Working with Records and Activities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook

With Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Microsoft Office Outlook, you can work in all areas of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for which you have privileges A user's rights to perform specific actions on specific record types or to perform tasks. Privileges are assigned by system administrators to security roles. Users are then assigned security roles. Examples of privileges include Update Account and Publish Customizations..

Creating New Records and Activities

There are a number of places to create new records Entries in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online database that store all the information about specific items, such as contacts. Records are like individual index cards in an index-card filing system. You can view basic information about records in a list, and you can view or change detailed information about records in a form. and activities Actions to be performed, such as tasks, or communication items that are sent or received, for example, e-mails, phone calls, letters, faxes, and appointments. The status of activities is tracked and the activity history is stored in the system, so users can view the open and closed activities. using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook:

• Outlook toolbar buttons and menus

  You can create new contacts, tasks, appointments, and e-mail messages that use the familiar Outlook forms.You can track a record or activity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. You can designate Outlook tasks as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online phone calls, faxes, or letters. Records that you track are linked and updates to the records in Outlook are propagated in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and vice versa. You can set personal options to always use Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online or Outlook forms.

  After you save your e-mail message as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online e-mail activity, the saved message can be accessed by anyone who has access to your activities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

  More information: Set Personal Options

• toolbar

  You can create new activities and records; search for records; and link Outlook e-mails messages, tasks, appointments, and contacts to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records. You can also open Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Help from this toolbar. If you are using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook with Offline Access, you can go online and offline.

• CRM menu

  You can create new activities and records, open the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online activity areas, and search for records with Advanced Find. You can also open Advanced Find and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Help from this menu.

  If you are working in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook with Offline Access, you can take data offline. From this menu, you can define what data is taken offline, initiate synchronization, and go online or go offline.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online folders

  You can use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online folders access Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online that use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online activity forms. If you create records when you are working offline, they are synchronized to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online server when you go online. This method gives you other conveniences, such as access to e-mail templates.

  Do not move Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records or activities or Outlook-tracked records or activities from the designated folders. This can break the link to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and interrupt future tracking.

More information: Save Outlook Contacts, Tasks, and E-mail Messages as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Records

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Working Offline

Some areas cannot be accessed, and some records cannot be deleted, modified, shared, or assigned if you are offline.

The following list shows the features that are unavailable when you are offline

More information: Working Offline

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Synchronizing Reminders and Calendars

Some activities inherit reminders from Outlook. Whether or not an activity has a reminder depends on where it was created:

• Activities created in

  Reminders for tasks, e-mail messages, and appointments created in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook forms have the reminders provided by Outlook. Service activities created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook are automatically set with 15-minute reminders, which cannot be changed or turned off. Service activities and appointments are synchronized with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Service calendar and Workplace calendar. Tasks do not appear in the calendars. You cannot set reminders for faxes, phone calls, e-mails, letters, or campaign response activities created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook.

• Activities created in the Web Application

  Appointments and service activities created in the Web application The version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online that works in Microsoft Internet Explorer. and synchronized with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook have 15-minute reminders set automatically based on the due date. These reminders cannot be changed or updated, even if the due date is updated. Appointments and service activities appear in both Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online calendars. Faxes, phone calls, and letters that are created by tracking Outlook tasks can have reminders. These activities created with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online forms, do not have reminders.

Only Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online appointments and service activities that are tracked in Outlook as appointments appear in both Outlook and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online calendars.

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Deleting Records and Activities

When you delete a linked contact, task, or appointment in Outlook or in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, one of two things can happen: the linked item can be deleted too, or the linked item remains, but the link is broken and future changes are not synchronized.

• For contacts you own:
  • If you delete a contact from Outlook, it is never deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, but the link is broken and the record is updated.
  • If a contact is deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and the contact is owned by you, it is not deleted from Outlook, but the link is broken and the record is not updated.
  • If a contact is deleted from Outlook by someone else and the contact is not owned by you in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the contact is deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
• For contacts you do not own:
  • If a contact is deleted from Outlook by someone else and is owned by you, the contact is not deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, but the link is broken and the record is not updated or recreated in Outlook.
• For other records and activities:
  • If a tracked record is deleted from Outlook, or an appointment declined in Outlook, and then the record or activity is updated in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the record or activity may be recreated.
  • When you delete an e-mail message, a contact, a completed task, or a past appointment or service activity from Outlook, it is not deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, but the link is broken. However, if you delete a pending (incomplete) task or future appointment from Outlook, it is also deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
  • If a tracked activity is deleted from Outlook or an appointment is declined in Outlook, and then the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online record is updated in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, the record or activity may be recreated during synchronization.
• Pending appointments and tasks:
  • If the appointment is deleted from Outlook by the owner or organizer, it is deleted from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. If it is deleted by a participant, it is not deleted from Outlook .
  • If you delete a pending task from either Outlook or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online the linked task is deleted.
• Past appointments and complete tasks:
  • Past appointments and completed tasks are not deleted.

More information: Synchronizing Information

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Related Topics Save Outlook Contacts, Tasks, and E-mail Messages as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Records Doing CRM Work in Outlook Working Offline Synchronizing Information Sending and Receiving E-mail in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook

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