In your quest for CRM customization glory, there are times when you need the perfect icon graphic for your brand new custom entity.  The normal procedure for custom entity icons is time consuming, and requires some graphic editing skill.

  1. Browse open source icon galleries online for the appropriate icon (preferably in PNG or GIF format)
  2. Edit the icon in an image editor to resize it in 3 separate files:
    1. For image editing I recommend the free Paint .NET software
    2. Small:  16 x 16 pixels
    3. Medium:  32 x 32 pixels
    4. Large:  66 x 48 pixels
  3. Upload the 3 files to a new or existing solution in CRM 2011 as a web resource
  4. Open the custom entity in the Settings > Customizations section (or solution)
  5. Click on the “Update Icons” button
  6. Apply your icon web resources to the custom entity
  7. Publish your customizations
  8. Clear your browser cache and refresh CRM to see the new icons

I’ve been there and felt your pain.  Rather than using precious consulting time on image editing, I decided to group 22 of my custom open sourced icons in a solution file and share it with you.  Feel free to download it below!

Please note this is an managed solution file, meaning that you can’t modify it.  If you want to add your own custom icons, I suggest you create a new unmanaged solution.
The included icons are in PNG format, and were procured from free and open source websites.  I included a variety that will hopefully address different industries and needs.
With this solution file, the new procedure is easier!
  1. Upload the managed solution file to CRM 2011
  2. Open the custom entity in the Settings > Customizations section (or solution)
  3. Click on the “Update Icons” button
  4. Select and apply your icon web resources to the custom entity
  5. Publish your customizations
  6. Clear your browser cache and refresh CRM to see the new icons
I hope this free custom icons solution proves valuable to you in the future.  Be sure to drop a comment if you have some feedback.

As many Dynamics CRM 4.0 aficionados know, Microsoft releases regular updates to iron out documented issues.  CRM 2011 is no exception; three Update Rollups have already been released since RTM.

Note that the On-Premise build numbers I list below may be different than what you will find in CRM 2011 Online.  Microsoft continuously adds new updates behind the scenes, thus the likelihood of having a greater build number in comparison to the latest Update Rollup version.

To determine your current build number from the IE web client, simply:

  1. Browse to your CRM 2011 website
  2. Click on the File tab
  3. Navigate to Help
  4. Click on “About Microsoft Dynamics CRM”

To determine your current build number from the Outlook CRM client:

  1. Open Outlook with the CRM Client installed
  2. Click on the File tab
  3. Click on the CRM side tab
  4. Click on the “About Microsoft Dynamics CRM”  button
A window will pop up with your build number listed.  If you used Outlook, you will see the build numbers for both the Server and Outlook CRM Client (sample screenshot below).
See below for a chart of the Dynamics CRM 2011 build versions.  I’ll try to keep it current, so be sure to bookmark and check back later!
Version Release Date Build Number KB Article
Release Candidate 5.0.9688.53 2461082
Beta (On Premise) 5.0.9585.106
Beta (Online) 5.0.9585.107
RTM February 16, 2011 5.0.9688.583 Download RTM
Update Rollup 1 April 7, 2011 5.0.9688.1045 2466084
Update Rollup 2 June 2, 2011 5.0.9688.1155 2466086
Update Rollup 3 July 28, 2011 5.0.9688.1244 2547347
Update Rollup 4 September 22, 2011 5.0.9688.1450 2556167
Update Rollup 5 October 25, 2011 5.0.9688.1533 2567454
Update Rollup 6 January 20, 2012 5.0.9690.1992 2600640

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For all those following the latest news in the CRM market, it’s evident that Microsoft’s recently announced future milestones are truly noteworthy.

In the latest Statement of Direction (May 2011) announcement, Microsoft has laid out plans to accelerate the development cycle of Dynamics CRM as well as hints to future significant features, probably most notably multi-browser and cross-platform support.

Accelerated development cycle

Since its inception in 2003, Microsoft CRM has evolved over five versions into Dynamics CRM 2011, the enterprise-class application and framework it is today.  Over the course of its history the Microsoft CRM development team traditionally released each version in 2-3 year cycles.  Each new major version required customers to plan each major upgrade extensively, at times with a sizable investment.

Per the new announcement, Microsoft has committed to shorter development cycles which will bring new enhancements and features to all Online and On-Premise customers.  This will allow users to enjoy the latest innovations as they are developed, as well as providing minimal impact to existing deployments.

The newly announced development cycle includes:

  • Updates: similar to the current Update Rollups, these are enhancements that will be delivered to the Dynamics CRM platform semi-annually at Spring (Q2) and Fall (Q4) of each year.  Updates will not require significant implementation planning like Upgrades.  They will also deliver compatibility for future Server, SQL, .NET and Office versions.
  • Upgrades: these are new future versions of Dynamics CRM that will provide the next level of milestone features to the platform.  These releases will likely require more implementation planning from customers than the Updates.  The next scheduled major release is for Spring (Q2) of 2012.

