Error Registering Plugin with CRM Online created via Office365

I was putting together a demo this week and provisioned a new instance of CRM Online.  For those of you haven't done this yet, the process is now done via Office 365 and there are in a few minor differences.

We began to load up some of our pre-built solutions which seemed to go OK.  We needed to register a plugin that we developed for auto-numbers.  The plug-in registration tool (which we used many time before) came up with an errors.  The first one was "Unable to retrieve organisations from the discovery service".  Upon further reading (and looking at the new customization endpoints in CRM online) we learned that you now need to change the discovery URL from https://dev.crm.dynamics.com to https://disco.crm.dynamics.com

No problem, done.  We were still getting errors, further investigation showed "Unhandled Exception: System.InvalidOperationException: There is an error in XML document (5, 5)." and a whole bunch more information on the error.

After some research, we learned that there were some updates in the latest rollups and the SDK that corresponded with some of the Office365/CRM Online changes.  We ended up recompiling the plugin registration tool using the most up to date CRM SDK and we were then able to retrieve the organizations.  We did run into an error connecting to the organization, but retried 1-2 more times and it did connect (hmmm). 

Lesson learned, keep your tools up to date with CRM instances!

CRM 2011 and Windows 8

So Windows 8 showed up on the Action Pack downloads last week so I thought I would give it a spin.  I had not looked at any of the earlier betas or release candidates so I went in fresh.  I am familiar with the (don't call it metro) interface since I have been using a Windows phone for about a year now.

For Dynamics CRM, here were the things to look out for:

First off, the CRM of Outlook client could no longer connect.  We currently have our CRM hosted on www.ITUtility.net , our Canadian based cloud provider.  Normally I would login using my email address when setting up the Outlook connector, but after some digging around I discovered that I could only connect using my actual ITUtility "domain\username" format to login.  The Windows Identity foundation 3.5 needed to be installed as well.

Once I got beyond that, the process would eventually fail when configuring the client.  After installing the client CRM Rollup 10, the situation was resolved.

Running CRM 2011 in IE 10 also posed some issues, there was lots of "there was an error in CRM...." I found a Microsoft KB article that indicated you should run IE in compatibility mode.  This for the most part solved these issues.   One issue that did not go away was the ability to drag and drop a field in form customizations, not entirely sure it was a Windows 8/IE 10 issue but once I logged onto a Windows 7 machine I was able to make the changes I needed.

Windows 8 Summary

Before upgrading I took a good backup image of my laptop and went ahead with an in-place upgrade. Everything went fairly well. I was not too keen having to associate my Windows Live ID to the login, but it is what it is.

My laptop is not touch screen, so I think I am missing out in some of the experience.   Using Windows 8 is an odd mix of the new (don't call it Metro) interface and the "traditional" windows interface.  It reminded me of using Windows 95 with DOS programs.  Using the two interfaces becomes a bit cumbersome.  The other thing was the absence of the "Start" button.  I was able to find a freeware app that put it back, there seems to be a lot of debate online about it, I think Microsoft is trying to push folks to the new interface, but if that were the case, then the entire old desktop should have been flushed, not taking key pieces away one bit at a time.  Some of the new Windows 8 style apps were cool, like remote desktop and OneNote, however it takes some time to get used to the new way to adjust settings, minimize and switch applications, all the while will still using the old way for the "traditional" apps.

Suffice to say I ran Windows 7 recovery and restored the backup image, so I am now back to the comfortable Windows 7 interface.

Overall, Windows 8 is not as horrible like Vista, but I think Microsoft tried unsuccessfully to bridge the old and new, and like mint and chocolate, both good seperately, disgusting when mixed together.

When the majority of the apps that I use (Office, CRM) have moved over to this interface and I won't ever need to use the old desktop, is when I will upgrade permanently.  Until then, I think I will be sticking Windows 7, after all, it *was* my idea. 

Contact Info / Label (CRM 2011)

Although the built-in Word Mail Merge can create nice personalized mailing labels, sometimes users don't want to go through all the steps Word requires to generate just one label. That is why we add a "Contact Info Summary" concatenation on most of our clients' Account and Contact forms, for a quick copy-paste option.

