Microsoft CRM - Typical Customizations

Microsoft CRM was designed to be easily customizable. Microsoft CRM Software Development Kit (MS CRM SDK) which you can download from Microsoft website contains descriptions of the objects or classes, exposed for customization. It has sample code in C# and partially in VB.Net. In Visual Studio.Net you can analyze all the classes, used by Microsoft developers to create MS CRM - you will discover that most of them are not documented in MS CRM SDK. Microsoft will not support your customization if you use undocumented class or do direct SQL access to CRM database.

Let us describe you - programmer, software developer typical cases of MS CRM Customizations.

1. Integration with SQL Server application. If you have legacy system on MS SQL Server - let's say you are transportation company and have in-house developed cargo tracking database. Now in MS CRM you want lookup the shipments for the customer (or account in CRM). This is SDK programming and calling SQL stored proc to retrieve cargo info. Instead of SQL Server you can have other database (ORACLE, MS Access, PervasiveSQL to name a few) - you can access multiple Database platforms via ADO.Net connection from your .Net application, which is easily integrated into MS CRM Account screen.

2. Email capturing in MS CRM. You have customer with email Bill@customer.com. Now you want all the emails that you receive from customer.com domain to be attached to Bill who is account in CRM. This is more difficult customization - you have to create MS CRM SDK web service, that one will be creating email activity and call it from COM+ application - Microsoft Exchange event handler (ONSYNCSAVE database event sink). This example maybe complicated with the following requirement. Imagine that Bill, instead of answering to your email (sent from CRM and processed by CRM-Exchange connector) sends you new message from MS Outlook. Then this email will not follow into MS CRM (because it doesn't have GUID in the header and so is ignored by CRM Exchange connector). If you want to capture these emails - you have to do it in Microsoft Exchange event sink. There maybe scenario when you want to capture and analyze in the sink all the outgoing emails - this is even more complex - you have to place the sink on transport event.

3. ASP Application integration. You have legacy ASP application, where you capture orders from your customers and you want these orders be transferred to the CRM as activity. Here you understand that ASP doesn't deploy Active Directory security - and the best way is to create HTTP handler and call it from your ASP page. This HTTP handler in turn will call MS CRM SDK web service with predefined (web.config) Active Directory credentials.

Some cautions. Never create your custom SQL objects (like stored procedure, SQL view, table) in MS CRM database. Instead, create your own database and place your objects there. When you see the first caution - you will never try to alter existing CRM objects, like adding new field to the table.

Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Lockbox Processing

Microsoft Great Plains is now targeting large and midsize businesses and being matured ERP has advanced, but still very simple in use modules and features: Lockbox Processing for Accounts Receivables, Customer/Vendor Consolidation, Multicurrency etc. We'll try to cover these features in the series of small articles to help decision maker and end user understand the feature and how does it work to make a decision to purchase additional nice modules. In our opinion large corporation, which had to use ERP with rich functionality in the past, doesn't have to do it in our new time. There are few reasons to switch to cheaper ERP, the most important are: database platform reliability improvement - nowadays MS SQL Server does excellent job and has most of the former instability and maintenance issues resolved. The second reason - MS Windows server is now close to be considered as a solid rock and you do not have to reboot it on the regular basis to fix all the types of "memory leaks", etc. OK, lets review Lockbox processing:

* Customer Matching. This is rather the question about generic lockbox application - which basically imports text file, received from your bank and matches them with customer invoices, debit memos and miscellaneous charges. The question typically sounds like this - in our Great Plains CustomerID is different from bank customer ID. This is right, but each check has Bank Account Number and Bank Routine Number, identifying the customer, all you need to do is - carefully review first processing and enter this customer info, or open it here: Cards>>Sales>>Lockbox Bank Details - and next time you get check from this customer - lockbox will catch and identify it. This is true even in the case of hand written check.

* Invoice Number Matching. This is a bit tricky question, and you can't catch invoice number from hand written check. However when we are talking about large businesses - these checks have invoices printed. If you bank has so-called Automatic Clearinghouse (ACH) lockbox file format - it can provide invoice number line if the check is issued by corporate or midsize established business. In the case of ACH header will have prefix 6 and line prefix 4.

* No Invoice Number Matching. This is still OK if you have a lot of small customers with one or few outstanding invoices. In this case - use autoapply method. You can have variety of apply criteria: None, Document Number (when you have ACH), Due Date/Oldest Document, Due Date/Oldest Invoice (other than invoices you apply manually), Document Date, Specific Invoices (and you specify them in the list)

* Additional Considerations. Virtually if you have corporate account in any bank - lockbox processing module does the job - because you map lockbox file at your will in Lockbox Maintenance screen: Cards>>Sales>>Lockbox

* Customization Options. Lockbox is Dexterity piece, so it is in the hand of Dexterity Developer, if you need to improve it for your corporation. VBA Modifier and Continuum are also available. Also feel free to use new tools, such as Extender or eConnect.

Microsoft Great Plains Nationwide Remote Support

ERP Consulting industry is on the way to serve clients nationwide and even worldwide, when the client is multinational corporation. There are several reasons to specialize in remote support. In this small article we'll give you these reasons and the advantages of remote installation, customization, integration, programming, reporting.

