Lotos Notes / Dynamics CRM 2011 Integration

Topic: Dynamics CRM Integration
Sub-Topic: Lotos Notes / Dynamics CRM 2011 Integration
How to get Lotos Notes working properly with Dynamics CRM 2011.

Due to an customer how has issues with his CRM 2011 Integration to Lotos Notes we compare today all known methods to integrate Dynamics CRM 2011 with Lotos Notes.

Therefore we take an look on 2x Mail Integration Options (Option 1+2) and
2x Third Parties for Dynamics CRM 2011 (Option 4+5) which are integration a lot more that only Email like the Default Dynamics CRM 2011 Client for Outlook.

If you have questions or if you need support with your Dynamics CRM System and/or Lotos Notes Integration to Dynamics CRM, please feel free to contact us via Email info@dynamicsconsulting.de or via phone under +49 40 30 698 77 0.

Option 1: Default Email Integration only with POP3/SMTP with Lotos Notes

Only open mail connection protocol note offers is POP3/SMTP. In order to get Incoming Emails promoted to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 we need to configure the Email Router Incoming Profile as POP3.
If we only monitoring 1x Mailbox it is an easy thing, but if it is coming up to a big amount of user mailboxes we will get an Issue with Performance and also with updateing the User Credentials (Passwords) after they expired in the Customer Active Directory. This issue can we solved with Option 2.
Steps for POP3 E-mail Server Type

a.       In the E-mail Server Type list, click POP3.

b.      The Authentication Type list requires that you specify the authentication that is used to connect to the POP3 account. If your POP3 account resides with your ISP, you must contact the ISP to provide the authentication type that is needed to access this account.

c.       In the Server open text box, you type the POP3 server name and domain. For example, type POP3servername.domain.com.  If the POP3 account resides with an ISP, you must contact the ISP to provide the server name.
 Note: You may find this information in the account properties of the e-mail account located within Microsoft Outlook.

d.      In the Access Credentials list, available options include User Specified or Other Specified.
If you select User Specified in the Access Credentials list, each user must perform one additional configuration step to grant the e-mail router access to the POP3 mailbox. To do this, follow these steps:

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=21445
Section: Steps for POP3 E-mail Server Type

Option 2: Advanved Email Integration with Exchange/Lotos Notes

As a lot of companies are providing Hosted Exchange Services today, we have an other advanced opportunity to get Emails from many Lotos Notes (Main Message System Customer) Mailboxes into Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 using the Forward Mailbox (Sink Mailbox).

The Forward Mailbox

Advantages

·         Reduces the number of incoming profiles that must be created and managed for organizations that  monitor a large number of user’s mailboxes.

·         One central mailbox to monitor.

 

Disadvantages

·         E-mail provider must have the ability to forward as an attachment. This is required to forward e-mails to a central mailbox that is monitored by the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router.

·         A mailbox rule must be deployed to each user to forward e-mails to the central mailbox.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=21445
Section: Steps for POP3 E-mail Server Type

The disadvantages are listing the limitations from nots here.

Solution:

• Forwarding an copy to the sink mailbox via Lotus Note rule cannot work as the email router is expecting an "Attachment as msg"
  
• Only way which will work is to send an copy of each original email  (correct header, same sender and receiver) from Lotus Notes to an exchange mailbox (hosted/ or Exchange Online) and forward all emails  as attachment to the sink mailbox (hosted/ or Exchange Online). The Email Router is tracking all incoming traffic out of the sink mailbox to CRM. This way we met the  requirements of the email router and it is proper working for an big enterprise customer with lotus notes and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
  
  Additional benifit here: The CRM Operations Team has only to monitor the sink mailbox, here. If the amount of email grow, they know they have an issue. If special email stay in sink mailbox (can´t be track for some reasons), they will be identified quickly.

Option 3: LinkPoint Connect. LinkPoint Connect seamlessly integrates any of these products:
Microsoft Outlook, Lotos Notes, Novel Groupwise with the CRM Systems ACT!, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, salesforce.com, sage, Sales Logix, and Privotal CRM
Micrtosoft Dynamics CRM Related features:

Streamline your work day with seamless integration between Lotus Notes and Microsoft CRM.
Productivity Feature

Record inbound/Outbound emails to Microsoft CRM  

Create Tasks or Appointments when recording Emails

Jump right to a record in Microsoft CRM from your email

Drag and drop to create contacts or leads in Microsoft CRM

Create new records in Microsoft CRM from Lotus Notes

Click-to-dial calling using VOIP from Lotus Notes

Get maps and driving directions to your customers
Compatibility.

