Microsoft released the latest Update Rollup 11 for Dynamics CRM today, just in time before the World Cup 2010 tournament.  It’s so obvious now; they did this to make some room in [...]]]>

Drogba, Ivory Coast's number 11, gets a kick out of regular updates to his CRM. (UPDATE: he's injured and will miss the World Cup. Bummer)

Microsoft released the latest Update Rollup 11 for Dynamics CRM today, just in time before the World Cup 2010 tournament.  It’s so obvious now; they did this to make some room in their schedule for watching the live matches.  Indeed, they had already announced that there would be regular updates every 8 weeks… but I see through your game!   ಠ_ಠ

This release shows better Ribbon integration with Outlook 2010.  The CRM buttons don’t appear in the Add-Ins tab anymore.

Make sure you download and review the KB article from the links below.

• Download Update Rollup 11 for Dynamics CRM (Microsoft)
• KB 981328: Release Notes for Update Rollup 11 (Microsoft)

The usual considerations apply regarding backing up and restoring customization XML files.  Make sure to carefully read the release notes before upgrading.

Some notable updates:

• Windows Internet Explorer crashes or stops responding when you use the Advanced Find view on a computer that is running Windows 7.
• After you apply Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, you experience slow performance when you open Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Web client.
• When you create a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services (SSRS 2008) report by using the new SSRS 2008 features, you cannot display the report in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
• You experience slow performance when you add many members, such as 10,000 members, into a marketing list. Additionally, you may receive a time-out error message.
• Assume that you create a report in the Report Wizard. When you run the report, you receive the following error message: An error has occurred during report processing. Query execution failed for data set ‘DSMain’.

A special cheers to all my fellow Dynamics CRM colleagues who will be following the tournament as closely as I will. 

From some #MSCRM Twitter buzz, it looks like the latest compilation of hotfixes for Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be released tomorrow, April 8th.  Not to worry; I’ll update this post with the links as soon as it’s available.

'C' is for CRM!

I [...]]]>

EDIT: Update Rollup 10 is now available!  Download the bits at this link (KB 979347).

From some #MSCRM Twitter buzz, it looks like the latest compilation of hotfixes for Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be released tomorrow, April 8th.  Not to worry; I’ll update this post with the links as soon as it’s available.

'C' is for CRM!

I confirmed with Microsoft Support that this latest Update Rollup will include a hotfix that resolves one particular Outlook sync issue.  A user may get following error when going Offline or Online:

Only items in the default Microsoft Outlook store can be promoted to Microsoft CRM.

Until this hotfix, the workaround for this problem was to disable the Exchange Cached Mode setting to cache shared folder. 

While you’re waiting for the download, check out this ZDNet article on the latest news regarding CRM ’5′.

Now [...]]]> I recently had to check my CRM enviroments to make sure they’re updated to the latest Update Rollup version (currently #9, on Feb 2010). From experience, all I needed to do was:   

• Browse to the CRM website.
• Click on the “Help” button on the top right side of the window.
• Click on “About Microsoft Dynamics CRM”
• Get the build number displayed.

Now that I have the build number, I can compare it to the latest list of Update Rollup build numbers. The nice thing about this screen is that it’ll post your CRM Outlook Client build version as well.  See the screenshot below for an example.  I have Update Rollup 9 on the CRM Server, but I have Update Rollup 7 on the Outlook Client.

CRM Help - Build Version

 Thanks to David Vidmar at Bite my Bytes blog, I can repost a section of his very useful build version chart below.  

For more technical details on the version numbers of the various Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 components, please see the Microsoft KB #946594 Article.

I <3 CRM

There’s some buzz lately about Update Rollup 9 being available soon this Thursday, February the 11th.  No details yet on what it may bring, though, so I’ll be patient!  My bet is more bug fixes, nothing too monumental.  Time to plan for it [...]]]>

EDIT: Update Rollup 9 is now available at this download link.

I <3 CRM

There’s some buzz lately about Update Rollup 9 being available soon this Thursday, February the 11th.  No details yet on what it may bring, though, so I’ll be patient!  My bet is more bug fixes, nothing too monumental.  Time to plan for it nonetheless. 

As you may already know, Update Rollup 7 was the last major update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It brought significant changes to Dynamics CRM 4.0 and the CRM Outlook Client. In addition, it can be considered the “gold standard” for a new CRM deployment going forward.

Make sure all your CRM deployments are at the very least up to speed with Update Rollup 7 for two very good reasons: better performance, and compatibility with future updates.