* Remote Support Technologies. These technologies are well known and we will just mention them: VPN, Citrix, Remote Desktop connection, Microsoft Terminal Services, Web Sessions, PCAnywhere (however the last one should be avoided if possible)

* MS SQL Server Platform. This means that in the case of data repair, upgrade, testing, - it is relatively easy to backup DYNAMICS and companies databases, install them on MBS partner server, do the job and then restore the results in the client's production environment.

* Dexterity Customization Technology. Dexterity uses chunks to integrate customizations, you, as dexterity developer can test your customization in your test environment and then deliver and integrate final version of the chunk.

* Standard Reporting. Microsoft Business Solutions recommends Crystal Reports as reporting tool of choice.

However there are additional reasons to seek remote support in the case of large corporation of medium size business. Let's look at them:

* Microsoft Business Solutions Partners specialization. Specialization allows Nationwide MBS customization & implementation partner serve specific industry: aerospace & defense, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, healthcare, apparels, wholesale & retail, beverages, distribution & logistics, freight forwarding & transportation, biotechnology, etc.

* Customization Partners. Each vertical market requires MBS partner to be experienced with business processes implementation via GP custom logic. Writing proper specification form the customization is probably 70% of the success.

* Cost Reduction. This is also important for both - client and GP partner. Usually remote support partner has US based lead developers and project manager and uses excellent programmer in such countries as Philippines and Brazil where developers have excellent Dexterity source code programming experience.

CRM News: Must Read: Vista: Changing the World One PC at a Time

Hello!

SaaS vendors welcome SAP to the hosted midmarket party
InfoWorld - Jan 26, 2007
"As well as validating the hosted approach, both Francis and Nelson also believe that whatever SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle come up with will trail what their companies already offer because those vendors lack the eight years of experience both firms have already gained in SaaS. "They're offering on-demand as a loss-leader product," Francis said, with the three vendors tending to position their hosted applications as more of an on-ramp to their main applications business, their on-premise software families. As part of its midyear . Oracle, meanwhile, sees SaaS as applicable to all its applications but expects to put more focus on its on-demand operations at some unspecified point in the future.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/26/HNmidmarketsap_1.html

CRM News: Must Read: Vista: Changing the World One PC at a Time
CRM Buyer - Jan 29, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day... Everyone seemed to realize the world was changing, and PCs would never be the same. On launch, people lined up around the block to get in, and this was the first and only time an OS was given the same kind of treatment that a game system or a hot toy like Tickle Me Elmo or the Cabbage Patch Kids received. Microsoft was a star, Bill Gates was a rock star, and Windows 95 was a best seller. Windows 98 to XP SP2PCs were changed, and for the rest of the '90s, PCs gradually became kind of boring. There was a huge focus on enterprise and, for much of this time, it seemed the industry had almost forgotten about the user. Growth was good, but it laid a foundation for a market collapse in the next decade. In addition we (well, Al Gore) discovered the Web, and we gradually moved from processor-centric computing.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/must-read/55422.html

EBay Posts Big Q4
Forbes - Jan 25, 2007
“We are pleased with such strong financial results and look forward to making Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system widely available to all customers next week. ”In the second quarter of 2005, Microsoft had reported earnings of 33 cents per share. That was during the launch of Xbox 360, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. One year later, these products have contributed over $1 billion of revenue growth, the company said. More On This TopicCompanies:.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2007/01/25/ebay-internet-update-markets-equity-cx_rs_0125markets16.html?partner=moreover

Microsoft Takes Manhattan
Forbes - Jan 30, 2007
As broadband Internet becomes an even more central component in the PC’s architecture, no one knows what the operating system will look like in five years. Meaning no one knows if Microsoft will have a major, big-deal Windows reboot ever again. Did I mention Microsoft is throwing a lot of money at this launch? On Tuesday morning, the software giant hired spandex-clad acrobats to drape Vista and Office logos on the side of a building. Then they took their guests to the swanky Cipriani banquet hall, across from Grand Central Station. Sitting in rows inside the old Bowery Savings Bank building, about 150 reporters and photographers dined on fare ranging from smoked salmon to spinach- and ricotta-stuffed cannelloni. (The sea bass was wonderful; the lamb chops were a bit dry.
http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/30/windowns-vista-launch-tech-intel-cx_df_0130windowslaunch.html?partner=msn

Independent Online Edition > SME
Independent - Jan 26, 2007
But, while acknowledging that it is facing increasing competition, it is seeking to become the world leader in its field and hence is aiming for dramatic growth. John Simpson, senior director, sales consulting at Oracle, says that one of the ways the company is going about this is by installing a customer relationship management (CRM) system. He says CRM is vital because acquiring new customers, looking after existing ones and making sure none are lost is vital for growth. MessageLabs is using it to help it focus on improving sales, marketing and client service by measuring, respectively, leads per member of the marketing team, deals per head of the sales team and tickets per head in the client service team. It is a sign of how even comparatively small companies are turning to the sort of technology that was once the preserve of the largest corporates in their attempts to become more competitive and to achieve ambitious growth plans. Moreover, high-technology companies are not the only ones recognising the benefits of using increasingly sophisticated software to help them run their operations. Software companies that have traditionally dealt with larger businesses, such as SAP and Microsoft as well as Oracle, are all seeing growing interest from smaller customers as it becomes more widely recognised that installing high-performance technology need not be as expensive as had been thought... It is a sign of how even comparatively small companies are turning to the sort of technology that was once the preserve of the largest corporates in their attempts to become more competitive and to achieve ambitious growth plans. Moreover, high-technology companies are not the only ones recognising the benefits of using increasingly sophisticated software to help them run their operations. Software companies that have traditionally dealt with larger businesses, such as SAP and Microsoft as well as Oracle, are all seeing growing interest from smaller customers as it becomes more widely recognised that installing high-performance technology need not be as expensive as had been thought. Many companies stick to CRM or some other distinct application, such as finance or human resources management. Indeed, CRM even has its own subset, called sales force automation (SFA), which has as its goal the streamlining of the entire sales process to make businesses more efficient, improve customer interactions, increase customer satisfaction and save time and money. Paul Fielder, applications sales manager with Explorer, an Oracle partner based in Leeds, says: “SMBs [small and medium-sized businesses] tend to buy software to solve specific problems. This means they end up with a lot of different systems, which makes it very difficult to get business intelligence.
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/sme/article2184716.ece

