Microsoft Business Solutions CRM - Customisation

Introduction
The two-day Microsoft CRM Customization courseexamines the various ways in which you can customize the application to meet yourbusiness requirements. Customization can take on many forms - from workflow, tocustomizing the application and database schema, to report customization, toextended customization via the Software Development Kit (SDK). Workflow Managerallows you to automate your company's business policies by creating workflowrules that can be automatically and/or manually applied to selected objects.Workflow Manager also includes the ability to create Sales Processes, whichautomate the activities associated with prospecting, qualifying, and closingsales opportunities.
The Microsoft CRM Customization tool allows you tocustomize the form, views, and preview panes associated with each object. Usedin conjunction with the Schema Manager utility, you will learn how to modifythe database schema, and then apply those customizations to the application.This course will also introduce you to the Software Development Kit, or SDK,which is a tool used by developers for creating vertical solutions that caninterface with the CRM application. And finally, from a reporting standpoint,you will be introduced to the Crystal Report Designer tool, which allows you tocreate new reports and modify any of the existing reports that were shippedwith the application.

Audience
The Microsoft CRM Customization course is designedfor partners and customers who will be customizing the application. Thistypically includes implementers, consultants, developers, systemsadministrators, project leaders, etc.

At Course Completion
After completing this course, students willunderstand:

Microsoft CRM's architecture and how it facilitates customization via the SDK

Workflow rules that can automate your company's business policies

Sales processes that can automate the activities required to prospect, qualify, and close sales opportunities

Microsoft CRM's Customization Tool that allows you to modify forms, views, and preview panes

Microsoft CRM's Schema Manager tool that allows you to customize the database schema by adding custom fields to each object as well as creating custom database mappings

Publishing your customizations to your production environment

Microsoft CRM's Software Development Kit (SDK) that allows you to create external customizations that leverage the platform layer's class libraries

Crystal Designer reporting tool that allows you to create new reports and modify existing reports.

Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students must have:

An understanding of the Microsoft CRM application

Microsoft Certified Professional Exams
No Microsoft Certified Professional exams areassociated with this course currently.

Course Materials
The student materials include comprehensivecourseware and other necessary materials for this class.

Course Outline
Chapter1: Architecture
This chapter examines Microsoft CRM'sarchitectural design. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the design goalsfor Microsoft CRM, discuss how these goals evolved into the system, platformand application functionality that define the Microsoft CRM product, and reviewMicrosoft CRM's four architectural layers - the Presentation layer, Applicationlayer, Platform layer and Database layer. Please note that this is a high-leveldiscussion of the product's architecture with the intent on introducing thestudent to each layer of design. Focus of this discussion centers around howthe platform layer and the metadata design facilitate extensibility of theapplication.
MainTopics

Presentation layer (web client and Sales for Outlook client)

Application layer

Platform layer (primary focus, specifically touching on the 800+ class libraries used to extend the application via web services)

Database layer
After completing this chapter, students will be ableto:

Identify the similarities and differences between the two methods of accessing Microsoft CRM (via web client and the Sales for Outlook client).

Understand how the platform layer of the product architecture plays a key role in all product functionality, including extension of product functionality by ISV's through the use web services that access class libraries at the product layer.

Identify the four databases created with each Microsoft CRM installation and understand the purpose of each.

Understand why the application was designed to prohibit direct access of application logic and databases by developers.

Chapter2: Workflow
This chapter examines how you can automate yourorganization's business policies, tasks, and sales processes using theMicrosoft CRM Workflow tools. This chapter will review the core concepts andterminology related to the Workflow manager, which is the tool used to create,modify, and activate workflow rules and sales processes. You will learn how tocreate rules that will be automatically triggered based on selected events, andhow to build conditions and actions within those rules. You will also learn howto create workflow templates, which can be used as the basis for future rulesthat have common characteristics. In addition to workflow rules, you will alsolearn how to create sales processes, which are specialized workflow rules forsales opportunities. And finally, you will learn how to administer rules andsales processes via the Workflow Manager tool.
MainTopics

Workflow Manager

Workflow Rules

Workflow Templates

Events

Conditions

Actions

Sales Processes

Workflow Monitor

Workflow Best Practices
Lab:Creating Workflow Rules

Creating a workflow rule template

Creating a workflow rule

Testing the rule automatically and manually
Lab:Creating Sales Processes

Creating a sales process template

Creating a sales process rule

Testing the rule automatically
After completing this chapter, students will be ableto:

Understand how business processes can be automated in Microsoft CRM.

Understand the core concepts and terminology associated with Microsoft CRM's Workflow Manager - including: Rules, Events, Conditions, Actions, Rule Templates, Sales Processes and Workflow Monitor.

Use the Workflow Manager to create, modify, and activate Rules and Sales Processes.

