Wednesday, October 20, 2010

PostHeaderIcon Dynamics CRM 2011 SDK Discoveries

11:33 PM | Posted by WimCo | Edit Post

Last weekend, I decided, for some strange reason, to read some random things in the new Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta SDK. I ended up reading about the extensions to Windows Azure, the event pipeline, the early and late bound ways of communicating with the services, the REST (OData) endpoint and Reports.

Although I already developed a few small demo’s in Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta, I was surprised to read about a few limitations, changes and possibilities I was not already aware of and I would like to share with you.

First a limitation I discovered:

  1. Apparently the REST Endpoint can only be used from within Dynamics CRM 2011. In other words: only scripts and Silverlight apps you deploy into Dynamics CRM as a web resource can take advantage of the REST Endpoint. So using the endpoint from standalone apps or for integration purposes are a “no-no”. Other than that, and in my opinion less a concern: the endpoint only supports create, update, delete and retrieve and it does not fully implement the OData protocol.

A change I should have seen, when I registered my demo plugin, but probably missed it due to time constraints:

  1. You can no longer choose to register a plugin on the child or parent pipeline. This is a consequence of the consolidation of both pipelines into one pipeline. The difference between the two is now made by selecting the right stage. E.q. pre-event on parent pipeline in Dynamics CRM 4.0 becomes pre-event with stage 10 in Dynamics CRM 2011(~ pre-validation; outside of the database transaction), pre-event on the child pipeline becomes a stage 20 pre-event in CRM 2011 (inside the transaction).

  2. There is only one synchronous post-event for plugins (stage 40) in Dynamics CRM 2011. Although it is not stated explicitly in the CRM 2011 SDK, a stage 40 plugin normally runs inside the transaction. The stage 50 post-plug is deprecated in CRM 2011. Theoretically this would mean that throwing an exception in a CRM 2011 post plugin would cancel the entire operation. Nice!
     
  3. Plugins can now be registered in a secure sandbox (isolated environment). This is a really import new feature as it will allow CRM / xRM Developers to deploy plugins to Dynamics CRM 2011 Online (or to another hosted environment). However, since this feature is especially developed to be able to deploy custom code to a hosted environment and because a hosting partner cannot control and trust everyone’s code, the plugin code is subject to a bunch of coding limitations. File system, registry, event log, network access and more are not permitted. Accessing the CRM Web Services or a Windows Azure endpoint is perfectly allowed of course. Because of the limitations and the lack of code trust,  we can name these “partially trusted plugins”.

  4. Partially trusted plugins collect runtime statistics: execution count, failure count, crash count. These are used to make sure that a plugin does not absorb all resources and to make sure that the worker process remains healthy. When certain threshold are exceeded or when the worker process becomes unresponsive, the platform can decide to restart the process. Each organization has its own worker process, so they cannot affect each other.

A thing that really struck me was the “resurrection” of FetchXml, the proprietary language to query CRM data.. I remember reading in a course a bunch of years ago that FetchXml should be avoided as much as possible, that most things were possible through the strongly typed object model. instead.  However, FetchXml always had a few possibilities that could not be realized in an efficient other way (like count or return values from multiple columns), so I always had mixed feelings about it.

Today, FetchXml, is gaining in importance again: Dynamics CRM 2011 Online only supports custom FetchXml based reports (onpremise still supports SQL Server based reports using the FilteredViews). To help us create those reports, Microsoft supports us with a FetchXml Extension for BI Development Studio (~ Visual Studio). Also remember that you can always use the FetchXml button on the Advanced Find form to get the FetchXml for query you designed in the Advanced Find tool. Check out this article  (Getting started with Custom Reports in the cCoud) on the CRM Team blog to read more about FetchXml based reports.

Finally, I learned two other things –and you should learn them too-:

  1. I should definitely start playing around with Windows Azure and the extension scenarios for Dynamics CRM 2011. These kind of solutions will be unavoidable in the future. 

  2. Claim based security is a standard that is now introduced in Dynamics CRM 2011 too. I can no longer ignore the topic. In the past I already downloaded the Windows Identity Foundation Whitepaper for Developers but I’ve always been able to put it  aside and postpone it. As it becomes more tangible and urgent, those days are over. So save yourself some time and dig into it without further ado. Lots of resources can be found on the MSDN center of Windows Identity Foundation.

Good luck with your Dynamics CRM 2011 adventures!

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Friday, September 10, 2010

PostHeaderIcon Celebrating the release of Dynamics CRM 2011 Beta

12:21 AM | Posted by WimCo | Edit Post

Today Dynamics CRM 2011 public beta was released. I am convinced that this release, thanks to the improvements and new features, has the potential of being a historical one.

