TIDBITS on Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Dynamics CRM Adoption

It lasts about a day for most (when looking at Vanilla Dynamics CRM), but other people get tripped up on it and their impressions linger. This is the first impression of the ease of use of the complexity and depth of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

In watching this (stickiness) I rolled around in my mind this thought.

If it takes 2 minutes and 58 seconds to show a video on a specific feature (advanced find) and this video is fairly comprehensive, is there still a possibility of total rejection by the user community?

The World of Dynamics CRM Help

Microsoft has a world of "XRM" within Dynamics CRM and as more and more of the framework matures we will see growth.

On my latest deep dive I have been looking at modifying Dynamics CRM Help and the general structure around how changes to Dynamics CRM help are supported in a multi-tenant world. In summary they are not (yet). The help files are stored with the application files.

But luckily there is some great reading material to get started with changes you might want to make to help in a single tenant world and customizing help is supported. You can read the complete Microsoft Dynamics CRM Configuration Guide on Technet and when talking HELP you can focus on this section.

A Quote

I was talking to a client today and out of the blue this quote came up in conversation.  I was so thrilled with her matter of fact statement that I asked if she would mind if I captured and shared it and she agreed. 

"I love CRM, because everything we do is pretty simple and clear." - Tonya Kraning

The Elephant in the Room: CRM Outlook Client

When Microsoft CRM v3.0 was released back in December 2005  (yes it was that long ago) the team included a new first time release of Microsoft Outlook Client for CRM and as such technically the Outlook Client for CRM was version 1.0 and true to form the release of a 1.0 version can have it's issues. (I can debate that this should not be the case, but it is what it is)

What numerous Microsoft CRM clients might not realize is that as of today the current version of the Microsoft CRM Outlook Client is at least 3 versions beyond that and that does not include minor patch releases.

Have you stopped using the Microsoft CRM Outlook client because of v1.0 issues? It is time to revamp.

A few huge things have signifcantly made a difference to the Outlook Client for CRM.

1) The release of SQL Express 2005 (with the release of SQL 2005 in 2007) - This changes the local database that the Outlook Client for CRM uses when going offline from a fairly low end access oriented database (MSDE) to a very robust and more enterprise level local database (SQL Express 2005) SQL Express 2005 has form, function and power similar to SQL 2000

2) The adoption of Microsoft Office and associated Outlook 2003 Service Pack 2 (released late 2005) and other updates released over the last 3 years - Certainly the Outlook Development team also continues to fine tune and improve their products and client adoption of Outlook updates helps the CRM team. When v3.0 first came out many clients were not running Office 2003 Sp2

3) The release of Microsoft CRM Outlook Client v3.0 R1 (December 2006) and R2 (June 2007) in response to the new VISTA operating system and the new office suite 2007.

4) The release of Microsoft Outlook 2007 (Totally changes and improves the Outlook footprint)

The CRM Development team rewrote the CRM outlook client for Microsoft Dynamics CRM v4.0 based on Outlook 2007, SQL Express 2005, and a major truck load of CRM outlook client v1.0 field feedback.

Now the world isn't perfect. When they released the Microsoft Outlook client v3.0 R2 for VISTA and Outlook 2007 they had to release another "fix" for those clients using Microsoft Outlook v3.0 R2 on older systems (such as Outlook 2003 and Windows XP)

The total key for companies using the Microsoft CRM Outlook client ! If you are having problems talk to your partner about readdressing what is really going on.

1) Check which version of the Outlook Client for CRM you are using.

2) Strip off and uninstall the Outlook Clients for CRM  that are not working (INCLUDING deleting the associated CRM MSDE local database)

3) Check what other Outlook Add-ins are running (nothing like 3 toolbars and 4 different popup blockers to cause headaches for CRM)

4) Check the RAM in the workstation. RAM is cheaper now and the current applications in the owrld require and fight for it regularly. (1Gb is not enough, in my machine with all I do 2Gb is not enough)

Everyone loves a picture

Dashboards are the key hot term and valuable feature request which comes up over and over again!   Consider one quick fix to an instant powerhouse of data (even integrated data) in a familiar and (much loved) tool "Excel".  Excel really is being used for dashboards of key information (despite the availability of other tools), and you get all of this data in a very beautiful chart like format.

Do Once: (this can even be done during the installation process)

1) Using Advanced Find choose the criteria of data you are interested in on an ongoing bases. Take for instance closed sales totals by month, sales person and category.

2) Save your Query

3) Display your Query

4) Using the Excel Button, Click and choose create a Dynamic Excel Pivot Chart

5) Design your chart from the numerous powerful Microsoft Excel features leveraging the data from your Query.

6) Save your new Dynamic Excel spreadsheet.

Do when you want:

7) Each week/day/hour (etc.) Open your Dynamic Excel spreadsheet to check out your chart. (you do not need to be in Microsoft Dynamics CRM) Notice that your custom chart/graph  automatically updates with current Dynamics CRM Sales data!

8) Want to take it a step further?

9) Add other data from other systems into the same spreadsheet, add some formulas, do some more charting..

Wow! without writing one line of CODE you now have integrated data from disperse systems all in one pretty picture.