Internet TV Is Finally a Reality Show
BusinessWeek - Jan 29, 2007
"The digital decade is happening," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told the audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in January as he unveiled the company's own IPTV offerings. "People want to do things with their content across multiple platforms. "At least Gates and other digerati are convinced that will be the case with a new generation of tech gear, software, and services. This time around, however, both consumer electronics companies and computer companies such as HP, SanDisk (.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070129_246549.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_technology

The INQUIRER Top 3 Hug-and-Make-Ups
Inquirer - Jan 26, 2007
So for all you star-crossed lovers out there, here you go with something for the weekend, The INQUIRER's Top 3Hug-and-Make-Up stories. Microsoft and Stac Electronics. Microsoft ramming the OS with a ton of utilities isn't new, kids. In 1993, itplanned disk compression for DOS 6. 0 called DoubleSpace but it had earlier talked to market leader Stac about licensingits Stacker software. Stac sued, Microsoft countersued and eventually, the arguing ended with Microsoft taking a stakein Stac and paying it royalties... Not very gentlemanly, is it?1. Tom Siebel quit Oracle because Larry Ellison didn't get CRM, or so the story goes. Siebelset up what turned out to be the 800-pound gorilla of the sector but when times got tough, Ellison's Oracle snapped upthe company in 2005. That's rough love for you. Now all eyes are turned to what Ellison will pull to bring downSalesforce. com, another company that is run by a former employee, Marc Benioff.
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37243

Mac and Windows ...proprietary parts
CNET News.com - Jan 30, 2007
iPod iMac and probably iPhoneYet even for you the "Mac Defender" deep down a frustration has been building because with all the control over the hardware and software your Macs are not that much better then the PCs. Microsoft doesn't make hardware (nevermidnd the mice and the xBox) and yet they manage to tie in hundreds of different manufacturers together under a crapy beige box that is definetely not as sharp looking as a Mac. and yet this box can run anything you can through at it. Please don't argue about the work office environment, there are so many old legacy aps... that are no longer made but still work and the managers would not replace them, how about accounting software? quick books for mac is not going to cut it if you have a large payroll. how about a CRM database? Sure you can argue that there is a program like Final Cut Pro for video editing that has become popular and indeed it is a wonderful product, but with the intel chip ported this tool is going to be short lived on the mac only platform and nine out of ten of the major video production houses are running PCs. 90% of the TV you watch is edited in AVID, sure there is a Mac version but the real NITRIS system is built on the PC platform, can't evne touch the Games issue unless you are like stuck in 1999... that are no longer made but still work and the managers would not replace them, how about accounting software? quick books for mac is not going to cut it if you have a large payroll. how about a CRM database? Sure you can argue that there is a program like Final Cut Pro for video editing that has become popular and indeed it is a wonderful product, but with the intel chip ported this tool is going to be short lived on the mac only platform and nine out of ten of the major video production houses are running PCs. 90% of the TV you watch is edited in AVID, sure there is a Mac version but the real NITRIS system is built on the PC platform, can't evne touch the Games issue unless you are like stuck in 1999.
http://news.com.com/5208-12_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=24558&messageID=233270&start=0

National Business Review (NBR) - Business, News, Arts, Media, Share...
National Business Review - Jan 29, 2007
That’s mighty, as in huge – it’s a wonder that it all fits on a single DVD, or two DVDs if you count the 64-bit version as well. But there’s something in there to please everyone, or offend everyone, depending on the mood of the observer. Admire the luscious Aero user interface, which at last makes those graphics coprocessors in modern PCs do some useful work. Or grumble that Apple has had something similar for years and even Sun has been playing with that stuff... ”Sean McBreen, director of Microsoft New Zealand’s developer and platform strategy group, sees Gadgets as likely to appear within corporate environments as well. Microsoft Dynamics (the old Great Plains, Solomon, Axapta and Navision) is already working on reporting Gadgets that will be able to provide managers with constant indicators of how their business processes are running. There’s also a Dynamics CRM Gadget on the way. “It’s a completely open platform, and I’m really excited by the number of independent vendors coming up with new ways to expose data with tools such as Gadgets. We’re expecting widespread adoption of this technology. ”






29-Jan-2007.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=17168&cid=3&cname=Technology

Da Vinci Twist at British Vista Launch
BusinessWeek - Jan 30, 2007
Vista was first made available to business customers back in November but the software behemoth has now officially launched the operating system to consumers, calling the debut its most important since Windows 95. Speaking at the launch, which was held at the British Library in London, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said: "This is a special occasion, we've worked hard to build a new software platform and we are so excited to see what people will do with it. Microsoft executives showcased elements of Vista including updated security and improved search technologies, as well as the new 'Ribbon' user interface for Office 2007. For more details on the functionality offered by the revamped Vista, see silicon. Microsoft revealed a number of businesses that will be using Vista's desktop 'Gadget' technology—i.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2007/gb20070130_602986.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe_more+of+today's+top+stories

Take care.