The code below applies to Contacts, but it can be easily adapted for the Account, Lead and Address forms.

1.    Start by creating a new memo attribute (“Multiple lines of text”) that will hold your concatenated label. In our example, we named it “new_contactinfosummary”. We recommend making it non-searchable to keep the fields list cleaner.

2.    Add the field to the form. Layout is up to you, obviously, but we recommend making it read-only, to ensure that users don’t start typing in there, thinking individual fields will update from there (true story…).

3.    Add the following 2 functions in a web resource.

function BuildContactInfoSummary() {

    //------- Load the function to build the Contact Info Summary

    var Label = "";

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("salutation").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Xrm.Page.getAttribute("salutation").getValue() + " "; }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("firstname").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("firstname").getValue() + " "; }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("lastname").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("lastname").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("jobtitle").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + ", " + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("jobtitle").getValue(); }

    var OrgName = Xrm.Page.getAttribute("parentcustomerid").getValue();

    if (OrgName != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\n" + OrgName[0].name; }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line1").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\n" + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line1").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line2").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\n" + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line2").getValue(); }

    //ENABLE THE FOLLOWING IF YOUR FORM INCLUDES STREET 3:

    //        if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line3").getValue() != null)

    //        { Label = Label + "\r\n" + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_line3").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_city").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\n" + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_city").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_stateorprovince").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + ", " + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_stateorprovince").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_postalcode").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "   " + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_postalcode").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_country").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "    " + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_country").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("telephone1").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\nBusiness Phone: " + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("telephone1").getValue(); }

    if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("emailaddress1").getValue() != null)

    { Label = Label + "\r\n" + Xrm.Page.getAttribute("emailaddress1").getValue(); }

    Xrm.Page.getAttribute("new_contactinfosummary").setValue(Label);

    Xrm.Page.getAttribute("new_contactinfosummary").setSubmitMode("always");

}

function UpdateContactInfoSummary() {

    //------Update the Contact Info Summary on updatable records

    if (Xrm.Page.ui.getFormType() == 2) {

        //------Force a save if the Contact Info Summary was empty ** NOTE: remove this following statement if you DO NOT want to force a save -- i.e., if you have onSave code that you do not want triggered right away

        if (Xrm.Page.getAttribute("new_contactinfosummary").getValue() == null) {

            BuildContactInfoSummary();

            Xrm.Page.data.entity.save();

        }

        else {

            BuildContactInfoSummary();

            //------Disable the "do you want to save?" alert if the Contact Info Summary hasn't changed

            if (crmForm.all.new_contactinfosummary.IsDirty) crmForm.detachCloseAlert();

        }

    }

}

4.    Add UpdateContactInfoSummary as an onLoad event and BuildContactInfoSummary as an onSave event.

5.    Save and publish customizations.

Report Uploading Error

I was getting an error uploading custom reports on a customer's CRM 4.0 deployment.  When I would upload the report, I would get the following error:

Checking Google and CRM Forums it seems like there are a lot of people with this error.  A common mistake is creating a report in a new version of Visual Studio (2008) and targeting an older version of SQL (2005) reporting services.  This was not my problem, and I had been able to upload reports before.

Now, not exactly sure why, but I have had issues with reports on CRM before, and the process of playing around with encryption keys has resolved some issues.

On the SQL Report Server, I went to Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server 2008 -> Configuration Tools -> Reporting Services Configuration Manager

I clicked connect and then clicked on encryption keys, and then backup. 

I entered a filename and path, passwords and that was it! 

I exited Reporting Services Configuration Manager and I could now upload custom CRM reports with ease.

I hope this helps someone in the future.  If anyone could give an explanation why this would fix it, I would appreciate it!

Cheers

Nick



North American Formatting of Phone Numbers in CRM 2011

"Standardizing data entry" is often one of the top concerns our clients want their CRM solution to address. Creating a simili-input mask while still allowing users to enter additional notes when using an asterisk (*), here is code we use to help with the formatting of North American phone numbers.


