Clients have often asked, “That export to Excel functionality is pretty cool but can I update the information in Excel and have that update CRM?” The answer now with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is “YES!” Here’s a quick snapshot of how it works.
Step 1: Export your entity information to Excel (My Active Contacts in this example)
Step 2: Select Static Worksheet and make sure to select "Make this data available for re-import". Note: This feature is only available for static worksheets.
Step 3: Update the information in Excel. Note: Only static attributes can be updated. Fields that are lookups cannot be updated using this method.
Step 4: In this example we updated the phone number for Bart Sneary
Step 5: You need to save the file as a .CSV file type
Step 6: Name your file and use this file to re-import into CRM
Step 7: Import your data back into CRM by clicking on Import Data
Step 8: Walk through the Import Data Wizard. Leave the default selections in place.
Step 9: On the Duplicate Detection page leave the default selection of "Do not import duplicate records" selected
Step 10: Name the import process (this will be the name you will lookup to check the status of the import process)
Step 11: Validate your import completed successfully (My Work - Imports)
Step 12: Navigate back to the source entity you updated to validate your changes
This is a great tool for doing quick updates of your CRM data.
:: Ryan ::