Upgrading to Vista? Proceed with caution

Hi!

SAP looks to better serve information workers
InfoWorld - Jan 24, 2007
Moore expects that Microsoft will work on further integration between Office and its Dynamics ERP and CRM families. At present, he doesn't see much conflict between SAP's mySAP products and Dynamics. "We generally don't serve the same market," Moore said. "There is some overlap with Business One and All-in-One. "Business One is SAP's offering for small businesses, while All-in-One is aimed at the midmarket, both areas where Microsoft's Dynamics has an established presence.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/24/HNsapinformationworkers_1.html

Upgrading to Vista? Proceed with caution
InfoWorld - Jan 22, 2007
“I’m a cautious guy, and typically, I’d be doing the server upgrades first, one at a time, and follow those with the desktop upgrades. But Microsoft releasing three new platforms at once doesn’t happen very often. That’s put us in a spot, plus we were moving to Microsoft CRM as well. ” So at the moment, Connelly has separated his server upgrades from his desktop upgrades, but he is forced to roll out several new desktop platforms simultaneously while still testing a new server back end. “So far, it’s working fine, but it’s definitely a worry. ” The cautious perspective to be sure, but that’s not to say it can’t be done. Justin Ainsworth, senior IT manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing, is in the same boat but is taking the Redmond product blitz in stride.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/22/04FEvista_6.html

Salesforce.com goes from sizzling to merely hot
iT News - Jan 22, 2007
Oracle last month reported that new license sales of business apps in its fiscal second quarter rose less than it had predicted. And new rivals are coming on. Microsoft just released a preview version of CRM software it says can be updated to all customers simultaneously using "multitenant" technology. By midyear, Microsoft plans to host the software from its own data centers, putting it in direct competition with Salesforce. Meanwhile, online accounting software company NetSuite - owned in part by Benioff's ex-boss, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison - is preparing to go public. All of which raises the question of whether Salesforce will need to dip into its US$4. 7 billion market cap for an acquisition that can help it expand.
http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=44651&src=site-marq

SmartCatalog™ Releases Powerful and Intuitive New Rule Manager
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - Jan 19, 2007
com), a best of breed guided selling and configuration solution for CRM and eCommerce, announced today the full version release of the new SmartCatalog™ 6. In order to provide an easy, intuitive experience during the rule building process, the Rule Manger has been re-architected to utilize a tree view, drag and drop GUI along with a simple, easy to use, rule dialog builder. The new version will allow users to create rules in four easy steps and requires no coding or programming... In order to provide an easy, intuitive experience during the rule building process, the Rule Manger has been re-architected to utilize a tree view, drag and drop GUI along with a simple, easy to use, rule dialog builder. The new version will allow users to create rules in four easy steps and requires no coding or programming. The Rule Manager has been completely designed in Microsoft. 0 Forms Application and is written in Microsoft's C# language. The Rule Manager connects directly to any Product Catalog or database in order to retrieve the necessary variables required to build and execute complex rules. SmartCatalog™ enables companies to increase revenues and profits by making the quote-to-order entry process fast, easy and 100% accurate.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/1/prweb498713.htm

Salesforce ups the ante
InfoWorld - Jan 22, 2007
com delivered on its 2006 promise to give ISVs and corporate developers a new programming language called Apex with its. Apex will allow developers to build any kind of SaaS (Software as a Service) application on the Salesforce AppExchange platform... Because it is a fully hosted solution, Apex will also allow coders to create data models and automate business logic and user interfaces without needing to tune it to any specific hardware, database, or operating system. Denis Pombriant, principal at Beagle Research, called Apex part of the New Garage movement that is bringing innovation to the smaller ISVs and hit larger ISVs wedded to older architectures, Pombriant said. Like Siebel before them, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are trying to co-opt the innovation, engaging with customers only to convert them. “That is the state we are in with these big companies. They are trying to blunt the impact by making it a checklist,” Pombriant said. But there are still many IT professionals voicing objections to deploying a SaaS solution. Pitfalls still exist from storing critical data offline and from the possibility of downtime which requires ironclad SLAs with punitive provisions for lack of service, Pombriant said.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/22/04NNwinter07_1.html

Tectura joins Serenic Navigator partner channel
Earthtimes.org - Jan 23, 2007
-based Tectura, Inc. has become a reselling partner for Serenic Navigator. Tectura is a leading Microsoft Dynamics partner and provider of Microsoft-based ERP, CRM, and technology solutions to mid-market companies, larger enterprises and their divisions. Tectura provides software, consulting, and IT implementation services to more than 5,000 clients in a multitude of industries, including not-for-profit. Through these services, Tectura delivers business process improvements, greater efficiency, and a clear competitive edge to clients in over 60 countries. Customers benefit from unmatched experience and a solid commitment from more than 1,750 dedicated Tectura employees with over 70 offices throughout 21 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. "We are thrilled to now represent Serenic Navigator, clearly one of the leading financial management products for nonprofit organizations," said Kathy Nohr, Dynamics NAV Practice Lead at Tectura.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,48570.shtml

