Microsoft Business Solutions CRM - Installation & Configuration
Three-Day Instructor Led

Course Outline


Chapter 1: Implementation Methodology

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to Microsoft CRM’s Implementation Methodology and Implementation Tool Kit (ITK). The ITK contains all the components of Microsoft CRM’s Implementation Methodology, and it serves as the single source for information needed throughout the implementation. The ITK is intended to be a tool that is easy to use, and its purpose is to help you remain organized throughout any Microsoft CRM implementation.

Main Topics

• Types of Implementations

• Areas of the ITK

• Phases of a CRM Implementation

• Implementation Best Practices


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Understand the benefits of using the Microsoft CRM implementation methodology.

• Differentiate between the various types of Microsoft CRM implementations.

• Navigate the Implementation Tool Kit and take advantage of its methodology, resources and tools.

• Follow the Microsoft CRM Implementation Methodology project phases when conducting your project rollout.


Chapter 2: Supporting Technologies

This chapter examines the core technologies that are leveraged by the Microsoft Customer Relationship Management application. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to each technology, briefly discuss its purpose and primary features, and focus on its relationship with Microsoft CRM. Please note that this chapter is not intended to provide you with a detailed primer on each of these topics; most bookstores are filled with volumes of works that can provide you with that level of instruction, and it’s not our intent to add to this glut of information.

Also, it is important to note that this chapter is optional and can be skipped at the instructor’s discretion. If the instructor feels that each student’s background provides sufficient experience in these topic areas, then the instructor reserves the right to skip this chapter.

Main Topics

• Active Directory Services

• Domain Name System (DNS)

• Exchange Server 2000

• SQL Server 2000

• Microsoft .NET technology

• Extensible Markup Language (XML) and its relationship with the Microsoft technologies

• XML Web Services

• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

• Internet Information Services (IIS)

• Active Server Pages (ASP).NET


Lab: Instructor-led presentations of the following technologies

• Active Directory

• DNS

• SQL Server 2000

• IIS


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Understand what Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies support Microsoft CRM.

• Understand the purpose and primary features of each of Microsoft CRM’s supporting technologies.

• Determine how Microsoft CRM uses these technologies.


Chapter 3: Microsoft CRM Architecture

This chapter examines Microsoft CRM’s architectural design. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the design goals for Microsoft CRM, discuss how these goals evolved into the system, platform and application functionality that define the Microsoft CRM product, and review Microsoft CRM’s four architectural layers - the Presentation layer, Application layer, Platform layer and Database layer. Please note that this is a high-level discussion of the product’s architecture with the intent on introducing the student to each layer of design.

Main Topics

• Presentation layer (web client and Sales for Outlook client)

• Application layer (including how the Sales for Outlook client functions in both online and offline modes, and how the architecture facilitates client synchronization and playback processing)

• Platform layer

• Database layer


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Identify the similarities and differences between the two methods of accessing Microsoft CRM (via web client and the Sales for Outlook client).

• Understand how the architecture facilitates Sales for Outlook client synchronization and playback methodology.

• Understand how the platform layer of the product architecture plays a key role in all product functionality, including extension of product functionality by ISV’s through the use web services that access class libraries at the product layer.

• Identify the four databases created with each Microsoft CRM installation and understand the purpose of each.

• Understand why the application was designed to prohibit direct access of application logic and databases by developers.


Chapter 4: Server and Client Installation

For a successful installation of Microsoft CRM, it is crucial that you successfully complete all tasks required - from the pre-install environment through the post-installation tasks. We begin this chapter by analyzing network infrastructure requirements, as well as the hardware and software requirements for various deployment scenarios. We will then review each of the pre-installation requirements in order to make sure that all necessary hardware and software components are in place prior to installing Microsoft CRM Server. Once we have completed the pre-installation tasks, we will then review the installation procedures for both the server and client components of the application. Following the CRM server installation, we will review the installation procedure for the Exchange Email Router and the Sales for Outlook client. Following the installation of each of these components, we will review the post-installation requirements that must be performed in order to prepare Microsoft CRM for use. Each student will install the CRM server, the Exchange E-mail Router, and the Sales for Outlook client, as well as performing all pre- and post-installation tasks. We will complete this chapter by reviewing the upgrade requirements for upgrading from Microsoft CRM v1.0 to v1.2.

Lessons

• Network requirements

• Deployment scenarios

• Pre-installation tasks

• CRM Server installation

• Exchange E-mail Router installation

• Sales for Outlook client installation

• Post-installation tasks

• Sample data load

• Suggested Skill Set

• Upgrading from v1.0 to v1.2

• Installation Best Practices


Lab: Pre-Installation Tasks

• Active Directory verification

• Database verification

• Verify DNS server addressing

• MDAC verification

• MSMQ verification

• Create CRM Administrator account

• Create Active Directory Organizational Unit

• Create a CRM web site in IIS


Lab: CRM Server Installation

• Install the CRM Server software

• Installation is for Adventure Works Cycle sample organization

• Test the installation


Lab: Post-Installation Tasks and Review

• Verify CRM Security Service is running

• Assign a Microsoft CRM license to the CRM Administrator account

• Load Adventure Works Cycle sample data

• Review the Organization Unit changes in Active Directory

• Review the database changes in SQL Server

• Review the web site changes in IIS


Lab: Exchange E-mail Router Installation & Configuring Queues

• Install the Exchange E-mail Router

• Add a queue in Active Directory and associate an email address with it

• Add the queue into Microsoft CRM


Lab: Sales for Outlook Client Installation

• Configure client machine as part of the instructor’s CRM domain

• Install the Sales for Outlook client

• Test the installation


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Analyze your network infrastructure to ensure it is ready for a Microsoft CRM installation.

