Welcome to MSDN Blogs Sign in | Join | Help

December 2005 - Posts

Saturday, December 31, 2005 7:00 AM

Life on the Wild Side.... Unsupported Customizations

Ran across a great blog. I only have one MAJOR beef. Almost everything I have read on the thing is WAY unsupported. I personally have never done any unsupported customizations for clients, but have seen them done. :-) (For those of you who know me, know
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Friday, December 30, 2005 7:00 AM

Writing JScript for Microsoft CRM?

I make it a habit to look at other CRM Blogs. I just finished reading Simon's post on hiding tabs. I don't like the way he did it, as it doesn't take into account what happens if a value changes while the user is editing the form, so look for a snippet
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Thursday, December 29, 2005 6:28 AM

ISV Support for 3.0 - Client Profiles

This is the way CRM will be in the future... :-) How about a Microsoft CRM Vertical package for Law Offices? http://www.clientprofiles.com/NewsDetail.asp?ID=34 Is the link to one. :-) Having been there before, that market is special and I am glad somebody
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Monday, December 26, 2005 9:36 AM

ISV Support for 3.0 - c360

c360 sends out a regular customer newsletter with some nice little tidbits in it. The last one contained their roadmap for Version 3.0. Enjoy! http://sdm3.rm04.net/servlet/MailView?ms=NDIyMTUxS0&r=MTgzMjM2OTE2NQS2&j=ODI2NTc2NwS2&mt=1
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Sunday, December 25, 2005 10:06 PM

MSF vs. Methodology

This is a great article on the differences and how Visual Studio now has some stuff in it that will help with this... Not that is 100% applies to software deployment, such as in the case of CRM. But MSF is sometimes used as a methodology, but it is really
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Sunday, December 25, 2005 1:37 PM

Some News on Microsoft CRM Mobile...

This isn't offical and I haven't gone to Product Management to see if it is true or not, but.... Here is a decent article on Microsoft CRM 3.0 Mobile... http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=5641
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Filed under: ,
Thursday, December 22, 2005 3:51 PM

The Register....

This is Part Two of this post. Thanks to Jon Goodwin of ePartners for this link... The last sentence made me laugh... (REALLY Hard) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/22/salesforce_outage/ The best article I’ve seen on the salesforce.com outage http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39155240,00.htm
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 4:03 PM

Nucleus Research note: A tale of two CRMs

This is a white paper you can share with prospects. A great little three pager. :-) This is NOT product specific, but rather talks about CRM in general. This three-page report by Nucleus Research looks at how the adoption of a customer relationship management
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 3:06 PM

VPC Download Location!!!

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a8edfc7b-01d8-4500-845b-01370d4eed21&DisplayLang=en Is the final location. You can download the VPC for Demo's only and it is timebombed to expire at some point in the near future. Happy Downloading...
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under: ,
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 1:08 PM

Sometimes...

Am I going to regret this post? Probably... This will probably be the one that gets me fired. :-) Why is life so great to me some days? So now, IF you had a client that allowed you to go offline, you could keep working... But sync'ing with Salesforce.com
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 12:57 PM

Business Scorecard Manager and Microsoft CRM

One of my things to play with as things quiet down at the office in between the 25th and 1st, would be Business Scorecard Manager. I think it is a natural fit between CRM and BSM. So for those of you interested in BSM and CRM, here are some BSM Resources
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 12:49 PM

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Demo's Are Available!!!!

Flash Demos are a great way to should prospects and customers Microsoft CRM 3.0 in a self running enviroment. While I always prefer to do a customized in person demo, these are a great intoduction to Microsoft CRM. Karen Smith just published these to
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Filed under: ,
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:22 AM

Launch Videos Part #2

I have been asked for the URL for the launch videos from a bunch of partners that want to host them on their websites.... Since I am not sure if everybody has a streaming media servers, I decided to make it easy on y'all. Here are the launch videos in
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under:
Sunday, December 18, 2005 9:43 PM

Interested in Microsoft CRM Hosted? (Or Hosting Microsoft CRM)

There is a ton of data on how to and what it will take... Simon has posted the link to a great webinar that tells you about the "rest" of the Microsoft stack and how hosting works with it. Are you planning on hosting? If so, let me know so we can start
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Sunday, December 18, 2005 8:57 PM

Start thinking about events!!!