Administer Rules and Sales Processes with the Workflow Monitor.

Chapter3: Customization
This chapter will discuss the different componentsand processes that can be used to customize Microsoft CRM's appearance andbehavior. This chapter will instruct you on how to use the System CustomizationTool to customize views, forms, preview panes, and all other customizable areasof the application. You will examine which components can be customized tosatisfy different business needs. This includes an examination of theDeployment Manager's Schema Manager and Mapper tools, both of which can be usedfor customizing the database schema. Finally, you will learn how to modify theproperties of existing forms, views, Advanced Find views, Associated Views, andPreview Panes in order to meet your business' needs.
MainTopics

System Customization tool

Modifying forms

Modifying views, advanced find views, and associated views

Modifying preview panes

Schema Manager

Adding custom fields to the database

Mapper tool

Adding custom field mappings

Publishing customization changes

Customization Best Practices
Lab:Customizing Views

Creating a new view

Modifying an existing view

Setting the default view for a record type
Lab:Adding Customized fields to the database schema

Schema Manager

Attribute Manager

Add custom fields to the database

Publishing database schema changes

Export XML configuration
Lab:Record Type Customization

Form Editor

Adding custom fields to a form

Modifying field properties

Modifying form layout

Modifying preview panes

Publishing form and preview pane customizations
After completing this chapter, students will be ableto:

Identify which Microsoft CRM components are customizable using the Microsoft CRM System Customization Tool.

Extend the database schema by adding new fields and exposing them in the application.

Use the System Customization Tool to customize views, forms, preview panes and all other customizable areas of the application.

Modify the properties of existing forms, views, Advanced Find views, Associated Views, and Preview Panes - as well as all other customizable areas of the application.

Publish customizations into Microsoft CRM using the Deployment Manager Tool.

Chapter4: Introduction to the Microsoft CRM SDK
This chapter will introduce the Microsoft CRMSoftware Development Kit, or SDK. The SDK is used for advanced customizationbeyond the capabilities of the application customization tools that werecovered in the previous chapter. The SDK is a valuable reference for softwaredevelopers to extend and enhance the functionality of Microsoft CRM. Becausethe nature of these customizations are very diverse and require programmingskills that are not a prerequisite for this course, this will not be a "How to"course. This chapter will only serve to introduce the SDK and describe thefeatures that developers will be able to use in order to create solutions thatleverage Microsoft CRM.
Lessons

Understand the capabilities for customization with the SDK

Understand the benefits of the SDK

Understand the intended audience of the SDK

Understand the contents of the SDK
After completing this chapter, students will be ableto:

Understand the capabilities for customization with the SDK. The chapter will provide a simple scenario to illustrate how the SDK can be used by developers to create a solution to solve a business problem.

Recognize the benefits the SDK provides to the solution developer and how it helps extend and preserve some of the key benefits of Microsoft CRM.

Recognize the intended audience of the SDK and understand which skills developers will need in order to take advantage of the benefits the SDK offers.

Successfully navigate the SDK contents. The chapter will provide a brief tour of the contents and explain how developers can use the SDK to learn more about techniques they will use to create solutions.

Chapter5: Customizing Crystal Enterprise reports
This chapter will introduce Crystal Enterprisereporting with Microsoft CRM. In this chapter, you will examine the planningresources available to you, some of the reporting challenges you may face, and variousapproaches to overcome those challenges. You will also examine CrystalEnterprise for Microsoft CRM, including the components of the CrystalEnterprise for Microsoft CRM system, how licensing is implemented, how reportsare presented, and how security is implemented. Finally, you will learn how tocreate and modify custom reports, how to make reports available to users, andhow to use existing reports as templates for new reports. While this chapter isnot a Crystalreporting primer, it does cover the basics on modifying existing reports andcreating new reports.
MainTopics

Planning Considerations (including the importance of planning, planning resources, and challenges and approaches)

Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM (including report presentation, licensing, and security)

Custom reports (including customization requirements, creating custom reports, modifying existing reports, and publishing report customizations)

Reporting Best Practices
Lab:Modifying an Existing Report

Add a new label to the report

Add a new field to the report

Preview the report changes

Publish the report and test it
After completing this chapter, students will be ableto :

Recognize the importance of reporting to your Microsoft CRM implementation.

Use the Microsoft CRM Implementation Tool Kit planning resources in order to plan your Microsoft CRM reporting solution.

Recognize and overcome reporting solution challenges.

Identify licensing considerations in regards to Microsoft CRM reports.

Understand how security is implemented in regards to Microsoft CRM reports.

Understand how reports are presented.

Identify the requirements needed in order to create or modify Microsoft CRM reports.

Create, modify and publish Microsoft CRM reports.

Use existing reports as templates for new reports.