CRM 2011 On Premise Customer Portal - Authentication by Active Directory

Hi all,

Since, last few days, I found out many people struggling with how to configure Customer Portal for CRM On Premise without using Window Live ID. So today, I am going to show you guys how to configure Customer Portal for CRM On Premise and using Active Directory authentication instead of using Window Live ID (which is for CRM Online).

Here is the step by step:

1. Download the Customer Portal for CRM 2011 - using AD from this blog:
http://community.adxstudio.com/blogs/shan/customer-portal-modifications/

That's is the Zip file of Customer Portal CRM 2011 (as you could download from pinpoint also). However, in this version, the blog author changed some codes and configuration values inside, which will help you to use the Active Directory authentication for the portal.

2. After unzip the folder, please navigate to the "Documentation" folder, open the "Customer Portal Deployment Guide_OnPremises_V2.0" file. Start from "Deployment Steps", you now follow the document from step 1 to step 3:
     - Step 1: Follow the document to import the solution into your CRM.

     - Step 2: You could skip this step. No need to do anything with it.

     - Step 3: Going your "SDK" folder (you should download SDK for CRM from Microsoft Source) --> Tools --> WebsiteCopy --> launch the "WebsiteCopy.exe" file. And follow step by step in the document.
      Note: in the end of the copy website process, the wizard will ask you to copy the "connectionString", you please copy it to somewhere.

So in the end of this stage, you have your Customer Portal in CRM as shown in below image !

3. In the "Customer Portal" folder (which you unzip at step 2), navigate to CustomerPortal --> Web --> Web.config file. Open the file, look at the "connectionStrings" part and especially the bold lines:

 <connectionStrings>
    <add name="Xrm" connectionString="ServiceUri=http://crm2011/Contoso; Domain=CONTOSO; Username=webportal; Password=pass@word1"/>
    <add name="ADConnectionString" connectionString="LDAP://contoso.com/CN=Users,DC=contoso,DC=com" />  
  <!--<add name="Live" connectionString="Application Id=0000000000000000; Secret=00000000000000000000000000000000"/>-->
    <!--<add name="Bus" connectionString="Service Namespace=???; Service Path=???; Issuer Name=???; Issuer Secret=???; Include Exception Detail In Faults=true"/>-->
  </connectionStrings>

Now, you need to change the connectionString (bold lines) into the correct: CRM URL (http://crmserver-name/domain-name), Domain, Username (of administrator, for example) and password. For the next line, do the same thing, change URL, Username, Domain (DC).

**Note: The username here should be the one has been created in AD, so later this AD account will be used to login the portal via AD Authentication.

4. In the same server, open IIS Manager (Internet Information Services):

- Navigating to "Sites" node, click right mouse to create a new website. Give approciate name for the website and put the physical path as the file in Customer Portal folder.

- After creating the website, right click on it in Application Tool tab, change the .NetFramework version to v4.030319.

  
- Finally, try to browse your website in IIS, now the portal will work and it connected to your CRM, using AD Authentication !

I hope the post is useful for you guys ;)
 

Promote to Campaign Response button is disabled in CRM Outlook - Tips & Tricks

Hi everyone,

I just wanna quick update a trick to overcome the problem when your "Promote to Campaign Response" button in CRM outlook is disabled.

The scenario here is: you send out an email to a customer via CRM Outlook. Then the customer replies and you want to convert the replied email to a campaign response (even originally the out-going email is not a part of any campaign).

Here is what will happen:

You can click "Track in CRM" button to track the replied email as below:

But when you click "View in CRM", on the email form, the "Promote to Response" is disabled
as below:

The reason for this is:  the email activity needs to be a campaign activity (belongs to a campaign).

So solve the problem, very simple. You go back and "Set Regarding" the replied email to any campaign activity you have in CRM as below:

So now the button is enabled for you to convert into campagin response ! Bingo !

Note: Sometimes, there will be another reasons that could make the "Promote to Response" button disabled also. For example, the person who want to promote an activity to a response need to be the person owns that activity at the first time. Or your CRM Settings lacks of some required features. To ensure everything is correct, you could read this article to learn 4 ways to use "Campaign Response" in CRM : http://rc.crm.dynamics.com/rc/2011/en-us/on-prem/5.0/campaignresponses.aspx 

If you have any problem with it, please email me at linhhk87@gmail.com. Im willing to discuss ;)

Kelly

Unable to configure CRM 4.0 Outlook Client after installing CRM 2011 Outlook Client