CRM News: Government: SaaS App Growth Expected in Public Sector
CRM Buyer - Jan 19, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/dzW3jFKNq4px4R/SaaS-App-Growth-Expected-in-Public-Sector.xhtml

E-Commerce News: Portals & Search: Yahoo Earnings Beat Street
E-Commerce Times - Jan 24, 2007
1 million unique visitors per month in the quarter, the firm said. Sterling Market Intelligence analyst Greg Sterling noted that Yahoo CFO Sue Decker -- who will soon leave that post to head the company's advertising business -- sounded a fairly conservative tone in looking ahead for Google. Yahoo has areas to build on as it wars with Google and, to a lesser degree, Microsoft, including strong foundations in local search and mobile search, which could be a key to unlocking the value of local search, Sterling said. Yahoo scored a victory when Google shut down its live-answer service -- Yahoo Answers now garners more than 90 percent of open ended search query traffic, which may be important in social networking settings, he added.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/As8eIpAfCfAd3r/Yahoo-Earnings-Beat-Street.xhtml

NewsFactor Network | Belgian Newspapers Take On Yahoo
NewsFactor Network - Jan 19, 2007
According to Copiepresse, Microsoft has been working with the newspaper group on a compromise solution. Representatives from Copiepresse, Google, and Yahoo were not immediately available for comment.
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Belgian-Newspapers-Take-On-Yahoo/story.xhtml?story_id=103009GRQQN6

Why Good Times Are the Most Dangerous
BusinessWeek - Jan 23, 2007
Times were indeed good, or so we thought. Then the bottom fell out. One February morning, our CEO handed me a letter from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the organization empowered by major software companies like Microsoft (.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070123_476563.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz+index+page_keith+mcfarland

Good luck!

Microsoft Debuts Multitenant CRM Offering to Partner Community

How's things?

Microsoft previews next version of Dynamics CRM
InfoWorld - Jan 11, 2007
Titan, which will probably be officially known as Dynamics CRM 4. 0 will be the first Microsoft CRM release based on a multitenant architecture and using a single code base to support three types of usage -- on-premise, hosted by partners or Microsoft. The Microsoft-hosted offering will be called Dynamics Live CRM, the third member of the vendor's growing Live software-as-a-service (SAAS) product family, joining Windows Live and Office Live. Multitenancy is the ability of a SAAS vendor to host multiple customers' applications on a single server instead of dedicating servers to individual customers. Since multitenancy requires fewer servers, it's a cheaper way for vendors to run their hosting operations and they can pass some of those savings to customers, offering them a less costly service. Microsoft plans to give around 300 of its partners early access to Titan in the first quarter of this year, increasing the number to reach more than 1,000 partners during the second quarter, Wilson said. The idea is to give partners time to get comfortable with the concepts of multitenancy and hosted software in general as well as to encourage them to start building extensions to Titan and providing Microsoft with feedback on the new version... "We want to make sure we do terrific job getting CRM Live up and running in North America and get all the operating kinks out," Wilson said. "We aim to move it out internationally as fast as we can. "Microsoft will offer an online marketplace as part of the CRM Live service where partners can offer users technology extensions and as a way to build a community, Wilson said. The marketplace is similar to what Salesforce. originally established with its AppExchange site, as a place where users could access add-ons to its on-demand CRM software. Like rivals SAP and Oracle, Microsoft is looking for ways to give more users more ways to access its CRM applications.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/07/01/11/HNmicrosoftnextcrm_1.html

Microsoft Debuts Multitenant CRM Offering to Partner Community
CRM Today - Jan 15, 2007
“We can deliver the right CRM solution for different companies based on their size, their business requirements, their user roles and their IT capabilities. If their needs evolve over time, we can grow with our customers, and provide them with a CRM platform that fits their needs for the life of the business. ”
Availability
The “Titan” release of Microsoft CRM and the new Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service are targeted for mid-2007. The Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service will initially be available in North America; plans for international expansion of the service will be announced at a later time... today announced that it is previewing the next major release of Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM – code-named “Titan” – with a broad range of partners through the company’s Technology Adoption Program (TAP). The new version introduces an advanced multitenant architecture, and uses a single code base to support on-premise deployments as well as software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployments through hosting partners and through the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service. It also uses a single code base to support on-premise deployments as well as software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployments through hosting partners and the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service. The “Titan” release is an evolution of the popular Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3. 0 product, and will offer a smooth upgrade path for existing on-premise and SaaS customers. It reinforces Microsoft’s long-term strategy to provide customers with the power of choice, with the ability to choose on-premise or SaaS deployments and access rich CRM capabilities within Microsoft® Office Outlook®, through a Web browser, and from a broad range of mobile devices.
http://www.crm2day.com/news/crm/121073.php

Salesforce.com launches Winter 07 release
InfoWorld - Jan 16, 2007
com launches Winter 07 release | InfoWorld | News | 2007-01-16 | By Ephraim Schwartz. com released its Winter 07 upgrade to its CRM software as a service on Tuesday, with immediate availability. But customers waiting for the release of one of its key components, the Apex programming language, will have to wait a little bit longer... html","leftColumn"); Calling Apex a developer preview, with Beta not promised until "later this year" Salesforce. com is trying to extend its reach by establishing itself as a "platform" company, according to Ariel Kelman, senior director of platform product marketing, not unlike other major enterprise platform vendors such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/16/HNsalesforce_1.html

