Microsoft Dynamics CRM
2015 Update 1
Get ready for the next release…
Mandar Joshi @Joshi4Mandar
Warning:
Whatever demoed here is under “PREVIEW MODE”.
This topic is prerelease
documentation and is subject to change.
I may not be able to answer all your questions as I just have conceptual knowledge on this topic.
Perform specialized operations using
Update
• UpdateRequest can now be used to set specialized attributes.
• You can continue to use these specialized messages of the 2011 endpoint in your code.
• Deprecated specialized operations
• AssignRequest • SetStateRequest
Define alternate keys for an entity
All Microsoft Dynamics CRM records have unique identifiers defined as GUIDs. These are the primary key for each entity. When you need to
integrate with an external data store, you might be able to add a column to the external database tables to contain a reference to the unique identifier in CRM. This allows you to have a local reference to link to the CRM record.
However, sometimes you can’t modify the external database. With alternate keys you can now define an attribute in a CRM entity to correspond to a
unique identifier (or unique combination of columns) used by the external data store. This alternate key can be used to uniquely identify a record in CRM in place of the primary key.
Change tracking
• You can greatly improve efficiency of code that monitors changes to CRM data by using the RetrieveEntityChangesRequest message included in this release.
• The new change tracking feature provides a way to keep the CRM data stored in an external data source, synchronized in a performant way by detecting what data has changed since the data was initially extracted or last synchronized.
https://dynamicsofdynamicscrm.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/news-what-is-new-in-crm-2015-update-1-for-developers/
Reduce potential data loss using optimistic
concurrency
• On a multi-threaded and multi-user system like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, operations and data changes often happen in parallel. A problem arises when two or more update or delete operations on the same piece of data happen at the same time. This situation could potentially result in data loss.
• Provided in this SDK release is the ability for your applications to detect whether an entity record has changed on the server from when your
application retrieved the record to when it tries to update or delete the
record. Attempting to update or delete a record that has been changed by another user results in an error condition.
Multiple message execution: Rollback
• It’s a common requirement in business applications to coordinate changes of multiple records in the system so that either all the data changes
succeed, or none of them do.
• In this release, you can now execute two or more web service requests in a single database transaction using the ExecuteTransactionRequest
Tracing
• While the 2013 and later releases of Microsoft Dynamics CRM supported tracing in plug-ins and custom workflow activities (custom code) as a
debugging aid, this release adds the ability to log this tracing information to entity records of type PluginTraceLog.
• Your custom code can now write informational messages to the tracing log using ITracingService regardless if a custom code exception is thrown. • These trace records can then be viewed in the CRM web application.
Integration with OneNote
• Set up Microsoft OneNote integration in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to
automatically create a dedicated OneNote notebook for the selected CRM entity records, which enables you to easily take notes in OneNote in the context of a CRM record in various formats such as pictures, drawings, formatted text (bullet points and tables), and voice recordings.
https://community.dynamics.com/crm/b/crmbacklog/archive/2015/03/13/on enote-integration-with-crm-for-outlook.aspx
Entitlement enhancements
The entitlements feature has been enhanced to enable you to:
• Set a default entitlement for a customer so that when you create or
update a case for the customer, the default entitlement is automatically applied to the case.
• Control whether to decrement the terms of an entitlement for an incident (case) when the entitlement is applied to the incident.
Honoring required steps in a business
process
• CRM now enhances the ability to standardize on industry best practices by validating that all the required steps defined in the active stage of the business process are completed when qualifying a lead or converting a quote to sales order.
• As a result, now theQualifyLeadRequest and
ConvertQuoteToSalesOrderRequest messages validate whether the required steps are completed before a lead is qualified or a quote is converted to sales order respectively. Otherwise, appropriate error message is displayed.
Support for additional “older than” clauses for
date and time fields in FetchXML and
QueryExpression
• Until the previous release of CRM, you could only query for dates “Older Than X Months” using FetchXML and QueryExpression.
• The following settings for the “older than” clause are added in FetchXML and QueryExpression that will help you to find the cases using various granularity levels:
• Older Than X Minutes • Older Than X Hours • Older Than X Days • Older Than X Weeks • Older Than X Years
Record creation and update rules
• The new channel engagement framework rules enable you to
automatically converting incoming activities, such as emails, custom activities, and posts, from external integrated applications (mobile
applications, portals or social channels) to system or custom records in CRM.