Lotus Notes Versions 6.x, 7.x, 8.x (Basic & Standard Editions)

Microsoft CRM Editions

• Version 4 Online / On-Premise
• CRM 2011 Online / On-Premise

Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 (32 & 64 bit)

Citrix and Terminal Server Environments

Source: http://www.linkpoint360.com/products/linkpoint-connect-dynamics-notes-edition/

Option 4: Lotos Note Connector for Microsoft Dynamics from IEnterprisesThe Lotus Notes Connector for Microsoft Dynamics is an easy to use tool that allows you to instantly synchronize all your Lotus Notes email and calendaring to and from your existing Microsoft Dynamics system. The wizard-driven tool can be quickly installed with a click and download so you can trial it for free before purchase.

Email integration– Copy both inbound and outbound emails and attachments to Microsoft Dynamics in a single click using email caller ID.
Link Emails with Contacts, Companies, Project or Cases
Select To: CC: and BCC: addresses directly from Microsoft Dynamics
Display the contact phone number and other important information in Lotus NotesChoose which contacts and emails get synchronized

Calendar Integration – Copy any Lotus Notes Calendar entry to Microsoft Dynamics.
Link calendar items with Contacts, Companies, Project or Cases.
Display the contact phone number and other important information in Lotus Notes
Manage your calendar within Lotus Notes and have it automatically synchronize with Microsoft Dynamics

Task (To Do) Integration – Copy any Lotus Notes Tasks to Microsoft Dynamics.
Link tasks with Contacts, Companies, Project or Cases.
Display the contact phone number and other important information in Lotus Notes
Manage your tasks within Lotus Notes and have it automatically synchronize with Microsoft Dynamics

Personal Address Book Integration – Copy any Microsoft Dynamics contact to the Lotus Notes Personal Address book.
Available directly from email – Easily copy Microsoft Dynamics contacts to the Lotus Notes Personal Address Book from an email message.
Use Native Lotus Notes Email Addressing to send Emails to Microsoft Dynamics contacts.

Source: http://www.ienterprises.com/lotus-notes-microsoft-dynamics-crm-integration

If you have questions or if you need support with your Dynamics CRM System and/or Lotos Notes Integration to Dynamics CRM, please feel free to contact us via Email info@dynamicsconsulting.de or via phone under +49 40 30 698 77 0.

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Released White Paper: Deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and CRM Online Solutions from Development through Test and Production Environments

Released White Paper: Deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and CRM Online Solutions from Development through Test and Production Environments This white paper explores deploying real-world Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions across test and production environments in reliable and repeatable ways by using automation, together with some automation examples. The paper also highlights the specific constraints that exist when deploying and testing solutions in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online environment. Note: The paper will subsequently be available via MSDN and the TechNet library in the CRM section under Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

Released White Paper: Deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and CRM Online Solutions from Development through Test and Production Environments

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Administrator tips: Optimizing and Maintaining CRM 4.0

The Microsoft CRM Team Blog announced a useful white paper for tips on optimizing your deployment of Dynamics CRM 4.0.
Download my PDF version at the link below, or go directly to Microsoft’s download page.

• MSCRM4_Optimizing_and_Maintaining (PDF)

