CRM MVP Connection

Worldwide CRM Star-Power

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:29:00 GMT

Getting ready for the MVP Summit!

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:44:00 GMT

Microsoft hosts MVPs (Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals) from around the world next week, to meet with the product teams and provide direct feedback on product features as well as learn about upcoming versions of Microsoft products.

Error When Upgrading CRM 3.0 to CRM 4.0: ImportDefaultDataAction failed

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:42:00 GMT

Removing Duplicate Records from CRM

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

A SQL script to locate and remove duplicate records from CRM.

Sample Subject Trees for Microsoft CRM

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:45:00 GMT

Link to article containing sample subject trees for CRM configuration

Role-Tailored Dashboards

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:46:00 GMT

This blog shows how to add dashboards to CRM that are displayed to users depending on their security role.

Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft CRM 4.0 Released

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:55:00 GMT

Microsoft has released update rollup 3 for CRM 4.0.

Filebrowser 2.0 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:17:00 GMT

Filebrowser allows users to access files, folders and directories from with CRM records, with the full functionality of Windows Explorer, such as drag and drop, copy/paste, folder navigation, and more.

CRM Mobile Express Preview Now Available

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:54:00 GMT

Microsoft has finally released a "preview" of Mobile Express for CRM, a free mobile app for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

Queues Not Receiving Emails

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:45:00 GMT

Describes fixes for queues not receiving email in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

How Can A Trip to New Orleans Help Your Business in 2009?

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:51:00 GMT

I'll bet you didn't know that New Orleans is a great place to meet Microsoft CRM experts and members of the product team. Or that it's also the place to be to get a jump on your competition before they figure out how to navigate the choppy seas of the new economic realities. I'll bet you didn't know that the city famed for jazz and crawfish etouffe is also the center of the Dynamics universe (at least for one week this spring)!

Why haven't you been aware of these things before? Well, because you haven't registered for Convergence 2009 yet! And time is running out to get a $300 discount. But even without the discount, it's well worth it. There will be more than 200 sessions crammed full with dynamic Dynamics content, and thousands of business leaders. You can meet and talk to other business leaders who have already realized game-changing success with CRM and other Dynamics products. You can see demos and get hands-on experience. And you can visit the home of Mardi Gras!

So what are you waiting for? Register for Convergence right away! (You might even see me there!)

Save $300 by registering early, secure your favorite hotels while they are still available and take advantage of better airline rates.

Microsoft CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 2 Released

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

"CRM 5" Preview

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Simon Hutson has a great blog post where he's compiled a lot of the publicly available information about what Microsoft is cooking up for the next version of CRM, creatively code-named "CRM 5." Lots of exciting stuff for us CRM geeks!

Quick Tip: Re-Using Data Maps in Data Migration Manager

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:22:00 GMT

When re-using data maps in Data Migration Manager, make sure the name of your source file is the same as the one you used when building the map.

Solution Accelerators Released

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:16:00 GMT

RSS Notifications and Sales Forecasting accelerators are the first Solution Accelerators for Microsoft CRM 4.0 to be released.

SQL Error When Trying to Import Custom Entity

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Custom entity cannot be imported to a new system when duplicate detection has been enabled and then disabled

Search Tool for CRM Developers

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:36:00 GMT

A custom search engine tailored for Microsoft CRM developers, consultants, integrators and analysts. Searches more than 50 of the most content-rich CRM websites and blogs

Update to CRM Online Includes Keyword Marketing Integration

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:09:00 GMT

Microsoft today released an update to its Dynamics CRM Online service that includes a fully-integrated, end-to-end keyword advertising management utility. The free tool, imaginatively called "Internet Marketing," allows CRM Online users to design search engine marketing campaigns by helping them select and bid for keywords with major search engines, track click-throughs and landing pages, track leads generated from keyword campaigns, and report on conversions into opportunities and closed sales.

CRM Online users now have a true, end-to-end online marketing tool that allows them to report on actual revenue generated by their search engine marketing investments. And best of all, it's free to Dynamics CRM subscribers!

To activate the service, CRM Online users need to go to the Settings area of CRM, click on Business Management, and click the new "Internet Marketing" link to launch the activation wizard.

New Version of CRM SDK Released (4.0.6)

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:09:00 GMT

Workflow Rules Based on Due Dates

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:59:00 GMT

This article describes how to use the workflow in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 to trigger an action based on a date field in a CRM record.

Auditing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:54:00 GMT

Haven't upgraded to CRM 4.0? Here's why you should...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:31:00 GMT

If you are currently using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 and haven't yet upgraded to 4.0, here's a brief list of some compelling reasons why you should consider upgrading now:

No VPN required for users who want to use the Outlook add-in remotely
Duplicate detection built-in
Easy import of csv files into system entities and custom entities
Improved workflow engine with access to workflow rules from within the CRM web interface
Visibility into workflow processes from web interface. For example, if you open a contact, you can see the related workflow that are running or have run against the contact record and see what the results were of the rule.
Report wizard that allows users to create reports from the CRM interface. Reports can include charts and graphs and have drill-through capability directly to the underlying records
Improved Outlook client which allows all activity types to be synched to either Outlook appointments or tasks (so users can get pop-up reminders for phone calls they scheduled in CRM, for example).
Outlook add-in diagnostic tool with the ability to fix some issues, so users have a more reliable Outlook experience and can troubleshoot some issues themselves.
Many-to-many relationships between entities (so you can have a Customer Account lookup on an opportunity, as well as a Vendor Account lookup, for example).
Views and Advanced Find results can include columns from entities other than the primary entity
Word mail merges directly from web UI (3.0 only allowed these from the Outlook UI)
A “Resource Center” with links to training, tips, and more from the web interface

For a complete listing of all the upgrades available in version 4.0, click here.

Add a "Copy Address To Clipboard" Button to Your Contact Form

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:06:00 GMT

When working with Contact records in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you might find it frustrating if someone asks you to send them the address of a particular contact. You either have to re-type it or copy it line by line. To save yourself the headache, use the ISVConfig customizations in CRM 3.0 or CRM 4.0 to add a button to the Contact form that lets you copy the address to the clipboard. The example below illustrates how to do this for the Contact.

1. In the CRM Customizations area, go to "Export Customizations"

2. Export the ISVConfig.xml file and save this file. Make a copy for backup.

3. Edit the XML in Notepad or Visual Studio. Place the following code between the tags: