A glimpse of R8, Q2 2012 Service Update, Update Rollup 9

I was spending a little more time in the R8 beta release today (not to be confused with Update Rollup 8, UR 8), and thought I would list out some of the exciting features we can look forward to.  So here goes:

Business Intelligence

For CRM OnPremise installations (CRM Online coming later) we will be able to download PowerPivot workbooks from the Dynamics Marketplace.

• This puts Business Intelligence directly into the hands of the end users
• Ability to upload the workbook to SharePoint and build new workbooks on top of it
• Leverage the SharePoint reporting capabilities to include animated reporting with some simple drag and drop technology
  • Yes, that’s correct, animated reported!
• PowerView will also become more of a player in this release to include the ability to surface the SharePoint Reports in CRM leveraging a custom entity
• Some features will require SQL 2012

Process Improvements

• Custom Workflows in CRM Online
  • Requirements will be the same as those that exist today in relationship to CRM Online Plug-ins
• Ability to call out to external web sites and back into the SDK
• Use Plug-in registration tool to register custom workflows

Vertical Templates

• Insurance & HealthCare
• Use for demos, starter solutions for vertical markets, validate CRM for the vertical
• Includes Vertical relevant sample data, dashboards, entities, demo scripts, demo videos and more

Performance Enhancements

• Platform
  • Quick Find and Retrieve Multiple
  • Upgrade Performance
    • 2011 already had significant improvement in this area as compared to the 3.0 to 4.0 upgrade.
    • Additionally improvements to this area should make this impressive
  • Improved Performance for Published Metadata
• Client
  • Network related enhancements
  • Scale or Large Data enhancements
  • Ability to disable caching per machine
  • Smarter meta data caching
  • Enhanced Outlook stability
  • Improved folder load times

Read Optimized Forms (RO Form)

• Changes required for cross browser support
• Visibility for Images
• Activity Feeds
• More intelligent script detection
• Open Note attachments

Cross Browser Support

• Does not mean all features and functions will work in all browsers
• Browser functionality will be dependent on not only browser version but also the Operating System
  • In most cases, the Settings & Admin areas are only supported in IE browsers.

and in the event that was not enough..

• A new browser agnostic Mobile CRM (CWR feature set)
• Activity Feed Enhancements
  • Ability to Like and Unlike posts and create filters
• SQL Server 2012 Support
• CRM Online Data Center Certifications
• Portal Framework Enhancements

Hopefully this is enough to get you excited about the feature set included in the upcoming release.  I’m sure we will all be quite busy in the very near future taking it all in.

Cheers

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Client Troubleshooting Wizard

Although the Dynamics CRM Outlook Client is highly intuitive and easy to use, it is a complex application.  Given that complexity and the endless possible machine configurations (Office version, Operating System (OS) version, Office, CRM & OS Updates), it is easy to understand how things might not always work as expected.

When troubleshooting a CRM Outlook Client issue I rely heavily on the log files found in <C:\Users\<loggedOnUser>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\MSCRM\Logs>.  I search the log file for errors and the remedy I apply is determined by issue found.  Following are a few of the solutions I’ve discovered over time:

Odd or Unexpected Data Related Behavior

• Open the Diagnostics (Start, All Programs, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, Diagnostics, select the Advanced Troubleshooting tab and select the button to Delete Temporary Microsoft Dynamics CRM Client Files.
  • My good friend Richard Knudson gave me the tip to ensure that Outlook is completely closed before taking this action.

MapiStore Related Error in Log files

• Rename the Mapi32.dll file - direct to you from my good friend and coworker Chris Cognetta
  • This file is generally found in <C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033>
  • Run the fixmapi command from the command prompt after renaming the file and try again.
• Closely check the site map to ensure there are not two references to the same entity.
  • Example: Account and Account(1)
• Open IIS Manager, path out to the CRM web site, double click on the windows authentication settings, right click on advanced settings and uncheck ‘Enable Kernel-mode authentication’
• If there is a proxy in place, bypass it
  • From IE select tools, internet options, Connections, LAN settings, and uncheck proxy setup.

Installation Issue or as Indicated

• Check the installation log file found in the application data folder for the logged on user.
  • If no issues found that I can resolve then I will completely uninstall the CRM Outlook Client, download the latest package from the Microsoft site and reinstall.
  • A complete uninstall means that I also delete the MSCRM folders found under the Local and Roaming profile after uninstalling the CRM Outlook Client application.

Until recently, when a complete uninstall and reinstall didn’t work, I would give homage to my higher powers by opening support ticket with Microsoft.  Today, I have one additional tool in my kit to leverage before taking that step.  I can run the Dynamics CRM Outlook Configuration Troubleshooting Wizard.

Microsoft introduced this new solution to the Dynamics CRM Resource Center.  The wizard currently covers some of the more frequently encountered issues.  Here is a quick walkthrough:

First you select your deployment type: Online or On-Premise.  You will then be presented with a list of possible error messages.  Those error messages include:

• Cannot connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM server because we cannot authenticate your credentials. Check your connection or contact your administrator for more help.
• There is a problem communicating with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server. The server might be unavailable. Try again later. If the problem persists, contact your system administrator.
• Cannot configure the organization for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. Try to configure the organization again. If the problem persists, contact your system administrator.
• The signed-in user does not have the appropriate security permissions to view these records or perform the specific action. Contact your organization’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM administrator to review the security permissions for this user.
• The specified Microsoft Dynamics CRM server address (URL) is not responding.

Once you’ve made your selection, the wizard will continue guiding you by providing options to select from, links to additional reference resources, etc..  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when using the wizard:

• Think of it as version 1.0.
• It is going to get better
  • Feedback is monitored and taken into consideration for future updates so please give lots of feedback.

Hopefully you will never encounter the need to troubleshoot a Dynamics CRM Outlook Client issue but if you do, don’t forget about the wizard when searching for a solution.

Cheers

Get your Dynamics CRM Beta Today

In the event that you haven’t already heard, you’ve been given the opportunity to participate the the Q2, 2012 Service Update (R8) (UR9) beta program.  That means that you can download and install the software on a test machine, try it out and provide feedback.  The benefits of this approach are several:

• The more people involved in testing the better the end product will be
• You can better prepare your company and teams for the new features coming
• You can test the features on your devices and prepare for any changes that might be required
• Prepare end user training for your teams
• Identify opportunities to leverage the new features to improve and automate business processes, internal communication and become more productive

The above are just a few of the benefits realized from participating in Dynamics CRM beta release programs.   I encourage you to get on over to the Beta site and get signed up today.

Cheers