You down with VPC? (Yeah you know me)

Microsoft just released an updated version of the April 2009 VPC release, mostly because it’s due to expire very soon.  You’ll probably need PartnerSource or CustomerSource access to download it at the link below.

VPC Re-Release for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Why should you download this version?  First of all, it’s not set to expire until August 2011 which will give you plently of time to play around until CRM 2011 is released.   It’s also a leaner download at about 7 GB.  Last but not least, it includes some new technologies such as Office 2010 and portal accelerators.

Per the download page, this new release (or re-release) has some new updated software:

• Update Rollup 11
• Microsoft Office 2010
• New Portal Accelerators
• New Partner and Customer portal installed using AD so no external network is required
• New Profile Manager Tool which has two profiles for services and URL caching

It also looks like this VPC has the same credentials as in the past releases.  Log in with the following:

ID=contoso\administrator
PW=pass@word1

Enjoy!

Download here!
Dynamics CRM Statement Of Direction – April 2010
(link to Ross’ CRM website with the PDF)

There is some exciting information on unifying the Dynamics technologies that will help bring together any challenging business solution, as well as welcome additions to the SDK. Some details regarding CRM 5.0 are starting to be teased out, but in reality most of the information here has been public for some time.

So what did we learn? There are new Accelerators in the pipline:

• Non-Profit Solution for Dynamics CRM Online – now available!
• Portal Accelerators – Q2 2010
  • This release provides new versions of eService, Event Management and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) accelerators that can connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as well as on-premises and partner-hosted deployments.
• Customer Care Accelerator (CCA) – Q2 2010
  • This solution can be used to help customer care and contact center organizations provide consistent customer service experiences by combining data elements from disparate applications such as mainframes, databases or Web sites for display in a single user interface.
  • Some features: Integrated agent desktop, Desktop automation, Computer telephony integration (CTI), and Activity reporting.

New integration tools with other Dynamics software! All the Dynamics technologies are starting to come together very nicely.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics GP – May 2010
  • A highly reliable, bi-directional and fault tolerant business document integration between Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Update Rollup 5 and above) and Dynamics GP 10 (Service Pack 4 and above) and the new GP 2010.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics AX6 – 2011
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Adapter for Microsoft Dynamics NAV2009 – 2011

And for you developers out there, a big fat update is coming to the SDK in May 2010 making it easier to build agile and integrated CRM Web solutions.

• SDK (May 2010) – Advanced Developer Extensions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a set of new tools included in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK that simplifies and accelerates the development of internet-enabled applications that interact with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
• A full list of key features is outlined in the Statement of Direction document.

Regarding CRM 5.0, it is of course scheduled to release “the second half of 2010″, most likely near the end of the year. The outline is below, and as I expected it doesn’t really reveal more than what has already been disseminated. Regardless, it’s still nice to see what we have to look forward to.

• User Productivity and Collaboration
  • Increase accessibility through the Microsoft Office “ribbon” interface
  • Drive user adoption through personalization
  • Enrich business insight through improved business intelligence
  • Balanced workload management for more efficient use of resources
• CRM Capabilities: core CRM investments
  • Contact and Account Management
  • Team-Based Collaboration
  • Call Center and Unified Communications Support
  • Territory Management
  • Performance Management
  • Other areas:
    • Further improving the flexibility of sales opportunity management to incorporate team selling models.
    • Extending the outbound marketing capabilities to allow richer communications via email, including document attachments.
    • Further simplifying and extending marketing list management capabilities.
    • Providing users the ability to schedule future recurring activities.

Dynamics CRM and Twitter combined. You cannot escape.

The highly anticipated Social Networking Accelerator was released today!  It was last announced this past July, promising Twitter integration out-of-the-box and future enhancements for other social networks.

Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [CodePlex.com]

To view all the features this new Accelerator provides, review the video below or at this link.

Social Networking Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Links and release notes from CodePlex are listed below.  Hey Microsoft: I’m still waiting on the Social Networking Accelerator you promised.  Any updates?

• Portal Integration
  • CodePlex link: http://crmaccelerators.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=29992

The Portal Integration Accelerator easily connects Microsoft Dynamics CRM to an organization’s Web experience. This release builds on the eService portal engine and expands to allow customers to configure and expose any CRM entity to an external facing portal.

The installation package contains all source code, documentation and a step-by-step installation video.

• Partner Relationship Management (PRM)
  • CodePlex link: http://crmaccelerators.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=29990

The Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Accelerator allows businesses to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to distribute sales leads and centrally manage sales opportunities across channel partners. It provides pre-built extensions to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM sales force automation functionality, including new data entities, workflow and reports. Using the PRM Accelerator, companies can jointly manage sales processes with their channel partners through a centralized Web portal, as well as extend this integration to automate additional business processes.