For instance, Solution Management, the new and improved capabilities of the SDK, SharePoint integration (although still limited for certain situations), field level security, Role based forms, the use of WCF, support for Visual Studio designed Workflows and extensibility options to the new raising star: Cloud/Windows Azure are only some of the features that will drive the possibilities for XRM solutions even further.

Next to the new XRM “enablers” and enhancements, CRM 2011 also contains a few things that will certainly appeal to all business users out there. I am thinking about the dashboarding options here. Create nice looking dashboards on the fly or make your forms and views extra sexy by adding charts and visualizations the like. These will help users understand what they are looking at within a blink of an eye. And, do I really need to mention it? This is one of the features that will make the lives of all of us Dynamics CRM partners out there a little easier: it will help us come out even stronger in competition with SalesForce.com. You might have read about some others that will help us compete against SFDC too:

  • cloud extensions make it possible to have the entire thing together with your own unique business logic in the cloud, available 24/7, wherever you are, whatever device you use and with the scalability at your command;
  • the market place offers solutions so you can find the best solutions from different partners at a central place. Dynamics CRM partners should see this one as a call to action – are your solutions market place ready or will your customers discover your competitor’s solution first?);
  • of course, the dramatically improved and great experience with Office and the CRM Outlook client will benefit us too;
  • Did I mention the redesigned UI?  Completely in line with the Office look and feel.
  • International availability of Dynamics CRM Online.
  • …

 

I will not dive into the details of each of the mentioned features right now, but Microsoft has done a great job providing a bunch of resources right from the start. (We all know that this has not always been the case in the past for some of their products; especially not for beta releases.) So, if you are eager to learn more now, go to http://crm20111beta.com (after you finished reading this blog post of course! :) )

If you don’t care much about documentation and videos, you can always get your hands dirty. You can download the bits here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=0c7dcc45-9d41-4e2e-8126-895517b4274c&displayLang=en

Anyway, I have not talked about the hundreds of other (small and big, needed and nice to have, good and bad) things yet. I am so excited that I even forgot to write about the fact that I was waiting for this release to pick up my online presence again. I am back in social media land. So check back soon for new posts about Dynamics CRM 2011, or maybe some broader Microsoft platform content talking about SharePoint, BI, .NET or a combination of these.

That leaves me with only one thing to do for this post:

Congratulations to the entire Dynamics CRM 2011 team for their exceptional work!

See you soon,

Wim

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Saturday, January 2, 2010

PostHeaderIcon Dynamics CRM Resources

11:42 AM | Posted by WimCo | Edit Post

Here it is: a very long list of (free) Dynamics CRM Resources, which I try to keep up to date as much as possible. It contains all kind of resources related to Dynamics CRM, what it is, how it integrates with other products and how it can be used in your organization.
Maybe I forgot your tool or something really cool/handy/useful you encountered? Well, don’t hesitate and contact me about it. :)

One last note: after every link I mentioned the type of resource and the source. The descriptions below the links are taken from the actual resource. They are not my personal opinion or comments. However, when applicable, I have marked the ones I often use or recommend with thumbsup.

Part I: Introducing Dynamics CRM

Part II: Demos, Show Cases and Case Studies

Part III: Using Dynamics CRM

Part IV: Tools & Add-ons

Part V: Extensibility & Development

Part VI: Admin, Management and Deployment

Part VII: The Bits

Part I: Introducing Dynamics CRM

Back to Top | Introducing Dynamics CRM | Showcases | Using Dynamics CRM | Tools & Add-ons | Extensibility & Development | The Bits