SAP paints new UI face for mid-market
VNUNet.com - Jan 17, 2007
Although the software is available in the UK withimmediate effect, users will have to wait up to six months for the more advancedProject Muse interface that was first shown off last June. Project Muse is thecodename for a new GUI that taps Adobe Flash and other tools to create a richerfront end. The user-interface changes are in line with broader efforts to demystify SAPby offering simpler tools for accessing data. SAP has a partnership withMicrosoft called Duet that builds bridges between Office applications and SAPback-end data, for example... Project Muse is thecodename for a new GUI that taps Adobe Flash and other tools to create a richerfront end. The user-interface changes are in line with broader efforts to demystify SAPby offering simpler tools for accessing data. SAP has a partnership withMicrosoft called Duet that builds bridges between Office applications and SAPback-end data, for example. SAP will also apply its Best Practices portfolio of horizontal and verticalbusiness scenarios so that firms can mimic the activities of peers and largeroperations. “It’s a very strong market for SAP and the challenge for these customers isto keep the functionality of [enterprise SAP installations] but keep thedeployment time down to two to three months,” said Dale Vile of analyst firm.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2172792/sap-paints-ui-face-mid-market

Enterprises Bridge the Gap Between CRM Systems and Survey-Based Data...
CRM Directory (press release) - Jan 14, 2007
The software also ensures customer feedback is reliable and uses security mechanisms from cookies to complex ballots to prevent multiple submissions. 0 can be integrated with various enterprise database solutions such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Active Directory and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Zumbrunn added that, in 2007, Data Illusion plans to roll out an updated version of Feedback Server that can integrate with CRM systems from Siebel, Oracle, SAP and SalesForce.
http://www.crmdirectory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=632&Itemid=59

SAP Business One Support Chicago, IL - Alba Spectrum
24-7PressRelease.com - 24-7PressRelease.com (press release) - Jan 13, 2007
This feature makes MRP application very attractive for European companies: German, Italian, French, Spanish, who establishes subsidiaries in the USA
� eCommerce and Web Based CRM. These modules are in process of being incorporated into SAP Business One set of modules. When CRM is fully available in web interface - it will be very strong competitor to Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains tandem, however with lighter functionality and potentially more easy implementation and deployment

Alba Spectrum, supporting Microsoft Dynamics, SAP Business One clients in USA and Brazil, Oracle E-Business Suite customers in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. We would be happy to help you with cross platform integrations: SAP-Oracle-Microsoft Dynamics, cross platform data conversions, when you are switching from one of the major ERP platform to the competitor - supporting both Microsoft and Java worlds. In Chicago area we support clients in Naperville, Aurora, Wheaton, Joliet, Downers Grove, Lisle, Alsip, Villa Park, Lyons, Chicago downtown, Cicero, Schaumburg, Springfield, Batavia, St Charles, Warrenville.
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=22931

IT-Director.com - CommuniGator - small but perfectly formed!
IT-Director.com - Jan 11, 2007
They have a web-based solution, which keeps to the essentials of e-marketing. As such it enables people who have no wish to become IT technicians to create, execute and measure highly effective closed loop campaigns. In essence if you are a marketer who feels comfortable with Microsoft Outlook, then Communigator will enable you to generate collateral, identify targets, execute the campaign, manage the closure and measure the effectiveness. The outcome, if you follow their lead, will be a highly targeted campaign with a double digit response rate, and customers who are more likely to become advocates than if they were mass marketed to with bland offerings on a hope and see basis. Communigator should not be seen as just being about emails, they are about all of the digital channels which can be used as touch points with customers and prospects. The solution is configurable, so that customer preferences can be recognised. It is designed to target receptive customers with quality messages at times when they will be happy to receive the message... It comes as no surprise to find that these solutions are being looked on with great interest by the British Tourism industry, facing as it does the vagaries of the British weather. Obviously using such devices also opens up the opportunity for two-way interactions in real-time, which creates new opportunities unavailable with traditional channels. The solution is not a standalone silo, but is intended to be used to augment and complement many of the key CRM solutions found in the mid market. This is the niche for Communigator at present, so users of solutions such as Sage (who also OEM the product), Microsoft, and Siebel, amongst others, will find that the digital marketing solution is designed to fit. They will also find that Communigator can provide the professional services that are required to help ensure that the solution is integrated and adopted as part of the workflows of an effective marketing organisation. Because Communigator believe that they are capable of ensuring that people do see the sort of returns that have always been spoken of with digital marketing, they encourage people not to take up their offer of providing the solution on an outsourced basis, but encourage people to bring it in-house. To date, Communigator have developed predominately in the UK, based on a solid collection of finance, tourism and high-tech companies, but this is a solution with wide appeal.
http://www.it-director.com/technology/applications/content.php?cid=9129

Burglar-Proof Windows?
BusinessWeek - Jan 11, 2007
This is a good thing. Microsoft, similarly, tried to clean up its act in 2004 with a major upgrade to XP called Service Pack 2, and again with Internet Explorer 7 last fall. But Windows has always been promiscuous about loading software from dubious sources without asking questions. Vista won't install anything, from any source, without explicit permission. (You can turn account control off in a control panel, but it's not wise.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070111_523048.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_more+of+today's+top+stories

