format under the Open source licensing as provided by Codeplex license agreement. Knowledge of Microsoft Visual Studio® and Microsoft Visual C#® is required to extend or customize the plug-in. You are asked to contribute any enhancements back to the project. Knowledge of how to install and configure plug-ins for Microsoft CRM 4.0 is required to setup the auditing capability.
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Creating recursive appointments in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

nitindhawan — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:17:09 +0000

Unfortunatily we don’t have this feature in Microsoft CRM 4.0 But Microsoft is plainning to introduce this feature in MSCRM 5.0.

We can achieve this functionality in MSCRM 4.0 customizing the Appointment entity. we have to write a plugin to create next instances of recurring series and save them to CRM database but this is a unsupported approach. it may have some performance issues.

Why XRM

nitindhawan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:47:30 +0000

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

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Update Rollups for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

nitindhawan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:18 +0000

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 4.0 Adapters

nitindhawan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:34:51 +0000

Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

The Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2006 Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 4.0 enables integration between Microsoft Dynamics CRM and non-Microsoft business applications. This lets you do the following operations:
1. Use Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a send adapter.
2. Discover and use the schema of any Microsoft Dynamics CRM actions and entities.
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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (BETA) Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0

Effortlessly demonstrate the updating of customer information within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and watch the customer information on the Customer Card within Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 automatically update with the changes entered within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. In addition, demonstrate additional changes to the same customer information with Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 and watch Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 also capture these changes. This demonstration is high-level example of a “round-trip” integration between two Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Reports An Overview

nitindhawan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:29:40 +0000

What is Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reports

It uses the term Report to refer to any type of data analysis file, regardless of its origin and type. Therefore, a report may be a Microsoft Office Excel file, a SQL Server Reporting Services report, a third-party reporting file, or a link to an external Web page report.

How to create Reports

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 includes approximately 24 Reporting Services reports in the default installation and those reports include an additional 28 Subreports. However we will definitely want to create new reports (or modify the default reports) as we customize our MS CRM database with new entity attributes and custom entities.
In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 we can create Reports in two methods:

Report Wizard

All users have access to the Report Wizard to create a report for their personal use, assuming they have any level of access to the Report Create Privilege. The Installation enables the Report Create Privilege on all security roles by default. By default, the Report Wizard creates the report as a personal (individual viewable) report.One can access the Report Wizard by creating a new report from the Reports grid. In addition to creating a report, one can use the Report Wizard to edit an existing Report Wizard report.

Report Definition Language with VS 2005

One can create their own Reporting Services report from scratch by using Visual Studio 2005. To develop reports in VS 2005, one should need Business Intelligence Development Studio add-in to be installed with VS 2005

Reporting Service Versions

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Supports the following Reporting Services editions:
1. SQL Server 2005, Standard Edition with SP2
2. SQL Server 2005, Enterprise Edition with SP2
3. SQL Server 2005, Workgroup Edition with SP2
4. SQL Server 2005, Standard Edition, x64 SP2
5. SQL Server 2005, Enterprise Edition x64 SP2

Data Flow Diagram

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 reports depend on the connector for Microsoft SQL server Reporting services. SSRS data connector used to proxy request between CRM 4.0, SSRS and SQL server thereby removing trust for delegation Requirement. The SRS connector runs as an SSRS Data Processing Extension and handles all of the delegation for you. The use of the data connector is recommended for Internet facing deployments and anywhere users are not using NT Auth to connect to CRM. Other way to do this in Microsoft CRM 4.0 is to use integrated authentication where trust for delegation is required between the CRM server, the SSRS server and the SQL server with the CRM DB.

Reporting Services Architecture Diagram

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Architecture Consist of three layers. First level is MS Dynamics CRM which consist of Reports and Report Viewer ASP.Net Control, here Reports is nothing but an Entity which presented in MSCRM which is not there in MSCRM 3.0 Version. The SQL Reporting Services Report Viewer is an ASP.Net control which runs on the CRM 4.0 Web server. When you choose to run a report from Microsoft CRM 4.0, the ASP.Net control requests the report and data from the remote SSRS box. In practical terms, In Microsoft CRM 4.0 the URL for a report is the CRM Web server.