NOTE: Click on the “Read More” link below for the Table of Contents of this white paper.
Overview
This white paper provides techniques, considerations, and best practices for optimizing and maintaining the performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 implementations. Structured to support a tier-based optimization methodology, the paper includes a section dedicated to optimizing and maintaining each of the Client, Application, and Data tiers. For each tier, the paper addresses the relevant components of the broader implementation. This white paper also includes links to additional information and resources, such as performance enhancements, security updates, Knowledge Base articles, and related Microsoft Dynamics CRM documentation.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
Server Architecture for Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
The Client Tier
The Application Tier
The Data Tier
Recommended Approach to Optimization and Maintenance
Optimizing and Maintaining Client Tier Performance
Optimizing Network Performance
Configuring Client-Side Caching
Configuring Content Expiration
Using Compression Techniques
Accessing Dynamics CRM by using Terminal Services/Citrix
Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook
Hardware Requirements
Optimizing the Synchronization Process
Optimizing Address Book Performance
Bypassing the Proxy Server for On-premise Deployments within a LAN
Improving Startup Time for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook
Disabling Extraneous Processes and Applications
Reducing Exchange Traffic by Modifying Outlook Rules
Optimizing Offline Synchronization
Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Diagnostics
Optimizing and Maintaining Application Tier Performance
Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft Windows Server
Optimizing the Performance of Microsoft Windows Server
Monitoring the Performance of Microsoft Windows Server
Optimizing and Maintaining the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft .NET
Applications
Optimizing the Performance of the Microsoft .NET Framework
Monitoring the Performance of Microsoft .NET Framework Applications
Optimizing and Maintaining Internet Information Services
Optimizing the Performance of Internet Information Services
Monitoring the Performance of Internet Information Services
Optimizing the Performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
Installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM on Multiple Servers
Implementing Server Roles
Optimizing the Performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Applications
Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Services
Optimizing Report Performance
Optimization Guidelines
Optimization Techniques
Optimizing Workflow
Optimizing and Maintaining Data Tier Performance
Optimizing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Database
Configuring the Disk Subsystem for Optimal Performance
Minimizing Locking Contention by Using Isolation Levels
Disabling Support for Parallel Plan Queries
Using Efficient Queries
Optimizing and Maintaining Query Performance
Optimizing and Maintaining the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Database
Optimizing and Maintaining the CRM E-mail Router
Optimizing the CRM E-mail Router
Maintaining the CRM E-mail Router
Appendix A: Additional Resources
Information Resources
Technical Services
Appendix B: CRM E-mail Router Performance Counters

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Posted in: CRM 2011 Performance

How to fully remove the CRM Client for Outlook

ISSUE
After Migration from to CRM 4.0 the Outlook Client Addon is not loaded anymore.
IMPACT
Live Environment - System Down

ROOT CAUSE:
unknown

ACTION PLAN
Fully removement of the CRM Outlook Client
1. Close Outlook
2. Let’s make sure CRM 3.0 & 4.0 Client are removed from 'Add/Remove Programs'
3. Delete CRM folders and registry (if you still have it after uninstallation of the Client):
a. the CRM folder inside the Program Files folder
b. ..\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Microsoft\MSCRM
c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSCRMClient
d. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSCRMClient
4. Once CRM is uninstalled > start Outlook
5. Customize the toolbar to remove the extra remaining CRM option (go to tools - Customize)
a. Under the Toolbars tab, Highlight the Microsoft CRM Toolbar and choose delete then click OK.
b. Then highlight the Menu Bar and choose Reset then click OK.
c. Close Outlook
6. Delete the MSCRM.pst file. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, click Run, type c:\documents and settings, and then click OK.
b. Open the folder for the user who uses the Microsoft Dynamics CRM laptop client for Outlook.
c. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
d. In the Advanced settings box, click Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.
e. Double-click Application Data.
f. Right-click MSCRM.pst, and then click Delete.
7. Delete the Microsoft CRM folder.
Note: • By default, the Microsoft CRM folder is in the following folder:
C:\Program Files• If the Microsoft CRM folder cannot be deleted, you must restart the computer, and then delete the folder.
8. If you had the CRM 3.0 Laptop client installed, you will want to delete the database files below:
The files are located in the : C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$CRM\Data\ directory
a. METABASE.mdf
b. METABASE_log.ldf
c. MSCRM_MSDE.mdf
d. MSCRM_MSDE_log.ldf
9. Go to Start - Run - and type 'Regedit'
a. Make a backup of the registry by (in the Registry Editor) right-click on 'My Comptuer' and select 'Export'
b. select a location for the export file and name it
c. Click Save
10. Now that you have a back up of your registry, we are going to want to search for any keys that contain 'CRM'. I have seen that the registry keys are not properly removed sometimes so this is a much needed step. Please follow the steps below:
a. Select 'Edit' and 'Find'
b. In the 'Find What' field, type 'CRM'
c. In the 'Look at' field, please ensure that only 'Keys' is selected and hit 'Find Next'
d. You will want to delete all registry keys that contain 'CRM' after the first key is deleted, hit 'F3' to find the next key that contains 'CRM'
e. You will want to continue this process until all of the registry keys containing 'CRM' are removed from the registry.
7. Reboot the machine
8. Download the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Microsoft Office Outlook
9. Reinstall the CRM Client 4.0


If the above steps do not work, please reset the toolbar:
1. In Outlook go to Tools->Customize->Toolbars. Select Microsoft CRM and click Delete and then select Menu Bar and click Reset.
2. In the Outlook folders, delete all the folders under Microsoft CRM.
3. In Outlook delete all the CRM Shortcuts.
4. Shutdown Outlook.
5. Delete the UIXmlHash reg key from the HKCU\Software\Microsoft\MSCRMClient reg hive.
6. Make a backup of the registry
7. Ensure RCOffline is set to 0 in that hive.
8. Start Outlook