Salesforce says it's beating, mirroring Microsoft
MarketWatch - Jan 16, 2007
Chief Executive Marc Benioff casually trashed rival Microsoft Corp. Tuesday, while acknowledging that his own company is following the footsteps of the software giant. While dismissing Microsoft's announced move into Salesforce's on-demand software turf, Benioff also said that his firm is akin to Microsoft (.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/salesforce-says-its-beating-mirroring/story.aspx?guid=%7BA7713533-8E00-4506-A0EA-525F1935AAA7%7D

Tech stocks finish mixed; Symantec falls sharply - MarketWatch
MarketWatch - Jan 16, 2007
Intel, while expected to show declines in sales and profit compared to the year-earlier period, is also expected to show some improvements related to restructuring and new product releases. Tech bellwether Microsoft Corp. also saw a slight gain in its shares Tuesday, rising to $31.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tech-stocks-finish-mixed-symantec/story.aspx?guid=%7BE44BF1AE-EE94-4C25-BDB7-E3D9310F2154%7D

JIT? What ever happened to compiled byte code?
CNET News.com - Jan 15, 2007
Don't see Fortress as yet another language to write business software in. And that doesn't include the 4GLs like Informix, 4Js, Sybase's tool, etc... It will be interesting to see what Fortress can and can't do. Most likely the performance gains won't be noticed until you start having multi-core and multi-cpu desktops en mass.
http://news.com.com/Suns+Fortran+replacement+goes+open+source/5208-7344_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=24206&messageID=228161&start=0

See you later.

CRM News: Must Read: Microsoft Opens CES With Vista, Kicks Apple...

How are you?

Local, Danish IT firms announce merger
Pakistan Dawn - Jan 9, 2007
I am confident that the combined synergies and tremendous demand for IT resources in Europe will put us on the right track to be one of the first IT organisations in Pakistan employing more than 1,000 IT professionals. "
Aqcel was a pioneer in the IT outsourcing and development market, and since 1997 it had been delivering development solutions based on Microsoft technology worldwide. Aqcel was also among the largest suppliers of Microsoft CRM solutions. The Aqcel Group expected a 2007 turnover of approximately $0. With the merger, Mondo expected its own turnover for 2007 to be US$18 million. "The Aqcel Group suits Mondo perfectly, and brings us a great number of benefits from day one.
http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/09/ebr8.htm

CRM News: Must Read: Microsoft Opens CES With Vista, Kicks Apple...
CRM Buyer - Jan 8, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/must-read/55034.html

Study Up on Software
thestreet.com - Jan 9, 2007
Software as a ServiceA related but somewhat different trend is software as a service, the hallmark of Salesforce, which is expected to appreciate by about 14%. Rather than sell perpetual licenses for expensive software run on a customer's network, Salesforce sells inexpensive subscriptions for customer relationship management software that runs on its own servers. The company is growing steadily and helped put Siebel, a vendor of conventional CRM software, out of business. Who are the losers? First and foremost is Red Hat (RHT) , expected to lose 11. 6%, after a crummy 2006 that saw the stock depreciate by 18%. Once a highflier, Red Hat is suffering from a deflation of expectations as Wall Street worries that the entry of Oracle and Microsoft (via a partnership with Novell (NOVL) ) will damages its prospects. Although there's no evidence yet that those fears are well-founded, the company has a lot to prove in the coming year... Because it is so widely held and is still seen as a technology bellwether, Microsoft is something of a special case. It gained 13% in 2006 and is expected to gain another 8% going forward. Much of the discussion about Microsoft last year centered on Vista, the new version of Windows. Now that it's out (for business users, that is) the constant speculation about whether the company would ship on time has ended. The stock did get a bump when it became clear that Vista would finally get out the door. Now the more important questions are: When will Vista drive revenue and by how much? Much of Wall Street figures that the new operating system won't be a significant force on the business side, which accounts for the bulk of sales, until 2008. That argument has been made so many times it doesn't need to be elaborated here, but it is worth noting that some analysts say Wall Street is missing a bet.
http://www.thestreet.com/pf/newsanalysis/techsoftware/10331517.html

Infragistics Officially Opens for Business in Tokyo
Earthtimes.org - Jan 8, 2007
NET products, documentation and sample applications. A Japanese-language Website is also available both for product information and localized e-commerce sales. Back office integration, including a Japanese- localized usage of Microsoft CRM and accounting has also been completed. About InfragisticsInfragistics has been the market leader in the presentation layer components industry for over 18 years, and has matured into a multi-platform Enterprise Software products and services vendor with global reach in nearly every Fortune 2000 company. Infragistics empowers developers to build and style great application user interfaces for Windows Forms, ASP. NET, WPF and JSF platforms, and additionally offers user interface test tools, support, training and consulting services.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,41582.shtml

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft and Ford Team on In-Car System
NewsFactor Network - Jan 8, 2007
The automaker will put Microsoft's system in a dozen models, starting in 2008. The system will be optional and is likely to cost less than $1,000, officials noted. Slow Development


Microsoft has made inroads in the automotive industry in the past, with its first in-car OS in 1998. A few years later, Bill Gates predicted demand would increase steadily, and the company made a commitment to more development in the area. In 2004, Microsoft contributed some software to Mercedes and BMW, and had its OS included in some products from Nextech and Clarion. A year later, it unveiled a major revamp to its Windows Automotive software, created to help automotive designers build in-car features with speech recognition, Bluetooth, and other technologies. Road Ahead


