OK, so I was installing SQL Server 2005 on a new virtual machine the other day and I had the ISO image all ready to go. I mounted it within the virtual image and bang!

Microsoft does not recognise file Splash.hta.

Dang. I dont want a splash screen but I need to install this. I cant get around it so why doesn’t Microsoft make it compatible. Anyway, after some musing, I turned to my old friend Google who obliged me with the answer….

1) Click ‘choose an application to associate this file with’

2) Navigate to windows\system32

3) Find file called : mshta.exe

4) Associate all files of type .hta with mshta.exe.

Voila!

Special thanks to indiana_c for the assist.

Here is the first of four planned articles on the Outlook Client and Email in general within CRM. I have focused on known issues as well as the odd few that I have personally come across. This article is a compilation of various sources of information as well as personal experience. Many thanks to those who contributed if only passively.

Obligatory Disclaimer

To the best of my knowledge this information is correct, but the author takes no responsibility if you follow any of this advice and subsequently, your installation fails to work. Proceed at your own risk

Overview

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook enables access to the same data through Outlook as the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web client. Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook is targeted at Microsoft Dynamics CRM users who need access to CRM data while using the familiar Outlook application. There are two user interfaces:

· Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. Install this on workstations (including computers shared by several users) that have a permanent connection to the local area network (LAN) or the Internet, but that are not used for travel. If a computer is being shared by several users (that is, each user has a separate log on account and is a valid Microsoft Dynamics CRM user), Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook must be configured, by running Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Setup, for each user.

· Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline Access. Install this on computers for users who travel, or are not always connected to the LAN. With Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline Access, those users who require offline support, while they work in the field, will have access to their customer data.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook can be used to perform the following tasks:

· Deliver received e-mail messages to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

· Send e-mail messages generated from Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook no longer requires E-mail Router to process Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages.

Important If Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline Access is installed on a computer, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook cannot also be installed and used on the same computer.

Installation

There are three steps that you must complete before you can run Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. The steps are as follows:

1. Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. To complete this step, run SetupClient.exe in the Client folder on the installation media.

2. Configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. To complete this, run the Configuration Wizard.

3. Configure User E-mail Settings. To complete this step, you configure the incoming and outgoing options on the User form in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web application. By default, Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook is selected for both incoming and outgoing e-mail messages. In addition, you should verify the tracking options. By default, only e-mail messages in response to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM generated e-mail message are tracked.

Use the following procedures in this section to install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook.

1. Meet all Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook requirements in the System Requirements chapter of the Installation Guide and make sure all Microsoft Office security hot fixes are installed.

2. Log on to the computer as a user who has Local Administrator privileges.

3. Double-click SetupClient.exe, which is located with the installation files in the following folder:

<Drive:>\Client\

4. Either click Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook (Recommended) or click Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline Access (Advanced).

5. On the License Agreement page, review the information and, if you accept the license agreement, select I accept this license agreement, and then click I Accept.

6. If Setup detects that components are missing, the Install Required Components page appears.

If you have already installed the required components listed, this page will not appear.

If you have not installed the required components listed, you can install them now. Click Install. When the components are installed, the status column will change from Missing to Installed, and you can click Next to continue.

7. The Select Installation Location page appears only when you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline Access. On this page, select the file installation location. Click Next.

8. The System Requirements page appears. This page is a summary of all system requirements for a successful Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook installation. Failed checks must be corrected before installation can continue to the next step. If there is a problem that will take time to correct, cancel Setup at this point, fix the problem, and restart Setup. When all checks are successful and you are ready to install, click Install.

9. On the Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Setup Completion page, click Close.

10. Run the Configuration Wizard.

After you complete Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Setup, run the Configuration Wizard to complete the installation. The Configuration Wizard configures client settings, such as the location of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server. To start the Configuration Wizard, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and then click Configuration Wizard.

Follow these steps to configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook.

1. On the Welcome page, click Next.

2. On the Select where you want to sign in to Microsoft Dynamics CRM page, select one of the following options, and then click Next.

· My company. Select this option if you will connect to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server at your company by using the Internet.

· An online service provider. Select this option if you will connect to Microsoft only through the Internet.

3. On the Specify the Web addresses to use to connect to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server page, type the URL for the server in the Intranet address box. In addition, if you connect to your company or partner-hosted site over the Internet, you can clear Use the same Web address when the system connects over the Internet and type the URL in the External Web address box. You must do this if you use a different URL to connect to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server through the Internet. Click Next.

