Working with Microsoft Dynamics(TM) CRM 3.0

Chapter 1: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Overview

Figure 1-1: Tracking Microsoft CRM data in Outlook

Figure 1-2: The Track In CRM button for saving data to Microsoft CRM

Figure 1-3: Microsoft CRM synchronization and integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP

Figure 1-4: Internet Explorer interface to Microsoft CRM

Figure 1-5: Account and Contact forms

Figure 1-6: The Open Opportunities view

Figure 1-7: Entity editor for the Account entity

Chapter 2: Setting Up Your System

Figure 2-1: Microsoft CRM Settings

Figure 2-2: Selecting a Contract template (sample data templates shown)

Figure 2-3: Creating a new Contract template

Figure 2-4: Sample Knowledge Base Article

Figure 2-5: Sample Article template

Figure 2-6: Accessing the Direct E-mail feature from the grid toolbar

Figure 2-7: Direct E-mail dialog box

Figure 2-8: Inserting an E-mail template into an e-mail message

Figure 2-9: Follow-Up to Our Meeting template

Figure 2-10: Data Field Values dialog box

Figure 2-11: Sample company newsletter template

Figure 2-12: E-mail message with graphics and HTML

Figure 2-13: Sample subject tree

Figure 2-14: Assigning a subject for a Case record

Figure 2-15: Viewing announcements in the Workplace area

Figure 2-16: Account hierarchy without relationship roles

Figure 2-17: Relationship roles, which help you better understand the relationships between your customers

Figure 2-18: Sample relationship roles

Figure 2-19: Configuring an attorney relationship role

Figure 2-20: Adding a relationship between two records

Figure 2-21: A sample queue with Cases assigned to the Bicycle Cases queue

Figure 2-22: How items move through a queue

Figure 2-23: Inbound e-mail message tracking process and components

Figure 2-24: The Router decision flowchart for incoming messages

Figure 2-25: Outbound e-mail message tracking process and components

Figure 2-26: Tracking token in the subject line of an e-mail message

Figure 2-27: Altering the tracking token configuration

Figure 2-28: Accessing the Mail Merge feature in the Microsoft CRM client for Outlook

Figure 2-29: Accessing the advanced filter menu for mail merge recipients

Chapter 3: Managing Security and Information Access

Figure 3-1: Organization structure for the sample company, Adventure Works Cycle

Figure 3-2: Role-based security and object-based security combine to determine user privileges

Figure 3-3: Web content zones in Internet Explorer

Figure 3-4: License summary in Microsoft CRM Deployment Manager

Figure 3-5: Multiple security roles assigned to a user

Figure 3-6: Salesperson security role settings

Figure 3-7: Access levels example

Figure 3-8: Account record as seen by a user with the default Customer Service Representative security role

Figure 3-9: Account record as seen by a user with a revised Customer Service Representative security role

Figure 3-10: Organization structure for the sample company, Adventure Works Cycle

Figure 3-11: Sharing records with users

Chapter 4: Entity Customization: Concepts and Attributes

Figure 4-1: Default Account form

Figure 4-2: Account form revised and renamed as Company

Figure 4-3: Metadata product architecture

Figure 4-4: Default security settings for the System Customizer role

Figure 4-5: Recommended System Customizer role configuration for preventing accidental deletions

Figure 4-6: Publishing a single entity from the entity editor

Figure 4-7: List of exportable entities

Figure 4-8: Importing customizations, an additive process

Figure 4-9: General tab for the Contact entity

Figure 4-10: Contact entity renamed to People

Figure 4-11: System messages for the Contact entity

Figure 4-12: Attribute properties for a single attribute

Figure 4-13: Attributes for the Account entity

Figure 4-14: Metadata browser

Figure 4-15: Contact entity navigator in the metadata browser

Figure 4-16: Attribute editor for Account Number attribute

Figure 4-17: How different data types and formats appear on an entity form

Figure 4-18: Custom attribute and system attribute icons

Figure 4-19: Error message shown when you attempt to delete a referenced attribute

Chapter 5: Entity Customization: Forms and Views

Figure 5-1: The Information link displays an entity's form

Figure 5-2: Form editor user interface

Figure 5-3: The Form Properties page

Figure 5-4: Error message displayed when a user tries to remove a dependent field from a form

Figure 5-5: Default form for a new task

Figure 5-6: Form onLoad event flowchart for Task example

Figure 5-7: Sample form using the Variable Field Height section layout

Figure 5-8: The Field Properties page

Figure 5-9: Control formatting for bit data type fields

Figure 5-10: Row layout formatting for ntext and nvarchar (text) data types

Figure 5-11: Comparing an auto-expand text area with a fixed height text area

Figure 5-12: Microsoft CRM field tab order on a form

Figure 5-13: Modified tab order after adding an invisible section to the form

Figure 5-14: An IFrame on an Account form that references a Sharepoint intranet Web site

