Reuters are reporting that we are perhaps closer (in europe at least) to a standardized phone charger. If your like me, you have to carry many different chargers when you go on a trip. Isn't it frustrating when you buy a new gadget that it uses yet another charger with another different connection. Of course other devices are no better. Every digital camera i have uses a different charger and connector. By adopting a standard charger connector consumers benefits as well as the environment with less chargers being dumped.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
It is always interesting to hear of Dynamics CRM being deployed into a new area and in this case Dynamics CRM is being used in Local Government courtesy of MitchelHumphrey. In this case Mitchell Humphrey has used the power of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 development platform to build out two solutions:
Watch a video of FastTrackGov in action
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
If you have seen the news of the last few weeks about the upcomign ZuneHD you might have wondered if you can write code for it and specifically games. Well of course the answer is yes! However we take it one step further in that using a tool called XNA you can write your games for the PC, the awesome Xbox 360 or Zune! Of course instead of forcing you to learn and code your games in some obscure language, with XNA you can write your games using the same language you use to build your business applications - C#
This video produced by Chris Bowen walks us through the process of creating an XNA game. It is pretty amazing to me that you can code a game on your PC in your home office then deploy it to your Xbox 360 sitting in oyur family room. Is there any other gaming platform that makes it so easy for a hobbyist to create games for a console?
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
Here are some highlights from this updated SDK than can be downloaded here
· Server-to-Server Authentication Sample . This sample shows how to authenticate and impersonate the logged-on user in a server-to-server scenario with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
· Metadata Browser - Over 100 pages from the metadata browser have been incorporated into the SDK so that Online users have access to this information.
· Visual Studio Templates -.
· Dependent Picklist Sample - This sample shows how to make the options available in a picklist field dependent on the selected option of another picklist. It supports chaining several picklist fields together. This sample also includes best practices for defining functions in the OnLoad event and reusing them in other form events.
· Updated WSDLS for CRM Online. Added new properties available only on Online and a new Discovery service method that retrieves the logged-on user's ID in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
· Delete Async Records Sample - This sample shows how to remove completed records from the async table.
· KB Article Topics - added topics that describe knowledge base article states, how to create, publish and remove the articles, and how to search for published knowledge base articles in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
· Updated Visual Studio projects to work for both VS 2005 and VS2008.
· Updated support information for plug-in and workflow assembly backwards compatibility.
· More sample code updates and miscellaneous bug fixes.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
As well as controlling robotics both for industrial as well as hobby use we also give you two ways to program them. The first choice is to use C# coding and the second choice is to use a more graphical way of coding using VPL. In this video Trevor Taylor from the Microsoft Robotics group talks about VPL and also shows a simulatde house environment from http://www.simplysim.net
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
It was interesting to sit down with ExactShip and understand how shipping works. As the guys from ExactShip say, everyone ships!. Using their technology you can ship not only with both providers like Fedex and UPS etc but also ship by the many thousands of trucking companies. If you want to ship products regularly and also want that solution fully integrated with your Dynamics solution check this video out.
Shipping with Microsoft Dynamics
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
So there I was surfing through all the tv channels on my hotel tv looking for either the Discovery channel or History channel when I cam across something interesting. You see the hotel provider was Dish network. Channel 210 was a view of earth from the Dish satellite orbiting at (I assume) a geostationary orbit of around 22,000km. Normally when a satellite provider offers a view of earth from space I would normally expect them to send the image to their operation center then clean it up and then rebroadcast. In this case it appears to be a live image from an onboard camera as in this case the satellite was almost on the dark side of the earch and was getting close to staring directly in the sun so much glare etc.
Well I thought it was cool anyway :-)
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
Microsoft Business Action World Tour: The place to see a new way to build line of business applications.
Imagine a development system that could give you the ability to rapidly build line of business solutions, perhaps saving up to 70 percent of your development time. Would that be of interest to you? Imagine the same system already coming pre-built with the capability to be multi-tenant and multi-lingual. Would that save your development team some coding hours? How about a pre built form designer / report system and database design tool? What about the option to support both an on premise and in the cloud deployment model all with the same codebase. Now consider the systems capability to be scalable up to 24,000 simultaneous users with sub second response times. How much effort would be required to architect a solution to deliver that level of performance?
Add to this the following list of features -
- Workflow Engine - WF
- Duplication detection
- Event model
- Scripting support
- Built in modules for sales, service and marketing
- Extensible database
- Online only Outlook client integration
- Offline and online Outlook client integration
- Multiple mobile solutions
Now add the following list of technologies that can work with and extend this solution
- Windows Presentation Foundation
- Silverlight
- Unified Communications
- Azure Services Platform
- Microsoft Office Platform
We invite you to attend the Business Action world tour to learn about Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 as a rapid development tool or XRM. Come to this event to learn what many ISV's already know today. Developing on Dynamics CRM 4.0 can help you deliver your solutions to market faster and free up your developers to work on the parts of the solution that matters most to your clients.
The Business Action World Tour event showcases the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a development platform and also introduces many new demonstrations showcasing how leading edge technology can extend it even further.
Can your company afford not to attend and network with other ISV's and Microsoft?
