Customization articles
Published: February 8, 2008 Updated: May 16, 2009
Articles related to customizing Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
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Videos |
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Getting started |
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Customization examples |
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Blog posts |
Videos
Customization overview
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a customizable solution for your business. This demonstration walks you through how to customize existing entities to fit your operations, and how to create your own entities. Length: 13:00 minutes
Getting started
The first article in a series of articles that describe some basic customization features and concepts. This article has links to the rest of the articles in the series.
Customization examples
Importing Outlook contact data that includes categories
You can import Outlook contact data that contains data in the Categories field into Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Tailor activities to match your employees' tasks
Find out how activities are stored, displayed, and entered in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, so that you can customize them to match the tasks of your employees.
Add a lookup field to connect two types of records
Make it convenient for users to connect information in Microsoft Dynamics CRM by adding a lookup field that references another entity.
Default values of Status and Status Reason attributes
If you are planning customization of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, deciding when workflow rules are needed, or migrating data from a previous customer relationship management (CRM) system to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, then you can use the Status and Status Reason reference information in this article in your planning process.
Speed data entry by setting default values
Help people speed data entry and improve accuracy by adding default values to your forms. Even if you've never written code, you can use JScript to make simple customizations that reduce typing and errors.
Display a SharePoint document library in a Microsoft Dynamics CRM form
Customize a Microsoft Dynamics CRM form to display a SharePoint document library.
Find information faster by customizing the Quick Find view
Customize the Quick Find view to search on the data that is most relevant.
State your terms: Use your organization's nomenclature
Change the names of entities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM so that they match the nomenclature used in your organization.
Edit your Site Map
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM application navigation can be customized using the Site Map. Learn how to edit this XML document using schema validation.
Configure fields
All fields in Microsoft Dynamics CRM share some common configuration tasks. This article describes how to: add fields to a form, change field labels, make a field required, disable a field, prevent a field from being removed, control whether a field can be used in Advanced Find, move or remove a field, change the width, add scripts, or set the IME mode of fields.
Using workflows to automate common business tasks
You can use the links in this article to go to helpful and needed content about using the workflow feature for your sales, service, and customization tasks in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Blog posts
Backing up your Customizations
It's a good idea to back up (Export) your Customizations on a fairly regular basis - after you create or alter any of your Entities, Workflows, etc. This is a very simple process that can make your live easier in the future.
Improving your Searches
It's not uncommon for customers to tell me that they would like to be able to search on more fields (attributes) than those set by default. For example, when searching CRM Online for a contact, you may want to search by company name rather than just the person's name. It's pretty easy to add any field you would like to the search parameters.
Adding LinkedIn Contact Searches
LinkedIn is fairly popular business networking tool that allows you make connections and take advantage of relationships based on those connections. You can send messages and request to many connections. Since these relationships exist across multiple companies with individuals you’ve never had contact with, they provide you with a market to search for new customers, new employers/employees, and new business partners. Since you probably have lots of your contacts in your CRM system, its likely you might want to add them as LinkedIn Contacts. Doing so will give you the view into other relationships they might have as well as you can make a connection to them that will extend past your CRM.
Teaming with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Microsoft Dynamics comes with teaming model that is built in. It supports all of the security roles and process management features.There are many aspects of teaming in a CRM system.
Integration of Document Management Services with Dynamics CRM Online
Adding documentation management services to Dynamics CRM Online is fairly simple customization that can really enhance your CRM Online application. By modifying the site map, you can add links and references to other web applications. The user can use these web applications without the experience of having to change to another application.
Calculate Opportunity Age with Jscript
Ever wonder how old that opportunity it is. Here's some script that will display a the age of an opportunity when you open it.
Changing the window size for CRM forms
Recently a customer asked me how to open the Accounts form in a larger window. It's a simple matter of a little bit of JavaScript that I was lucky enough to locate the answer in Ronald Lemmen's blog .
Adding Activities to the Contact form in an iFrame
I came across the details on how to do this when reading a blog posting from Matt Wittemann a couple years back. I still use it and thought you might be interested. Another capability to demonstrate the flexibility of the configuration options of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
Customizing the CRM Lookup Return Field
As you all know a CRM lookup only displays its related entity primary field. Although this can not be changed using existing customizations; in most cases that suffices. However, there are occasions where you want to display another information in order to avoid opening the related entity form.
Implementing Approval Verification Processes
In business processes, there are sometimes scenarios in which certain steps require approval, authorization or verification from specific users to move forward. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 can be customized to implement such Role based or User dependent processes. One such example could be the requirement of authorization if opportunity is of more than 10K USD. I will be suggesting few options for implementing such a feature.