So in the past couple of weeks, I have been to several events with local partners. IF YOU AREN'T DOING EVENTS, YOU SHOULD START NOW!!!! We will start in order they happened from oldest to most recent... Intelligix had an AWESOME event at the opening game
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Thursday, December 15, 2005 9:19 AM

Writing New Reports?

How would you like them to look just like the Out Of the Box Ones? http://www.gotdotnet.com/codegallery/releases/viewuploads.aspx?id=b6499eb0-0eae-4597-b38e-ee9cbc71a404 has a tool, while not supported by Microsoft will help you in writing new reports!
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Wednesday, December 14, 2005 2:07 PM

When do my customers get keys?

Ok.. I get this question about three times a day... It is answered in the pricing white paper, but here it is broken down.... :-) Open is most customers. :-) Select and EA customers are the larger Microsoft customers. :-) Contact your LAR or Disty for
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 14, 2005 8:49 AM

Template to help you win an XBox 360!!!

To make it easier for you to invite customers, Corporate has created an email template. http://www.microsoftcrmdemo.com/CRMLaunchInvite.zip Remember the Awards we have for partners who drive the most attendees for the Launch.... :-) http://blogs.msdn.com/midatlanticcrm/archive/2005/12/05/500184.asp
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 6:56 PM

Customer Webinars

Join Brad Wilson and Microsoft CRM 3.0 customers: United Way, Corillian, Euphonix and Essex Medical for four webcasts with major CRM publishers . Learn how Microsoft Dynamics CRM is redefining CRM with: · A native Microsoft Outlook interface that integrates
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,
Friday, December 09, 2005 7:32 PM

New VPC Produced!!! With RTM Code for Microsoft CRM 3.0

Make sure you read Monday's CRM Newsletter that you sign up to on PartnerSource. We are distributing a NEW VPC with the RTM code and a bunch of goodies. I am doing demos all day on Monday and Tuesday, so it may be Wed, but you will have a "new" Goodies
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Friday, December 09, 2005 7:35 AM

Customer Service ISV - Great for Call Centers, etc.

Saw an ISV yesterday that was way cool. They take our customer service module and supercharge it. Pricing for it is VERY competitive. I liked the Self Service Portal it was one of the slickest I have seen to date. For the road show, they will be participating
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Thursday, December 08, 2005 4:07 PM

Making Demos of Microsoft CRM Run Faster Updated

Joris has posted a new and improved version of his Caching tool that speeds up CRM demos in a HUGE way. That and it looks way slicker. :-) It does require the .Net Framework 2.0.... I haven't tested this yet, but will when my RTM image finishes downloading
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:25 AM

Tips on Holding Webinars

This information was forwarded to me by Stefan Burak a PAM for San Fran. We still like Stefan even though he left us and went over to the sales side of the house. :-) http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/47425.html In addtion, there are a bunch of great articles
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 7:17 AM

New Partner Sites

Srinivas Penumaka announced today that the partner site has been revamped and updated with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 content. New CRM 3.0 landing page: https://partner.microsoft.com/40023291 New CRM 3.0 o pportunity page: https://partner.microsoft.com/40025385
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, December 07, 2005 7:02 AM

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Replication

Want to know the bits and bytes of how CRM's new replications works? Yeah me too. :-) If your so inclined and need a cure for not sleeping... Here you go. http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/replsql/reploptions_752r.asp Very
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under:
Tuesday, December 06, 2005 7:40 AM

Microsoft CRM Launch Video

I am sure these will posted somewhere on PartnerSource or the Microsoft Partner site, but here is the newest video for Microsoft CRM. I LOVE the Lemonade Stand one, but it was getting a bit long in the tooth for me... (I have a bad case of ADD, so anything
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under: ,
Tuesday, December 06, 2005 7:27 AM

Moving On...

No I am not quitting Microsoft... Since the blog started, all of the graphics and files have been hosted on my personal website, which has been killed. I just got last month's bill and we chewed up some MAJOR bandwidth. (I get 3 GB a month and we blew
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Monday, December 05, 2005 7:51 PM

More Slide Decks

Here are the updated decks for Business and Technical Decision Makers. Good Stuff... About 13 Megs...
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Monday, December 05, 2005 2:23 PM

Want to become a Microsoft CRM Partner?

