Vibe – Social Networking for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Posted by Ryan Toenies on May 26, 2010 in   |  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0,   |  Vibe Social Networking  |  Comments (2)

In my last post I pointed out that Vibe stacks up pretty well against Chatter for Salesforce.com.  In this post I thought I would provide you a little more detail on what Vibe looks like when it’s being used.  But before I begin, there’s a key component to Vibe that I feel makes it very powerful.  Vibe is a WPF client that runs on the host PC.  It leverages One-Click deployment technology and will automatically check for product upgrades.  Upgrades are managed in the cloud so that users are assured of the latest product changes whenever they log into Vibe.  This is a great way of leveraging cloud computing with the rich interface that WPF brings to the table.  It’s the best of both worlds.

Vibe supports both On Premise and Internet Facing Deployments.  This works well for companies who have users travelling but might not be able to connect via VPN to their native network. 

Vibe provides users with an easy-to-use search feature.  You can search by text, author, feed and/or date range.  The search is performed against the Microsoft Dynamics CRM database and returns the results in-window.  This works extremely well.  In honor of the Chicago Blackhawks making it to the Stanley Cup Finals I searched on “blackhawks” for this example.  ;-)

Vibe allows you to drill down into specific feeds and see recent posts.  In this example, I clicked on myself and can see who/what I am following, those who are following me and my most recent posts.  I am following 61 people, groups, or topics and have 24 followers.

Here are some quick takeaways:

• Vibe is 100% dependent on Microsoft Dynamics CRM (it’s the brains behind the user interface)
• Vibe is just another example of why Microsoft Dynamics CRM is truly a XRM platform
• Vibe has become a critical way we communicate information internally at Sonoma Partners
• Vibe will send you email recaps of information posted on a daily/weekly basis
• Vibe utilizes the Windows Workflow Foundation to automatically post feeds based upon CRM data (like new leads, cases, accounts, opportunities, orders, or any other custom entity created)
• Vibe allows end users to create and maintain their own workflow feed rules
• Vibe can integrate to internal and external applications allowing posts to be created from other sources (we have integrated Vibe to our blog site)
• Vibe is available for our customers today
• Vibe is not sold as a standalone product – we provide Vibe to our customers at NO COST

With Microsoft Dynamics CRM – The Possibilities are Endless!

CRM Tips and Tricks from Recent Denver CRMUG

Posted by Kristie Reid on May 26, 2010 in   |  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0  |  Comments (1)

Our project management and quality assurance teams meet on a weekly basis to showcase what we have built for customers and share any insights that we have learned. I was recently given the opportunity to share some of these "tips and tricks" with the Denver CRMUG. I've received a lot of good feedback from these items at the meeting so I thought I would share them with a broader audience. Hopefully you all will find them useful as well.

Issue #1:

You receive errors on security permissions which don’t seem logical

 

Tips/Tricks:

• ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS create new security roles by copying an out of the box role and then remove permissions from there.
• Check the Privileges by Message documentation on MSDN to make sure everything is covered (Mike previously blogged about this issue back in CRM 3.0, but I included the CRM 4.0 link and I figured a gentle reminder wouldn't hurt)

Issue #2:

Want to make changes to the site map

 

Tips/Tricks:

• Review theSite Map explanation from Dynamics CRM Resource Center
• Review the Entity Custoimzation: Relationships, Custom Entities and Site Map chapter from our book Working with Micrsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (shameless plug)
• Check out Patrick Verbeeten's CRM XML Editor for easy editing of the SiteMap file.

Issue #3:

You need to include date fields on mail merges but don’t want to include time stamps

 

Resolution:

1. Add date field added to the xml document (for example, «Created_On»)

2. Highlight the field, right click and select Toggle Field Codes:

 

 3. Add the formatting switch to the  field:

  

Formatting will display in the mail merge document:

  

4. For a list of all formatting options: http://support.softartisans.com/docs/OfficeWriter-Java/docs/WordWriter/WebHelp/topic_files/format.htm

Vibe for Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Chatter for Salesforce.com

Posted by Ryan Toenies on May 20, 2010 in   |  Vibe Social Networking  |  Comments (1)

Social networking applications are definitely taking off by storm.  Salesforce.com is working on releasing Chatter but we are not sitting on the sidelines and waiting for this to happen.  Instead, Sonoma Partners is continuing to innovate and has recently released Vibe for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  This is our 2nd major release of the tool with the first version branded as SideBar.

