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• Internet Explorer 8 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
• EBAX and CRM 4.0
• Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
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• SMS and Dynamics CRM 4.0
• Integrating Microsoft CRM with SharePoint
• How to get Internet Explorer to prompt for a username and password when logging into CRM
• Profiles International chooses Microsoft Dynamics CRM to replace Pivotal software
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide 4.1.0 is Now Available!
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Software Development Kit

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So finally we have a new arrival in the shape of Internet Explorer 8. According to Microsoft,  IE8 has a number of new features and enhancements including:

Accelerators which let you map directions, translate words, email your friends in just a few mouse clicks.

In Private Browsing allows you to browse the web without saving your history.

Suggested Sites allows you to see which sites you have visited and suggest other sites you may be interested in, all shown as you type the address.

Read more

I’m currently spending a little time testing out EBAX from Prosoft Systems.

So far this app seems really quite useful. I had a request recently from a client to easily upload and update products to CRM. EBAX seems to cope very well with this.

The pricing seems quite reasonable, and you can download a trial from their site. It’s definitely worth a look.

Microsoft have just released Update Rollup 3 for CRM 4.0

You can download it here

I’m really hoping it’s going solve some redeployment issues we have been having while moving to EBS and SQL 2008.

We’ll see!

Just thought I would introduce myself. My name is Robert Peledie, and I am a CRM consultant at Chorus IT working on CRM 4.0 projects. I’m looking forward to blogging on the crmrocks site and hopefully will pass on any tips, tricks and news.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them.

Rob

I had occasion to test out some solutions for SMS from Dynamics CRM. I was eventually lead to http://www.intellisoftware.co.uk/ (In fact it was a potential client who found the site and asked me to check out the solution) who have an SMS/CRM application.   

You are able to download he application for free, and once you sign up for an account, you get 5 free SMS credits (The pricing seems really reasonable starting at £7.50 for 100 SMS messages). The installation is a Little more than point and click, with dll’s needing to be copied and Workflows set-up, however the PDF that comes in the ZIP file was absolutely spot-on and walks anyone with a reasonable understanding of CRM and the technology surrounding it, through the whole process. 

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Version 4.0 Contextual Document Libraries
For Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 we will create a post-create plug-in that will create a contextual document library within SharePoint whenever a new Account record is created. SharePoint provides us with web services that allow us to programmatically create document libraries. The code sample also then writes the URL of the document library to custom attributes in the Account entity. The contextual document library is displayed in an iFrame by some custom JavaScript in the onLoad event for the Account form in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Steps to follow:
Step 1: We need to add a custom attribute to the Account entity, these attributes are used to store the location of the contextual document library URL and folders that we create via the plug-in. Create the following attribute for the Account entity:
New_sharepointdocumentlibraryurl: nvarchar – allow a reasonable length for the URL (300) value
Step 2: Save the changes
Step 3: Publish the changes so that the CRM web services are up to date with our new attributes.
Step 4: Create a class library project in Visual Studio to create our CRM 4.0 Plug-In component for the Account Create transaction (call project – AccountCreatePlugin and rename cs file to UpdateAccountCreate.cs.
Step 5: Add a web reference for SharePoint (call it SharePoint), typically this is lists.asmx and there may be a number of these web service endpoints due to multiple SharePoint sites on your designated server. SharePoint is designed so that the web services are virtualized at every site level. All of the web services binaries are located in the /_vti_bin directory. For example: http:///_vti_bin/lists.asmx (http://localhost:7777/)
Step 6: Add references to the following dll’s: Microsoft.crm.sdk.dll and Microsoft.crm.sdktypeproxy.dll, these are found in the bin folder where you have unpacked the crm sdk. Add another reference to system.web.services into your project.
Step 7: Ensure you are editing the main class file in your project.Look through this code and make sure you change any System.Net.NetworkCredential to a valid username, password and domain (this has already been completed for you). Also look through the code for any references to yoursharepointservername and change this to a valid server name for your SharePoint location (this has already been completed for you). Add the code below to your class file
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Crm.Sdk;
using Microsoft.Crm.SdkTypeProxy;
using AccountCreatePlugin.SharePoint;
using System.Web.Services;
namespace AccountCreatePlugin
{
            public class UpdateAccountOnCreate : IPlugin
            {
                        #region IPlugin Members
                        public void Execute(IPluginExecutionContext context)
                        {
                                    //First we’ll grab the name of our account and its GUID
                                    DynamicEntity entity = (DynamicEntity)context.InputParameters.Properties[ParameterName.Target];
                                    string accountName = entity[”name”].ToString();
                                    string accountId = context.OutputParameters.Properties[”id”].ToString();
                                    //SharePoint Document Libraries have a type code of 101
                                    Int32 spDocLibraryListType = 101;
                                    //Call the SharePoint Web Service to create a document library
                                    Lists listService = new Lists();
                                    listService.Credentials = new System.Net.NetworkCredential(”administrator”, “pass@word1″, “litwareinc”);
                                    System.Xml.XmlNode SPresult = listService.AddList(accountName, accountName + ” Document Library”, spDocLibraryListType);
                                    //grab the return xml
                                    string returnXml = SPresult.InnerXml.ToString();
                                    //Now we’ll update our account record with the URL of the contextual SP library
                                    DynamicEntity account = new DynamicEntity();
                                    account.Name = EntityName.account.ToString();
                                    account[”accountid”] = new Key(new Guid(accountId));
                                    account[”new_sharepointdocumentlibraryurl”] = “http://localhost:7777/” + accountName + “/Forms/AllItems.aspx”;
                                    //Using the iPlugIn interface we create a reference to the CrmService web service
                                    ICrmService service = context.CreateCrmService(true);
                                    service.Update(account);
                        }
                        #endregion
            }
            }
Step 8: Sign your dll
}Step 9: Compile your new plug-in component.
Step 10: Copy the compiled plug-in assembly AccountCreatePlugin.dll to the \Server\bin\assembly folder of your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server.  
Step 12: Register this plug-in with the platform – this is available from Tool in VS (see SDK for more info). You can either register this synchronously or asynchronously
Step 12 a: Register Step with the platform (message = create, entity = account) then register
Step 13: We now need to configure the iFrames in the Account entity to display our contextual document libraries or folders. Add a new tab called Document Library and then add a new iFrame called IFRAME_SharePoint
Step 14: Next we want to add in the OnLoad logic on the Account form to set the URL of the SharePoint iFrame to display our contextual document library.
// OnLoad Event to set the iFrame URL for the SharePoint Library.
var CRM_FORM_TYPE_CREATE = 1;
var CRM_FORM_TYPE_UPDATE = 2;
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Set SharePoint Document Library
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// we’ll update the iFrame src property if this is an update form
if (crmForm.FormType == CRM_FORM_TYPE_UPDATE)
{
var sUrl=crmForm.all.new_sharepointdocumentlibraryurl.DataValue;
crmForm.all.IFRAME_SharePoint.src = sUrl;
}
Step 15: Save the changes to the Account Entity.
Step 16: Publish changes
Step 17: Create a new account record