Please note:

• This code is for CRM 2011. If you're interested in our CRM 4.0 version, feel free to contact us and we'll gladly share it with you.
• The function must be added to a web resource accessible to your form, and coupled with an onChange event on the phone number field itself. For example, the following would format the main phone field on the Account form >    function telephone1_onchange()
          {
              PhoneFormat("telephone1");
          }
• We use the out-of-box address1_country field to determine if the phone number should or shouldn't be formatted. If you're using a custom field for the country, make sure to modify the code accordingly.

//------Format a 10-digit phone number to 'xxx xxx-xxxx', with the option to add stuff after the asteriskfunction PhoneFormat(oField) {
    var field = Xrm.Page.getAttribute(oField);
    if (field.getValue() != "undefined" && field.getValue() != null) {
        var country = Xrm.Page.getAttribute("address1_country").getValue();
        if (country == "Canada" || country == "United States" || country == "Bermuda" || country == "Mexico") {
            var sTmp = field.getValue().replace(/[^0-9,*]/g, "");
            if (sTmp.length == 10) {
                field.setValue(sTmp.substr(0, 3) + " " + sTmp.substr(3, 3) + "-" + sTmp.substr(6, 4));
                field.setSubmitMode("always");
            }
            else {
                if (sTmp.length > 10) {
                    if (field.getValue().search(/[*]/g) > -1) {
                        field.setValue(sTmp.substr(0, 3) + " " + sTmp.substr(3, 3) + "-" + sTmp.substr(6, 4) + " " + field.getValue().substring(field.getValue().search(/[*]/g)));
                    }
                    else {
                        field.setValue(sTmp.substr(0, 3) + " " + sTmp.substr(3, 3) + "-" + sTmp.substr(6, 4) + " ext. " + sTmp.substring(10));
                    }
                }
                else {
                    if (Xrm.Page.context.getUserLcid() == 1033) {
                        alert("This number should contain 10 digits. Please verify the data entered.");
                    }
                    if (Xrm.Page.context.getUserLcid() == 1036) {
                        alert("Ce numéro devrait contenir 10 chiffres. Veuillez vérifier et faire les ajustements nécessaires.");
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Catching up with the Cloud

By now most of you are sick and tired of hearing about “The Cloud”.  So bear with me for yet another “Cloud” blog posting, but looking at a Dynamics CRM topic that I have not yet seen covered.  Also bear with me in that I will be shamelessly plugging our own organization.

What I will be talking about is moving “on-premise” Dynamics CRM deployments to cloud Dynamics CRM deployments and keeping all data, reports, customizations, etc.

Now that Dynamics CRM 4.0 has been out for a few years, a lot of “on-premise” clients will of course be looking to upgrade to Dynamics CRM 2011 to take advantage of the new features and capabilities.  The upgrade process we found is fairly straight forward when following the proper steps and ensuring that all customizations and configurations either continue to work or are adjusted/converted to meet CRM 2011 requirements.  There are many other postings and tools to help with this process.

However, when looking at upgrading, there are a lot of other considerations and for some organizations actual roadblocks from moving from CRM 4.0 to CRM 2011.

While we are diligent in letting our customers know when their software enhancement is about to expire, there are instances where the software enhancement has lapsed.  For some of our direct customers, this is usually due to budgetary constraints.  We have also come across some customers who were never properly informed by their partners about software assurance or even that it had expired.  To get them on board with acquiring CRM 2011, the process involves either paying large penalties or even having to completely re-purchase CRM 2011 licenses.

The other limiting factor is hardware and software.  CRM 2011 requires 64 bit architecture as well as potential upgrades to Windows and SQL server.  Not to mention implementing ADFS if internet facing deployment is required.   

Considering hardware and software upgrades, enhancement catch-ups, for some customers this is a very daunting expense just for the sake of upgrading to CRM 2011.

At Ready BMS Ltd we now provide a service to bring these on-premise customers to the cloud.  Not only setting them up with a cloud version of Dynamics CRM, but also bringing all the data, reports, customizations over as well.   We currently host many of our CRM 4.0 and CRM 2011 customers at our secure Canadian-based hosting facility.  To bring a customer from an on-premise deployment to the cloud usually involves getting a copy of the database/customizations and redeploying/upgrading to a newly provisioned hosted version of CRM.  We do have the ability to test and allow some extensions that are not available with Dynamics CRM online.

