Documentation

Checklist of Essential Stuff When Building Solutions – A Tester’s Perspective - Story From: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

We as developers and CRM customizers always get excited of the thought of releasing a solution packed with wonderful features that would effectively serve the customer’s needs. When the solution gets handed off to the customer, we are comforted by the fact that when we went through the solution, everything was working perfectly.

There are some things that developers might not notice, but customers will when using the solution. We have compiled a list of patterns and best practices that we feel will really help you build consistent and easy-to-use solutions.

This blog will cover best practices:

• In Forms
• In Views and Subgrids
• In Charts
• and Other Essentials

In Forms

Make sure your entity form has the complete set of fields

• Some important fields show up in the subgrid columns but are absent in the forms. If they were worthy enough to be in the entity’s subgrid, why omit them from the forms? This way, the customer would expect that same subset of data to be in the forms too, and would not keep flipping back to the entity subgrid. Also make sure to remove fields from the views that are not in the forms.
• Ensure that the entity subgrid column headers and fields have the same names, if possible.

There should be a good mapping between entity subgrid columns and form fields

Consider proper positioning and grouping of fields

• Think of which should logically come first. There are some fields that we expect to come right before or after a certain field. Also make sure that the fields have the correct tab order.
• Fields should also be appropriately grouped. There might be a lone field that is out of place and should not be part of that group.
• Consider appropriately grouping your fields using sections or tabs with the correct headers to differentiate them.

Know when to hide, remove or disable fields in the form

• Do not just hide fields with script. Only use scripts only when you want the form to be dynamic or when a field is only relevant for a certain condition.
• If the hiding of fields is very noticeable and confusing to the customer, disable a field rather than hiding it.

Pick list or dropdown values out-of-the-box (OOB) values should be checked for correctness

If you modify an entity to represent something different, it is important to validate that all the out of box fields and option sets are modified accordingly. For example, if you replace Account with Organization, the “Classification” field might be renamed to “Organization Type” and the options modified to include different organization types.

When new fields and images (like profile pictures) are added, they should be included in the tab order.

This helps the accessibility of your solution by allowing users to easily navigate through the different components without using the mouse. If the end user is using a screen reader, and is tabbing through the different form components, no element would be missed out.

Gaps or spaces in forms should be consistent and extra spaces should be removed

Sometimes we don’t notice that some areas in the forms are spaced too far apart. The tendency is customers will be scrolling down a lot to look for data or worse case, they would think there isn’t any more data at the bottom of the form.

Big spaces between areas should be avoided

In Views and Subgrids

Clean up your views

When you click on a specific sub-area to view entity data, do you want to view all Active Records or all records including active and inactive? Which view do you think should the customer see first? Which is more relevant?

In this case, it makes more sense to have “My Top Legal Accounts” view displayed by default (Figure B) rather than displaying all active accounts (Figure A).

Take advantage of entity subgrids

The solution works, the data is available but is not presented. The entity subgrid is an area where the customer can have a bird’s eye view or a summary of all the data for that specific entity. Take advantage of this by exposing the essential data so that the customer doesn’t have to dig for a record and open it, with the image below as an example.

Section headers serve as effective subgrid labels

When subgrids are added in forms, they do not have default or automatic labels. Even if the data is present through a subgrid, it would be more helpful if the customers would also know what that data is for at a glance. This is pretty useful especially when you have a subgrid that has no data. If there was no label, then the customers would have to keep guessing what that subgrid is for.

A section header gives a direct definition on what a subgrid is for

In Charts

Have accurate chart titles.

Similar to labels in subgrids, if a chart would have no data, then the customer or user would have no idea what a specific chart’s purpose is. So make sure to have a chart title, and make sure it is correct.

Remember to correctly label the axes on the charts.

Because labels are set by default, most of the time we overlook this. Customers may use the charts for reports, and it would be a better experience for them if they don’t have to edit the chart labels themselves.

 
Legends are important.

Some customers may easily distinguish what the different values are for but some cannot. Different colors of the different components are usually not enough.

Legends point out what a specific value in the chart is for

Make sure your available charts’ views contain chart values that are applicable for the current context. Sometimes other charts that are applicable for another context get mixed up, so make sure those are removed.