(1) Open Internet Explorer.

(2) Select TOOLS >> INTERNET OPTIONS >> SECURITY Tab.

(3) Choose the “CUSTOM LEVEL” button.

(4) Within the Settings change “USER AUTHENTICATION” to “Prompt for user name and password”

(5) Choose OK >> APPLY.

(6) Close Internet Explorer.

The next time you go to log into CRM via the Internet Explorer, you should be prompted to enter in your username and password.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Profiles International Inc., which provides Web-based employee-assessment and talent management solutions to companies across the globe, has chosen Microsoft Dynamics CRM to replace its Pivotal CRM software.

The new Microsoft technology replaces the company’s CDC Software Pivotal CRM, Pivotal ePartner portal, Pivotal MarketFirst electronic marketing application and basic intranet site.  Profiles International evaluated software from Oracle’s Siebel, Salesforce.com, SAP, Sage CRM Solutions, Netsuite Inc. and CDC’s Pivotal before selecting the Microsoft Dynamics solution.          

For more information on this visit: [Microsoft PressPass]

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide update 4.1.0 is now available and contains the following:

• Over 50 corrections and revisions.
• 3 new topics.
• Make Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Client-to-Server Network Communications More Secure
• Key Management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 
• Network Ports Used By Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Read more

Mar

22

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Software Development Kit

March 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The new SDK for CRM 4.0 is now available to download here. I have always found the SDK to be incredibly informative, at Chorus I.T we regularly produce completely bespoke integrations using the SDK from the most simplistic client side code to the more complex bespoke applications. We have been utilising .NET 3.5 to produce some great examples of integration, in one case we have developed a completely bespoke training application that utilises SQL server merge replication to distribute and manage data with 30 disconnected client workstations and then server side we migrate the data (using the SDK) to Microsoft CRM where customer server representatives utilise the information for quality assurance and marketing. The possibilities really are endless, all you need is the SDK, some imagination and a CRM partner with a development team.

Links

• CRM Consultants - Microsoft CRM Consultants
• CRM Freak
• Happy Fun Boy
• John Straumann
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM page - Chorus Microsoft CRM page
• Ronald Lemmen
• SBSBPI
• Stunware
• The SBS Diva
• UK Microsoft Dynamics CRM Blog
• UK SMB Girl
• VladVille