• You can create and manage the automatic record creation and update rules using CRM or Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook.
Track emails at the folder level
• Use the new Mailbox Auto Tracking Folder (MailboxTrackingFolder) entity in CRM to configure folder-level mapping rules that enable you to map a Microsoft Exchange inbox folder to a CRM record so that all the emails in the Exchange folder get automatically tracked against the mapped record in CRM.
Support for new behavior of date
time
values in CRM
• Until the previous release of CRM, all date and time values in CRM were time zone aware, including those with the Date Only format.
• CRM introduces a new property,
DateTimeAttributeMetadataDateTimeBehavior, to specify “Date Only” and “Time Zone Independent” values for an attribute of type DateTime.
A BIGGGGGGGG Thank you to Microsoft.
CRM 1.0 to CRM 2015 Update 1, this is how long it took to understand that date and time are different.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web API preview
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web API preview provides a network based communication and messaging interface to the Dynamics CRM web services through implementation of industry standard Internet protocols like OData v4, OAuth 2, and JSON. ISVs, partners, and other customers can leverage this interface to implement server-to-server and client-to-server applications
across a broad range of computer hardware and devices, operating systems, and programming languages. The Web API preview represents the future direction of Dynamics CRM web service access.
Enhanced capabilities for sub-grid controls
in forms
The sub-grid control in forms now provides access to new capabilities such as changing the currently selected view and accessing references to entity records displayed in the sub-grid.
More options to open forms
• Use the new Xrm.Utility.openQuickCreate function to open the Quick Create form when you want to guide a user to create a new record.
• When using the Xrm.Utility.openEntityForm function you can include an optional windowOptions parameter to open the form in a new browser window when using the web application.
Customizable themes
• You now have a supported way to apply a custom look and feel to CRM. • Organizations can now make changes to default colors and other visual
elements, such as including a company logo.
• These changes can be made using customization tools and doesn’t require a developer.
New Nav Bar
• Yes the NAV bar has been updated, this looks a lot more user-friendly. • It’s a big improvement because it shows all the options on one screen, so
you don’t have to scroll about to try and find the option you want. • Well done to Microsoft to listening to the feedback and improving the
Rollup field enhancements
• In this release Rollup fields now support AVG calculations and other improvements to support using Rollup fields with activities.
Custom price lists for opportunities, quotes,
orders, and invoices
• Instead of using the out-of-box rule for the selection of a default price level (price list) for an opportunity, quote, order, or invoice, you can specify your custom logic for selecting a default price list using the GetDefaultPriceLevelRequest message.
Do quick analysis with Excel Online, right
from CRM Online
• Now you can use Microsoft Excel Online to do quick analysis, right from CRM Online.
Export to Excel completely redesigned
• Redesigned exporting to Excel from the bottom up to provide for a much smoother experience.
• With a single click in the web client or in CRM for Outlook, you can export your data as an Excel document, which can be opened anywhere,
including the desktop version of Excel (2007 and later), Excel Online, and other Excel clients.
• You can export up to 100,000 records at a time (previous limit was 10,000).
Insights for Microsoft Dynamics CRM
-powered by InsideView
• Boost your sales close rates with information that will help you find, understand, and engage more qualified buyers.
• The Insights pane lives on your Microsoft Dynamics CRM accounts, contacts, leads, and opportunities forms, where it pulls in company,
contact, and social data from thousands of constantly-updated sources.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-customer-center/insights-for-microsoft-dynamics-crm-powered-by-insideview.aspx
Microsoft System Center Management Pack
for Dynamics CRM 2015
Monitors the availability and heath of the following components • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 E-mail Router
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 Reporting Extensions
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service (maintenance) • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sandbox Processing Service
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router Service • Microsoft Dynamics CRM Unzip Service
• World Wide Web Publishing Service • Indexing Service
• Operability of ISV plug-ins
Other important updates
• Clear field values with business rules.
• Move back to the previous stage of the process flow on a different entity. • Call custom actions from workflows or dialogs.
• Changes to the CRM Online Administration Center
• Storage management: quickly and easily determine which instances are
consuming the most storage and take steps to free up space or purchase new storage.
• Service health: bring service issues down to the organization (instance) level so
Other important updates
• Solution Packaging: Solution + Data + Import Action. • Order for managed and unmanaged solutions.
Convergence 2015
References
#MSdynCRM #Conv15