Charts’ Views options should be up to date

Labels (numeric) for each value in the chart are helpful especially when all values are zero, else the customer will see just a blank chart (an example is the chart below).

Numeric labels in charts are useful

Other Essentials

Consistency of word casings (e.g. Program Manager instead of Program manager)

Removal of unused out-of-the-box areas and sub-areas in the Navigation Pane. The best way to do this is to modify the security roles so people do not have access to areas that do not concern them. 

E-mail templates should have bodies. That would really provide a great out of box experience for the customer, so they can just easily customize the text of the email and immediately use it.

Images should have alternative or substitute text. This is especially helpful when images are blocked by the browser or were not downloaded successfully. This way, customers would still be able to understand what the image represents despite its absence. So when you add your image to the form, make sure to fill-in the “Alternative Text” field.

Provide names and descriptions for all applicable fields in the solution to increase usability. The user wouldn’t need to hunt for the solution’s documentation and just instead go to the solution itself to see the entity descriptions.

The “Getting Started Pane” is customizable. You can use it to provide end users with helpful tips on how to use your extension on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Learn more from Create Custom Get Started Pane Content.

As Vincent Van Gogh said “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” As we gain more experience developing solutions, we might discover other little things that could greatly increase the quality of a solution. This checklist may not be complete, so we’d love to have your help in filling it up. Share your thoughts and experiences via the comments below and we’ll add them to this list! 

Maria Christina Joaquin

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Administrator’s Guide - Story From: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Team Blog

Really quick post here folks.  I just figured out the externally addressable URL for the CRM Administrator’s Guide.  It’s a good one to bookmark.

http://rc.crm.dynamics.com/help/#

Cheers!

Kevin

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Look-up Data and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Import Data Wizard

I am sure you are following the series of blogs introducing you to Import Data Wizard of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online November 2009 Service update . This blog will help you with importing records having references to other records. These “other records”...(read more)

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Sharing Data across Microsoft Dynamics CRM Deployments

The CRM E 2 team is pleased to announce the release of two complementary documents, a white paper and a build guide, related to Sharing Data across Microsoft Dynamics CRM Deployments . The white paper provides an overview of the levels of integration...(read more)

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Top Ten Microsoft Dynamics CRM sites for 2010 - Story From: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

Check out the most popular content and community areas available to help you create the perfect experience for your business. This is usually the most popular handout we provide at conferences and now you have it without the long plane trip. Microsoft...(read more)

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Importing Multiple Files using ZIP Import

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online has released November 2009 Service update . One of the key delivered features was the enhanced Import Data Wizard . You are probably already familiar with importing data into Microsoft Dynamics CRM using various file types...(read more)

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Our books on Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Story From: Webfortis - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions

Webfortis has authored several books on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. We have exceeded our expectations with regard to these books and the first one has gone past 3rd printing - which means the appetite for our books is really great! (we've been informed that our books are recommended reading in several instructional classes and even prior to taking the certification exams on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0).

Our link for these books is here:

Today we received word that our books is truly international - Check the link below for our first book translated 100% in German:

 

The interesting thing is that it's impossible to order this book from the Amazon.com site - instead, you have to navigate to the Amazon.de site directly... 

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Update Rollup 9 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 - Story From: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sustained Engineering team released Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 9 on Thursday, February 11, 2010. The links below will take you to the necessary information about Update Rollup 9. Microsoft Download Center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=5869f2b3-d1a0-4f71-8be3-fde6e8053a2e...(read more)

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Workflow Customization - Story From: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

Taken from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Resource Center which full of documentation, tips and tricks, and links to more information. This is an example of the content available to you on the Resource Center. The goal of customizing Microsoft Dynamics CRM...(read more)

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Great Article – Field-level Security in Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Story From: Webfortis - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions

The folks over at the CRM E2 team (Engineering for Enterprise) - yes, the same ones responsible for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit available at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/E2DevTkt, just released a great article on Field-Level Security in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The article can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=471f8670-47b3-4525-b25d-c11a6774615c

And some of the highlights include how to control access to the CRM platform by defining the interaction points graphically:

• Access Channels and Methods
• Usability Considerations
• Role and Role Based Filtering
• Options for Filtering Data, including:
  • Access via Forms and the consequences of restricting access by using Client-Side JavaScript (this was something we blogged about back in August of 2008 here: http://blog.webfortis.com/post/2008/08/Hiding-fields-in-Microsoft-CRM.aspx - and it is good to note that they agreed with us that it is important to realize that the primary purpose and benefit of using client-side JavaScript is to enhance User Experience and usability rather than to provide the underlying security - which is what we indicated)
  • Restricting Access by using Plug-Ins
• Access via Views/Advanced Find
• Access via the CRM SDK
• Access via the CRM Metadata Web Service
• Access via the Export to Excel Feature
• Access via Reports
• Direct Access to the Database
• Access via Outlook Synchronization
• Access via the Offline Client
• Implementing Data Filters
• The export to excel feature
• Performance and Scalability

As the paper indicates at the conclusion: Although Dynamics CRM does not currently offer field-level security as a product feature, the paper has shown that it is possible to use the flexibility of the CRM platform to offer relatively rich capabilities.

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Troubleshooting Microsoft Dynamics CRM – TechNet Article - Story From: Webfortis - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions

While Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a mostly a trouble free application once it is properly configured, occasionally there are times when it needs to be tweaked and/or examined for issues.

Aaron Elder, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVP, wrote a fantastic post over at TechNet that has a number of great foundational things to consider, including:

As well as a technical diagram on how the infrastructure interrelates:

We covered all of this in our new book (more information about it here: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Integration Unleashed), however the complete article from Aaron can be found over at Technet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.08.dynamics.aspx

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 Integration Unleashed – Available next week! - Story From: Webfortis - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions

The title says it all - Our next book is available as soon as next week:

Here is the synopsis:

In Microsoft® Dynamics CRM 4 Integration Unleashed, two leading experts present proven techniques, best practices, and example code for going far beyond the out-of-the-box capabilities of Dynamics CRM 4. Using these solutions and sample applications, you will enhance all of your company’s relationships–with vendors, distributors, employees, users, affiliates, and customers.

 

Authors Marc J. Wolenik and Rajya Vardhan Bhaiya walk you step by step through integrating Dynamics CRM with SharePoint, Office Communicator, PerformancePoint, BizTalk, Silverlight, VoIP phone systems, and both Google and MSN mapping tools. They also present a full analysis of the CRM Accelerators and advanced topics and three full chapters on integration using Scribe’s state-of-the-art adapters and templates. You’ll discover how to extend Dynamics CRM 4 with enterprise dashboards, stronger “deep-dive” data analysis, and much more. Wolenik and Bhaiya even demonstrate how to make custom Dynamics CRM applications available directly to your customers, without compromising security.

• Use Dynamics CRM 4 as an “xRM” platform for developing custom applications to enhance any type of business relationship
• Leverage new Azure cloud computing solutions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• Design infrastructure to efficiently run your customized Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation
• Extend CRM internally, with plug-ins, source-to-source integration, IFRAME-based custom application integration, and CRM JScript
• Extend CRM externally, with CRM Accelerators, public Web services, direct SQL interaction, and customer-facing Web sites
• Implement KPIs and gain deeper business insight by integrating Dynamics CRM 4 with Microsoft Office PerformancePoint
• Create dashboards and other visual CRM tools with Microsoft Silverlight
• Develop custom CRM applications with Visual Studio
• Integrate CRM with Team Foundation Server
• Use Scribe templates and adapters to streamline data integration and migration

Order/Pre-order a copy by clicking here.

 

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Gartner EAS Magic Quadrant Ranks Microsoft as Leader - Story From: Webfortis - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solutions

Microsoft Dynamics CRM relies on the capabilities of the Microsoft Application Platform—Windows Server, IIS, SQL and .NET.   Given this,  I wanted to draw your attention to recent research from Gartner Research (www.gartner.com). The report – released September 24, 2009 – delivers valuable information regarding the current landscape of the Enterprise Application Server market, as defined by Gartner. The report is under the title of: “Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Application Servers”

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