Quickly Create A Personal View – Dynamics CRM 2013

Friday Tip! How to Quickly Create a Personal View in Dynamics CRM 2013

This tip is courtesy of a fairly recent feature in Dynamics CRM 2013. A personal view is a list or group of records that can help you target and segment lists of your CRM records. Most users know they can create a Personal View in Dynamics CRM 2013 using Advanced Find. Nothing wrong with creating personal views using Advanced Find, it just takes a few more steps than what I’m going to show you.

Let’s say you have a field for that ranks?your customers and prospects, e.g. A, B, C, D, etc. Now you want to create a list of all your A and B current account records. Here are the simple and fast steps to create an AB Current Accounts list.

I’m going to start with my All Accounts view to make sure I get all the AB Current accounts in my list.

  1. Start by selecting the Filter button on your list.

View Filter Button

  1. ?Now we can enter our filter criteria. In this case I am going select the Rank field and simply check A and B

 

View Rank Filter

 

  1. Let’s also select the Account Status field and check Current.

View Current Filter

  1. Once all your criteria is added, select the View?drop down, then scroll down and select “Save Filters as New View”.

View Save Filters as New View

 

  1. This will display the Save as form, in this case I’m calling the view AB Current Accounts…name yours as you need.

View Save As

 

  1. That’s it! You have your new view. Now you can share it with others as well!

View New AB Current View

Pretty sweet right. This approach saves several steps and who doesn’t like doing things faster and more efficiently.

 

Sharing Saved or Personal Views ? Dynamics CRM 2013

Sharing Saved or Personal Views

Sharing Saved or Personal Views that you or your users have created is a great way to encourage adoption and use of Dynamics CRM. With some of the UI/UX changes in CRM 2013 the question of how to share Views has come up several times recently. Oddly the ability to share a View or List you create in CRM is a little ?hidden?. To shine some light on these great views that are worth sharing, follow the steps below.

    1. Navigate to Advanced Find.
      1. E.g. go to Opportunities
      2. Click the ellipsis
      3. Click Advanced Find

Advanced Find

      1. On the Advanced Find form, click the Saved Views button.Advanced Find Saved View
      2. Select the View (or multiple views) you want to share.Advanced Find Select View
      3. The Share button becomes enabled, click it. The Share saved view form is displayed.
        Advnaced Find Share View
      4. Select the users or teams you want to share the view with.Advanced Find Select Users
      5. Select the type of access you want the others to have. In most cases, leaving the default Read is fine for most needs. Click Share and you?re done! The selected users will now have access to the view.Advanced Find Select Options

If you haven’t checked out Dynamics CRM lately, or use a different CRM, check out Dynamis CRM 2013 here:?http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamics CRM 2013 Business Process Overview

One of the amazing new capabilities in Dynamics CRM 2013 are Business Processes. this post provides a Dynamics CRM 2013 Business Process Overview.

Business Processes are new way to help guide users through any type of business process in a simple and intuitive way. The process is presented in stages and steps that are clearly shown to the user and very easy to complete.

What really makes these processes powerful are:

  • Multiple processes enabled per entity
  • Multiple entities per process
  • Stage gating
  • Role based processes

So what does that mean? I’ve recently been working with a lot of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies Innovation Centers. These are the business units responsible for partnerships, licensing and merger & acquisition activity. In this context, I’ll briefly explain each of the above.

CRM 2013 Business Processes

 

 

Multiple Processes enabled per entity

An entity is simply the technical word that CRM uses for an organization (account), or contact, or opportunity. It’s the main record you are dealing with. So, multiple processes per entity means that I can have any number of processes for an organization. I might need a processes for an agreement with new potential partner, and a different process for an exiting partner. I could have different processes based on the type of partnership required, is it related to licensing (in or out), an investment, a purchase, or you name it.

Multiple entities per process

This is where things get really powerful. In our partnership example, we might start with a lead from a biotech event. The forst part of the process then is linked with the Leads entity (or records) in CRM. Once the lead has been qualified, the next stage would convert this to an organization record which could kick off an entirely new set of processes (e.g. vetting the partner through legal, compliance, AP/AR, etc.). Once vetted, the next step would then be an opportunity record. Once we come to agreement the next step would then be a Deal or Alliance record (or agreement). Each one of the stages in the process would be linked with a different recod, however, it’s presented to the user as one single connected process….very powerful, efficient and easy.

Stage gating

This is pretty much how it sounds. You can set rules that state all steps in the stage must be completed before moving onto the next stage. So, when starting a new partnership, confidential agreements (CDA) must be in place before the details can be discussed with the partner. This would be a stage gate, CDA must be in place and attached before the next stage is allowed to proceed. So, important stuff is not missed, and it’s all front and center for the user and team members to see exactly where things are in the process.

Role based processes

This too is how it sounds. Processes can be defined by your role in the organization. This is a great way to add security around different parts of the process. Legal may have steps that are very specific to them, and they are the only ones that see those details. The rest of team might just see a status and perhaps a due date. Nice, right!

So that’s it in a nutshell.

I’ve included a video below from Eric Boocock, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This video?shows you how business processes help you rapidly respond to changing business needs. it also goes into more detail on how you can quickly and easily create or change processes.

CRM 2013 Upgrade Considerations and Key Platform Enhancements

A great session on Dynamics CRM 2013 upgrade considerations and key platform enhancements by Matt Barbour, Microsoft Senior Program Manager.

