A CRM Riff

Glass House: The Pendulum Swings

Jim Glass — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:20:00 GMT

This caught my attention from one of my fav bloggers Frank Shaw on Glass House^TM.

From today’s Slate blog on human nature, a cogent analysis of the emerging competition between the real and virtual worlds, this time epitomized by the growing use of smart phones during meetings. Heck, as someone who routinely uses a laptop to take notes in meetings, this is an old, old trend. Key nuggets from Slate:

The Times headlined this article, "At Meetings, It's Mind Your BlackBerry or Mind Your Manners." But the story is much bigger than manners. It's the ascent of the virtual world as a rival to the physical world. We've talked about this trend before in the context of cell phones and driving. When phone calls draw your eyes off the road, and when electronic messages pull your attention out of business meetings, it's time to think about what's happening to the relationship between your mind and your body. You're drifting out of physical space. Not just you but the millions of others who are doing the same thing.

That point about "the etiquette debate ... tilting in the favor of smartphone use"? That's the virtual world gaining parity and vying for supremacy. That guy who speeds up his presentation when most of his listeners disappear into their BlackBerrys? That's the physical world struggling to keep up. That observation from Clinton's adviser about "half the participants BlackBerrying each other as a submeeting"? That's no joke. They really are having a meeting. It just happens to be in the virtual world. If your body is in the room but your brain is offline, you're missing that meeting. You're absent.

Facebook Updates: Blather?

Jim Glass — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:52:25 GMT

My coworker and friend Renee notes her fav quote: “But we're not knocking it. Facebook is all about lesser friends, and there's nothing wrong with second-tier.” Ouch! This from this article on MSN Tech:

Facebook Updates: What Kind Do You Write?

After using Facebook for a while, you notice that people tend to say the same things over and over in their status updates. They are bored at work, they're behind on sleep, they have big news ─ or they just want to tell you how generally cool life is. We take a look at the 10 most common kinds of Facebook updates.

I gotta tell you, I wish I had said much of this to my Facebook peeps. Instead I will tell you how I cull my stream (on the home page) so that I only see posts from my bestest family and friends.

1. Prune your friend list at least twice a year. If they haven’t said anything memorable in a year, they’re gone. Be brutal unless they are family.

2. On the HOME page when a person or comment comes that you don’t want to see in the future, glide your mouse cursor over the right-hand side of the comment where you can then see HIDE. Select the person, app, or both and you’ll not see them anymore.

That’s it. And it makes my time on the site short and to the point. I luv it and have found that many people are using Facebook en lieu of blogs or even email. Who’da thought. :o)

Blog: Tidbits on Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Jim Glass — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:58:42 GMT

From my friend Anne’s blog:

The World of Dynamics CRM Help

Microsoft has a world of "XRM" within Dynamics CRM and as more and more of the framework matures we will see growth.

On my latest deep dive I have been looking at modifying Dynamics CRM Help and the general structure around how changes to Dynamics CRM help are supported in a multi-tenant world. In summary they are not (yet). The help files are stored with the application files.

DyNamics Top 100 - 2009

Jim Glass — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:24:40 GMT

Our own Amy Langlois (CRM SDK Doc Manager) and many CRM MVPs were listed in the top 100 influencers in the Dynamics World.

“Welcome to “The Microsoft Dynamics Top 100 Influential People 2009" This list is intended to provoke thought and reward those that have achieved something extraordinary within Microsoft Dynamics. We do invite your feedback and trust that you will return to view further lists that we are currently compiling.

The following is listed was compiled by assessing:

1) How many people are affected in Microsoft Dynamics by their decisions.

2) How many people do they have regular contact with in the Microsoft Dynamics Community.

3) How long have they been involved in the Microsoft Dynamics Community.

4) How many certifications do they have achieved.

5) How much positive feedback we got from our forums and voting.

Accelerators for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Jim Glass — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:54:32 GMT

Let’s check in with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Accelerators and see what’s new.

Release 1.1 released for Event Management, eService, Notifications and Extended Sales Forecasting accelerators! Each of these accelerators has released 10 individual language versions including:

Brazilian
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Spanish
Swedish.

