Visio Shapes for CRM....

I found a great web site that offers custom Visio shapes for CRM!!! This is valuable when presenting work flow scenarios with screen shots.
Invoke Systems Visio Shapes for Microsoft CRM 3.0

Over the last year or so, we have developed many internal tools, utilities, etc to help us be the premiere Microsoft CRM partner in the world. I am happy to announce that we have decided to release one of these tools to the public.

Announcing Invoke Systems Microsoft CRM 3.0 Shapes for Microsoft Visio. When doing any Microsoft CRM development effort, Project Managers will need to work with our clients to gather requirements and design solutions within Microsoft CRM. Typically a large part of this effort is to develop a Functional Design Document or Vision Document that describes exactly what we are going to build on the Microsoft CRM Platform. These documents typically include screen mockups of what the final UI may look like. The process of creating these mockups can be very time consuming, but the results are well worth the effort.

To make this process easier we developed a set of 29 custom Visio shapes, that when used in conjunction with other Visio Windows XP User Interface shapes, allow our Project Managers to quickly and easily design mock CRM UI screens that meet almost any client requirement.

For the download and more information, please go to: Here is the link: http://www.invokesystems.com/cs/blogs/mscrm/archive/2006/09/25/80.aspx

ISV Support for Microsoft CRM 3: TenDigits - Blackberry Solution for Microsoft CRM

Mobile CRM is going to be big over the next year or two. One of our largest requests is how to connect between Microsoft CRM and the BlackBerry. A partner out of Canada has created a solution that allows you to sync data between Microsoft CRM and the Blackberry.

The workhorse of Mobile CRM, MobileAccess is a BlackBerry smart client that extends the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform to deliver real-time account access for mobile sales, service and management teams. Designed for front-line users, MobileAccess delivers a rich user experience that capitalizes on the best user interface metaphors of both the BlackBerry handheld and the Outlook-like navigation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Able to run in both offline and connected environments, MobileAccess delivers instant access to leads, opportunities, contacts, activities and service cases anywhere –- on the road, between meetings, even on airplanes.
TenDigits delivers MobileAccess through the Microsoft Partner Channel. During installation, MobileAccess automatically inherits many of the customizations that have been previously published to the core CRM deployment – allowing partners to focus on delivering value through the core CRM and business process automation rather than developing custom wireless solutions.
For more information on TenDigits and the MobileAccess for Microsoft CRM application, they are available at: http://www.tendigits.com/.

c360 Mobile CRM for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

c360 Mobile CRM is a software solution that enables Microsoft CRM users equipped with Windows Mobile devices to access and modify Microsoft CRM data. c360 Mobile CRM is a highly scalable and flexible solution that provides mobile sales and service functionality out of the box and can be tailored for industry and customer specific needs.

The features of c360 Mobile CRM are:
* Rapid Deployment; Ready to use upon installation
* Fast Background Synchronization
* Limited Training Required
* Filtered Information
* Easy customization and fully customizable
* Online and Offline
* Wide Range of Supported Hardware

For more information, please go to the c360 website: http://www.c360.com/MobileCRM.aspx

System Requirements:

Below are the minimum software and hardware requirements to use Reporting
Client- PocketPC 2003, 2003 2nd Edition or Windows Mobile 5.0- Minimum Resolution 240 x 240- 64MB Internal Memory- WiFi, GPRS or UMTS Connectivity- Touchscreen- .NET Compact Framework 2.0- SQL Server Mobile
Server:- Microsoft Dynamics CRM- Internet Information Server 6.0- SQL Server 2000 or 2005- NET Framework 2.0

c360 Multi-Field Search for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

c360 Solutions Multi-Field Search is a Microsoft CRM enhancement that provides Microsoft CRM users with a quick search screen that is fully configurable for each CRM user. Multi-Field Search lets you search across multiple entities and across multiple fields simultaneously with a single click. The 'Search All' function can be configured per user to search across any number of CRM entities (standard and custom) while leveraging CRM's 'Quick Find' view fields to search across multiple fields.

Multi-Field Search also includes the new c360 CRM Desktop Search that lets you search for CRM records using Windows Desktop Search. c360 CRM Desktop Search searches across the entire universe of CRM records right within the Windows Desktop Search deskbar and search results (from different entity types) are displayed together in a streaming fashion.

For more information please visit the c360 web site at: http://www.c360.com/MultiFieldSearch.aspx

ISV Support for Microsoft CRM 3: Group1 Data Quality Adapter

First Off, this is a great duplicate detection ISV. This is much more than just duplicate detection. Incorrect or duplicate address records can bring even the most well crafted CRM initiative to a grinding, ineffective halt. Just think of your own experience as a customer: If an important package never reaches you, or you get multiple copies of an offer with slightly different names and addresses, you’re suffering from Bad Data Quality.

Group 1 Software has a solutions for this dilemma. They’ve got over two decades of experience in providing effective data quality solutions for thousands of corporations worldwide, and recently brought out a solution for Microsoft CRM.

Their new Data Quality Adapter plugs right into the CRM 3.0 interface. Users can then validate, correct, standardize and auto-populate missing address information, plus detect and manage duplicate records – both in batch and in real time.

A modest one-time account activation fee and annual seat license under $100 gets you the same functionality that sells for 6-figures or more in the enterprise database world.

Click here for a demo: http://www.g1.com/Resources/Demos/Data-Quality-Adapter-for-Microsoft-Dynamics-CRM-Demo/

Daylight Savings Time Changes CRM 3.0

The federal government of the United States changed the start and end dates for Daylight Savings Time, effective in 2007. These changes impact every software application that uses the date and time in any way, and that includes not only Microsoft CRM, but the entire technology stack that it sits on (Windows Server, IIS, SQL Server, Exchange Server). Microsoft has released updates for all of these programs to adjust them for the new Daylight Savings Time, which goes into effect on March 11, 2007.The place to get started is here: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Time Zone Data Updates (KB 925874) and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Update Time Zones Wizard (KB 932984). On this page you can download a file called CRM_DST_Remediation_details_Rev1.0.exe which is a 28-page (yikes!) Word document that is in a self-extracting file. This Word document details the steps you should follow to update the entire infrastructure and then the steps required to update Microsoft CRM. The juicy part starts on page 9 of the document, with a step-by-step how-to on updating CRM.

Optimizing the Performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 White Paper

Microsoft released a white paper today about optimizing CRM 3.0 performance.
This white paper discusses how to optimize the performance of your Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 system. You’ll learn how re-indexing, de-fragmenting, and regularly maintaining your databases can increase the speed with which Microsoft Dynamics CRM accesses your data. The white paper includes more advanced techniques as well, such as improving report performance, configuring Microsoft SQL Server, and optimizing Microsoft Internet Information Services and the .NET Framework. You’ll find complete SQL scripts that you can copy and use immediately. Finally, you’ll find links to additional information and resources, such as performance enhancements, security updates, Knowledge Base articles, and related Microsoft Dynamics CRM documentation.