Important If you have server roles installed on separate computers, you must specify the Web address of the computer where the Discovery Service server role is installed.

4. On the Select Organization page, select the organization that you want to connect to in the list, and then click Next.

5. On the Help Us Improve the Customer Experience page, select whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program, and then click Next.

6. The System Requirements page appears. This is a summary of all system requirements for a successful Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook installation. Failed checks must be corrected before configuration can continue. If a problem will take time to correct, cancel the Configuration Wizard at this point, fix the problem and restart the Configuration Wizard. All errors must be resolved. If no errors occur, or if only warnings appear, you can continue with the configuration. To do this, click Next.

7. On the Configuration Complete page, click Finish. If there was a problem that occurred during the installation, click View the log file to review the log file for information about the configuration.

User and Queue E-Mail Configuration

The
e-mail messaging incoming and outgoing options can be set differently for each user or queue. These incoming and outgoing options are configured on the User form. To open a user form, in the Navigation Pane, click Settings. Under Settings, click Administration. Then, in the Administration area click Users, and then double-click the user that you want.

Note By default, Microsoft Dynamics CRM sets both the incoming e-mail server type and the outgoing e-mail server type to Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. For more information about these types, see the following section.

The incoming e-mail configurations that can be used when a user or a queue receives Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages are as follows:

· None. Use this option for users or queues that do not use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to send e-mail messages.

· Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. This option requires that Outlook be installed on the user’s computer. This option does not require the E-mail Router component. However, to process Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages, Outlook must be running. .

· Forward Mailbox. To use this option, you must install the E-mail Router. This option requires a “sink” mailbox, which must be created by the administrator. The E-mail Router processes e-mail messages that are forwarded to this mailbox. Although this option does not require users to run Outlook, it does require that a server-side rule be deployed for the user. If you are using Exchange Server to process incoming e-mail messages, you can deploy the rule by using the Rule Deployment Wizard.

· E-mail Router. This option delivers Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages directly to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, without the need of a forward mailbox. The e-mail system that is used to process messages can be Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Exchange Server 2007, or a POP3-compliant server.

Note that incoming and outgoing options are essentially the same but the Forward mailbox is not available for the outgoing mail configuration.

Troubleshooting Installation and Upgrade

This section describes how to troubleshoot installation and known issues.

Setup creates log files that can be reviewed and used for troubleshooting. By default, the location of the log files, where User is the account of the user who ran Setup, is as follows:

· Windows XP: <systemdrive>:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Application Data\Microsoft\MSCRM\Logs\

· Windows Vista: <systemdrive>:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\MSCRM\Logs\

Known Issues

Error message when you try to install, upgrade or configure a Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Outlook computer (KB948312)

When you try to install or upgrade a Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Microsoft Office Outlook computer, you receive the following error message:

Action Microsoft.Crm.Config.Client.InstallAbpAction failed.
Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0×80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))

This problem may occur if the Microsoft Dynamics CRM data file was not completely removed, and if the Microsoft Dynamics CRM address book provider (ABP) contacts were not completely removed.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods, and then try to install or upgrade a Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Outlook computer.

Method 1: If you have Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 installed

1. Start Outlook 2007.

2. On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.

3. Click the Data Files tab.

4. Click Microsoft CRM, and then click Remove.

5. Click the Address Books tab.

6. Click Microsoft CRM Address Book, and then click Remove.

7. Exit Outlook 2007.

Method 2: If you have Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 installed

1. Exit Outlook 2003.

2. Click Start, click Control Panel, click User Accounts, and then click Mail.

3. In the Mail Setup dialog box, click Data Files.

4. Click Microsoft CRM, click Remove, and then click Close.

5. In the Mail Setup dialog box, click E-mail Accounts.

6. Click View or change existing directories or address books, and then click Next.

7. Click Microsoft CRM Address Book, and then click Remove.

8. Click Close to close the Mail Setup dialog box.

Resolution 2

Follow these steps:

1. Start Outlook.

2. On the Tools menu, click Options.

3. On the Mail Setup tab, click Email Accounts.

4. On the Data Files tab, select Microsoft CRM- Not Available, and then click Remove.

E-mail messages are not sent from Outlook Web Access, from Outlook Mobile Access, or from Outlook Rules after you open the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Outlook (KB950088)

You open the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook. If Outlook does not use the cached Exchange mode, e-mail messages are not sent from Outlook Web Access (OWA), from Outlook Mobile Access (OMA), or from Outlook Rules.

