CRM Insights Blog

Update Rollup 12 for MS CRM 4.0 is Now Available!

On July 29th, Microsoft released Update Rollup 12 which has many updates and fixes. The build number of the update rollup packages for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server, for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook, and for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router is 4.0.7333.2935.

Prerequisites: You must have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 installed to apply this update rollup. Update Rollup 7 is a prerequisite for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager. For more information about Update Rollup 7, please view the Knowledge Base article 971782: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971782/

Please note: There is always risk in applying updates to existing production systems. It is important to review the improvements and repairs offered in each update rollup and evaluate for yourself whether there is benefit for your organization and weigh it against the risk.

For more information including installation instructions and a complete list of issues that are fixed in Update Rollup 12 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 2028381: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=2028381

Need more information on the Update Rollup 12? Please feel free to comment here!

Update Rollup 11 for CRM 4.0 is Now Available!

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 11 which has many updates and fixes. The build number of the update rollup packages for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server, for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook, and for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router is 4.0.7333.2861.

Prerequisites: You must have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 installed to apply this update rollup. Update Rollup 7 is a prerequisite for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager.  For more information about Update Rollup 7, please view the Knowledge Base article 971782: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971782/

Please note: There is always risk in applying updates to existing production systems. It is important to review the improvements and repairs offered in each update rollup and evaluate for yourself whether there is benefit for your organization and weigh it against the risk.

For more information including installation instructions and a complete list of issues that are fixed in Update Rollup 11 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 981328: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981328/

Have questions or comments?  Post them below!

Microsoft CRM productivity tools

Dynamics CRM may have some neat features in it, but Microsoft clearly leaves room for functional improvement which leave space for enterprising ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) to create what Dynamics CRM users crave. 

Take for instance solutions offered by Stunnware.  Recent offerings from Michael at Stunnware include things like filtered views, filtered lookups and a host of other tools.  The solutions offered from Stunnware include those for consumption by the end user but also many more geared to the developer and administrator of a Dynamics CRM system.  Indulge yourself at Stunnware's website, walk away with some great java script samples and see what else they have that may fill a functionality hole that your organization has been wrestling with.

Microsoft CRM Tip & Trick: Improving Microsoft CRM's user interface

When building forms in Microsoft CRM one of the simpler ways to improve the user interface is often overlooked:  Section Formatting.  Most people blow right past the Formatting tab on the section creation dialog box.  By selecting the fixed width formatting option, it makes the user interface a little more conducive to fitting data fields into the given space.

 

A hosted integration solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

When we started integrating systems with Boomi, the key to our relationship with them was the ability to offer a hosted integration solution that would work with the two CRM applications that we consult on: Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce CRM. Boomi now offers integration adapters for both Salesforce and Dynamics CRM -- the Dynamics CRM solution being a fairly recent addition to their offering. Their Dynamics CRM adapter works for both the on-premise and on-demand versions offered by Microsoft. They still offer connections to key financial packages like Peachtree, QuickBooks, MAS 90/200/500 and Dynamics GP as well as the larger enterprise systems like Oracle, PeopleSoft and SAP.

Salesforce Mobile Lite is Weightier

Some Salesforce CRM users have discovered this already, but it bears repeating. 

The Spring '09 release made the Mobile Lite version available for all editions. Salesforce has recently upgraded their free version of their mobile offering to include more objects and functionality.  Currently, Mobile Lite users can view, create, edit, and delete accounts, assets, contacts, leads, opportunities, events, tasks, cases, and solutions. They also have access to their dashboards and Salesforce Chatter feeds.  Many of these objects were read-only until recently.  

Setup of this client is exceptionally easy.  Less than 5 minutes of  your administrator's time and about the same per device and the end user is enjoying the freedom that makes the PDA device worth the intrusion into one's personal life. 

Take a couple minutes to view this link for a quick peek at the Salesforce.com mobile client of today.  