• Identify the hardware and software requirements for a Microsoft CRM installation.

• Review each of the pre-installation requirements in order to make sure that all necessary hardware and software components are in place prior to installing Microsoft CRM Server.

• Install the Microsoft CRM Server, the Sales for Outlook Client and the Exchange E-mail Router.

• Configure queues to automatically receive email

• Load Adventure Works Cycle sample data if needed

• Complete the post installation requirements that must be performed in order to prepare Microsoft CRM for use.

• Understand the staff skills required to accomplish a Microsoft CRM implementation.

• Understand the requirements for upgrading from v1.0 to v1.2 for the CRM server, Outlook client, and Exchange E-mail Router.


Chapter 5: Configuration - Business Management

In this chapter, we will examine how to configure Microsoft CRM by setting up business units, users, and teams. We will review the two methods available for adding users into Microsoft CRM; that is, via the User Manager tool in Deployment Manager, and directly into the Microsoft CRM application via the System Customization tool. We will discuss the idiosyncrasies of assigning a manager to a user’s account, and we will examine the methods available for setting up teams of users. All of the labs performed in this chapter and in all remaining chapters will pertain to the sample Adventure Works Cycle organization that was installed in the prior chapter.

Main Topics

• Setting up business units

• Reorganizing your organizational hierarchy

• Enabling/Disabling business units

• Adding users via the User Manager tool

• Adding users via Microsoft CRM

• Assigning a manager to a user account

• Creating teams and adding users to a team

• Business Management Best Practices


Lab: Maintaining Business Units

• Adding business units

• Reorganizing the organizational hierarchy

• Disabling a business unit

• Enabling a business unit


Lab: Managing User Accounts

• Adding multiple users at one time via the User Manager tool

• Adding one user at a time via Microsoft CRM

• Maintaining user accounts

• Assigning a manager to a user account

• Disabling a user account

• Enabling a user account


Lab: Managing Teams

• Adding teams

• Assigning users to a team


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Identify the core concepts of Business Management within Microsoft CRM, including: Business Units, Business Unit Management, Users, User Management and Team Management

• Structure the organization unit hierarchy

• Maintain Business Units

• Add users into Microsoft CRM via the User Manager tool

• Add and maintain users in Microsoft CRM

• Administer teams in Microsoft CRM


Chapter 6: Configuration - Security

This chapter will examine the Microsoft CRM Security model, the components that make up the model, and how to manage them. This will include a review of the basic concepts of security privileges and access levels. We will examine how these security components control what actions a user can perform on each record type, as well as the records the user can perform those actions upon. From there, we will review how privileges and access levels are brought together via security roles. This discussion will include a review of the predefined security roles that are automatically created in Microsoft CRM during installation of the product. We will also examine how security roles are created in business units and how they relate to Active Directory. We will review how you assign roles to users, and we will discuss how roles affect each user’s security rights. Finally, we will see how you can create your own custom roles, as well as copy existing roles over as new roles in order to meet your business requirements.

Main Topics

• Privileges

• Access Levels

• Roles

• Creating roles in business units

• Assigning roles to users

• Resolution of conflicting privileges

• Copying roles

• Security Best Practices


Lab: Copying and Creating Roles

• Create new roles by copying existing roles

• Maintaining privileges and access levels for roles

• Assigning roles to users

• Test affects of various privileges and access levels


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Understand the basic concepts of security privileges and access levels

• Understand the use of security roles in Microsoft CRM

• Perform such tasks as copying and creating new roles as well as assigning users to existing roles


Chapter 7: Configuration - Administration

The objective of this chapter is to examine each of the administrative tasks that you may need to perform at one time or another within your Microsoft CRM implementation. We will examine how to use the Server Manager tool to administer the Microsoft CRM server(s). We will review the various Customization Transport Manager options, although our focus in this chapter will be on exporting and importing an XML configuration file. We will also review several “one-time” only system settings that you should administer in order to control various system-wide functionality. And we will conclude the chapter by examining several web configuration options that establish application specific settings.