Figure 5-15: IFrame properties page

Figure 5-16: Formatting tab of IFrame properties page

Figure 5-17: View components

Figure 5-18: Setting a different view as the Default Public View

Figure 5-19: Streamlining the View Filter by switching Public Views to Private Views

Figure 5-20: Active Accounts updated to a Private View

Figure 5-21: Contact Associated View as seen on an Account record

Figure 5-22: Activity Associated View for Lead and Opportunity records

Figure 5-23: Advanced Find View for Leads

Figure 5-24: Advanced Find columns that have been edited by a user

Figure 5-25: Contact Lookup View

Figure 5-26: Results of a phone number search using the default Find Columns

Figure 5-27: Contact record returned after adding Business Phone as a Find Column

Figure 5-28: Leads search results using Quick Find View and wildcard character

Figure 5-29: Preview of a Case record

Figure 5-30: Active Accounts view editor

Figure 5-31: Differences between the Activity entity and its related entities

Figure 5-32: The Activities page, showing Type and Date filters

Figure 5-33: Activities views on an Account record

Chapter 6: Entity Customization: Relationships, Custom Entities, and Site Map

Figure 6-1: Default entity relationships for the Lead entity

Figure 6-2: Relationship editor

Figure 6-3: Entity relationship between the Account entity and the Contact entity

Figure 6-4: The primary entity displayed as a lookup on the related entity's form

Figure 6-5: Related entities in a grid view

Figure 6-6: Many-to-many relationship between Marketing List and members

Figure 6-7: Relationship behaviors determine how Microsoft CRM cascades actions

Figure 6-8: Referential behavior example

Figure 6-9: Error message displayed when users try to delete a restricted entity that possesses children entities

Figure 6-10: Entity relationship editor

Figure 6-11: Account with four Tasks

Figure 6-12: Selecting mappable relationships

Figure 6-13: Attribute mappings between the Account and Contact entities

Figure 6-14: Mapping attributes between the Account and Contact entities

Figure 6-15: Mapping custom attributes between the Account and Contact entities

Figure 6-16: Proposed entity relationship map for Litware, Inc.

Figure 6-17: Mockup of the Opportunity form

Figure 6-18: Mockup of the Contact form

Figure 6-19: Revised entity relationship map for Litware, Inc.

Figure 6-20: Lease form for the revised entity relationship design

Figure 6-21: Apartment form for the revised entity relationship design

Figure 6-22: Default custom entity icon

Figure 6-23: Multiple custom entities using the same default icon

Figure 6-24: Creating a new custom entity

Figure 6-25: An entity's primary attribute appears on a related entity's lookup field

Figure 6-26: Screen regions in the Microsoft CRM user interface

Figure 6-27: Screen regions on a Microsoft CRM entity record

Figure 6-28: Screen components of the application navigation pane and the wunderbar

Figure 6-29: The Go To menu for the Workplace area

Figure 6-30: Screen regions in the Microsoft CRM desktop client for Outlook

Figure 6-31: File download message for exporting customizations

Figure 6-32: Viewing a sample Sitemap.xml file with Internet Explorer

Figure 6-33: Sitemap.xml XML element structure

Figure 6-34: Using the Url attribute of SiteMap to change the default Web page in Outlook

Figure 6-35: Set Personal Options dialog box

Figure 6-36: Editing display areas for a custom entity

Chapter 7: Reporting and Analysis

Figure 7-1: Excel button on the grid toolbar

Figure 7-2: Exporting records from one page or all pages

Figure 7-3: Sample dynamic PivotTable using the All Opportunities view

Figure 7-4: Sample chart created with one click from a PivotTable

Figure 7-5: Reporting Services architecture

Figure 7-6: Reports list in the My Work group

Figure 7-7: Accessing reports from an entity's grid toolbar

Figure 7-8: Accessing reports from the entity form

Figure 7-9: Sample Account Overview report

Figure 7-10: Report filtering criteria for pre-filtering report results

Figure 7-11: Modifying the default filters, using the same interface as the Advanced Find feature

