If you don’t have Windows 7 yet, no worries… I’ve also posted the same wallpapers used in the theme.  Enjoy!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme (v1)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Theme (v2)

Some exciting news lately in the Dynamics CRM world, and all are related to lucky numero seven!

First off, the latest Update Rollup 7 was released to the world.  The most noteworthy changes were made to the CRM Outlook Client, and by itself would make this update HIGHLY recommended.  After starting up Outlook, the [...]]]>

My favorite number

Some exciting news lately in the Dynamics CRM world, and all are related to lucky numero seven!

First off, the latest Update Rollup 7 was released to the world.  The most noteworthy changes were made to the CRM Outlook Client, and by itself would make this update HIGHLY recommended.  After starting up Outlook, the CRM functionality now loads quietly in the background, allowing you to immediately access your e-mails without any slow down. There are other additional improvements that make this update a must-have, all outlined in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog.  Get your Update Rollup 7 links below!

• Download: KB Article #971782: Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [microsoft.com]
• Change Log: KB Article #971782: Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 [microsoft.com]
• Update Rollup 7 [Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog]

Last, but certainly not least: Microsoft announced that Dynamics CRM 4.0 is now supported on the new Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.  There’s no excuse now not to upgrade to Windows 7; this latest OS has been shown to be quite an improvement over previous releases.

Be sure to relate your experiences with CRM and this latest update in the comments section below.

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 [...]]]>

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

The document can be downloaded [...]]]> The latest statement of direction was recently released by Microsoft, and it outlines the roadmap and future plans regarding Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Check it out! It includes mention of future Accelerators and details on the next major release, Microsoft Dynamics CRM “V.Next” (aka 5.0), scheduled for release in 2010.

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

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 [...]]]> 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!

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 [...]]]>

Update: Microsoft decided to remove this accelerator from CodePlex.  You can still get this accelerator from the Mondo link below.

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"

According to this Gartner press release, the worldwide market for CRM solutions has grown 12.5% since last year in 2007.  Looks like there’s now solid evidence businesses are catching on to the benefits of a CRM solution… or even better, xRM.

But one of the highlights of this [...]]]>

The Wayans bros. were the first CRM Consultants

According to this Gartner press release, the worldwide market for CRM solutions has grown 12.5% since last year in 2007.  Looks like there’s now solid evidence businesses are catching on to the benefits of a CRM solution… or even better, xRM.

But one of the highlights of this story is that Microsoft Dynamics CRM revenue grew 75% last year.  Much of the success was attributed to the trend in SaaS, with the likes of Microsoft CRM Online and Salesforce.com.

Software as a Service (SaaS) continued to drive the market forward, representing nearly 20 percent of total CRM software market revenue in 2008, up from just over 15 percent in 2007. Interest in social networking and social software also escalated in 2008 as businesses were confronted with the sales, marketing, and serviceability impact of increasing consumer participation in online forums.

SAP continued to be the market leader accounting for 22.5 percent of worldwide CRM software revenue in 2008 (see Table 1), but this is down from a 25.5 percent share in 2007. Microsoft experienced the strongest growth rate among the top 5 vendors, as its revenue increased 75 percent in 2008.

I’ve been busy on a couple projects lately, so I’m predicting there will only be more in the near future!  Let me know if you’ve personally seen more CRM business too.

Analytics R2 Accelerator - Sales Manager Dashboard Report

The future R3 version will add cubes, data mining applications, PerformancePoint scorecards and other great analytical [...]]]> Microsoft recently released the Analytics Accelerator R2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 on CodePlex.  This version adds reporting for SQL Server 2008, as well as enhancements to the older SQL 2005 reports.

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 tool will [...]]]> Once in a blue moon you’ll find the perfect tool for the job, and this is one of them.  On Microsoft’s open source CodePlex site is the MSCRM 4.0 Documentation Generator, an Excel 2007 add-in that will automatically generate documentation for the CRM 4.0 entities, fields, picklist values and JavaScripts you’ve developed.

This tool will save countless hours of documentation time, and will keep you focused on the real creative development and customization efforts that directly benefit your clients.

The resources you’ll need to get going:

• Download the MSCRM 4.0 Documentation Generator (link to CodePlex download site).
  
• Export the Customizations file (either ZIP or XML) from your Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 deployment.
• Microsoft Office Excel 2007
• Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office system (version 3.0 Runtime)
  • This installation is provided in the setup of this tool, but you can also download it directly at this link.
    

As an alternative tool for generating CRM 4.0 Documentation, be sure to check out the CRM 4.o Form Reporter (direct link to the CodePlex site).

Full instructions from the CodePlex site below.

Installation
The add-in will run on Office 2007 Excel (with Visual Studio Tools for Office (3.0)).
Extract the installation files and run Setup.exe – it will attempt to install any prerequisites.
Once the setup completes, Start Excel.
The first time Excel runs with the add-in, you will be presented with a customization installation message – choose “Install.”

Usage
Open the Add-Ins ribbon, press the load button to load your XML, then press the “Forms” button.
Once you’ve created a “Forms” documentation spreadsheet, open a new blank spreadsheet and click the “Scripts” button, and then repeat with the “Picklists” button.

Many thanks to CustomerEffective’s Scott Sewell (and Merijn van Mourik) for sharing this thing of beauty.