my share of sharing knowledge: crm 2011

Showing posts with label crm 2011. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

CRM 2011 Process Dialogs - Use them

How often haven't you been asked for a new custom form to consolidate related entities for data capture?
Quite often i guess. Me too.

I recently wanted to bring something "new" into considerations for a client who was stocked in the decisions process for user friendly layouts.
The standard entity forms became too overwhelming in number of clicks and different forms popping up during the process of capturing data to Account, Contact, Opportunity and a custom entity. After quite a few iterations of presenting mock ups, discuss the adjustments to meet an acceptable usability level, modifying mock ups, presenting again and so forth - I brought in the suggestion of using process dialogs.
And to my surprise the feature was accepted after 10 minutes with the following argumentation:

Full control for system administrators to add or modify process dialogs
Flexible way of building up data entry forms for a specific purpose and with context driven tips added to each control
Out of the box functionality that assumably is compatible for future releases of Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Totally under judged be my and most of my fellow colleagues.

Here are some tutorials from around the web that illustrates the advantages and limitations of using process dialogs:

https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/crmteamblog/archive/2011/02/02/welcome-to-the-world-of-dialogs-part-1.aspx#.UhxLERbFbGw
http://intellicore-ltd.blogspot.dk/2012/12/workflows-vs-dialogs-microsoft-dynamics.html

And if you want to bring it a step further having buttons to activate a specific process dialog without going into the entity for the dialog:

http://barrycrm.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/how-to-initiate-a-dialog-from-a-custom-button

Saturday, June 8, 2013

CRM 2011: shortcut from Dashboard in outlook client

I was recently on an assignment for a client where they use Outlook client for CRM 2011. First page any user hits when Outlook opens is the Dashboard is selected in outlook / Advanced Settings / open default.
It provides an overview of the activities assigned to the user, the team's overall task load and the opportunities being worked on.

It's messy if a user wants to create a new opportunity. You must first open the entity for opportunities, and then to create a new record.

A shortcut on dashboarded would do the trick.
Richard Knudson has created a blog post on the same subject.

http://www.dynamicscrmtrickbag.com/2011/11/20/crm2011-dialog-power-tips-run-a-dialog-from-a-dashboard/

This refers ClientGlobalContext.js.aspx. It is not necessary from a dashboard because top.window includes Xrm.
So here is my code for a resource file:

<html><head>
<script type="text/javascript">
        function safeNewWindow(url, title) {
        var x = window.top.Xrm;
        win = window.open(x.Page.context.getClientUrl() + url, "_blank", "height=600,width=800,model=yes");
        }
</script>

<meta charset="utf-8"></head>
<body><a onclick="safeNewWindow(&quot;/main.aspx?etc=3&amp;extraqs=%3fetc%3d3%26pagemode%3diframe%26preloadcache%3d1370596730722&amp;pagetype=entityrecord&quot;,&quot;&quot;)" href="#"><font face="Tahoma">Opret projektopgave</font> </a>
<p></p></body></html>

Enjoy!

Friday, May 31, 2013

CRM 2011 - Error importing solution package with plugin assemblies

At a client, there was an issue with importing a solution package from Development environment to a UTA, Training and Production envionment. Same symptoms everywhere: The solution package file could not be imported.
Error message: Assembly do not exist.

The solution package included all modified object s and dependencies, except security roles, field security profiles and workflows.

Resolution was to add a separate solution for the plugins and import that solution first.
All SDK messages are kept in the main solution package.

Cause to the issue is not yet identified.
Either the file size of the solution package exceeds limit of object size in IIS configuration or the CRM Developer Toolkit, which was used for deployment of plugins from VS2012 to Development solution, could have made some bindings to the plugin assemblies that are not compatible to the solution package.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

CRM 2011 - Error for script on form in IE10

A coleague of mine had an issue with some scripts on form, fetching related data on selection of a lookup field.

In IE9 it works perfectly. But in IE10 the data are not fetched.
Now one solution is to add the url for CRM instance to lists of url's to be opened in compability view. The infrastrukcture are not in place for a GPO. Another solution was required.

Solution was straight forward:
In system settings, customizations the falg for "Open in most recent version of Internet Explorer" must be cleared.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adaptor

Tired of moving data back and forth organizations and instances using SSIS?
Didn't get the budget for SCRIBE?
Microsoft Dynamics connector now has an adaptor for .... CRM 2011.
From a CRM 2011 instance to another CRM 2011 instance.
Requirements are simple:

Customizations for synchronizing objects must be aligned
You need a connector installed with an Dynamics ERP adaptor of your choice
In order to preserve ownership of records across organizations, users must be aligned

You can move, aggregate and transform data back and forth.

