CRM BLOG SAFARI
Microsoft's CRM Hustle

Update Rollup 1 for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Dynamics CRM 4.0 is now available. No, it's not a new release -- but as with anything Microsoft, the cyber-community is talking about implementation do's and don'ts.

The authors are advising users NOT to import customizations to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Server in the following scenarios:

• The server from which you are exporting customizations does not have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1 installed. However, the server to which you are importing the customizations has Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1 installed.
• The server from which you are exporting customizations has Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1 installed. However, the server to which you are importing the customizations does not have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Update Rollup 1 installed.

"Some of the hotfixes will have to be manually configured or enabled," notes blogger Christian Espinoza at Dynamo With Dynamics CRM.

"A senior consultant in our office installed it on a client's server today, and he says the server install requires a reboot. So make sure that you schedule the installation when the server can be rebooted," states an anonymous poster at the I.B.I.S. CRM Blog.

CRM Accelerators Released on Schedule

Microsoft is also steadily releasing the CRM accelerators it first unveiled in July.

"Whether you are a partner or a customer," writes another anonymous blogger, "these add-ons can be of great benefit, mainly because they are FREE."

Microsoft's releases to date:

• Extended Sales Forecasting on Oct. 31, 2008;
• Event Management on Nov. 4, 2008; and
• Notifications on Nov. 4.

Other accelerators due for release:

• Analytics, business intelligence sales , service and operations dashboards;
• E-Service Portal, a configurable self-service portal for customer service through Microsoft Dynamics CRM;
• Enterprise Search, which configures portal views of CRM data within SharePoint (MOSS) and exposes this data to MOSS enterprise search;
• Business Productivity, a collection of time-saving productivity customizations for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0; and
• Sales Methodologies, guidance for adoption of third-party sales methodologies such as SPI Solution Selling, Target Account Selling (TAS) and Miller Heiman.

Users are excited about the concept, Microsoft Dynamic CRM General Manager Brad Wilson told CRM Buyer in an interview conducted right after Microsoft gave attendees at its Worldwide Partner Conference a sneak preview of the add-ons.

"We demonstrated eight of the new solution accelerators, and the feedback was great," he said.

Partner Issues

Looking for a hosted CRM Dynamics partner?

Check out five points to consider in Jim Sheehan's blog posting and accompanying video.

"Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a great application, but it lacks in little ways that unless you live and breathe it you would never know," he wrote.

CRM Incubation Week

Microsoft is holding its first CRM Incubation Week at Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, Va., from Dec. 15 through Dec. 19.

"This event consists of 1/2 day of training, 3 1/2 days of active prototype/development time, and a final day for packaging/finishing and reporting out to a panel of judges for various prizes," writes Sanjay Jain, ISV architect evangelist at Microsoft.

There's no entry fee, and each team can bring three participants -- one business and one or two technical.

In Brief

Twitter can conceivably take the place of Office Communications Server, writes Peter Mularien in "Building a Collaborative Enterprise using Twitter."

"Honestly, many of the very creative ways Twitter can be used as a real-time communication platform probably haven't been invented yet," says Mularien.

Other examples include server or systems uptime-monitoring and alerts, utilizing Twitter's SMS capability with major cell phone carriers; corporate workflow integration and notifications; events planning and communication.

Finally, there's a new licensing package for Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint Server.