CRM Accelerators are a range of add-on solutions developed for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 customers and partners. Each accelerator is available at no cost and will showcase how the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 platform can be configured and extended to broaden marketing, sales and service capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers and partners are encouraged to further extend these accelerators to meet their specific business needs.
Each accelerator may consist of the following:

Customizations (entities, forms, views)
Workflow defintions
Business Intelligence elements such as custom reports (.RDL’s)
Functional code samples (strictly adhering to SDK guidelines)
Documentation for installing, operating, localizing and extending the solution
An automated installer

Each accelerator will be fully supported as per any other customization for Microsoft Dynamics CRM that follows SDK guidelines. Additionally, all samples are supplied with full source-code so they can be extended further to meet specific customer requirements. Because of Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s services-based architecture and metadata-driven application capabilities, accelerators can be deployed for both on-demand and on-premise environments. Through accelerators, customers and partners benefit from new functionality on a more frequent basis, and they can be deployed to their environment quickly and easily.

This site will be the key source for consultants, developers and customers to collaborate in this community initiative. Check back in frequently for discussions, updates to solutions, new features and documentation. There are discussion forums for each accelerator and all community members are encouraged to provide feedback and share their experience and knowledge to make these solutions better for Microsoft Dynamics CRM customers and partners.

This is an exciting program and our objective is to assist all who deploy and use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to maximize their investment!

Microsoft Orchestra, a Summer concert in Seattle

Jim Glass — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:35:25 GMT

Enjoy a Microsoft Orchestra Summer concert at the Ballard Locks on a Sunny Seattle day. I had so many friends in this group which in the last six years has gone from a scary-small 25 to an impressive 82 musicians. And I forgot a pivotal piece of the camera tripod so I had the camera tied by it’s strap to the tripod.

This montage includes cuts from the music of Jurassic Park, Copeland's Rodeo, and the 1812 Overture. The canon booms are from a digital device. The director is Jim Truher. Those of you on Facebook have already seen this.

I’m working on a follow-up of a friend’s performance of Grondahl’s Trombone Concerto too. So keep your eyes peeled. :o)

Windows 7: Now my peeps can be first and save half.

Jim Glass — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:26:26 GMT

Many of you may have heard about the awesome pricing for Windows 7 that Microsoft is offering to customers for the next 10 days. The offer will be available from online retailers and directly from Microsoft through the Microsoft Store. Most of my family and friends are all over this so I thought I’d put it out there for my CRM family.

Windows 7: Be first. Save half.

Pre-order Windows 7 today at Microsoft Store. You'll get it for at least half off and be one of the first to get it. Hurry, quantities are limited.*

It's pretty simple

Windows 7 is coming on October 22, 2009. Here's an easy way to get it fast and save a bundle: Pre-order a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49 or a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99 at Microsoft Store. That's about half off the estimated retail prices.

Want more info?

Go to the Windows team blog and find out all the details.

* The offer begins on June 26, 2009 and will continue while supplies last, or until July 11, 2009, whichever comes first.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is in the “Leaders” quadrant in Gartner’s 2009 Report

Jim Glass — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Customers seeking information before investing in technology often turn to Gartner, Inc., because of its detailed and methodical reviews. Among the most respected reports are its Magic Quadrants, which help buyers assess vendor strengths and weaknesses that can be used to meet the purchaser’s current and future business and technology requirements. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is pleased to note that in the 2009 Magic Quadrant For CRM Customer Service Contact Centers, published April 3, 2009 and written by Gartner Research Vice President and Distinguished Analyst Michael Maoz, Gartner positions Microsoft Dynamics CRM in the “Leaders” quadrant.

Microsoft is positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant Report
on CRM for customer service, April 03, 2009

Read more on the CRM Team Blog.

Hot! Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide version 4.4.0 now available on TechNet

Jim Glass — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:09:11 GMT

The entire Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide, all 477 topics, are now published on TechNet. This represents a huge step in IT Pro content discoverability and ease of use for our customers and partners.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd979443.aspx

Enjoy.

