Microsoft CRM 3.0 - Update Rollup 3

In case you haven't heard, Microsoft has released Update Rollup 3 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. This update rollup contains all of the fixes that were covered in the earlier Update Rollups (1 and 2) as well as additional fixes.

For more information about Update Rollup 3 click here.

To download Update Rollup 3 click here.

As always, when considering applying an Update Rollup please take care in understanding the associated warnings, prerequisites and recommendations made by Microsoft and Navint.

If you have questions about Update Rollup 3 please contact us.

Convergence 2008 Fun - Simulated Sky Diving

Navint's Director of Marketing, Amy Spencer (who totally kicks butt), put together an amazing Convergence Agenda this year including a few hours of simulated sky diving at a place called SkyVentures right down the street from all the happenings at Convergence.

Here is a picture from the event...

Notes From Convergence 2008

For those of you at Convergence this week - whether or not you've attended any Microsoft CRM specific sessions - you've heard all the buzz about Microsoft CRM anyway.

Not surprising, especially considering the recent launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and the soon to be released Microsoft CRM Live (a SaaS version of the same product).

For the Microsoft Dynamics CRM related sessions that I've been able to attend, the repeating themes include:

- Prebuilt in-application dashboards (not SharePoint dependant)
- Improved integration with other line of business Dynamics applications (GP, SL, AX, NAV, SharePoint)
- Enhanced customization tools (i.e., do really cool stuff with even less need for coding)
- Even better Outlook client performance and stability
- And the best for last... interoperability with PerformancePoint (promise to blog about this in detail later!)

Stay tuned...

PS - Got a sneak peek at CRM 5.0 as well but can't really say anything about it since they asked us to sign NDAs.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Hotfix List

Although you've got to be a Microsoft Partner or Microsoft Customer to get access (via PartnerSource and CustomerSource respectively), thanks to this post by Microsoft's Ben Vollmer we now know where to go to get the most current listing of Microsoft CRM 4.0 related hotfixes.

Thanks Ben!

Microsoft CRM 4.0 Launch Event - In Your Home Town?

I know you've missed me so here's the top three on why it's been so long since my last post:

1) I decided to change my focus to an application even cooler Microsoft Dynamics CRM
2) My girlfriend hates it when I use weekends to write blog posts
3) Prospect and customer interest in the new version of Microsoft CRM is totally gangbusters

Well, let me clarify...

1) There actually is no application cooler than Microsoft Dynamics CRM (unless you are comparing version 4.0 to 3.0)
2) We never hang out near a computer so hating isn't even possible
3) It's truly like I said it: Prospect and customer interest in Microsoft CRM 4.0 is gangbusters

I'm serious... Navint has got something like 10 active Microsoft CRM projects going on since the beginning of 2008.

So if you have some time and you want to check out what all the new-CRM-version-commotion is about, come hang out with your favorite Navinteer at any of the following Microsoft Dynamics CRM Launch events:

March 5 - Rochester, NY**
March 18 - New York, NY
March 18 - Los Angeles, CA
March 19 - Hartford, CT**
March 20 - Boston, MA
March 20 - Huntington Beach, CA

Because the two are designed to work well teogether, the dates/locations marked above with a ** will have a Microsoft CRM 4.0 with SharePoint focus.

Let us know if you have any questions. Otherwise, see you there.

PS - The above list is not exhaustive. For a complete list of Microsoft CRM 4.0 Launch dates and locations, click here.

Migrating data from Salesforce.com to Microsoft CRM 4.0 using the Data Migration Manager

I just finished migrating data from Salesforce.com to Microsoft CRM 4.0 using the new Data Migration Manager (DMM) that works with CRM 4.0.

Overall, I was impressed with the DMM. It took some time to learn how it handled certain attributes (e.g., picklists, lookups, statuses, and users).

Pros:

• It's free.
• Does more than the Data Import Wizard available from within CRM.
• Can create custom entities and attributes for you, automatically!
• Can process multiple files at one time.
• Can establish relationships between records in different entities (e.g., set the parent account for a contact).
• Did I mention it's free?

Cons:

• Takes some time to learn how to use it correctly. If you haven't used it before, budget some time for this learning process (at least 2-4 hours).
• Works only with Text/CSV file formats.
• Can't handle files larger than 32 MB.
• Slow migrating from larger files (~10,000 records).
• More difficult to do more complex tasks such as transform data (e.g., use formulas). Rather than an easy-to-use interface such as one that Scribe Insight provides, you usually need to modify an XML file (uggh!).
• Even though there was a map for the Salesforce.com data, it did not handle everything. I ended up creating my own maps so I could become familiar with the data and have more control over the process.

Conclusion:
While I still recommend Scribe for more complex data migrations (and it's always more complex than you think), I believe the Data Migration Manager is a valid solution for many projects. Be sure to investigate the DMM as an option for your next data migration project.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available! Download it here.

Want to get your hands on Microsoft CRM 4.0? Check out all the links below. E-mail us if you have questions or would like a demo.

Documentation (manuals, help files, and white papers):

1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server Readme
2. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide
3. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router Readme (On-Premise and Hosted Editions)
4. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Manager Readme
5. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Internet Facing Deployment Scenarios
6. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0: How to configure the on-premise E-mail Router in different deployment scenarios

Server Applications:

1. Microsoft CRM 4.0 Server
2. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router (On-Premise and Hosted Editions)

Client Applications:

1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Microsoft Office Outlook (For On-Premise and Hosted Editions)
2. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Data Migration Manager