In the interest of full disclosure, you would still have to purchase the full version if you are in need of making custom objects available on your team's mobile devices or if you are interested refining or differentiating the mobile interface for one or more users.  Regardless, the free, Mobile Lite version is amazing and adds huge value for the end user who asks the question, "why do I want to use Salesforce?".

Update Rollup 10 for CRM 4.0 is Now Available!

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 10 which has many updates and fixes. The build number of the update rollup packages for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server, for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook, and for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router is 04.00.7333.2741. Update Rollup 10 is a cumulative fix that includes all the fixes for the issues that are documented in Update Rollups 1 through 9.

Please note: There is always risk in applying updates to existing production systems. It is important to review the improvements and repairs offered in each update rollup and evaluate for yourself whether there is benefit for your organization and weigh it against the risk.

For more information including installation instructions and a complete list of issues that are fixed in Update Rollup 10 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 979347: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=979347

Have questions on Update Rollup 10?  Post it here and we'll get right back to you!

Account Hierachy in Salesforce CRM

I get asked frequently all sorts of questions on how to use Salesforce CRM. Recently the same question came up twice in regard to using the account hierarchy. The question is: should I use the account hierarchy and why is it valuable?

Let me answer the second part first.  Account hierarchy will allow you to view your accounts in a visual hierarchy. This will allow you to see which objects like contacts, opportunities, and activities are associated with a specific site. There are some disadvantages though. If you want to see all the contacts for an entire organization combined you would have to create a report. In addition it does require a little more diligence to maintain. Finally, you have the issue of a contact being associated with more than one site.

The answer to the first part of the question is that it depends your industry and your commitment to maintaining the database. There are also other considerations such as if you actively use the partner portal. I recommend talking it through with your staff. If you need additional assist feel free to contact us or post a comment below.

Being Conscious of Limitations in your CRM application

I think that we all know that every CRM system has limitations.  If the limitations aren't in the functionality offered in a specific product suite, then you have to consider the effort it will take to configure the application to fit business needs vs. upgrading to a suite with more functionality.

When I am asked about whether or not a system can support some particular business need, I will usually respond with "yes, but at a cost".  Selecting applications with required functionality, that provide easy configuratioun and setup, and low complexity for administrators and end users seems like the panacea and frankly is more achieveable today than ever. Today, I would like to point out a few things relative to Salesforce CRM and technical limitations.  

Salesforce CRM is quite possibly the most powerful CRM application in the market today.  Being an implementer, it makes a lot of MY job easier from a technical standpoint so that I can focus on the customers business needs. 

Occasionally, I get caught up with an unexpected technical limitation though.  While all the salespeople on the teams that I work with are certified in the application, not all details of the client needs or system limitations are aired out in the sales cycle. This is generally a no-fault scenario that can cause bumps in the road of the project initially.  So in the interest of full disclosure, I offer this link to the website that I use when discussing Salesforce limitations related to specific editions as well as general limitations.  It answers the vast majority of questions posed during business analysis and system design sessions.  It is also a good reference for the person who is responsible for the technical buying of a new CRM application.

Defining Relationships in Microsoft CRM

Dynamics CRM functionality offers the ability to create relationships between accounts and contacts outside of the standard company/employee relationship implied between the account and contact and the obvious relationship available between the parent account and child account. You may define these relationships using the Relationship Roles link in the Settings - Business Management area of Dynamics CRM.  As you begin defining relationships and roles that are meaningful to your organization business model, you will discover that relationships involve not just account to contact but also account to account, contact to contact, opportunity to account and opportunity to contact. Furthermore, each of these relationships support the converse relationship so that you can see the relationship from the opposite perspective from which the relationship was originally created. For instance, create a relationship from the opportunity to the contact involved in a deal and you could see that relationship from the contacts perspective and view the opportunity from which the relationship was originally created. This is a powerful and often overlooked feature of Dynamics CRM.

For those who need more robust relationship management, there are software vendors who offer more refined and flexible solutions that add on to Dynamics CRM.