I have also seen cases where the below steps resolved the issue:
-Close Microsoft Outlook
-Open Windows Explorer and browse to c:\documents and settings\user\application data\Microsoft\ (on Windows XP)
-Rename the folder named "Outlook" to "Outlookold"
-Restart your computer
-Launch Outlook

Source: http://www.dynamicsconsulting.de/2012/03/28/how-to-fully-remove-the-crm-client-for-outlook/

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Posted in: CRM 2011 Client Deployment,CRM 2011 Online Client Troubleshooting

released : Updaterollup 7 für Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (KB 2600643)

Microsoft has released Update Rollup 7. This is a tested, cumulative set of updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. It includes performance enhancements that are packaged together for easy deployment.

Files to download: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=29221

Related KB Article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2600643/en-us

Feature addition

Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduces a new feature that is called Read Optimized Forms. By using this feature, an organization can let users decide whether they want to view records using a form that is optimized to load quickly. The read-optimized form improves productivity for users who primarily consume data instead of editing records. It also helps prevent users from unintentional editing field values.

For more information about Read Optimized Forms, click the following link:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=246078 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=246078)

For more design considerations with Read Optimized Forms, click the following link to read the SDK topic:
Design Considerations for Read Only Forms (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=245909)       

for more information please review the KB Article:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2600643/en-us

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Posted in: CRM 2011 Update Rollups

Dynamics CRM 2011: oData and Jscript in CRM 2011

oData is also referred as Open Data Protocol. CRM 2011 mainly uses Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) data services framework to provide oData Endpoint which is nothing but a REST based data service. The address for the endpoint is:

http://{OrganizationRootUrl} /XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc

oData uses some data format for sending and receiving the data. Basically it uses the following two formats.

1. ATOM: It is an Xml based format mainly used for the RSS feeds.
2. JSON: JavaScript Object Notation is a text formats which makes very easy for the developers to understand the response what we get.

We would be using the JSON format in our example.

The main OData service:

http://{OrganizationRootUrl} /XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc

Examples:
1) For retrieving any EntitySet(here GoalSet )
http://{OrganizationRootUrl} /XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc/GoalSet

2) For retrieving limited attributes use $select query option
http://{OrganizationRootUrl}/XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc/GoalSet ?$select=IsAmount,MetricId
This will retrieve collection of IsAmount and MetricId for all Goals.

3) For retrieving data filtered on some criteria use $filter query option
http://{OrganizationRootUrl}/XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc/GoalSet ?$select=IsAmount,MetricId &$filter=GoalId eq guid'" + goalid + "'";
This will retrieve IsAmount and MetricId for the Goal whose GoalId matches with the value of given goalid.

4) For retrieving data from related entity use $expand query option
http://{OrganizationRootUrl}/XRMServices/2011/OrganizationData.svc/GoalSet ?$select=IsAmount,metric_goal/Name,metric_goal/OrganizationId&$expand=metric_goal&$filter=GoalId eq guid'" + goalid + "'";

Here ‘metric_goal’ is the relationship property which defines realtionship between Goal and GoalMetric.

This retrieves IsAmount from GoalSet .Name and Organizationid are fetched from the related GoalMetricSet.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 does not support querying a multi-level relationship property.Maximum 6 expansion are allowed .

Following is an example for implementing oData using javascript in CRM 2011 to retrieve the required fields from Goal and Goal Metric entities.

As viewed in the snapshot above, three libraries have been included . It is compulsory to include jquery1.4.1.min.js and json2.js for implementing JSON format with oData.Both the files are available in SDK\ samplecode\ js\ restendpoint\restjquerycontacteditor\restjquerycontacteditor \scripts.The third file Goal.js contains two functions as given below i.e. ‘GetIsAmount’ and ‘RetrieveReqCallBack’ which are used to retrieve values for different fields like IsAmount(from Goal entity), Name and OrganisationId(from GoalMetric entity).

function GetIsAmount() {

var goalid = Xrm.Page.data.entity.getId();

var oDataPath = Xrm.Page.context.getServerUrl() + "/xrmservices/2011/organizationdata.svc";

var retrieveReq = new XMLHttpRequest();

var Odata = oDataPath + "/GoalSet?$select=IsAmount,metric_goal/Name,metric_goal/OrganizationId&$expand=metric_goal&$filter=GoalId eq guid'" + goalid + "'";

retrieveReq.open("GET", Odata, false);

retrieveReq.setRequestHeader("Accept", "application/json");

retrieveReq.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json; charset=utf-8");

retrieveReq.onreadystatechange = function() { RetrieveReqCallBack(this); };

retrieveReq.send();

