The System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations namespace was introduce in the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 to support ASP.NET Dynamic Data .  Silverlight + WCF RIA Services now uses it as well.  I’ve been asked by a few people when WPF will use it. ...

I spend a lot of time talking to .NET developers who are looking at building business applications using Dynamics CRM.  They journey to understanding how to be a productive Dynamics CRM developer can sometimes be daunting.  There’s a bit to...

Unfortunately, there was a configuration snafu with the email address I gave out for you to request access to the project as a contributor.  If you you sent an email from a non Microsoft email address prior to this post, then you received a "Delivery...

          Windows Phone 7 Developer Launch Windows® Phone 7 is here – and with it comes a new world of opportunity for passionate, creative developers. Windows Phone 7 gives you the power to build complex, robust applications...

If you are building Virtual Earth solutions with the JavaScript control, then you absolutely have to download this toolkit.  Chris Pietschmann just announced the first official release.  Here’s how he describes the toolkit: “The Virtual Earth...

UPDATE: I’ve gotten feedback from folks that I should remind everyone that there is now a Dynamics CRM 2011 Script# Xrm.Page library . Script# (aka ScriptSharp) allows you to write C# code that compiles into JavaScript.  If you aren’t familiar with...

"City of San Francisco, CA has launched their Open 311 solution called HeyGov! for San Francisco . HeyGov! is a SaaS (Software as a Service) offering from Microsoft Partner, ISC , that provides a new and engaging way for citizens and governments communicate...

http://www.pluralsight.com/main/olt/Course.aspx?n=dotnet-csharp-tutorial I tend to steer away from making recommendations on training companies and books unless I have actually been through the training or read the book myself.  I have had the chance...

In the latest release of the Dynamics CRM 2011 SDK, a new tool was introduced which creates new options for how teams can source control their non-code customizations.  The tool is called SolutionPackager.  I encourage you to read the following...

Microsoft Office SharePoint Services 2007 (MOSS) is rapidly approaching the 100 million licenses sold milestone and SharePoint consulting services are white hot.  IDV Solutions’ Visual Fusion software extends SharePoint to create a visual composite...

Depending on how many blogs you read, you’ll be seeing a barrage of “Silverlight 2 released” posts today.  If you haven’t seen it already, make sure you check Scott Guthrie’s post about the release at http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/10...

This week marks my 5 year anniversary at Microsoft.  Five years ago, I stopped being a “real developer” and became an evangelist.  Ok, I started with a short stint as a SQL / BizTalk Technology Specialist (what other companies call “pre-sales...

Be a part of the Random Hacks of Kindness Disaster Relief Codejam on June 4-6 in Washington, DC. From the http://rhok.org site: “Random Hacks of Kindness: a community of developers, geeks and tech-savvy do-gooders around the world, working...

GOAL: Simplify referencing JavaScript libraries from CRM forms for code-centric developer types like me. I have always been a fan of “code beside” JavaScript files that contain all my main code for a corresponding HTML page.  For example, if I have...

Minification is a popular technique in web development. The benefits are equally as applicable to Dynamics CRM 2011 JavaScript and CSS web resources. My minifier of choice is the Microsoft Ajax Minifier because it integrates well with the Visual Studio...

Scenario: “I have an entity with a field of type ‘Two Options’ that I would like to populate within a ‘Create Record’ activity in a CRM 2011 dialog.   The ‘Two Options’ type in CRM 2011 is a boolean.  The ‘Prompt and Response’ activity...

Thanks to everyone who attended!  You can download the deck and links to the code here: Normally, I make my actual demo code available for download.  However, this time around, my demo code was based on the .NET 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit...

I’m back to blogging again. More on that later… In any client UI code (WinForms/WPF/Silverilght/WinRT), it’s always a good practice to do as much in the background as possible so you aren’t blocking the UI thread. “In the old days,” the BackgroundWorker...

UPDATE: I had technical difficulties with the recording yesterday.  Therefore, we were unable to record the dinner.  However, I do plan on recording both last night’s presentation and the 3.5 SP1 presentation from the last dinner.  I hope...

DISCLAIMER: This is a rare “personal” / “rant” blog post.  I normally try to keep things focused on the technology. In my last blog post , I mentioned that I’m back to blogging again and that I would explain a little bit about why I haven’t been...

I’ve been going through a bunch of CRM integration scenarios to refresh my “hands on” abilities.  You have to do that in a job like mine, otherwise you’re just a talking head that doesn’t know what you’re talking about .  Anyway, the topic of...

I have spent some time lately working with both potential CRM Online customers and partners who were unaware of the what’s really possible when you combine CRM Online with Windows Azure.  I primarily work with customers/partners building “enterprise...

UPDATE: You can follow tanagram on twitter @tanagram http://twitter.com/tanagram . One of the things I have been trying to do this year is encourage / kick start partners to create useful CodePlex projects. I’ve been digging into Windows 7 multi-touch...

During my recent Silverlight 2 talks, I have had a handful of questions around building Section 508 compliant applications with Silverlight 2.  I've mentioned that the accessibility features are not in the current beta, but they are coming. ...

I get asked this once or twice a month.    “Does CRM 2011 allow me to configure cascading dropdowns out of the box?” There is no “out of the box” way to do this using point and click customization through the CRM UI.  I find that when...