The accelerator installation package contains all source code, customizations, reports, workflows, assemblies, documentation and installation videos.

Note: In order to utilize the Partner Portal you are required to install the Portal Integration Accelerator first!

The document can be downloaded from the following locations:
PartnerSource: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/marketing/statementofdirection/MD_CRM_SOD.htm

CustomerSource: https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/whitepapers/MSD_CRM4StatementOfDirection.htm

Update: Mondo had declared itself bankrupt late 2009, but appears to have merged with another Danish MSCRM consulting company called KeyZone.  Here’s the Google translation link.

SPI Accelerator screenshot

A new accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM was released today, and you could say it’s a unique one.  If you go to the CodePlex site, you’ll only be able to download a whitepaper from this page; that’s because this sales methodology is proprietary.  There’s a separate registration page for the actual download.  So, if your firm or client subscribes to the Sales Performance International (SPI) Solution Selling sales methodology, then this one is right up your alley.  Oops, I almost forgot the ®.

What I like about this accelerator is that it incorporates other Microsoft technologies like Silverlight and Windows Workflow Foundation to add value to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  What is not so nice is that it requires a pricey subscription, in comparison to the other free Accelerators.

One option is to deploy it On-Premise.  It’s free for 3 users or less, but as a proprietary sales methodology, you’ll have to start paying to get more users.  This accelerator will be available for On-Demand (hosted by Mondo from Denmark).

Subscription options for this sales methodology:

1. Hosted by Mondo (on-demand), customers pay a license subscription fee per user per month which includes a Mondo hosted subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
2. On-premise customers may download and install the accelerator on their own servers. On-premise customers have two solution options: the basic and professional editions. The Basic edition can be downloaded and deployed at no cost. The Professional edition requires a license to be purchased for each user; this license fee includes a 2-year software assurance (support) package.

To download the free copy of the basic edition, as well as the installation guide and user manual, go to this Mondo.dk link and register.

The SPI "Pain Chain". Ouch!

SPI "Strength of Sale"

Analytics R2 Accelerator - Sales Manager Dashboard Report

The future R3 version will add cubes, data mining applications, PerformancePoint scorecards and other great analytical tools.

Be sure to download this release and give it a trial run on the April 2009 VPC.  Let me know if you like it!

Download Link:

• Analytics Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [CodePlex.com, 5MB]
• Sample Sales Manager Dashboard Report [PDF]
  

Excerpt from the Whitepaper:

The Analytics Accelerator for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 will be delivered in three releases – each release will build on the capabilities of its predecessor. Here is a summary of what each release will include:

Release 1 (December 2008):
•    SQL Server 2005 Dashboard reports
•    Simple SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SSAS) cube

Release 2 (THIS RELEASE):
•    SQL Server 2008 Dashboard reports
•    Fixes and enhancements to the SQL Server 2005 dashboard reports

Release 3:
•    Simple SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services (SSAS) cube
•    Sales Pipeline trending analysis example (SQL Server 2005 AND 2008)
•    Enhanced SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) cube (SQL Server 2005 AND 2008)
•    Embedded data mining applications
•    Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server scorecards
•    Security synchronization plugin (and source code) to replicate the Microsoft Dynamics CRM security model to the SSAS cubes

This accelerator was just released today, so I’ll be sure to post some feedback once I get a chance to install it and play around.  If you beat me to the punch and have already reviewed it, let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Download Link

• Business Productivity Workflow Tools Accelerator (92 MB) [codeplex.com]

Release Notes

The Business Productivity Workflow Tools Accelerator provides additional workflow step actions for customers to configure their workflow processes. Each custom action provides additional capabilities around string handling, mathematical functions and HTML hyperlink creation. Once this accelerator is installed workflow designers within Microsoft Dynamics CRM have more flexibility in terms of the processes they can manage through workflows.

Documentation Excerpt

Once installed, the Workflow Tools Accelerator provides the following new step actions in your workflow designer:
1. Retrieve the record ID (Guid) of the record that is driving the workflow.
2. Generate an HTML Hyperlink for a link to the CRM record which can then be used in outbound emails. The hyperlink can display a user-friendly label rather than a long complex url, e.g. Click Here to Open CRM Contact rather than http://server:port/organization/sfa/conts/edit.aspx?id=20f89e5c-4833-de11-bd89-0003ffc4b483
3. Generate an HTML Hyperlink for a link to any URL which can then be used in outbound emails. The hyperlink can display a user-friendly label rather than a long complex url, e.g. Click Here to Register for this Event rather than http://server/register.aspx?campainid=20f89e5c-4833-de11-bd89-0003ffc4b483&firstname=Reuben&lastname=Krippner
4. Generate an HTML Hyperlink for an Email link which can then be used in outbound emails. The hyperlink can display a user-friendly label rather than a long complex url, e.g. Email Us! rather than mailto:your@email.address?subject=Sales Enquiry
5. Join (concatenate) two strings together for use elsewhere in your workflow.
6. Use mathematical functions on two numeric values in crm in your workflows, e.g. calculate a weighted revenue amount on a sales opportunity. You have the following math functions at your disposal:
a. Add (Use the “+” symbol for the Math Operator parameter )
b. Subtract (Use the “-“ symbol for the Math Operator parameter )
c. Multiply (Use the “*” symbol for the Math Operator parameter )
d. Divide (Use the “/” symbol for the Math Operator parameter )
e. Mod (remainder) (Use “MOD” for the Math Operator parameter )