Hi everyone,

Today, I spent the whole afternoon to figure out what was wrong with my CRM Outlook Client !!! My situation is I installed CRM 2011 Outlook Client already. However, for testing CRM 4.0 purpose, I need to install CRM 4.0 Outlook Client also. What I have done is:
- Download CRM 4.0 Outlook Client Setup
- Install it
- Open Configuration Winzard in Microsoft CRM 4.0 Outlook Client
- Run the Configuration Winzard (by putting my CRM 4.0 URL into it)
---> I met this error "Action Microsoft.Crm.Config.Client.InstallPstAction failed. LaunchOutlookInstallerProcess failed" and the installation was fail.
I guessed there is a conflict between CRM 2011 and CRM 4.0 Outlook Client. So I uninstall CRM 2011 Outlook Client and try to run the CRM 4.0 Configuration Winzard again. But the problem is not solved !!!!!  In the end, I figured the solution for that. After uninstall CRM 2011 Outlook Client, there is still one file which is not uninstalled and you need to delete it manually. So the steps are:

1. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics CRM\Client\ConfigWizard directory or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics CRM\Client\ConfigWizard directory.
2. Delete the CRMForOutlookInstaller.exe file.
3. Do one of the following options:
          - Replace the CRMForOutlookInstaller.exe from the 4.0 client install bits.
          - Run a repair on the Dynamics CRM 4.0 Client for Microsoft Office Outlook installation.
          - Uninstall and reinstall the CRM 4.0 Client.
4. Run the Configuration Wizard.

So now the installation is good already ! I hope it helps. Thankssss ! :D

Linh

Creating a custom report in CRM 2011 by BIDS

Hi,

Long time no post on my blog. Actually, sometimes I wonder whether I should continue this blog anymore or not... No one really care to this one... :D

Anws, still on my way study everything about CRM: javascript, plug-in, silverlight, BI, reporting... A lot of things.. And till now I'm quite happy with what I studied. At least I began knowing what can do with CRM, and how to do that,etc. which are good when you meet the customers :D.

Today, regarding a demand from people on Microsoft CRM forum for knowing how to create a custom report in CRM. Then I decided to wirte this blog to describe step by step how to achieve this purpose.

Firstly, you need to have the following things in order to create and deployed a report successfully in CRM:
- Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) which run on Visual Studio platform.
- Ensure that your CRM includes Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions.
- Your CRM reporting server URL (which you define when setting up CRM system)

Here is step by step:

- Step 1: Open your BIDS. Remember that BIDS run in VS environment, then you will see the VS screen openned up.

- Step 2: Creating a new Reporting project

- Step 3: In Solution Explorer --> Right Click Report --> Create new report --> you will see the Report Wizrad pop up

- Step 4: Creating a Data Source for your report. Data Source is like a link which connects your report to the database storing your data. In order to define a Data Source, you need to know your Database Server and Database Name:

-Step 5: After defining the Data Source, clicking Next --> Query Builder window will pop up. Here is the place that you build queries to retrieve your data.

-Step 6: Click Query Builder --> Click Add Table icon --> Choose all tables that you need (in this example, I chose Account Table )

 
- Step 7: After adding tables, selecting fields that you want to view in the report. You will see the equivalent query to your select below.

- Step 8: Click Next until the end of the dialog and put name of report inside. Now you have a report interface like that:

The left hand-side is all things included in your report. You could see "Name","Address".. fields in the report content.

- Step 9: Now, if you want to add some more parameters to filter your report result. You could go to "Parameter"  --> Add New

- Put available values for the parameter. Here I would like to put the "Account Name" field

- Step 10:  Now the report is nearly done. Then you "Build" the report.
                 After that, need to Deploy the report into your CRM Reporting Server. To do so, open Properties, add "TargetReportServer" by your Reporting Server URL:

- Step 11: Go to your CRM --> Workplace --> Report --> Add new report --> Add existing report --> put the "RDL" file in your report project into the CRM

- Step 12: Testing your report by opening it ! Here you will see the filter condition which is "Account Name" we created before and the result when running report.

Please feel free leave your comment if you dont understand any step. :D. And Please comment a bit if you find this blog is useful :P. Many thanksssss

Create,Update,Retrieve, RetrieveMultiple Records in CRM 2011 with Javascript REST endpoint

Hi,

For who are new with Microsoft CRM 2011, this is a first lession that you should know: How to create, update, retrieve and delete a record of an entity in CRM by using javascript. These basic operations help you a lot in developing your CRM by using the client-side language Javascript.

There are two ways to achieve the results:
1. Using directly the REST Endpoint method like in SDK sample in this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg334427.aspx --> for me, this way is complicated, because you have to bring the whole REST Endpoint function to your code, which makes your code like a mess.