What is Vibe - Combining the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM with the popularity of social networking applications, Vibe cultivates communities among your Microsoft Dynamics CRM users to drive user adoption and increase collaboration. Users subscribe to individual and group feeds to access data most relevant to them. In addition, Vibe securely pushes CRM data to individuals and teams through the powerful Vibe WPF application.  Utilizing Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s Windows Workflow Foundation, Vibe will send automated notifications to users based upon key data entered into CRM.  If you are on the road, no problem, Vibe is accessible via your mobile web browser giving you the capability to stay connected even without a PC.

How does Vibe stack up to Chatter?  Well – Chatter isn’t officially released so the easy answer is Vibe can be used today and Chatter, well, is still just Chatter.  But enough with the sarcasm – I downloaded the datasheet on Chatter and came up with the following items:

Chatter	Supported		Vibe	Supported
Profiles	X		Profiles	X
Status Updates	X		Status Updates	X
Groups	X		Groups	X
Document Sharing	X		Document Sharing	X
App Updates (via the cloud)	X		App Updates (via the cloud)	X
Feeds	X		Feeds	X
Security/Sharing Model	X		Security/Sharing Model	X
Social	X		Social	X
Daily/Weekly Email Recap	?		Daily/Weekly Email Recap	X
Real-time Notification	?		Real-time Notification	X
Mobile Access	X (cost?)		Mobile Access	X (free)
Workflow Automation	?		Workflow Automation	X
Personalized Avatars	?		Personalized Avatars	X
Data Store is Native CRM Database	?		Data Store is Native CRM Database	X

Chatter’s Datasheet: http://www.salesforce.com/assets/pdf/datasheets/DS_Chatter.pdf

The takeaway – If you’re looking at CRM applications and social networking is important to you we definitely have you covered.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a powerful platform and Vibe is just another example of XRM innovation.

Managing CRM Outlook Contacts

Posted by Ryan Toenies on May 10, 2010  |  Comments (2)

One huge strength of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the ability to synchronize your CRM contacts with Microsoft Outlook.  This native integration allows you and your team to make changes to CRM contacts and have that data flow down to Outlook and ultimately your mobile phone device (Windows Phone, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android etc.).  Traditionally, most Microsoft Dynamics CRM users will manage the their Outlook contacts using the local data groups within the CRM for Outlook client.  They will add groups for specific contacts by account or other business logic.  While this is the full intention of managing local data groups I have found that an even easier solution for ongoing management of contacts is a combination of creating 1 local data group rule with a custom entity within CRM.  Here’s how it works:

Create a new Custom Entity within CRM and call it “Outlook Contacts.”

Next, create a 1:N relationship between the Outlook Contact and native Contact entity in the CRM database.  No other fields are required.

Add the Contact lookup attribute to the Outlook Contact form (and you are almost finished).

Publish your entity and you are now ready to setup your Local Data Group.  Simply create a local data group that subscribes to your My Active Outlook Contacts and make sure that your local data group is active.  The final step is to add contacts to your new Outlook Contacts entity.  You will manage all the contacts you wish to synchronize to Outlook through this new custom entity. 

This is a great way to manage the contacts you wish to synchronize to Outlook and rather than going back into Local Data Groups you can simply use the native entity forms within CRM to manage your data.

Thanks to my fellow Sonoman’s for implementing this concept at Sonoma Partners!

Enjoy!