This problem is fixed in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1.

952858 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/952858/ ) Update Rollup 1 is available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM menu still exists on the Outlook menu bar after you uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 client for Outlook (KB949087)

Symptom 1
After you uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 client for Microsoft Office Outlook, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 menu still exists on the Outlook menu bar.
Or, after you uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 client for Outlook, and you try to install the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Outlook, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client installation tries to perform an upgrade.
Symptom 2
When you open the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Outlook, you receive the following error message:

An error occurred loading Microsoft Dynamics CRM functionality. Try restarting Microsoft Outlook. Contact your system administrator if error persists.

If you click OK in the error message, the CRM toolbar is listed two times in the Outlook menu bar.

This problem occurs because the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 client is not completely uninstalled.

To resolve this problem, follow these steps (remember to backup the registry first):

1. Close Outlook. In Task Manager, verify that the Outlook.exe process and the Microsoft.crm.application.hoster.exe process are not running.

2. In Add or Remove Programs, uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 client for Outlook, or uninstall the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 client for Outlook.

3. If the following directories exist on the client computer, delete the directories:

o drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics CRM directory

o drive: \Program Files\Microsoft CRM

4. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

5. Open the following registry key:

HKEY_Current_User\SOFTWARE\Microsoft

6. Delete the MSCRMClient hive if it exists.

7. In Control Panel, double-click Mail, and then click E-mail Accounts.

8. Click the Address Books tab,
select the Microsoft Dynamics CRM address book, and then click Remove.

9. Click the Data Files tab, select the Microsoft Dynamics CRM data file if it exists, and then click Remove.

10. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

11. Open the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates

12. Delete the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 registry hive if it exists.

13. Rename the Outcmd.dat file to Outcmd.dat.old.
Note By default, the Outcmd.dat file is in the following folder:

C:\Document and Settings\User\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Note Outlook re-creates the Outcmd.dat file. However, all the custom menus that you created on the Outlook menu bar are removed.

14. Verify the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Outlook addin is removed. To do this, follow these steps:

1. For Outlook 2003

a. Open Outlook, click Tools, click Options, click the Other tab, click Advanced, and then click COM Addins.

b. Select Microsoft Dynamics CRM, click Remove, then click OK.

c. Click Tools, and then click Customize.

d. Select Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and then click Delete.

e. Click Reset, and then click Close.

f. Close Outlook.

g. Click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, and then click Diagnostics.

h. Click Run Diagnostics.

i. Open Outlook.

For Outlook 2007

j. Open Outlook, click Tools, click Trust Centre, click Add-ins, and then click Go.

k. Select Microsoft Dynamics CRM, click Remove, and then click OK.

l. Click Tools, and then click Customize.

m. Select Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and then click Delete.

n. Click Reset, and then click Close.

o. Close Outlook.

p. Click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, and then click Diagnostics.

q. Open Outlook.

In addition to these 3 known problems, a number of other issues have been brought to light over the last few months.

The Outlook Client has not installed correctly and you are unable to remove this from the Add/Remove Programs dialogue box or re-install the client over the top of the existing installation.

You have installed the Outlook client but it has not installed correctly. You have attempted to de-install using the Add/Remove programs dialogue but this has failed and another install has not fixed the issue.

· Download the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility and remove the Outlook Client completely from the target computer.

· Download Windows Installer Cleanup Utility

Missing Folders in the Outlook Client

After the Outlook Client has been installed, the user can only see ‘Deleted Items’ and ‘Search Folders’ under ‘Microsoft CRM’ in the folder pane. In addition, the user can access the CRM through the webclient and all other configuration settings are correct.

Resolution

1) Right click ‘Microsoft CRM’

2) Select ‘Properties’

3) Select ‘Home Page’

4) Ensure the URL is correct and present. It should resemble the following example : http://<server>/_root/stage.aspx?url=SiteMapNavPage.aspx&id=root

5) Restart the Outlook Client

Outlook Freezes and Context Menus do not work as expected

General errors and issues like this are often the result of a corrupted or missing patch. Complete the following as a matter of course.