Authentication in MSCRM 4.0 Reports

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server uses Report viewer to display data from SRS Server, the connection between Report Viewer and SRS Webservice uses CRM User Context for Authentication.SRS Webservice and CRM Data Connector uses SRS App pool and CRM User Context for establishing connection to MSCRM Filtered views in SQL Server. All data retrieved using CRM Data Connecter controlled by CRM Roles and Privileges Advantages of Data Connector are that it Removes trust for delegation (TFD) requirement. Enabling reports for external applications still is subject to TFD.Report entity is a full CRM entity and Sharing Report is also available. No longer need to make calls to SRS to display list of reports in CRM.RDLs are mastered in CRM.

Note:

If a user does not have Privileges in CRM he or she will get a blank Report.
Credentials supplied by the user running the report option which expects SystemUserId as the Login Name and OrganizationId as the Password.
Sharing Reports – Users Can share their reports to a team or any specific user.

Prerequisites for Installation of SRS Data Connector:

SQL Server Reporting Service 2005 or 2008
MS CRM 4.0 needs to be installed (Connector requires MSCRM_CONFIG db)

Installation of SRS Data Connector:

Run the Splash.exe file
Select SRS Data Connector
Select Update the Installation files(Recommended)
Select the MSCRM db Server name in the picklist

Security Privileges

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Reports are just like CRM system entity. As such, the report entity adheres to the standard security characteristic with that applies to all entities in MS CRM. Each report in MSCRM contains a viewable by attribute, with values of organization or individual. If the report viewable by value equals organization, all users will be able to run reports, provided they have read privileges. If the viewable by value equals individual, the report read privileges will determine each user’s access to the report.

Other Privileges:

Publish Reports – allows users to make a report available to the Organization
Add Reporting Services Reports – allows users to upload .rdl files
Create : allows users to create reports using the Report Wizard

Existing roles will get access to reports as follows:

Manage Reports privilege : full access
Other : default privileges

Release dates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0

nitindhawan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:18:05 +0000

Still no scheduled release date though. But It appears as though the TAP (Technology Adoption Program) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 will be open for partners around Oct./Nov. 2009. With release for version Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 in the second half of 2010. This will give partners 12 months to get up to speed with the new features and a name change – Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2010, or possibly even Microsoft Dynamics xRM 2010 – who knows?

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Fact sheets

nitindhawan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:38:26 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Manager Readme	This document provides important late-breaking information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Manager that supplements the Microsoft Dynamics CRM documentation. Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Articles	This article contains a list of resources that explain how to migrate data to Microsoft Dynamics CRM and troubleshoot the migration process. Download Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Planning and Deployment Guidance	This guidance provides additional information for Service Providers who are interested in hosting Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 in their data center, or for enterprise customers who are interested in leveraging MSCRM 4.0 multi-tenant architecture in their IT infrastructure. The documentation walks you through the planning process, provides sizing and architectural guidance, and shows you how to deploy MSCCRM 4.0 in a data center that can be accessed over the Internet by any CRM clients. It covers the topics about how to leverage the Deployment SDK to automate the creation and provisioning of organizations and users within the multi-tenant MSCRM 4.0 deployment. This contains the following documentations and tool: - Deployment Walkthrough Guide for Service Providers - Planning Guide for Service Providers - Development Guide for Service Providers - Microsoft Software License Terms - Deployment Configuration Tool Download
Offline and Online Synchronization in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	This article details about the Offline and Online synchronization processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. The paper also provides a FAQ (the answers apply and demonstrate principles explained in the primary content) and list of resources for additional information. Download
Performance and Scalability Assessment of Customer Implementation for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0	This paper provides a sample final report on the results, conclusions, and recommendations from a performance and scalability assessment of a customer’s implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Download
Improving Microsoft Dynamics CRM Performance and Securing Data with Microsoft SQL Server 2008	Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 contains a variety of features that, when implemented properly, can improve the performance of a Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 4.0 implementation and secure the data within that deployment. These Microsoft SQL Server 2008 features include: – Compression – Sparse Columns – Transparent Data Encryption – Backup Compression The MS CRM E2 team, working in conjunction with the Microsoft SQL Server team, recently completed a project that was designed to: 1. Evaluate the new scenarios that these Microsoft SQL Server 2008 features expose 2. Measure the performance impact of implementing these features, both singly and in selected combinations This paper provides an overview of these Microsoft SQL Server 2008 features, together with benchmark results and recommendations for implementation. Download
Using Encrypting File System and BitLocker to Protect Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data on Outlook Clients	This white paper describes how to use EFS and BitLocker to protect CRM data on clients running Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows XP. Depending on the type of information being gathered by a CRM user working offline, it may be advisable to secure the CRM data on the client computer to help prevent theft via remote access or limit exposure if the computer containing the data were stolen. This white paper explains how to use Microsoft® BitLocker™ Drive Encryption (BitLocker) and Encrypting File System (EFS) to protect data stored on Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Outlook running on Windows Vista Enterprise Service Pack 1 (SP1). The paper also explains how to use EFS to protect data on client computers running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (SP3). Download
Internet Facing Deployment (IFD) Installation Basics	IFD allows the customers to configure their CRM system to be reachable from outside the intranet (i.e. internet or outside of the firewall). The main difference when using IFD vs. typical on-premise deployment is how users are authenticated. When using the on-premise version, IIS handles most of the authentication via integrated windows authentication. There are however custom CRM authentication handler modules registered during setup to assist in the process. In IFD, the web site is opened for anonymous access and the authentication relies on the presence of the CRM ticket cookie. This cookie is obtained by starting off from a sign-in page. Any page request that does not contain the CRM ticket cookie also gets redirected to it. This page deletes any expired CRM ticket cookies and if the user has provided correct credentials at the sign-in page, a new CRM ticket cookie would be written and used in later requests. Download
Internet Facing Deployment (IFD) Installation Basics	This document describes configuring Microsoft Dynamics CRM (On-Premise Edition) for Internet-facing deployment (IFD), and a few of the common issues and resolutions associated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM IFD. Download