Updated Microsoft Dynamics CRM Statement of Direction – April 2010

Posted by Mike Snyder on May 5, 2010 in   |  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011  |  Comments (14)

While checking out various blogs this morning, I noticed that a Microsoft Australia blog posted an updated Statement of Direction document for Microsoft CRM. I couldn’t find this new version on the Microsoft PartnerSource website but it does appear to be legit (UPDATE: I did receive a copy of this document from official non-blog MSFT sources). The Statement of Direction document outlines the future direction of Microsoft Dynamics CRM through to the next major release. Microsoft released new versions of this document for CRM at the following times:

• February 2009
• August 2009
• April 2010

While of course the April 2010 document contents are very interesting (at least for a CRM geek like me!), it is just as interesting to see what Microsoft changed from version to version. I took a look at the April 2010 document and compared it to the August 2009 document to see what changed, and there are some big changes! Just look at the differences between the table of contents when comparing the new version to the pervious version:

August 2009 Statement of Direction		April 2010 Statement of Direction
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Roadmap Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobility Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Ten Digits Alliance Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 What are Accelerators? Accelerators Update Analytics Business Productivity Newsfeed Business Productivity Workflow Tools Business Data Auditing Miller Heiman® Sales Methodology Sales Performance International (SPI) Sales Methodology Target Account Selling (TAS) Sales Methodology Accelerators Localization Accelerators Wave 2 Social Networking Portal Integration Partner Relationship Management (PRM) eService 2.0 Event Management 2.0 BizTalk® Server Integration List Web Part for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP On-Demand Microsoft Dynamics CRM Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online March 2009 Service Update Microsoft Dynamics CRM Future Service Updates xRM Microsoft Dynamics CRM “VNext” “VNext” to deliver a new level of user productivity and collaboration capabilities Continue to improve the end-user experience Increase accessibility through the Microsoft Office “ribbon” interface Improve productivity through a streamlined user interface Drive user adoption through personalization Facilitate collaboration with SharePoint® integration Enrich business insight through improved business intelligence Balanced workload management for more efficient use of resources “VNext” to deliver continued enrichment of the core CRM Capabilities Contact and Account Management Team-Based Collaboration Call Center and Unified Communications Support Extended Sales Territory Management Knowledge Management Other areas “VNext” to provide a Best-of-Breed Business Solution Platform Solution Management Secure Code on the Server Integration and connectivity Service-Oriented Architecture Native Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) connectivity Scalable, Federated security Extended Event Pipeline Other areas		Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Roadmap Accelerators Social Networking – Available Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Accelerator – Available Portal Accelerators – Q2 2010 Customer Care Accelerator (CCA) – Q2 2010 Solutions Non-Profit Solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM – April 2010 Integration Tools Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP – May 2010 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics AX6 - 2011 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics NAV2009 – 2011 Developer Tools Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK Update – May 2010 On-Demand Microsoft Dynamics CRM Roadmap Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online May 2010 Service Update Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online “H2” 2010 Service Update CRM Online International Market Expansion – Aligned with CRM “5” Microsoft Dynamics CRM “5” Roadmap User Productivity and Collaboration CRM Capabilities Best-of-Breed Business Solution Framework

A few things jumped out at me while reviewing the differences:

• The April 2010 document states Microsoft Dynamics CRM “5” is targeted for “release in the second half of 2010”, which lines up with the “targeted for release in 2010” guidance MSFT gave back in August. It appears to be on schedule for release, and that is great news.
  
  
• Where did XRM go?!?! If you were at Convergence 2010, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hearing the phrase XRM. It was EVERYWHERE. Now Microsoft removed the XRM section from the April 2010 Statement of Direction (although it does get one or two mentions throughout). While of course XRM is more of a concept than specific features or functionality, the removal of XRM as its own section from the April 2010 is interesting to note.
  
  
• Microsoft now refers to “VNext” as “5”. Of course this isn’t a huge surprise and it’s no guarantee that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0 will be the official product name but I have been calling it “5” for a while.
  
  
• No mention of the TenDigits mobile alliance anymore, it appears they are no longer part of the official mobility story. Actually Microsoft removed all of the mobility information from the April 2010 Statement of Direction. Weird.
  
  
• See ya BizTalk integration! Microsoft is shifting their integration focus to the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter, and they even announced release timings for AX6 and NAV2009. Very cool. However, in BizTalk’s defense Microsoft did state that there will be “An updated Microsoft BizTalk Server adaptor for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5”.
  