For any questions on this event contact: v-rajvar@microsoft.com or call # 425 443 0965
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
At our last incubation week we had five ISV's who spent the week working on a new solution for the Dynamics CRM 4.0 platform. At the end of the week the ISV's had the opportunity to present their solutions to a panel of industry experts and venture capitalists. Here are some videos from the event. Also there is a second event coming up.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
After the success of the first event (and many late nights) there is a now another opportunity to spend a week building out a compelling Dynamics CRM solution / prototype. This event consists of
- Half day of development
- 3.5 days of active prototype development
- half day of presenting to a panel of judges
In addition there will be ongoing support and insight from Microsoft and a panel of industry experts.
You can read more about this exciting event from the event host Sanjay Jain
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
Imagine a development system that could give you the ability to rapidly build line of business solutions, perhaps saving up to 70 percent of your development time. Would that be of interest to you? Imagine the same system already coming pre-built with the capability to be multi-tenant and multi-lingual. Would that save your development team some coding hours? How about a pre built form designer / report system and database design tool? What about the option to support both an on premise and in the cloud deployment model all with the same codebase. Now consider the systems capability to be scalable up to 24,000 simultaneous users with sub second response times. How much effort would be required to architect a solution to deliver that level of performance?
Add to this the following list of features -
- Workflow Engine - WF
- Duplication detection
- Event model
- Scripting support
- Built in modules for sales, service and marketing
- Extensible database
- Online only Outlook client integration
- Offline and online Outlook client integration
- Multiple mobile solutions
Now add the following list of technologies that can work with and extend this solution
- Windows Presentation Foundation
- Silverlight
- Unified Communications
- Azure Services Platform
- Microsoft Office Platform
We invite you to attend the Business Action world tour to learn about Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 as a rapid development tool or XRM. Come to this event to learn what many ISV's already know today. Developing on Dynamics CRM 4.0 can help you deliver your solutions to market faster and free up your developers to work on the parts of the solution that matters most to your clients.
The Business Action World Tour event showcases the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a development platform and also introduces many new demonstrations showcasing how leading edge technology can extend it even further.
Can your company afford not to attend and network with other ISV's and Microsoft?
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
With every installation of Dynamics CRM there is always data. When was the last time your client said hey just install CRM and we'll start adding data from that point onwards! Actually I have seen this once and only once. In some cases you may be only required to perform an initial data load and in other cases you might have to create an ongoing complex multi database data load. Every installation is different and that is why it is good that we have multiple tools available to get data into Dynamics CRM
Over the years I have been asked how do I get data into Dynamics CRM both as a one time load and on ongoing integration. As we get each new release of Dynamics CRM the answers usually change. If you need to get data into Dynamics CRM 4.0 here are the current methods that I am aware of. (if you know of any others let me know please!)
- Import Wizard
- Data Migration Manager
- Scribe Insight (http://www.scribesoft.com)
- Custom code - roll your own solution using your favourite .NET language
- Microsoft Biztalk Server
- CastIron - See a video demonstration of this solution here
Every good Dynamics CRM consultant needs a good well stocked toolbox when doing deployments. CastIron hsa entered the market for Application / Data integration solutions with a hardware bsaed appliance. Yes you read that correctly, CastIron is a solution that comes not on a CD but instead comes as a prebuilt ready to go server. In addition they also offer a cloud based solution.
Getting your data story right with a Dynamics CRM installation is critical to the initial and long term success of the project and hence customer satisfaction. CastIron now offers a new way to graphically map data between different end points in a painless manner.
Check them out at http://www.castiron.com
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
Just published a video of Cincom Acquire showing their Product Configurator solution in Dynamics CRM Online. The solution will soon be available for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. You can talk to Cincom Acquire at booth 300 at Convergence 2009.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
Differentiating your line-of-business applications from those of your competitors has never been more important. We’re hosting a seminar near you that will help you understand how we can help you do that as a valued Microsoft Partner.
A Line-of-Business Application Platform
Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides the platform for getting your line-of-business applications to market fast. Clearly applicable in CRM-type scenarios, Microsoft Dynamics CRM also supports a wide range of business applications with the essentials required for building, delivering and maintaining them in multi-tenant Software+Services environments.
This is a half-day overview event which will demonstrate the power of Dynamics CRM as a platform for developing line of business applications. It will also cover how solutions built on the Dynamics CRM platform benefit from other Microsoft technologies to provide compelling experiences, build on familiar skills and give your customers the power of choice.
Compelling Experiences
Increase user productivity and accuracy by providing an attractive, easy to use application user interfaces on either the desktop or the web using one set of tools and knowledge. With Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) you’ll build the next-generation of Windows user experiences with deep support of data visualization, complex text content, rich media, dynamic interactive experiences, and branded or custom look and feel. With Silverlight you increase repeat visits and brand loyalty while dramatically reducing customer support costs through compelling, intuitive, high performance self-service web sites.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
We have three training events focused on upgrading to Dynamics NAV 2009 coming up in February and March and best of all they are online so no travelling required. Here are the details.
John O'Donnell
Microsoft Dynamics ISV Architect Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/jodonnell
(b) http://blogs.msdn.com/usisvde
(w) http://channel9.msdn.com/Wiki/DynamicsCRM/HomePage/
(t) http://www.twitter.com/jodonnel