1) Download and re-install MSXML4.0 SP2 (Download MSXML4.0 SP2)

The Microsoft CRM Toolbar at the top of the Outlook Client is greyed out

From time to time, users may experience the phenomenon of the Microsoft CRM toolbar being ‘greyed out’ and therefore unusable. This is most often the result of the user disconnecting from the network and then re-connecting again. The Outlook Client does not always detect the reconnection and therefore does not re-initialise the interface. Try one of the following :

1) Attempt to reconfigure the Client

2) Close Outlook

3) Click Start

4) Click All Programs

5) Microsoft CRM 4.0 Configuration Wizard

6) Reboot and restart Outlook

Alternatively, a refresh of the plugin is necessary. To complete this procedure, do the following :

1) In Outlook 2007, click settings,

2) Click Trust Center

3) Click Addins

4) Click the “go” button on the bottom of the form to manage COM plug-ins

5) Click the check box next to the outlook plugin, then click ok

6) Log out of Outlook

7) Log back in to Outlook, go back to the trust center, re-enable the plugin

Close outlook, reopen Outlook.

Further, there is a known issue with IE7 and the Microsoft Outlook Client when they exist on the same machine. If the Microsoft Outlook toolbar is greyed out AND the user can still access Accounts, Contacts and other data elements, then the following procedure may be appropriate. Note, this procedure is a last resort and only to be performed if the registry has been backed up first.

1) Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.

2) Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_SUBDOWNLOAD_LOCKDOWN

3) Right-click Outlook.exe, and then click Modify.

4) In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.

Outlook Client hanging and general connectivity errors

The user receives several error messages when initialising the Outlook client and messages are not being processed from the Drafts folder. This is often caused by the interaction between the Outlook client and various third party software programs. Try the following :

1) Disable all popup blockers

2) Add the Microsoft Web Client URL to the Trusted Sites within Internet Explorer

3) Remove Google Toolbar completely

4) Ensure that the Microsoft CRM URL is added to any trusted list within an Anti-Virus program and that all emails from the Forward Mailbox (if exists) are trusted.

5) Clear the Internet Explorer Cache of Temp Files and Cookies

You cannot view any e-mail messages in the folders after you install the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 On-Premise client for Outlook

After you install the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 On-Premise client for Microsoft Office Outlook, you can select different folders in Outlook. However, you cannot view any e-mail messages in the folders. In the area where the e-mail messages should be displayed, Outlook displays “loading.”

This issue has been identified by Microsoft as being relatively common. The resolution for this issue is to install the Update Rollup 1 (Update Rollup1 – KB952858)

Zalary, here is a screen grab of the error….

Recently I was asked by a colleague to investigate and report on the differences between .Net 2.0 and .Net 3.5 so this seemed like an excellent opportunity to explore this subject for the community as a whole. While most consultants working within the CRM community don’t really have a tremendous amount to do with .Net programming, less than say a professional programmer, it is still useful to understand the differences between the frameworks and the new features that have been added to the latest release .Net 3.5. So, for you edification, here is an article summarising the differences.

Some History (.Net 1.1)

.Net 1.1 and .Net 2.0 frameworks focused on allowing different languages to communicate with a common set of libraries translated through the Common Language Runtime (CLR). Essentially, the CLR provides a managed and language agnostic environment for executing applications designed for the .Net Framework. The managed runtime environment provides a number of services to the code, these services include compilation, code safety verification, code execution, automatic memory management and other system services. The applications designed to run under the CLR are known as managed applications because they enjoy the benefit o f services offered by the managed execution environment provided by the CLR.

.Net Framework 2.0

As .Net Framework 1.1 focused on consolidating and improving the CLR, .Net Framework 2.0 brought some new additions to the table. Such as :

· Virtual Machine : Support for generics

· Class Library : Generic Classes, including nullable types

· C# Features : Generics, partial classes, anonymous methods etc

Further, ASP.NET 2.0 introduced a number of new data Web controls, including the GridView, DetailsView, and FormView controls. The GridView displays a list of records in a boxy, grid-like table. The DetailsView and FormView each display one record at a time, the DetailsView in a grid-like output and the FormView in a more fluid layout using templates. The ListView Control was an update to the old DataList and Repeater controls, displaying mulitple records and providing functionality like the GridView, but allowing for a more flexible layout through the use of templates. The DataPager control operated as a sort of free-standing paging interface.

The new API gave a fine grain control on the behaviour of the runtime with regards to multithreading, memory allocation, assembly loading and more. Full 64-bit support for both the x64 and the IA64 hardware platforms was introduced along with the new personalisation features for ASP.NET, such as support for themes, skins and webparts as well as a .NET Micro Framework.