We’ve heard you loud and clear – you want to know whether Microsoft CRM 3.0 is a product your company should invest in! Join us as we explore the product and more importantly, the partner opportuities around the product. We’ll also be giving you very
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Monday, December 05, 2005 2:13 PM

How to Demo the Small Business Edition / Small Business Server Fax

To show Microsoft CRM work with Small Business Server's fax server, you just need a few minutes and a little bit of patience. [:D] Here are the steps: Add a fax/modem device for the VPC Ensure that the Windows and the CRM Fax services are running. Drag
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 2 Comments
Filed under:
Monday, December 05, 2005 1:59 PM

How would you like an Xbox 360?

Drive customers to the Microsoft CRM Customer Launch Tour and you can win one of three XBox 360s the Mid Atlantic Area. NOW is the time to spread the word to your customers, prospects and suspects. As mentioned below, Microsoft CRM will be launched here
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,
Sunday, December 04, 2005 8:18 AM

Dynamic Picklist - Sub Industry based on Industry aka Cascading Picklists in Microsoft CRM

This contains sample code that demonstrates how to implement dynamic picklists on a custom entity. It creates a custom entity named “Dynamic Picklist Test” that contains Industry and Sub-Industry picklist fields. When a value for Industry is selected,
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 21 Comments
Filed under:
Saturday, December 03, 2005 9:52 AM

Convergence 2006

We’re excited for our 10th annual Convergence event! Convergence 2006 will take place in Dallas, Texas, USA, Saturday, March 25th through Tuesday, March 28th, 2006. Convergence provides an exceptional agenda of various speakers, detailed product demonstrations,
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Friday, December 02, 2005 1:22 PM

CRM 3.0 SDK - Release Version

The GA release of the Microsoft CRM 3.0 SDK is now available for download here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9c178b68-3a06-4898-bc83-bd14b74308c5&displaylang=en The live version has been submitted to MSDN and will be working
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Friday, December 02, 2005 11:03 AM

CRM 3.0 SDK - Preliminary Version

By Request, the CRM 3.0 SDK is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9c178b68-3a06-4898-bc83-d14b74308c5 The final version should be posted soon. :-)
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Friday, December 02, 2005 10:56 AM

Dynamic Required Fields - Using JScript for CRM 3.0

During a customer, sales or service lifecycle, requirements for data entry can change as a customer goes from being a prospect to a customer, from a cold opportunity to a hot opportunity, from a inquiry case to a system down case. Using Jscript and a
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 16 Comments
Filed under:
Friday, December 02, 2005 9:56 AM

ISV Support for 3.0 - Scribe Software

As our ISV community lets me know that their solutions are 3.0 ready, I will post some of them here. Two of our most attached to CRM is c360 and Scribe. Here is some text we just got from Scribe yesterday. We are working with Scribe to get some training
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under:
Friday, December 02, 2005 6:44 AM

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Pricing

This information will also go out in the Partner Insights Newsletter, which you should be subscribing to anyways... :-) Here is the pricing released today on the call with Kevin. https://partner.microsoft.com/global/productssolutions/business/40023291
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Thursday, December 01, 2005 3:01 PM

Top 30 New Features in Microsoft CRM

I have three or four personal favorites. The CRM Product Group Has 30 New Features in CRM in a PowerPoint. Awesome. Enjoy. Again, Right Click and Select Save As...
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Thursday, December 01, 2005 2:49 PM

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Datasheets

These will be available soon on Microsoft.com, but want you to have them now... ;-) We’re happy to announce that the first round of CRM brochures are available. Linked here you’ll find the CRM Pro Overview , CRM SBE Overview , and CRM SBE Top 10 List
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 1 Comments
Filed under:
Thursday, December 01, 2005 1:47 PM

Ok... Great Plains, not CRM, but still WAY cool!!!

The tools to help our Partners sell, deploy and support Microsoft Dynamics GP continue to roll out! The Microsoft® Dynamics™ GP Consultant Toolkit for both GP 8.0 and GP 9.0 released to PartnerSource today. This toolkit, which is available exclusively
Posted by Ben Vollmer | 0 Comments
Filed under:
 
Page view tracker