Create or edit an activity

Can I do this task?

1. Navigate to activity records.

   In the Navigation Pane, click Workplace, and then under My Work click Activities.

   - OR -

   To work with activities associated with a record, open the record and then click Activities.

2. To add new activities from the Activities list, on the Actions toolbar, click New.

   - OR -

   To add a new activity from a record, click New Activity. You can also click the activity icons on the Actions toolbar, or on the New menu, point to New Activity, and then select the activity type.

   Tip

   To quickly create a follow-up activity from a record, on the Actions toolbar, click Follow Up , fill in the details in the Form Assistant pane A search pane that displays a list of filtered records. The records displayed are determined by which field that you are in and what data that you enter. In some areas of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, you can also create a follow-up activity from the Form Assistant pane pane. Using the Form Assistant pane is an alternative to using the Look Up Records dialog box., and then click Save.

3. Select an activity type, and then click OK.
4. Enter the information that you want. At a minimum, entering information in the following boxes is useful when you or others in your organization refer to the activity at a later date:
   • Subject

     Enter a meaningful description that can help you easily identify the activity in the Activities list view. The subject field is required because, by default, most of the Activities views are sorted by it. This field is not related to Subjects, which are the hierarchical list of categories used to relate and organize information in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

   • Regarding

     This field is used to link the activity to another record so that you can view the activity from the record. If you create a new activity from a record, this is automatically filled out.

   • Owner

     This box represents the user who owns the activity. By default, it is set to the user who creates the activity.

   • Duration

     If this activity is related to a case, make sure that you record the time you spend on the activity in this box. If the case is linked to a contract line, the durations of all the activities for this case are tallied and updated automatically in the related active contract. The total, which includes the totals from any other cases relating to that contract, can be adjusted manually before billing the customer. The maximum duration of an appointment or service activity is 10 days.

   • Due

     Enter the date and time that the activity is expected to take place or be completed. You can quickly sort on the Due field when you view activities.

   Tip

   • To automatically update the Regarding field with information from a record, click the Expand button in the right pane to open the Form Assistant pane A search pane that displays a list of filtered records. The records displayed are determined by which field that you are in and what data that you enter. In some areas of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, you can also create a follow-up activity from the Form Assistant pane pane. Using the Form Assistant pane is an alternative to using the Look Up Records dialog box., and then select a record.
5. Some activities also have the following optional fields:
   • Sender

     You can use this field to record the user in your organization who initiated an outgoing communication. Alternatively, if this is an incoming communication from a customer, you can select the lead, account, or contact who initiates the communication. The sender must be a valid Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online account, contact, or lead, but can also be a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online user. By default, this box contains the name of the user who creates the activity.

   • Recipient

     This is the person, typically an account, contact, lead, or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online user, that receives the communication.

   • Category, Sub-Category

     You can use these text fields to categorize tasks so that you can sort or view your tasks by category and/or sub-category.

6. Click Save or Save and Close.

   Tip

   If you are using the activity to track something that has already been completed, on the File menu, click Save as Completed.

   When you save an activity as completed, duplicates will not be detected.

Notes

• To create the same activity for multiple records, use a quick campaign A communication method that creates a single activity for distribution to a group of accounts, contacts, or leads, or to a single marketing list. Contrast with campaigns, which support end-to-end marketing programs that have multiple activities.. More information: Work with Quick Campaigns
• You cannot edit multiple activities at once.
• You cannot schedule recurring activities.
• You cannot reactivate or edit a closed activity. However, you can add a note to a closed activity.
• You cannot change one activity into another type of activity.
• You cannot set reminders in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Microsoft Office Outlook for faxes, phone calls, e-mails, letters, or campaign responses activities created in the Web application The version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online that works in Microsoft Internet Explorer. or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook.
• When the duration of an activity is more than 60 minutes (an hour), the time you enter is converted into hours. When the activity is saved, the value is rounded up and might change from the entry that was originally displayed when it was converted from minutes into hours. Note that rounding is only observed on the hundredth of an hour. The exact value for the duration, however, is stored in the database in minutes, and this value is used to calculate the total billing time when resolving cases.
• The letter and fax activities record when the letter or fax is sent or received. When you create the activity, you attach the letter or fax document, such as a Microsoft Office Word file, to the record. With the mail merge feature, you can write your letter and include Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online data. More information: Create Customer-Ready Documents and Messages