.Net Framework 3.0

The .Net Framework 3.0 was not a mere improvement to .Net 2.0, it in fact introduced 4 completely new foundation technologies although it continued to use the .Net 2.0 framework as a basis. Also called WinFX, it included a new set of managed code APIs that are an integral part of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems.

· Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) AKA Avalon

provided the foundation for building applications and high fidelity experiences in Windows Vista, blending together application UI, documents, and media content. The functionality extends to the support for Tablet and other forms of input, a more modern imaging and printing pipeline, accessibility and UI automation infrastructure, data driven UI and visualization, as well as the integration points for weaving the application experience into the Windows shell.

· Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) AKA Indigo

is the Microsoft messaging platform for building service-oriented applications. Clients communicate with services by exchanging messages that are serialized on the wire, and de-serialized into common language runtime (CLR) types at each end. In the simplest scenario, client and service developers only work with objects, and all the serialization magic happens somewhere down below in the plumbing. Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) provides this plumbing and is similar in many ways to Web Services.

· Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF)

Windows Workflow Foundation is a Microsoft technology for defining, executing, and managing workflows

· Windows CardSpace (WCS) AKA InfoCard

CardSpace allows users to create personal (also known as self-issued) Information Cards, which can contain one or more of 14 fields of telephone book-quality identity information (that is to say, labelled and categorized information, such as full name, address, etc., though most fields are optional). Other transactions may require a managed InfoCard; these are issued by a third party identity provider that makes the claims on the person's behalf, such as a bank, employer, or a government agency. In short, it is a software component which securely stores a person's digital identities and provides a unified interface for choosing the identity for a particular transaction, such as logging in to a website

Many developers do not generally view this as a real framework in its own right. The real comparison is therefore between .Net 2.0 and .Net 3.5

.Net Framework 3.5

.Net Framework 3.5 builds incrementally in the new features added in .Net Framework 3.0. For example, feature sets in WWF, WCF, WPF and WCS. In addition, .Net Framework 3.5 contains a number of new features in several technology areas which have been added as new assemblies to avoid breaking changes. They include the following :

Deep integration of Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and data awareness. This new feature lets the developer write code written in LINQ enabled languages to filter, enumerate and create projections of several types of SQL data, collections, XML and DataSets by using the same syntax.

It should also be noted that .Net Framework 3.5 has added support for ASP.Net AJAX and Silverlight. Further enhancements that can be considered are :

1) CLR enhancements : general

2) Compiler enhancements : New VB.Net 9.0 compiler and support for changes to C# 3.0 like expression trees, lambda methods, extension methods, static reference for anonymous types etc.

3) LINQ : LINQ to XML, LINQ to SQL, LINQ to Objects and LINQ to datasets. Along with functional programming, LINQ is an outlook change to programming in C#.

4) Performance Improvements : ADO.Net gets paging support as well as synchronisation from caches at local level and server datastores. Also performance improvements for multi-code CPU’s.

5) Networking Changes : Peer to peer networking stack, including managed PNRP revolver.

6) Windows Information APIs : new wrapper for WMI and Active Directory Services. WMI 3.0 gets a managed provider

7) ASP.Net : New implementation of Client Application services as well as 3 new ASP.Net controls. Also AJAX programming for ASP.Net is easier and performs better.

WCF : Now works with POX and JSON data

9) WPF : Newer plugin model for creating AddIns. Silverlight CLR is also part of the new .Net Framework 3.5

10) Misc : The C/C++ get a standard template library (STL) so that these languages can share .Net libraries. Javascript intellisense and Javascript debugging, a CSS properties windows and a Managed Styles tools window as well as a new System.CodeDom namespace.

Conclusion

We’ve come along way from Framework 1.1 to Framework 3.5. For me, the most exciting developments are with LINQ, Silverlight and AJAX. I can foresee that these will be very big in the future and will enable the developers of the future to create some truly interesting and useful CRM additions.

Like the Carling advert, this is probably the best dashboard in the world….

Ever wanted to know what the current world population is, or how many babies are being born this minute? This is the dashboard to end all dashboards. I love it.

