Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 - what's new - the top 10!
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is now available . We're working through the product identifying the key features for partners, developers, consultants and clients. We're really excited by what we see and we think you will be too. In this article we are going to provide you with pointers to the new features that are going to make CRM 2011 a compelling solution for some years to come.
Our first top ten looks at changes to CRM mainly from the users perspective
1. The ribbon. Probably the most obvious modification to the interface is the removal of the menu and the move to the Office 2007 / 10 ribbon. For users who haven't used the ribbon before this might be a challenge. However, it is much more efficient than the menu and importantly 'exposes' functionality that users normally struggle to find. The example below shows the Outlook client ribbon.
2. Flat UI. Microsoft have dropped the multiple tab options on record forms and moved to a vertical form broken down into sections which can be navigated. For many clients this will be a helpful modification and should save users time.
3. View filters. Users may now create custom filters on entity views and save them as custom views. Users working with large quantities of data will appreciate this Excel like functionality
4. Dashboards. The missing component for a long time. The model Microsoft have adopted is very flexible and highly dynamic by linking dashboards to views. The data is automatically refreshed and for the more technical in the audience, is based on .Net controls and not SSRS.
5. Outlook functionality on views. Users can now use features such as categories and conditional formatting on record lists. This will help users identify key records to work on as a priority.
6. Connections. The relationships concept is taken a step further offering the user the ability to identify connections on multiple record types.
7. Record preview pane. When a record has been clicked on from a view, the user can navigate the record in a preview pane and can also see linked Social Networking data from things like Twitter and LinkedIn.
8. Recent views and records. Recently viewed record lists and specific records are recorded dynamically onto a menu option. Users can choose to 'pin' a record to this list too.
9. Untrack. There is now a specific button to use to stop tracking an email from Outlook. And yes, it removes the activity from CRM as well as breaking the tracking link.
10. Viewing a tracked item. From the Outlook client, a user can also see quick links to related CRM records from a tracked email.
OK. That's our first top ten list. We hope you find it useful. Come back soon, we will be doing more. If you need help on evaluating Dynamics CRM 2011 contact us at crm2011@dynamicsbase.com.
Our second top ten list looks at functional changes - for the power user, consultant and others
1. Processes. CRM 2011 processes is a label for both workflows and dialogs. Dialogs is the key change here. A dialog is a synchronous step by step process which the user interacts with. So, for example, a user may run a dialog as a script to qualify a lead record. This new feature opens up a whole new capability of interaction between users and CRM records.
2. Auditing. Auditing of CRM records is now built into CRM 2011. There are global settings which allows for auditing to be switched on across modules - such as Sales / Marketing. In addition, auditing can be configured down to the entity level. By default, all fields are monitored for auditing but this can be configured. The audit log can be managed.
3. Solutions. Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementations can now be managed via the packaging of customisations into what is now called a Solution. A solution can be managed or un-managed. The key difference is that within a managed solution, components can be uninstalled. The base platform is known as the default solution.
4. Import. Small but powerful feature. Microsoft have added the capability to download a template for importing entity records. Interesting to note that XLS format is now supported too. It will be interesting to note the level of support in this for custom fields and relationships.
5. Goals and goal metrics. This is an interesting addition that didn't get a lot of air time ahead of the beta release. Now in CRM 2011 it is possible to create a target for CRM users. So, for example, number of phone calls made, number of cases closed, value of opportunities closed. Important - also look at rollup queries to understand this in the round. It is also important to note that Fiscal periods will need to be configured correctly if goals are to be utilised.
6. Team ownerships. It is now possible (hurrah) to have a team owning a record. So the owner field can now lookup the team entity in addition to the user entity. Ownership by teams needs to be considered carefully - for example, the target team needs to have a security profile allocated to it. Following this you will quickly note that a team now has a link to a default queue (more on this to follow).
7. Document management. CRM 2011 comes with Sharepoint (admittedly 2010) integration built in. All entities can be chosen to integrate a document folder to. Note, Sharepoint 2010 will require the List Management web part installed on it. It is of course still possible to create document locations for individual entities.
8. Option sets. It is now possible within CRM 2011 to share global picklists across entities. Also, a nice new feature on picklists is the ability to sort the picklist A to Z ascending or descending. This could save a lot of time (and money!)
9. Field level security. When defining a field it is now possible to switch on field level security for the field. This works in tandem with the Field Level Security Profile entity. More on this to come.
10. Mutiple forms. Customisations and solutions get a huge boost with the ability to create different forms for entities. These can be associated with a security role and can also be associated with standard client or mobile client versions. Well worth understanding the impact of this.
Thanks for reading - next top 10 to come on system administration!
Dynamicsbase 22/9/10.