Ryan Toenies

Mapping Microsoft CRM Attributes

One of the powerful features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the ability to map attributes across entities allowing you to automatically update attribute information of newly created records.  This feature is buried fairly deep in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 so I thought I would post the excerpt from the help file to help others understand where this functionality exists.

Business Case: I've updated my lead form with custom attributes and would like to have these new attributes auto-populate fields on my account form when I convert my lead.

>> Excerpt from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Help File <<

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, click Customization, and then click Customize Entities.
2. Before mapping attributes, publish customizations to entities that contain the source and target attributes you plan to map:
• To publish all customizations, on the Actions toolbar, click More Actions, and then click Publish All Customizations.
• To publish customizations for specific entities and items, click Publish.
3. Open the entity you want to customize, and then under Details, click Relationships.
4. In the Type box, select Mappable.

   

5. Select a mappable relationship, then on the Actions toolbar, click More Actions, and then click Edit.

   

6. Under Details click Mappings.

   

7. For each new mapping, on the Actions toolbar, click New.

8. In the Create Attribute Mapping dialog box, select the source attribute from Source Entity Attributes; select the target attribute from Target Entity Attributes; and then click OK.

   

9. Click Save and Close to close the Relationship form.
10. When your customizations are complete, publish your customizations. You can publish customizations for the current entity, selected entities, or all customizations.
• To publish customizations for one entity, on the entity form, on the Actions menu, click Publish.
• To publish all customizations, click Save and Close to close the entity form. On the Actions toolbar of the Customize Entities list, click More Actions, and then click Publish All Customizations.
• To publish customizations for specific entities and items, click Save and Close to close the entity form. In the Customize Entities list, select the entities that you want to publish, and then on the Actions toolbar, click Publish.

NOTES:

• If you want to automatically create mappings for the relationship, in the Relationship form, on the Actions toolbar, click More Actions, and then click Generate Mappings.
  This maps any fields that have the same data type and name in the two entities.
  Caution: When you click Generate Mappings, all existing mappings for this relationship are removed.

·    You cannot map to or from a disabled field.

>> End Excerpt <<

This is a great feature to use as you customize your CRM installation.  You can utilize this functionality with custom entities after you have created new relationships.  Make sure you export your customizations frequently and you have good backups of your SQL databases. 

:: Ryan ::

Microsoft CRM - Abundance of Information

One of the things I like about Microsoft is how passionate they are about building powerful applications.  I have been very fortunate to meet a lot of the developers on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM team and can't say enough about how personable they are and willing to listen to ideas on how to make the product better. 

Just prior to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 being launched the Microsoft CRM Sandbox was launched on the GotDotNet website.  This site is monitored by Microsoft CRM development team and provides a considerable amount of information on how customers can easily extend their CRM installations.  Take a look at the message board and code samples found on this website.  I think there is something for everyone who uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

This got me thinking about what other official resources Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers have at their disposal.  This is what I found:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Product Home Page
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Developer Blog Site
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Sandbox (see above)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Official Product Downloads
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - CustomerSource (customers only)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Community

This post would not be complete if I didn't provide justice where justice is do.  The Microsoft Dynamics CRM support team is definitely the cream of the crop!  We all know how frustrating it can be when you discover an issue with a product.  The support team in Fargo are some of the most passionate people around.  They do an incredible job of resolving issues, updaing knowledge base articles, providing detailed troubleshooting steps and simply following up on open issues to ensure issues are being resolved.  Kudos to the support and escalation CRM teams!

:: Ryan ::

Microsoft CRM - Bulk Edit Made Easy

I was recently reading the Microsoft CRM Development Team blog when I saw a post by Ilana Smith called "Feature Spotlight: Bulk Edit".  I have to admit - I was confused when CRM 3.0 RTM code was released because I "thought" the bulk edit feature was a part of earlier builds of CRM 3.0 and it appeared to have disappeared.  Even though I have spent thousands of hours (literally) with CRM 3.0 I had not stumbled upon the bulk edit feature discussed in this blog (shame on me).

We had been using CRM Workflow to create manual rules to bulk update records.  This process works well but it does require that you have access to the CRM Workflow Manager (not usually granted to typical CRM users).  The Bulk Edit feature of CRM 3.0 is very simple to use yet very functional. 

Select appropriate records and choose "More Actions - Edit"

Update the appropriate attributes and click "Save"

Example: Update Contact Profile using Advanced Find

If there was one wish I would like to see come true it would be to have the ability to perform in-line edits with CRM.  I could see this working within the data view grids.  Maybe it would be a feature that is turned off by default but you could click a button to allow in-line editing.  This would allow a user to quickly update many records (with different data) while not having to open each record independently.  Maybe CRM 5.0 will include this feature.  :-)

Thanks to Ilana Smith of the Microsoft CRM Development Team for pointing out this feature of CRM 3.0!  This is one of those features that seems pretty basic but yet provides a lot of business value.

:: Ryan ::

Microsoft CRM Live - The Revolution Continues

Announcement: July 11, 2006 - Microsoft Announces Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live

Learn More: www.crmlive.com

:: Ryan ::

CRM Business Intelligence

Today, Microsoft released a new download for CRM customers called the CRM Analyzer.  This new CRM Business Intelligence sample validates the true value of the Microsoft CRM application.  When you purchase Microsoft CRM you are not only purchasing a software product but you are investing in a long-term strategy for your organization.  One of the reasons you have selected Microsoft CRM is because you have been using Microsoft Office for years (the tool that enables your People-Ready Business) and Microsoft CRM lives within Microsoft Outlook providing an easy-to-use familiar interface. 

Just because CRM lives within Outlook it doesn't mean it will provide business value.  Business value comes with employee productivity and the ability to successfully analyze data and make strategic business decisions.  This is the true power of Microsoft CRM.  Utlizing the power of Microsoft technologies you can create powerful analytics that drive accelerated business growth.

I have worked with many CRM customers over my career at Inetium and I can tell you that, hands-down, the number one success factor for CRM installations is the information that you get out of the Microsoft CRM application.  This new download gives Microsoft CRM customers around the world the ability to create powerful business analytics.

From http://download.microsoft.com  << Search for: CRM >>

Overview - Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager : CRM Analyzer Template Samples