Part II: Demos, Show Cases and Case Studies

  • CRM Online Demo during Kurt DelBene's keynote at Office Developer's Conference (Video - MSN)
    Ben Riga demonstrates CRM Online (formerly CRM Live) during Kurt DelBene's keynote at Office Developers Conference (ODC) 2008. February 11, 2008
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Showcase Launch Video (Video - Microsoft)
    This ‘Customer’ video profiles how Microsoft Dynamics CRM ‘Fits’ businesses such as Nortel, Renault, Dallas Cowboys and Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Europe B.V. The running length is 4:05.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Showcase Brochure (Document - Microsoft)
    Make the case for your Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution sales: Learn how the platform enables other businesses to achieve consistent and measurable business-process improvements. The 26 customer success stories in this brochure feature diverse deployment scenarios—including On premise, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and Partner- hosted—among small- to enterprise-size businesses in diverse industries, worldwide.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sizzle Video
    One minute video that features customers and partners describing Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner-Hosted Evidence Video -- Orbit Imaging (Video - Microsoft)
    This video, available in two and four minute versions, describes how an on demand CRM solution is helping a fast-growing healthcare industry franchise better target its IT investments, and obtain speed to value with its Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment.
  • Flash Demo: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Government (Flash Video - Microsoft)
    Flash Demo around Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Governement. Build on CRM 3.0
  • Microsoft Dynamics Case Study (Document - Microsoft)
    Multitenant CRM Enables Rapid Deployment, Flexible Foundation for U.S. Dynamics Field Sales Team
  • Microsoft Solution Helps Nielsen Company Track Business More Effectively (Document - Microsoft)
    Nielsen Media Research, part of the Nielsen Company, is the world’s leading provider of television, radio, and print audience measurement and advertising information services.
  • Dynamics CRM Success Stories (Site/Links - Microsoft)
    Contains links to success stories from different industries and company sizes. The categories are Healthcare, Media + Entertainment, Education, Financial Management, Government , Professional Services, Manufacturing and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
  • Dynamics CRM Case Studies (Site/Links - Microsoft)
    Microsoft Case Studies filed under Dynamics CRM.
  • Dynamics CRM Belux Success Stories: In Dutch – In French
    Use the search box to filter on Dynamics CRM!

Part III: Using Dynamics CRM

Back to Top | Introducing Dynamics CRM | Showcases | Using Dynamics CRM | Tools & Add-ons | Extensibility & Development | The Bits

Part IV: Tools & Add-ons

Here are some really handy tools & add-ons that might "save your life" while working with / developing for Dynamics CRM 4.0.