The Evolution of Social Media and Collaboration

The focus of Customer Relationship Management applications should be relationships, and the recent announcement for Dynamics CRM reiterates that emphasis.  Mentioned in the announcement is additional feature support for social media and collaboration tools.

Per the statement of direction, there will be new support for:

  • Micro-blogging: encompassing important status updates and notifications regarding business events and actions.
  • Business activity feeds: delivering configurable real-time notifications regarding important relationships and significant business events.
  • Social intelligence: identification of data patterns and streams to enhance customer service and marketing decision-making.

The Perks of going Microsoft

If your organization is a “Microsoft shop”, there are clear advantages to deploying Dynamics CRM and investing in the other Microsoft technologies besides Office.

While it’s not really new news, Microsoft reiterated its commitment to extend capabilities across Microsoft products.  Its most recent example is the easy-to-deploy integration between Dynamics CRM 2011 and SharePoint 2010.   Other points of native integration for Dynamics CRM already include Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Office, as well as the ability to synchronize with back-office applications such as Dynamics GP. Deploying these investments will provide a new user experience as well as have clear business value.

Not mentioned in the statement is the recent sizable investment in Skype.  There’s a good bet that Microsoft has a plan for Skype integration in future updates to Dynamics CRM.  At this point in time, we can speculate that it could provide an enhanced call center solution.

Dynamics CRM anywhere, anytime, on any device

One of the early pain points that I’ve discovered in my experience with Dynamics CRM is its inability to function seamlessly with other browsers beyond Internet Explorer, and by extension other operating systems such as Mac and Linux.  There are new and persistent expectations with cutting-edge devices such as mobile smartphones and tablets.  While there may be competitive and technology reasons for this historical reliance on Internet Explorer, this limitation is unacceptable for some key users.  Workarounds like the compatible MSCRM Mobile Express solution and mobile apps help, but in the end cannot provide the full user experience native to the IE Web and Outlook Client.

To my great delight, Microsoft announced multi-browser and cross-platform support for the next future release of Dynamics CRM.  Per the statement:

  • CRM anywhere: deliver immersive user experiences that match users’ particular context or work “mode” – whether that is on the road or in the office. This facilitates a new agility and productivity in how users respond to different situational requirements.
  • Cross-device: provide device-specific application experiences that are natural and intuitive across a range of platforms and form-factors.
  • Multi-browser: provide targeted user experiences that work on different web browsers by utilizing HTML5 for structuring and presenting content.

Microsoft naming HTML5 as the vehicle for multi-browser support is noteworthy.  Could this be the new future trend, versus platform-centric apps?

The New York Times article “In a New Web World, No Application Is an Island” addresses this very topic, and is a highly recommended read.  Per the Times article:

Engineers say the technology will make it possible to write Web applications, accessed with a browser, that are as visually rich and lively as the so-called native applications that are now designed to run on a specific device, like an iPad or an Android-based tablet.

HTML5 has shown to be quite promising.  Dynamics CRM is positioning itself to be at the forefront of this new web application technology.

Conclusion

There are clear advantages to combining other Microsoft business technologies with Dynamics CRM, and will only be easier to integrate in the future.   Key pain points in the past (such as multi-browser support) will be addressed, and new social collaboration tools to enhance Dynamics CRM are promised and will be soon forthcoming.

These key initiatives will continue to keep Microsoft Dynamics CRM an innovative and competitive leader in the enterprise CRM market.

 

Software Advice sat down with Dynamics CRM General Manager Brad Wilson and discussed a variety of topics in the videos below. It’s interesting to see the man behind the product, as well as discovering his thoughts on the current state and future of Dynamics CRM.

What’s new in Dynamics CRM 2011

More videos, continued.
Read the rest of this entry »

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As a pleasant surprise, Microsoft publicly released the official On-Premise bits a couple weeks earlier than previously announced (Feb 16).  This is great news for those who want to get started on upgrading from Dynamics CRM 4.0 On-Premise.  Yes, I’m a bit late posting this announcement, but it’s well worth mentioning.

Check out the various download links below.

Trial License Key Information:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Workgroup Server 2011 (5 CAL limit):
H84KC-JH8DF-7PDYK-TXBXR-2RMMT
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 (no CAL limit):
MQM2H-JYYRB-RRD6J-8WBBC-CVBD3

On a personal note, I’ve been neglecting this blog for weeks due to one major reason: the release of CRM 2011!  This new version has caught quite a lot of interest, and I’ve been criss-crossing the Midwest to help address the demand.

Be sure to drop a note at my Twitter account if you’d like to chat about the new version!

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