Sprint Dashboard Here

For all those people out there pursuing a certification path, you should be aware that Microsoft are retiring a whole bunch of core exams on the 31st March 2009. Specifically, the following :

•Exam 70-300: Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .NET Solution Architectures

•Exam 70-301: Managing, Organizing, and Delivering IT Projects by Using Microsoft Solutions Framework 3.0

•Exam 70-305: Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

•Exam 70-306: Developing and Implementing Windows-Based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

•Exam 70-310: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework

•Exam 70-315: Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

•Exam 70-316: Developing and Implementing Windows-Based Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

•Exam 70-320: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual C# and the Microsoft .NET Framework

•Exam 70-330: Implementing Security for Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET

•Exam 70-340: Implementing Security for Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET

Microsoft SQL Server exams that retire on March 31, 2009

•Exam 70-228: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition

•Exam 70-229: Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition

This might present something of a problem for those of us who are going for Microsoft Certified Business Management Solutions Professional Developer for MSCRM qualifications as at least two of the retired exams are requirements of this qualification! As yet, there doesn’t appear to be any alternatives to those exams which achieve the same result, so I suggest that we all get our skates on and sit the required exams before the 31st March 2009. 

Best of luck!

One of the beauties of CRM is the ability to use client side code, in particular, I am fond of attachEvent(). Here is a brief demonstration of how to change the colours of a field within crmForm using the DOM and attachEvent(). It should be noted that this particular little gem is from the department of ‘Unsupported but fun to do anyway’.

Attach this to the Onload event of the Account Form (or any form you like, just change the references)…

function CompanyName_GlowField()
{
/* The Event’s SrcElement will be the element that fired
the event in this case, it will be the Microsoft Dynamics
CRM form element */
event.srcElement.runtimeStyle.backgroundColor =”#ffdddd”;
}
function CompanyName_RevertField()
{
/* Runtimestyle will automatically revert the style back to
what it was prior to our code changing it. */
event.srcElement.runtimeStyle.backgroundColor =”";
}
/* Hook up events to the Account Name field */
crmForm.all.name.attachEvent(“onmouseover”,
CompanyName_GlowField);
crmForm.all.name.attachEvent(“onmouseout”,
CompanyName_RevertField);

As you can see, this is quite a powerful little feature. You can add custom logic to this function to further enhance the effect, perhaps changing colours depending on the value, a range of values or a particular dependency.

Have fun.

Peter Hecke has created a Dynamics Plugin template for Visual Studio. This is extremely helpful not just for experienced developers but also for people just starting out with CRM plugin development as the SDK can be a little coy in places regarding the HOW of actually implementing something. You can read Peter’s original post HERE

Thanks Peter!

The first of the long awaited Accelerators are here. In a nutshell, they are add-on modules that delivery extended capability to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

The Microsoft Team have also released a series of blog posts on these components and they are really well worth the read. You can find them HERE.

Today the first two accelerators were released; CRM Notifications (Newsfeeds (RSS) that allow users to subscribe to CRM “events” relevant to their job role) and Extended Sales Forecasting (Enhanced sales forecasting mechanism for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0). These can be downloaded through PartnerSource.

PartnerSource:  https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/newsevents/news/MD_CRM_Accelerators.htm

Personally, I have been given the task of investigating the Extended Sales Forecasting component so I will be posting my observations shortly.

Well, I sat my first professional qualification yesterday and I am pleased to say that I passed. It wasnt the best pass in the world, but a pass is a pass.

I am not allowed to say much about the exam itself, but what I can say for all you people out there looking to sit this one, is not to concentrate too much on the actual facts and figures but to instead spend time thinking about HOW you would apply the information you have to a CRM installation. For instance, dont think about the cascading options in too much detail, but more what you might be asked to do with them and what decisions you might have to make based on them.

The exam itself was fairly straight forward with the obvious red herrings scattered around throughout. My advice is to read the questions VERY carefully since one or two hinged on the detail of the question rather than the obvious. Dont assume you understand what the question is asking until you have read all of the information carefully, twice. You are allowed 1.5 hours for the exam and I strongly suggest that you make good use of the time. For all those people out there who say that they have checked out the courseware for a few hours and feel confident, I say that they will fail. Unless you have large amounts of hands on experience, I wouldn’t sit the exam with anything less than 3 days hard studying. The course is meant to be three days long and this is for a reason. Throw out all your pre-conceptions and just pay attention to what the question is asking rather than what you think it ought to say. Honestly, there were one or two questions that hinged on a single word!

Anyway, I passed so I am quite pleased. According to the Microsoft Information, this means that I can fairly call myself a Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Professional. Now on to another exam and something else to obsess over…Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Master, here I come.