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Demonstration Tools (for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0) (Tool – Microsoft) thumbsup
    The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Demonstration Tools provide a simple user interface that allows you to easily enter and edit data to populate or modify your instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It also allows you to load and store your data in XML format, so that you can reuse your data in the future.
    The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Demonstration Tools also include utilities to:
    • Generate Data
    • Change the Dates and/or Times for Data
    • Create Dependent Picklists
    • Generate E-Mail
    • Set Icons for Entities
    • Change the CRM Navigation Pane
    • Replace Strings in CRM
  • CRM Plugin Registration Tool (Tool – MSDN) thumbsup
    PluginRegistration tool is enhanced version of the tool that is published with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 SDK. Complete feature set:
    1. Register a pluginassembly, step and image.
    2. Validates the data before sending to CRM
    3. Update pluginassembly, step and image
    4. Unregister a pluginassembly shall cascade unregister all the children
    5. Enable, Disable a step
    6. Auto retrieve all CustomEntities information from the organization when registering the step
    7. Allows setting more values on step (e.g.: configuration, secureconfiguration, filteringattributes, etc.)
    8. Auto retrieve CustomAttributes on entity when registering images
    9. Search the pluginassembly, type, steps, images by names
    10. Visualize the status of the CRM Organization multiple views
      1. View by Assembly : What steps are registered on what plug-in
      2. View by Entity : What steps are registered on an entity(e.g.: contact)
      3. View by Message : What steps are registered on a message (e.g.: create)
    11. Shows the list of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 callouts registered in the organization
    12. Work with multiple organizations at the same time
    13. Exports the Xml in the same format that can be accepted by PluginDeveloper tool
  • Stunnware Tools for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Tool – Stunnware) thumbsup
    The Stunnware Tools for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 combines a set of tools created for CRM developers and consultants. Some of the tools:
    • The Metadata Viewer
    • The Excel Export
    • The FetchXml Wizard (enhanced features in the Professional Edition)
    • The Code Generator (Professional Edition)
    • The Help File Generator (Professional Edition)
    • The Customization Comparer (Professional Edition)
    • The Trace File Viewer.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Internet Facing Deployment Configuration Tool (Tool – Microsoft) thumbsup
    The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Internet Facing Deployment Configuration Tool configures Internet Facing Deployment (IFD) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 after you have already installed or upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Performance Toolkit (Tool – Codeplex)
    The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Performance Toolkit was created by the Microsoft CRM product team to formalize performance testing of Microsoft CRM 4.0. The performance toolkit can be used by the Microsoft CRM partners and customers to collect data to support their CRM deployment decisions.
    The toolkit facilitates load testing the performance of CRM deployments. By carefully planning the required dataset that the deployment needs to support and the workload requirements, the toolkit can be used to test if the scale requirements of a particular deployment can be met. This mechanism can be used in the deciding on a particular deployment solution and avoid costly downtimes at a later stage.
  • CrmDiagTool4 for Microsoft CRM 4.0 (Tool – Benjamin Lecoq @ Microsoft CRM Support Tools Info) thumbsup
    So, what does the tool in v4?
    • Microsoft CRM Server
      • Enable/Disable Platform tracing, Zip the trace folder for you if needed.
      • Enable/Disable DevErrors
      • Generate Machine Report
    • Microsoft SRS Data Connector
      • Generate Machine Report
    • Microsoft CRM E-Mail Router
      • Generate Machine Report
  • CRM 4.0 E-Mail Connector Logger Tool (Tool – Benjamin Lecoq @ Microsoft CRM Support Tools Info)
    Tool to easily enable logging for the E-Mail Connector in CRM 4.0
    The logging for the connector can be enabled by modifying the configuration file for the service like explained in the article.
  • MSCRM 4.0 Bulk Data Export Tool (Tool – CodePlex)
    This sample tool allows users to connect to OnPremise or Online Microsoft CRM 4.0 organization and export records of CRM entities in form of CSV files.
  • CRM 4 ScaleGroup Job Editor
    This utility is used to change the DeletionService and Re-Indexing service jobs in CRM 4.0. You can set the next run date/time of a job as well as change the schedule at which the job will continue to run automatically.
  • CRM Form Reporter (Tool – MSDN)
    Form Reporter is an application that creates a Word 2007 document detailing the configuration of all customizable Microsoft CRM 4.0 forms, including tabs, sections and information about each field. This document can be used for planning form customizations or documenting the current state of form customizations. This solution requires Word 2007 and .NET Framework 3.5.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM JScript Export Tool (Visual Studio Project– Joris Kalz)
    Joris Kalz wrote a few lines of code to export all jscript code without annoying interaction.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Vista Sidebar Gadget (Vista Gadget – CodeProject)
    A gadget that can display the accounts and contacts from Microsoft Dynamics CRM on the user desktop.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine (Virtual Machine – Microsoft)
    This demo is a one computer setup with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and associated Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine Sample Data (Sample Data Differentiation File - Microsoft)
    This VPC differentiation disk adds demonstration data and other demo-related content to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine is required and is separately downloadable.
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Sample Data (On-Premise Edition) (Sample Data – Microsoft)
    Sample data can be used for marketing and sales presentations or for training people to use Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
  • Vertical Templates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customizations/Extensions – CodePlex)
    The templates are designed to work with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0.
    Microsoft Dynamics CRM industry-specific sales enablement and demo tools are provided as a baseline for partners/customers for further development. These industry-specific tools and templates, built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, showcase how Microsoft Dynamics CRM is relevant to commercial and public sector markets.
  • Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customizations/Extensions – CodePlex) thumbsup
    CRM Accelerators are a range of add-on solutions developed for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 customers and partners. Each accelerator is available at no cost and will showcase how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 platform can be configured and extended to broaden marketing, sales and service capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers and partners are encouraged to further extend these accelerators to meet their specific business needs.
    Each accelerator may consist of the following: Customizations (entities, forms, views), Workflow defintions, Business Intelligence elements such as custom reports (.RDL’s), Functional code samples (strictly adhering to SDK guidelines), Documentation for installing, operating, localizing and extending the solution, An automated installer.
    The list of accelerators is as follows:
    • Analytics
    • eService
    • Event Management
    • Enterprise Search
    • Sales Methodologies
    • Extended Sales Forecasting
    • CRM Notifications
    • Business Productivity
  • Citizen Service Platform
    Welcome to the CodePlex site for CSP. This project is designed to hold solutions built upon the Microsoft platform using SharePoint, Dynamics CRM and the Windows Live platform that can be used to help Local and Regional Governments meet the needs of their Citizens. For more information on the CSP project please have a look at http://www.microsoft.com/csp and http://www.citizenserviceplatform.com.

Back to Top | Introducing Dynamics CRM | Showcases | Using Dynamics CRM | Tools & Add-ons | Extensibility & Development | The Bits

Part V: Extensibility & Development

Back to Top | Introducing Dynamics CRM | Showcases | Using Dynamics CRM | Tools & Add-ons | Extensibility & Development | The Bits

Part VI: Admin, Management and Deployment

Part VII: The Bits

All the links in today’s post are the official Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 bits. If needed, trial keys can be found on the download pages.

Back to Top | Introducing Dynamics CRM | Showcases | Using Dynamics CRM | Tools & Add-ons | Extensibility & Development | The Bits

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XRM Architect at Delaware Consulting Wim Coorevits More on: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

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