Adding alternating row color to SSRS report

nitindhawan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:09:12 +0000

Steps:

Goto Report Designer in SSRS Solution
Go to the table row’s BackgroundColor property and choose “Expression”
Add expression

=IIf(RowNumber(Nothing) Mod 2 = 0, "Green", "Transparent")

With this approach we can target any area in report.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Toolkits

nitindhawan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:03:20 +0000

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Performance Toolkit	This was created by the Microsoft CRM product team to formalize performance testing of Microsoft CRM 4.0. The performance toolkit can be used by the Microsoft CRM partners and customers to collect data to support their CRM deployment decisions. This release of the toolkit contains several enhancements we have made to fit the additional capabilities in the Microsoft CRM 4.0 product itself. Some of the enhancements made to the toolkit are 1. Multi Organization Performance Testing Support 2. Multi Server Deployment Performance Testing Support 3. Outlook Synchronization and Offline Performance Testing Support 4. Data Management Performance Testing Support 5. Workflow Performance Analysis Support 6. Email Matching Performance Testing Support 7. Ease of deployment of the Toolkit through an MSI package with enhanced configuration of the toolkit. Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Developer Toolkit	For CRM developers, aligning the engineering delivery and process quality of their CRM projects can substantially increase overall productivity. In addition, by documenting, communicating, and following a consistent process for implementing CRM in Enterprise scenarios, developers can scale projects more quickly and efficiently by adding and ramping up consultants regardless of their previous experience with any specific project. To provide developers with the ability to create and manage on-premise CRM solutions in an integrated Visual Studio environment, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Engineering for Enterprise (CRM E2) team initiated and sponsored the development of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit. The Toolkit has been designed to make it easier for developers to customize, extend, and maintain an on-premise CRM solution, all from within an integrated Visual Studio environment. Key benefits for developers include the ability to: 1. View All CRM Entities 2. Create and Update CRM Entities 3. Create a Wrapper Class 4. Generate Plug-in Code 5. Integrate the Build and Deploy Process 6. Deploy Across Multiple Servers Download
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Developer Ramp up Kit	This kit is for .NET-based developers who want to ramp up and build on top of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 uses familiar components such as Web Service endpoints, Windows Workflow Foundation, SSRS reporting, and more; making it a general purpose platform for any line-of-business applications. Developers can use their existing .NET skills to take advantage of various features of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. This kit drills into the details of such development and explains how developers can connect, extend, and embed with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. It includes presentations, hands-on labs and a VPC environment for practicing. This content was delivered earlier as part of the Metro Early Adopter initiative and the video recordings of the ramp-up presentations are included as well. Familiarity with the .NET Framework, Microsoft Visual C#, Microsoft JScript, Microsoft SQL Server and general Web development is recommended. Download