}

function RetrieveReqCallBack(retrieveReq) {

var metricId = null;

if (retrieveReq.readyState == 4 /* complete */) {

var retrieved = JSON.parse(retrieveReq.responseText).d;

var isAmount = retrieved.results[0].IsAmount;

var Name = retrieved.results[0].metric_goal.Name;

var OrganizationId = retrieved.results[0].metric_goal.OrganizationId;        

}

}

http://www.dynamicsconsulting.de/2012/03/24/dynamics-crm-2011-odata-and-jscript-in-crm-2011/

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Posted in: CRM 2011 JavaScript

Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Q4 2011 Update News

 

Since our earlier post about the updates we'll see next in Microsoft Dynamics CRM we've now received further information from Microsoft about the Q4 2011 release:

Improved Business Intelligence (for CRM Online & On-Premise users)

Following the addition of CRM dashboards earlier this year the Q4 update will extend CRM business intelligence reporting.

This will include multi-series charts where different sets of information can be overlaid on a single chart enabling comparisons to be more easily made.

As a result it'll be easier to make assessments on, Forecast vs Actual Revenue by Customer Account and other sales, service and marketing metrics using CRM dashboards.

The next CRM release will also include new chart types with options for stacked bar and column charts.


Activity Feeds (for CRM Online & On-Premise users)


The first of several waves of Social Media functionality in Dynamics CRM will be available in the Q4 2011 update.

The next release will feature Activity Feeds enabling users to follow activities around people, accounts, opportunities and any other important communication threads.

Activity feeds stimulate better user collaboration through micro-blogging so teams can supplement traditional communication channels by posting questions, status updates, comments and answers in CRM.

Feeds are rolled up for each user in their own CRM Wall that display updates on all followed activities.

Activity feed updates can be posted manually or automatically through workflow rules. For example, an automated status update can be posted when an opportunity reaches negotiation stage.

Feeds can even be applied by external applications through the Dynamics CRM programming interface (API).

All activity feeds utilise Microsoft Lync presence functions to check the availability of other people before making instant messaging and other communications.

Like all CRM functionality, Activity Feeds are subject to the same core security model that ensures information is only shared with the right people.


Enhanced Dialogs (for Microsoft CRM Online & On-Premise users)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduced Dialog call scripts that guide users through business processes including telemarketing and support handling.

Dialogs prompt a series of questions and include branching rules to guide users to an outcome, maintain process consistency and improve data quality.

For the Q4 2011 release dialogs will be extended to support look-ups and can generate dynamic links that guide users to contextual records and content in CRM and external applications.

Improved duplication detection (for CRM Online & On-Premise users)

The Q4 release creates more flexibility for the configuration and assessment of duplicate detection.

Rules can be set to ignore null values and ensure a higher proportion of possible duplicates are flagged for administrator or user attention.


Unified CRM & Office 365 Billing & Administration (for CRM Online users)

Microsoft CRM already works with Office 365 applications including Outlook for email tracking, Lync Online for instant messaging and availability status in CRM and Sharepoint Online for contextual links between document libraries and CRM records.

However, Microsoft's billing systems are fragmented with separate platforms for CRM and Office 365 and in the case of Microsoft CRM Online can prove frustrating.

The Q4 update starts the process to unify Microsoft's billing and administration by rolling out the platform that's used by Office 365 customers to simplify the admin of users, functionality and billing for all cloud services.


Unified Identity (for CRM Online cloud users)

The next CRM 2011 release features more options on how users can sign-on to their database.

This will create a single cloud sign-on to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online where active directory is used as the business directory service.

When users subscribe to Microsoft CRM Online and Office 365 all applications to be accessible from a single user log-in. For example, by logging into Sharepoint Online a user will be able to access CRM Online without the need for a separate log-in.


Enhanced Data Recovery (for CRM Online cloud users)

Microsoft are investing in additional data centre capacity and extending disaster recovery infrastructure for Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers in Europe.

From the Q4 2011 release Microsoft will offer system fail-over across regional data centres. In the unlikely event that any data centre interruption occurs, CRM data will still physically reside in another EU data center.

To read more about the CRM Q4 2011 update download the full Microsoft guide.

This update will be available later this year but at this stage we await a firm release date.

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Posted in: CRM 2011 News