Figure 7-12: Reporting Services Account Distribution report output

Figure 7-13: Exporting a report

Figure 7-14: Modified Account Overview report

Figure 7-15: E-mailed report

Figure 7-16: Filtering reports by report categories

Figure 7-17: Report properties editor

Chapter 8: Workflow

Figure 8-1: Accessing workflow rules from the grid toolbar

Figure 8-2: Apply Rule dialog box

Figure 8-3: Sample business unit hierarchy

Figure 8-4: Microsoft CRM Workflow Manager

Figure 8-5: Create Workflow Rule page

Figure 8-6: Inserting a condition

Figure 8-7: Subconditions available based on the context of the statement box

Figure 8-8: Grouped conditions

Figure 8-9: Adding a check entity condition

Figure 8-10: Wait for condition

Figure 8-11: Wait for timer condition

Figure 8-12: Workflow actions

Figure 8-13: Create Activity dialog box

Figure 8-14: Send E-mail dialog box

Figure 8-15: Create Note dialog box

Figure 8-16: Update Entity dialog box

Figure 8-17: Assign Entity dialog box

Figure 8-18: Sample workflow subprocess flow

Figure 8-19: Sample Sales Pipeline report grouped by sales stage

Figure 8-20: Sample sales process attached to an Opportunity record

Figure 8-21: Editing a sales process in workflow

Figure 8-22: Using the New Case Acknowledgement E-mail template

Figure 8-23: New Case Acknowledgement E-mail template

Figure 8-24: Data Field Values dialog box

Figure 8-25: Select Value dialog box

Figure 8-26: New case e-mail message with multiple dynamic value data fields

Figure 8-27: Process flow to reference assembly with dynamic values

Figure 8-28: Settings for the Add 24 hours action referencing an assembly

Figure 8-29: Referencing the output of an assembly as a dynamic value

Figure 8-30: Workflow Monitor

Figure 8-31: Workflow log properties

Figure 8-32: Example of a rule that must be reset after import

Figure 8-33: Workflow rule after Web lead condition and actions are entered

Figure 8-34: Case escalation logic

Figure 8-35: Escalating logic rule final steps

Chapter 9: Server-Side SDK

Figure 9-1: Microsoft CRM technical architecture

Figure 9-2: Microsoft CRM extensibility architecture

Figure 9-3: Lead form

Figure 9-4: Request/Response model for the Execute method

Figure 9-5: Picklist metadata

Figure 9-6: Leads Opened This Week

Figure 9-7: Leads returned from QueryExpression

Figure 9-8: Callout architecture

Figure 9-9: Error deploying a callout

Figure 9-10: Default Workflow.config file

Figure 9-11: New Case record created from support e-mail message

Figure 9-12: E-mail activity associated with new case record

Figure 9-13: Microsoft CRM environments

Figure 9-14: Development errors enabled

Figure 9-15: Custom callout error returned to the user

Figure 9-16: Data Audit grid

Figure 9-17: Project list

Chapter 10: Client-Side SDK

Figure 10-1: The form editor page

Figure 10-2: The Event Detail Properties dialog box

Figure 10-3: IFrame sample

Figure 10-4: Default Internet Explorer IFrame security

Figure 10-5: Contact form with custom mortgage Web page

Figure 10-6: IFrame with automatic scrolling enabled and a border displayed

Figure 10-7: Mortgage tab preview

Figure 10-8: Mortgage tab with cross-frame scripting disabled

Figure 10-9: Scripting access denied error

Figure 10-10: Application integration points

Figure 10-11: Entity form integration points

Figure 10-12: Custom Menu

Figure 10-13: Enabling the ISV Extensions privilege

Figure 10-14: A phone number on the Contact form as entered by a user

Figure 10-15: The translated and formatted phone number

Figure 10-16: Form preview of Shipping Method picklist script

Figure 10-17: Retrieving picklist values

Figure 10-18: Phone Call form

Figure 10-19: Multiple problem categories selected

Figure 10-20: Prompt to clear selections

Figure 10-21: Required fields set from code

Figure 10-22: Custom error prompt

Figure 10-23: Custom .NET page referenced from Microsoft CRM

Figure 10-24: Successful postback of custom .NET page from Microsoft CRM

Figure 10-25: Diagram of a Web service call

Chapter 11: Integration with External Applications

Figure 11-1: Typical network topology for a corporate Web site

Figure 11-2: Architecture of sample Web site and Microsoft CRM integration

Figure 11-3: Information request Web form

Figure 11-4: Web page result displayed to a prospect after a successful transaction

Figure 11-5: Lead record created from our Web page

Figure 11-6: Dashboard in Microsoft CRM

Figure 11-7: Web Part Page

Figure 11-8: Windows SharePoint Services page after adding the Office PivotChart Web Part

Figure 11-9: Windows SharePoint Services page after adding the Office Datasheet Web Part

Figure 11-10: Microsoft CRM dashboard page with Windows SharePoint Services navigation

Figure 11-11: Dashboard using Windows SharePoint Services in Microsoft CRM

Figure 11-12: Account document library using Windows SharePoint Services

Figure 11-13: New SharePoint site

Figure 11-14: Account Documents page in Microsoft CRM

Figure 11-15: Updated Account Documents page in Microsoft CRM