For a full list of current Update Rollups for Microsoft Dynamics CRM click here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949256

First off, I apologize for not keeping this blog regularly updated.  Balancing projects and the holiday season tends to make one procrastinate. 

After a quick scan of the list of fixes, it appears this release only adds stability improvements on top of what was Update Rollup 7′s big changes.  Update [...]]]>

Should you update? "Signs point to yes"

First off, I apologize for not keeping this blog regularly updated.  Balancing projects and the holiday season tends to make one procrastinate. 

After a quick scan of the list of fixes, it appears this release only adds stability improvements on top of what was Update Rollup 7′s big changes.  Update Rollup 7 is not a pre-requisite.  You can install UR8 on any server deployment of CRM 4.0 because it’s a cumulative update.  Easy!  However, you should make sure to to review the import and export customization file notes.

EDIT: The Outlook Client and Data Migration Manager both require Update Rollup 7 to be installed beforehand.

Happy holidays!

Download link: Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (KB 970148) KB Article link: Microsoft Knowledge Base article 970148: Update Rollup 6 is available [...]]]> Gear up, it’s time again to get your update on with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0!  The latest roundup of bug fixes and patches were released, as Update Rollup 6 is now available for download.

Download link:
Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (KB 970148)
KB Article link:
Microsoft Knowledge Base article 970148: Update Rollup 6 is available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Things are a little different this time around when it comes to compatibility between versions of XML customization backups. This newest Update Rollup is compatible with customization files from Update Rollups versions 2 through 6. The opposite is also true: you can import an Update Rollup 6 customization into depoyments with Update Rollups 2 through 6.

I believe Microsoft is planning on releasing new Update Rollups every two months, so check back regularly!

¡Socorro!

The other new international discussion groups will be excellent support resources for [...]]]> There are new discussion group resources available in your quest for answers regarding Microsoft Dynamics CRM, most notably a CRM Online forum.  Engage with the MVP Experts and discover a solution to that one support or development issue that’s been gnawing at your patience all week.

¡Socorro!

The other new international discussion groups will be excellent support resources for our Spanish, Italian, German, Russian and Chinese brethren.

See all Dynamics CRM discussion group links below, and be sure to bookmark the ones you’ll need!

Link to all Dynamics discussion groups, including Dynamics GP:
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/dynamics/

CRM
Forum for discussions with Microsoft CRM experts, MVPs, and Partners.

CRM Deployment
Forum for discussing Microsoft CRM deployment questions.

CRM Development
Forum for discussing customization, add-ins, and integration with Microsoft CRM.
 
CRM Online
Forum for discussing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online specific questions.

CRM Chinese
CRM community space for an international audience, these new forums will be monitored by the CRM MVP team.

CRM Italian
CRM community space for an international audience, these new forums will be monitored by the CRM MVP team.

CRM Spanish
CRM community space for an international audience, these new forums will be monitored by the CRM MVP team.

Microsoft Dynamics AX/NAV/CRM
Microsoft Dynamics AX, NAV and CRM Russian Discussion Group.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM (German)
Mit Microsoft Dynamics CRM optimieren Sie all Ihre kundenorientierten Geschäftsprozesse. Diskutieren Sie mit anderen Anwendern oder stellen Sie ihre Frage rund um die Installation, Anpassung und Entwicklung von Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

  It’s bug clobberin’ time for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0!  I’m a little late posting this, but Update Rollup 4 is now available for download.  This update includes bug fixes and performance improvements, so it’s well worth the bandwidth and time to deploy.

Download: Update Rollup 4 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [...]]]>

Update Rollup (Fantastic) 4 ready to download!

 
It’s bug clobberin’ time for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0!  I’m a little late posting this, but Update Rollup 4 is now available for download.  This update includes bug fixes and performance improvements, so it’s well worth the bandwidth and time to deploy.

Download:
Update Rollup 4 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (KB 968176) 
KB Article: 
Microsoft Knowledge Base article 986176: Update Rollup 4 is available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Once again, as in all the previous Update Rollup versions, be aware that your old XML customization backups may be incompatible after upgrading to UR4.  This fourth version is a cumulative update, so you can safely bypass installing the previous versions.

Microsoft is planning on releasing new Update Rollups every two months, so check back regularly!

This accelerator was just released today, so I’ll be sure to post some feedback once I get a chance to [...]]]> The Business Productivity Workflow Tools Accelerator may be a mouthful, but it might have the extra options you’ve been needing for workflow customization.  Note:  this release is only intended for On-Premise deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

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 )