By eliminating the software assurance, hardware and software requirements we are able to give these clients the full CRM 2011 experience at monthly per user fees as opposed to large capital expenses.  For some clients they would spend up to 10 years in hosting fees to get the equivalent in hardware, software and support to have the equivalent system on-premise.

Of course, if down the road the customer wants to move back on-premise, we can facilitate that as well.

If you or your customers are in a situation where you are running Dynamics CRM on-premise and want to upgrade, but are missing some key components and want to consider a cloud solution, please reach out to us and we will be happy to help you “catch up with the cloud”.  Please send an email to “crm <<at>> readybms.com”

Some features of our unique Dynamics CRM hosting services:

·         Ability to provide both CRM 2011 and CRM 4.0 hosted

·         Monthly fee of $50 per user per month, no user minimum, no time minimum.

·         Secure Canadian Data Center (not under jurisdiction of the United States Patriot Act.)

·         Ability to migrate CRM to and from on-premise and hosted.*

·         Ability to provide hosted Dynamics CRM Email Router.*

·         Ability to allow some extensions/customizations not possible on Dynamics CRM Online (will require testing and certification by our team)*

·         Other hosted Microsoft software such as Exchange and SharePoint available as well.*

*Additional professional service fees may apply.

For those of you in US, there is a promotion going on to get on Dynamics CRM online, which may be a viable option as well, altough it is not clear how you would get the CRM data/system moved over if at all:
http://community.dynamics.com/b/dynpartnercommunity/archive/2011/09/30/make-the-move-to-microsoft-dynamics-crm-online-campaign-and-offer.aspx

Coming soon, a blog posting about "Social CRM"... JUST KIDDING!

Cheers
Nick

Stay small or grow?

Wow, talk about a subject that has EVERY possible angle covered in hundreds of articles. And yet, it remains a neverending discussion: should we grow the business or stay small?

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of work in the CRM sphere -- not in our playground, anyway. We've got plenty of work to keep three full-time employees quite busy, without much investment in terms of marketing or sales efforts. We are fortunate to have loyal clients with which we've truly developed a good relationship, and that we continue to work with to help them get the best out of their CRM. Opportunities are coming to us -- directly and through select partners that we work with. We have to constantly remind ourselves of the importance of saying no, to maintain a manageable workload. The temptation to grow the business is strong... so why not?

Well, for one thing, we started the business because we like to do what we do, the way we do it. Sure, a couple of days a year, we have to do bookkeeping, pay bills, deal with office-related stuff. But the majority of the time, we focus on what we like to do and what we do best: delivering solutions, big or small, that help our clients. Would we be able to maintain that focus and share that vision as the company grew? Would we still be able to work in our business, or would we spend most of our time working on our business? Tidbit of wisdom from The E-Myth Revisited: understanding the technical work of a business doesn't mean understanding a business that does that technical work...

We like to do what we do, the way we do it. We're less driven by money than by non-pecuniary benefits (being one’s own boss, having flexibility of hours, etc.). As Nick says: "When you're your own boss, you get to decide which 20 hours of the day you want to work"... We like to think that we have the luxury of choosing who we work with, and who we work for. We work with like-minded collaborators (personally, I love the concept of the "managers of one") and find that we work best with clients whose corporate values are similar to ours. But what if the company grew and we had to say yes to work because we have to, in order to generate enough revenue to sustain the growth?

Here are a few quotes that I'll post next to my computer, for the next time this conversation comes up internally... again:

• The beauty of entrepreneurship is that it gives you the opportunity to create a business that delivers what you want. (Forbes)
• In order to be successful, a business doesn’t need to be big, it just needs to be big enough to achieve your goals.(Forbes)
• Every business has a sweet spot for size, often smaller than they think. It is at this sweet spot where you have the right number of people, the right skill sets, and the right customers. (http://launchany.com/grow-big-stay-small/)
• There should be no shame in declaring that you want to keep your business small.

Oh, and please don't hold any of the above against me if we meet in 5 years and Ready BMS has grown to a ridiculously larger size... "Il n'y a que les fous qui ne changent pas d'idée!"