Main Topics

• Server Manager

• Reconfigure Microsoft CRM to use a new database server

• Customization Transport Manager

• Export and import of an XML configuration file

• Configure Microsoft CRM system settings

• Web configuration options

• Configuration Administration Best Practices


Lab: Server Manager

• Reconfigure Microsoft CRM to point to a new database server


Lab: Customization Transport Manager

• Export the XML configuration to a flat file

• Import an XML flat file into Microsoft CRM and publish the configuration


Lab: Maintain System Settings

• Auto-Numbering

• Fiscal year settings

• Calendar settings

• Miscellaneous system settings


Lab: Web configuration settings

• Instructor-lead presentation

• Error event logging

• Show developer errors

• ISV integration

• Render Quick Create control


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Use Server Manager to administer the Microsoft CRM server(s) during database restore scenarios

• Use Customization Transport Manager to export the XML configuration to a flat file, and import a flat file back into Microsoft CRM

• Set several “one-time” only system settings that control various system-wide functionality

• Set several web configuration options that control the user interface experience


Chapter 8: Configuration – Crystal Enterprise Reporting

This chapter will examine the Crystal Enterprise reporting configurations that you can optionally maintain. Crystal Enterprise is silently installed when you install Microsoft CRM server, and without any special configuration it will provide a reporting solution within Microsoft CRM. Because of this, none of the configurations in this chapter are required. However, in order to take full advantage of the Crystal Enterprise reporting functionality, we will examine each of the configurations available to you so that you can achieve the best reporting performance possible, as well as assist you in the event that you need to troubleshoot reports. In this chapter, we will examine just what Crystal Enterprise is, and we will see how it has been implemented in Microsoft CRM.

We will also review the Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM architecture, and we will focus our attention on how Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM may be configured for best performance.

Main Topics

• Examine Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM

• Review how Crystal Enterprise is built within Microsoft CRM

• Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM architecture

• Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM configuration options


Lab: Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM configuration options

• Instructor led presentation reviewing each available option


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Identify what Crystal Enterprise is and how it has been implemented in Microsoft CRM

• Understand the various components of the Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM architecture.

• Configure Crystal Enterprise for Microsoft CRM for best performance in your implementation.


Chapter 9: Data Migration

In this chapter we will discuss how businesses with existing information systems can take full advantage of Microsoft CRM by leveraging the data stored in their legacy systems so that it is accessible to Microsoft CRM. We will examine how to use the tools provided by the Data Migration Framework v.1.2 for Microsoft CRM (Microsoft CRM DMF) to automate as much of the necessary data migration tasks as possible to reduce the complexity of the process. This chapter will discuss this framework as well as introduce a number of best practices to ensure that your data migration project is successful.

Main Topics

• How to approach a data migration project

• Applying each step of the Microsoft CRM Data Migration Framework to import your legacy data into Microsoft CRM

• Understand how to use the tools provided for planning and executing a data migration project.


Lab: Mapping Data

• Restore a database backup

• Review mappings for Account data

• Map Contact data


Lab: Installation of the Data Migration Framework

• Run the Microsoft CRM Data Migration Framework setup program


Lab: Prepare Microsoft CRM for Data Migration

• Remove sample data

• Import customizations


Lab: CDF Database Initialization

• Pre-installation tasks

• Initialize the CDF database

• Post-installation tasks


Lab: CDF Data Load

• Create a unique integer primary key

• Add a custom attribute to the Entity base table

• Create a set of views to load data into

• Load data into Entity base table

• Load data into Entity Extension and information tables

• Specify relationship between records


Lab: Data Cleansing

• Cleanse user data

• Cleanse territory data

• Cleanse drop-down data


Lab: Test Migration

• Disable the web application

• Deactivate workflow rules and sales processes

• Backup databases

• Set up and run a test migration

• Verify the test migration


Lab: Full Migration

• Restore the databases

• Run the full migration

• Verify the results


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Understand how to approach a data migration project

• Know what to expect from each step of the migration process using the Microsoft CRM Data Migration Framework.

• Use the tools provided for planning and executing a data migration project.


Chapter 10: Troubleshooting

In this chapter, we will first look at how a good overall understanding of the product can help you in troubleshooting Microsoft CRM. You will then examine some common problems with the different components that make up Microsoft CRM. For the sake of organization, we have grouped problems together loosely around the different servers that make up the Microsoft CRM solution. However, in many cases, the problem will be communication between components rather than with the components themselves. We will also examine a number of known issues that you should be aware of as you implement Microsoft CRM. This chapter will examine problems with Active Directory, Microsoft CRM Server, Exchange Server, and SQL Server. It will also review known issues with the Outlook Client, the Microsoft CRM Exchange E-mail Router, Crystal Reports, and upgrading Microsoft CRM Integration for Great Plains.

Main Topics

• Problems with Active Directory, Microsoft CRM Server, Exchange Server, and SQL Server

• Known issues with the Outlook Client, the Microsoft CRM Exchange E-mail Router, Crystal Reports, and upgrading Microsoft CRM Integration for Great Plains


After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

• Understand how effective monitoring, good change and configuration management, and extensive documentation of all problems previously encountered will help minimize problems that occur and decrease the time spent solving problems.

• Appreciate how a good overall understanding of the product can aid in your troubleshooting efforts.

• Identify some of the common problems with different components that make up Microsoft CRM.

• Identify the predictable steps involved in troubleshooting Microsoft CRM.