2. Download the REST Endpoint method from SDK  and use it like a library for your javascript code.

Now are steps how to do the second way:

- Step 1: Prepare the following required js:
       + JavascriptRESTDataOperations --> from SDK: SampleCode\JS\RESTEnpoint\JavascriptRESTDataOperations
       + jquery1.7.1.js --> from http://jquery.com/
       + json2.js --> from http://www.json.org/json2.js

- Step 2: Creating your javascript as following:

//Create record
function Create_CRMObject()
{ var CRMObject = new Object();
  CRMObject.Id = "";
  //createRecord function is in jsoperation.js
  createRecord(CRMObject,"your entity set name", createCRMObjectCompleted,errorCreate) 
  // entity set name, for example: AccountSet, ContactSet, etc
}
createCRMObjectCompleted = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest)
{ var newCRMObjectCreated = data["d"];  
}
errorCreate = function (XMLHttpRequest, textStatus, errorThrown) 
{ alert("Error");
}

//Update record
function Update_CRMObject()
{ 
    new CRMObject = new Object();
 var CRMObject_Id = "put the GUID here";
 var CRMObject."Attribute" = "put any attribute value here"
 //updateRecord function is in jsoperation.js
 updateRecord(CRMObject_Id,CRMObject,"you entity set name", updateCRMObjectCompleted,errorUpdate); // entity set name, for example: AccountSet, ContactSet, etc
}
updateCRMObjectCompleted = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest)
{ alert("your update is successful");  
}
errorUpdate = function (XMLHttpRequest, textStatus, errorThrown) 
{ alert("Error");
}

//Delete Record
function Delete_CRMObject()
{  var CRMObject_Id =" put the GUID here");
   //deleteRecord function is in jsoperation.js
   deleteRecord(CRMObject_Id,"your entity set name", deleteCRMObjectCompleted, errorDelete);   
}
deleteCRMObjectCompleted = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest)
{}
errorDelete = function (XMLHttpRequest, textStatus, errorThrown) 
{ alert("Error");
}

//Retrieve Record
function retrieve_CRMObject()
{ //retrieveRecord function is in jsoperation.js
   retrieveRecord("put your record GUID here","put your entity set name", retrieveCRMObjectCompleted, errorRetrieve);
// entity set name, for example: AccountSet, ContactSet, etc
}
retrieveCRMObjectCompleted = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest)
{ var newCRMObjectRetrieve = data["d"];
  //now you could retrieve any field belongs to your record
}
errorRetrieve = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest) 
{ alert("Error"); 
}

//Retrieve Multiple Records
function retrievemultiple_CRMObject() 
{  retrieveMultiple("your entity set name","", retrievemultipleCRMObjectCompleted, errorRetrieveMultiple);
// entity set name, for example: AccountSet, ContactSet, etc
}
retrievemultipleCRMObjectCompleted = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest)
{ var CRMObject = data;
  if (CRMObject.length !==0)
   { for (i=0, i<CRMObject.length, i++)
      { CRMObject[0].id = ... //retrieve any field you want
   }   
   }
  else
  { alert("no record");
  }
}
errorRetrieveMultiple = function (data, textStatus, XmlHttpRequest) 
{ alert("Error"); 
}

Save all of above code in CRMObject.js

- Step 3: Add all 4 above js files in your entity's form. Put the function name for onload or onsave event. Then you could do anything you want now !

I hope it helps. Please email to linhhk87@gmail.com if you have any further question to implement it !




    

       

Using window.showModalDialog in IE9 - CRM Customization

Hi everyone ( I hope someone takes a look at this blog really..),

Here is a very small tip for you guys to control how your window dialog appear in CRM.

The scenario here is you would like to create a new button in CRM ribbon. When you click the button, a window dialog will be pop up.

 The solution is writing a javascript function to show up the window dialog using window.showModalDialog method. All about this method could be found in this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ie/ms536759(v=vs.85).aspx

However, your window dialog appeareance depends on kind of browser you use (IE, Firefox, Chrome, etc..). Now i'm using IE9, then figure out one problem with it.

As you see the following javascript:

 window.showModalDialog(url, null, "dialogHeight:600px;dialogWidth:800px;center:yes; resizable:1;maximize:1;minimize:1;status:no;scroll:no" );

In IE9, all the features defined in the javascript above (underlined) could not be fired. Then you have to enbale the Compatibility View in IE9 in order to run it correctly.

To enable Compatibility View in IE9, the following steps:
- Alt + T to see the toolbars
- Go to Tools tab, you will see Compatibility View Setting

 - Then adding your website (here is your CRM) and select Display all website as shown in the below pic

So now, run your javascript again and see your window dialog appear correctly as your code !

I hope it'll be useful.