So off you go.... Pretty simple. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35385

Try it out creating two new test organizations in crm online.... or use your already existing sandbox environment.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Addresses - Quite a challenge

Working on a project for a client. A project team full of engineers. Engineers licensed to validate documented procedures, point out faulty software and abnormalities. Delicious when Microsoft CRM 2011 is to be delivered under the pseudonym xRM.

Fortunately, Microsoft a large international company that develops software for small, mid-and enterprice customers .......

And so I find myself again - facing issues related to addresses.

The task is to implement files with the underlying cases. And integrate this to an ERP solution using SCRIBE and SSIS. On each Account, File and Case it is required to have:

Owning customer (with associated addresses and contacts)
Requesting customer (with associated addresses and contacts)
Invoice account (with associated addresses and contacts)

No problems.

Even though the ownership of a set of address information must be respected for each of the 7 departments that are present in the company.

Ok - it's ironic. And yet not - the solution has been to use addresses as they are intended to be used, with a relationship to the Business Unit and an additional type of addresses depending on use. (Needed a second dimension in addition to the built in address types). A custom form to select and filter for the addresses that are relevant to file and cases based on the at the account suggested starting points.

But sad, due to the fact that addresses in relation to accounts and contacts are fixed in terms of how to be modified and used from these two main entities.

Address 1 and 2 are listed on both the Account and Contact. But whether it is one or the other is not thought through. (Sorry M $ - But it's not ....) It seems like a reminisæns from 1.2 and 3.0, which is on the list of functionality to be optimized at a time.

The problem arises when you save a record for the first time. A related record is created a Address Entity if you have entered information in the Address 1 field from the main entity. And an additional record if you specify information in the Address 2 fields on the same main entity.

As this solution for the client must have a certain level of usability and at the same time is integrated with an ERP system that have similar flaws as MS CRM, creating a custom address entity, add the extra fields to address the entity required and the custom form is a must. A de normalization of the construct from the system address entity, gave a few additional enhancements for use in general.

Try playing around with the account, contact and address entities to discover the odd behavior, some one decided should be the way to deal with addresses.

One day in the future ......

Thursday, August 25, 2011

CRM 2011 error: Outlook client can't be configured

Hi,

Please find this splended post from Hasrett.
http://hasrett.blogspot.com/2011/08/unable-to-configure-crm-2011-outlook_3923.html

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

I want to share my enthusiasm for Microsoft Dynamics CRM the 2011th.

Long awaited and ongoing, there have been shown all or parts of the application. Now I start the first project with this new delicious version.
There are several blog posts with different descriptions and highlights depending on the needs and requirements.

What I have found the benefits for my project so far:

VIEWS FOR QUEUES :-) add columns, filter.... wauwwww.....
Several forms for entities: Finally. First step in 4.0 was a fit / gap to identify functionality, fields and forms to be added. Forms were so custom forms (ISV forms)
Security model: Man, being able to choose who can see what fields and what their rights are in the field. Finally.
Teams: The use of teams in the 4.0 was fine. Now it is an even more integral and users can be grouped across business units.
Naming conventions: It's probably a small and a bit geeky thing, but in the big picture so as to align withthose terms being worked on in the surrounding technologies for CRM. That is along sql, C # and JavaScript. It is smart, so we should not chicken around for interpreters.

So it is delicious .... And works immediately stable. Almost scary stable.
But i think we can live with that!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Good old 3.0 - And looking at 2011

I have been working at a customer for the past 2 weeks integrating sharepoint and activating the marketing features of 3.0. Doing scripting, customizations and development of custom forms, reminds me of how important fundamental understanding of the application and the possabilities of customizations are to work efficient.

The knowledge build up on working for the past 3 years at 4.0, reading blog posts and books, has made lots of decissions more easy in relation to 3.0.

AND - now i have been doing some tests on 2011 (former known as crm 5.0). And the posibilities here are basically the same.... but with quite some nice features (objects) made available, that i was looking for in vain in 4.0.
So we are allmost there.
I have to point out, that the challange in getting the most out of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is to know what you can do and what you can't. That is a combination of the functional and technical skills of the team defining the final solution.
Sure step is aiming at having the correct project team on both the customer and the supplier side. But only few implementation projects are in a scale that permit a project organization to cover all the ressources.
And that will leave the mid- and small sized installations in the same condition as today....... Coping with lack of functionality caused be the limitations found at first glance. Due to lack of knowlodge from the project team members. On both customer and supplier side.
So awareness, product training, in depth customization and development training is a must.
Fortunately the people that have been working with CRM since 3.0 can bring forward the knowledge they gained in the past, and reuse -invent features and solutions in 2011.