  
• The table of contents in April 2010 for V5 functionality now has three bullets, much less than compared to the 25 bullets from August 2009. However this is strictly a formatting change because the sub-bullets in the April 2010 match almost identically with the August 2009 version. I did notice that “Knowledge Management” was removed from the April 2010 document but they added “Performance Management” in its place.
  
  
• There is a new version of the Microsoft CRM SDK coming in May 2010 (this month!). It will include lots of great new functionality such as:
  • An enhanced code generation tool called CrmSvcUtil.exe which generates .NET classes based on the unique schema and relational structure of each CRM database. Developers can then code against Microsoft Dynamics CRM APIs using these strongly-typed classes.
  • These generated classes simplify the creation of queries and optimizes returned data from both CRM Online and CRM on-premises. Queries that require data from related entities can now be simplified to a single line of code, where previously it required multiple lines of code.
  • Classes generated by CrmSvcUtil.exe enable developers to streamline integration and connectivity with 3rd party applications (mash-ups, portals, etc.) that need access to Dynamics CRM data through the CRM APIs
  • LINQ for Dynamics CRM translates a LINQ query expression into a CRM SDK Query. This introduces standardized and consistent patterns to easily query and update CRM data. LINQ is a Microsoft .NET Framework component that provides a standardized way to query across many different data sources. LINQ is a standard .NET universal query mechanism that can be extended to support any type of data store.
  • A Portal Integration toolkit which provides a scenario-based set of resources for developers to improve portal integration efforts. This toolkit enables developers to create integration services between external portals and Dynamics CRM more efficiently.
  • Connectivity & Caching management which provides improved scalability and application efficiency for portal applications connecting to CRM Online. Developers can now specify a single-line connection string to connect to the CRM API whether that is CRM Online, On-Premises or Partner Hosted.
  • The Portal Integration toolkit also provides sample code and guidance on how to best connect portals with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
  • Portal accelerators provide complete reference sample applications to get you up and running quickly.

Visually Differentiate Your CRM Environments

Posted by Jim Steger on May 4, 2010  |  Comments (0)

One of the questions in my Convergence sessions last week was how can you modify Dynamics CRM to clearly let the users know which environment they are testing to avoid accidentally doing something on the wrong environment.

I really like redeploying the production system into our test environment as that provides the latest data and also contains all of the users and business units configured. We can then apply our newest changes and test appropriately. One potential downside to this approach is that our test users can sometimes accidentally end up in the wrong system when testing if they aren’t careful.

While, you could setup different user accounts for your test team, I find a more visual indicator to be the most effective. So, one approach we have used to distinguish between development, test, and production is to alter the masthead image and change the background color scheme so that our developers and test teams can be sure they aren’t accidentally modifying production data.

Since I will be showing you some unsupported changes, let me make sure I am clear with my warning:
NOTE: The css changes shown are completely unsupported and should only be done on development or test environments.

Changing the masthead

• Replace [webroot]\_imgs\masthead.jpg with your own copy (named the same). I am not a designer so I kept the example simple (and ugly).

Changing grid background color

• Update the body.stage style in the css file [webroot]\_common\styles\global.css.aspx
• Change background-color to color of your choice
• Comment out the background repeat/image settings

body.stage
{
<% if (CrmStyles.IsRightToLeft) { %>
dir:rtl;
<%} %>
border-top:1px solid #6893cf;
background-color: #00ff00;
padding: 4px;
/* background-repeat: repeat-x;
background-image: url(/_imgs/app_back.gif); */
}

This will produce the following result:

You can similarly change the form’s background color.

Changing the form background color

• Update the TR.ms-crm-Form-Background style in the css file [webroot]\_forms\controls\Form.css.aspx
• Add a background-color with color of your choice
• Comment out the background repeat/image settings

TR.ms-crm-Form-Background
{
/*background-image: url(/_imgs/form_back.gif);
background-repeat: repeat-x;*/
background-color:#00ff00;
}

Also remember that since you are changing core CRM files, a rollup/hotfix could overwrite them. So, keep backups of the original files as well as documentation on your changes in case you need to reapply them.