Ask me how much I luv Bing. :o)

Jim Glass — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:01:00 GMT

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Downloads

Jim Glass — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:52:44 GMT

Today I’d like to highlight some Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK featured download. These are a collection of the latest product updates, tools, sample code, and documentation sets for the product.

Featured Downloads

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 SDK

Get the same great information as the online version in a compiled HTML Help file. The SDK for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 contains all new information about creating plug-ins, working with custom workflow activities, data migration, using duplicate detection and using the new Web services. It also contains information for developers customizing the Web client or Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, including scripting, integration of custom Web pages, sample code, and a brand new user interface style guide. In addition, the download includes over 300 code samples!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Logical Database Diagrams

Use these Microsoft Office Visio 2003 diagrams to explore the logical database structure for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. There is a diagram for each area of the product, showing the relationships between other entities in the system.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide contains comprehensive information about how to plan, install, and maintain Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Deployment SDK

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Deployment SDK presents information to help you write code using the Deployment Web service.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine

This demo is a one computer setup with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and associated Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

List Web Part for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

The List Web Part for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 provides a way to view and update Microsoft Dynamics CRM records using a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP1 Web site.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Help Update (On-Premise Edition)

Updated Help files for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (On-Premise Edition), Help version 4.2. All supported languages are included.

White Papers

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Internet Facing Deployment Scenarios

This white paper covers how to set up the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Web site to make it available from the Internet.

Developing ISV Applications using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Microsoft Dynamics CRM supports a wide range of business applications with the essentials required for building, delivering, and maintaining these applications in a multi-tenant SaaS environment. In this white paper we explore how, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, an ISV can quickly build, deploy, and manage line-of-business applications.

Improving Microsoft Dynamics CRM Performance and Securing Data with Microsoft SQL Server 2008

This paper provides an overview, benchmark results, and recommendations for implementing selected Microsoft SQL Server 2008 features that can improve the performance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and secure the CRM database.

Offline and Online Synchronization in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

This "nuts and bolts" white paper details the Offline and Online synchronization processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Performance and Scalability

Microsoft, together with Unisys Corporation, completed benchmark testing of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Benchmark results demonstrate that Microsoft Dynamics CRM can scale to meet the needs of an enterprise.

There are a lot of toys and ideas captured in these resources which can be optimized to provide your company with customized solutions. Enjoy.

Washington Post: Facebook Taps Privacy Hawk as Lobbyist

Jim Glass — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:39:02 GMT

I found this recent article by the Washington Post Facebook Taps Privacy Hawk as Lobbyist fascinating. What does a job change from one of a privacy advocate to that of defending Facebook against concerns that the company doesn’t protect your personal information well enough.

"Hiring Tim is going to be a litmus test for Facebook; he understands data collection and he's deeply concerned about it. Given his history as a privacy advocate, Tim is simply not going to be able to accept, without a crisis of conscience, any technique by Facebook that would unfairly use and reveal data."

I’m baaaccckkk…

Jim Glass — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:39:06 GMT

I just returned to work after a long vacation in the Baltic Seas (think Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, and the Scandinavians). My first herculean task is to get through my inbox. After an hour so far this morning I’m a third of the way through the box. Once that is finished I start updating my peeps and this blog.

The Malbork Castle in Poland.

St. Mary’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia.

Cheers,

JaAG

The Dynamics Forums – a new milestone

Jim Glass — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:49:32 GMT

The Dynamics Forums has grown from three sub-forums to twelve. We have added international CRM forums as well as a dedicated CRM Online forum. Great Plains has joined us and we are working to get the whole family in one location. So when you visit the Dynamics Forums you will have a broader experience. Here’s how we look today.

Bing – what’s in a name

Jim Glass — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:13:53 GMT

Yesterday Microsoft rolled out Bing, our new search engine internally. Next week y’all get to see it. But if you go to Bing.com you can view a short video. Now the naming pundits are coming out in force, second guessing the naming strategy. Sigh…

Having played with bing for a while now, I have come to luv many of the new features. If you believe in Bill Gate’s observation that “The future of search is verbs.” you will be very pleased with the new capabilities of this search platform.

See Ballmer and WSJ’s Walt Mossberg talk about bing and the future of search engines.