UPDATE:  Check out the below link with an updated version of this VPC.

 Description: The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Integrated Contact Center Demonstration VPC has been released for Dynamics Partners to use. This VPC is built upon the April 2009 VPC and has significant features around a Contact Center including CTI Bar and Ribbon for Contact Agent.

 https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/deployment/methodology/vpc/msd_crmiccvpc.htm

Make some room on your hard drive because this latest virtual image of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is chock-full of new features.  Dive into the latest CRM Accelerators, SharePoint tools, PerformancePoint Dashboards, Communications Server 2007 integration, mobile development  and much more.  Bonus: new sales demo scripts also available! 

Microsoft CRM VPC- Sales Dashboard

This VPC download is available only to Microsoft Partners who have access to PartnerSource.  This VPC expires on August 12th, 2010. 

• Download the Microsoft Dynamics CRM VPC Image (April 2009) [Microsoft PartnerSource]
• Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 – Homepage [microsoft.com]

Update: Menno posted a quick fix here for Office Communicator 2007 that wouldn’t sign in.   

See the full list of software available to you in this Virtual PC image after continuing below. 

VPC Content 

-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Professional Edition and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Enterprise Edition
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Connector for SQL Server Reporting services
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Migration Manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router and Rule Development Wizard
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Microsoft Office Outlook
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Rollup
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1
-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 List Web Part
-Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
-(Event Management Accelerator)
-(Extended Sales Forecasting Accelerator)
-Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Data Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007
-Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 8 for Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, -Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008
-Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
-Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2
-2007 Microsoft Office System Server Software
-2007 Microsoft Office System Desktop Application Software (Ultimate Edition)
-SQL Server Native Client for Microsoft SQL Server
-SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services 9.0 OLE DB Provider for Microsoft SQL Server
-Microsoft ADOMD.NET
-Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition
-SQL Server 2005 Management Objects Collection for Microsoft SQL Server
-Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition and Trial Edition
-Microsoft Activesync 4.5
-Windows Mobile 6 Standard SDK Refresh
-Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK Refresh
-Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
-(PerformancePoint Server Monitoring Server)
-(PerformancePoint Server Planning Business Modeler)
-(PerformancePoint Server Planning Server)
-Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 SP2
-PerformancePoint Server Excel Add-In
-PerformancePoint Server SP2 Excel Add-In
-PerformancePoint Server SP2 Planning Server
-PerformancePoint Server SP2 Monitoring Server
-Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Standard x64 Edition, Enterprise x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
-Microsoft SQL Server Native Client for Microsoft SQL Server
-Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services 9.0 OLE DB Provider for Microsoft SQL Server
-MICROSOFT SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition
-Sysinternals BgInfo v4.14

NOTE: This article was published for the release candidate version.  The final version of Mobile Express can be downloaded at this link.

The mobile version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is finally here!  See below for the relevant download links.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile Express – Homepage [microsoft.com]
• Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 i386 [microsoft.com]
  
• Administration and User Guide for Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 [microsoft.com]

The administration page in CRM for this mobile solution looks really easy to manage.  All you need to do is browse to Settings, then Mobile Configuration.  Some things you can do here:

• Entities can be added and removed from the list of available entities by selecting the entity and clicking the relevant button.
• Entities can be assigned as Read Only or Editable.
• Choose the fields that are available for viewing.
• Publish the changes.

Mobile Express Administration page

CRM Mobile Express - Entity

The entities supported in this solution are:

•    Custom Entities (this is a big one!)
•    Invoice Product
•    Account
•    Lead
•    Annotation
•    Letter
•    Address
•    Marketing List
•    Appointment
•    Opportunity
•    Case
•    Order
•    Campaign
•    Order Product
•    Contact
•    Phone Call
•    Competitor
•    Quote
•    E-mail
•    Quote Product
•    Fax
•    Task
•    Invoice
•    User

Some other screenshots are below.  I’ll give this accelerator a go this week.  Let me know your thoughts if you’ve tried it already!

CRM Mobile Express - System Views

CRM Mobile Express - System Views 2

CRM Mobile Express - Read Only Form

CRM Mobile Express - Editable Form