Dynamics CRM 2013 Upgrade Considerations

Discontinuing support for

  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows XP
  • IE7
  • Exchange 2003
  • Reworking some of the accelerators several have been around since v4
  • This is a one way upgrade
  • Must upgrade from ur6 or ur14 or higher. CRM 2011 MUST be on one of these patches or the upgrade will refuse to complete
  • Supporting both in place and migration updates
  • Base and extension tables are merging in this release
    • Reason, improved performance (no joins), less locks, better design
  • Merge tool is suggested for large data sets. Guidance will be coming on size for when to use merge tool vs during the upgrade
  • Two new services added, CSS writer and monitoring service
  • VSS writer – online backup support for CRM, meaning live backup, SCOM support
  • Monitoring service – health monitoring, will support only 1 test/check for Orion, more tests to be added to future releases, integrates with SCOM pack
  • Email Connector service – email router v2, this will be part of CRM, no longer need to install email connector separately.
    • Today only works on like for like, either online only or on-premise only, this will change in future
  • Solutions, 2011 will import smoothly into CRM 2013, suggest partners install CRM 2013 dev instance, upgrade the CRM 2011 components and feautes to 2013, then create new 2013 solutions, then use these for updating production systems

CRM versioning system changes (improvements and consistency)

Major.minor.UR/lob.build

  • CRM 2013 “Orion” is 6.0.0000.xxxx
  • If second number changes, these are feature changes, adds
  • If 3rd number changes, these are bands or fixes
  • R2, service lack, feature lack, mean Minor update
  • Update roll ups are
  • Fixes and security only…no more feature adds

Other new adds

  • OAuth authentic a model, required for IFD deployments
  • Can’t speak yet about OpenID support
  • New image data type
  • Added left outer join to fetchxml (woohoo!!!)

Real time workflow

  • Transaction aware
  • Supports both pre and post pipeline support
  • Security aware
  • Fits existing workflows can be converted to workflows

Actions / PBL / Business Rules

Access teams (woohoo!!!)

  • Supports team selling scenarios, enhances security model
  • Works the way you do
  • Adding a user records grants them specific access
  • Can have multiple access teams per entity
  • E.g. Teams that come in nod do out at different times of a process
  • Ownership vs collaboration
  • Does not require team ownership of records
  • Scalable for large number of dynamic teams
  • When to use Access teams.
    • When number of users are dynamic and fluid, use team ownership
    • When number of team’s are fixed, use access teams

New Era in Dynamics CRM 2013

Notes from CRMUG Summit 2013, Tampa, FL

I have a few posts from sessions and content from the Dynamics CRM User Group Summit held in Tampa FL the week of October 21.

First up was the New Era in Dynamics CRM 2013 presentation by Param Kahlon, CRM Program Manager, for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Dynamics CRM 2013

Growth in Dynamics CRM continues and in fact is increasing
* 3.5m users
* 40,000 customers
* 66% choose cloud
* 36 double digit growth quarters and accelerating

Key themes for CRM 2013 and beyond
* Performance and scalability
* Agility and process excellence
* Social in context
* Reimagined user experience
* Role tailored mobile experiences
* Richness of custom extensions

One of the key UI/UX Designers for CRM 2013, Wayne Higgins, gave us a little perspective
* Reimagined UI and UX
* All about Efficiency
* New way to get things done
* Relevant tools available (max of 5 commands, drop down nav, etc.)
* Mobile optimized
* Start up experience, easy, user friendly, informative
* Information architecture

Business process management – respond quickly to individual customer need
* Power to business users
* Agility
* Configuration not coding
* Multiple processes
* Client side logic
* Web and mobile
* Rules drive
* Plan to add business process for vertical industries

XRM a much richer platform (back to Param)
* Custom entities flow to mobile devices
* Configurable tool tips
* Quick create for custom entities
* Image data type
* Fluid form entities
* Team selling focus
* Portable business logic (formerly called PBL, now Business Rules)
* Visual process flows for custom entities
* Bing maps for custom entities
* Multiple entity quick find, enhanced search on mobile
* Custom actions and real time workflows

Future
* Online first
* Productivity and communication
* Proactive
* Business process excellence
* User experience edge
* Universal social
* Ubiquitous access
* Mobility

Next few releases
* CRM 2013 now
* Subra, Q1 2014 online only
* Mira, Q1 MarketingPilot updates
* Leo, Q2 tighter Netbreeze and MarketingPilot integration

Subra

* Netbreeze, social list ending and analytical, will be amended directly in CRM
* Scalable online service
* Office 365 integration
* General availability integrated as office 365 service

Mira

* Extended global reach
* Online service only
* Tighter CRM integration
* Multiple channelled campaign management
* Lync and Skype enhancements

Leo

* Revamped customer service
* Mobile and social improvements
* New look for customer service
* State of the art experience
* SLA and entitlement compliance

Will ensure industry templates that have been available in Marketplace will continue to work on 2013 and will add business processes to these as well. Essentially free, unsupported, accelerators.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Release Preview Guide Available

Dynamics CRM 2013 Release Preview GuideMicrosoft Dynamics CRM 2013 is right around the corner! Bob Stutz posted a blog highlighting the release of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Release Preview Guide!? I recommend you check out his blog post here and then download the Release Preview Guide for complete details!

This guide reveals the upcoming enhancements to start preparing users for the upcoming 2013 release of the next major version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The guide is broken down in five investment areas:

  1. User experience
  2. Process
  3. Tablet and mobile
  4. Enterprise collaboration
  5. Platform enhancements

We?re very excited about the new streamlined form interface, flexible guided processes, simple business rule creation and the increased options for mobile and tablet experiences.

Feel free to contact Infinity Info Systems to learn more or request additional information.