Although Microsoft has worked for years to bring its operating system to the driving experience, consumer adoption has been slow in coming, noted Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio.
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Microsoft--Ford-Team-on-In-Car-System/story.xhtml?story_id=0200029PQF8K

Open Source Software Closer to Commercial Enterprise Software |...
WebProNews - Jan 9, 2007
The acronym refers to the foundational foursome of the open-source movement: the Linux operating system, Apache Web server, MySQL database and, collectively, the Perl, PHP and Python programming languages. Development tools such as Eclipse and application servers such as JBoss have also gained popularity--and trust--especially now that major vendors such as IBM, BEA Systems and Borland have adopted or supported them commercially. But what about the next step up the software ladder? Is open source ready for ERP, business intelligence or CRM?Ready or not, it's happening; the first industrial-grade applications in these areas are now emerging. And CIOs will soon need to decide how to approach these fresh options in their enterprise software catalog. As with the adoption of the LAMP players, these new open-source enterprise applications likely will find their way into the enterprise at a departmental or small-project level. As a result, "we don't see [these applications] on CIOs' agenda at all," notes Michael Goulde, an open-source senior analyst with Forrester Research. But, he warns, "CIOs should sync up with their development teams to see [where such applications] might have payback to the organization.
http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20070109OpenSourceSoftwareClosertoCommercialEnterpriseSoftware.html

CRM News: Web Services: What Everyone Needs to Know About SOA
CRM Buyer - Jan 4, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/aP0nrFZeBdcrX6/What-Everyone-Needs-to-Know-About-SOA.xhtml

CRM News: E-Commerce: Amazon Beefs Up Answer Service After Google...
CRM Buyer - Jan 4, 2007
CRM Buyer features CRM product information, reviews and comparisons. It is an independent source updated each day.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/V07accDsa8166x/Amazon-Beefs-Up-Answer-Service-After-Google-Drops.xhtml

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft Leaves Critical Word Flaws Unpatched
NewsFactor Network - Jan 10, 2007
us In its first monthly patch release of the year, Microsoft published four security updates that addressed 10 vulnerabilities related to Windows and Office applications, but did not issue a patch for two critical vulnerabilities found in Microsoft Word last month. "Do not open or save Word files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources," Microsoft warned in December. --> Related Topics.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=022000RB0G9M

Savaria Concord Implements Soffront CRM to Improve Sales, Lead...
Business Wire - Business Wire (press release) - Jan 9, 2007
in 2005, thereby doubling our business volume and the amount of leads we receive,” explained Ian Clark, marketing manager, Savaria Concord Lift. “Prior to Soffront, leads were manually downloaded from automatically generated. txt files into Microsoft Access and then distributed to the appropriate dealers. This process was highly inefficient and not feasible once the size of the company expanded. We needed a more efficient way to automatically manage leads from multiple websites. ” According to Clark, they looked at competing systems offered by well-known companies such as Salesforce. com and Siebel Systems prior to selecting Soffront CRM.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070109005172&newsLang=en

Satuit Announces Another CRM Client
TMCnet - Jan 5, 2007
fixed-income strategies to institutional investors, including insurance companies, corporate pension plans, public pension funds, Taft-Hartley funds and foundations and endowments. "SatuitCRM has everything we were looking for in a CRM package without any modifications," said Tim Daley, Assistant Vice President for Oppenheimer Investment Management.
http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-satuit-crm-/2007/01/05/2216495.htm

Is Google Going to Start Marketing?
WebProNews - Jan 8, 2007
It's all about being customer-centric rather than product-driven. That's not to say that product-driven companies like Microsoft or Google do not produce good products. Apply enough money and talent and good products should result. However they will not be as appropriate as they could be to meet customer needs if customers aren't part of the dialogue. That dialogue process can be very well served by the blogging process if senior management is self-confident enough to allow it. Of course the Titanic cannot turn on a dime... Of course the Titanic cannot turn on a dime. A huge organization does not change culture in months but rather in years. CRM Magazine suggests how it can be done in an article:. See how they describe the effect on Microsoft:Robert Scoble was blogging about Microsoft independently and the company, rather than shutting him down, recognized him as an authoritative voice, which gave him the freedom to be effective.
http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/blogtalk/wpn-58-20070108IsGoogleGoingtoStartMarketing.html

NewsFactor Network | Microsoft Confirms NSA's Role in Vista...
NewsFactor Network - Jan 10, 2007
us The NSA's involvement with Windows Vista -- which was confirmed by Microsoft this week -- is not the first time the NSA has provided guidance to Redmond. The NSA previously collaborated with Microsoft on the best methods to secure Windows XP and Windows 2000. The agency also has been credited with reviewing the Vista Security Guide published on Microsoft's Web site. --> Related Topics.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=02300000OA5R

EContentMag.com: Jadu Launches "Web 2.0" Content Management...
EContent - EContent (press release) - Jan 5, 2007
-based provider of enterprise content management systems has announced a range of products developed to provide 'Web 2. 0' technology to help organize information and content within an organization and enhance corporate communication. The new products range from feature enhancing modules for the Jadu CMS, such as Jadu Multimedia, which enables video casting and podcasting, to full platform products such as XFORMS Professional, an eforms system that integrates with CRM systems and enables self-service, and Jadu Intranet 2. 0, a social computing web portal for organizing, publishing, and blogging information within an organization.
http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=18932

Goodbye.