Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’

Call Centers and Microsoft Excel.?

I have a interview at a call center and they will give me a test on Excel software. Does anyone know what the test will be generally about so I can be prepare?

Microsoft sells 10 Windows 7 licenses per second

Microsoft sells 10 Windows 7 licenses per second
Computerworld – Microsoft sold nearly 10 copies of Windows 7 every second over the last month, according to numbers the company released Thursday. Yesterday, Peter Klein, Microsoft’s chief financial officer, told Wall Street analysts of the latest Windows 7 milestone.

Read more on Computerworld

Microsoft profits up via sales of Office 2010, Windows 7

Microsoft profits up via sales of Office 2010, Windows 7
Profits and revenue up in last quarter The release of Microsoft Office 2010, as well as continued strong sales of Windows 7, helped buoy Microsoft through another quarter of increased revenue and profit, the company announced on Thursday.

Read more on PC Advisor

Microsoft Fourth Quarter Boosted by Office, Windows Sales

Microsoft Fourth Quarter Boosted by Office, Windows Sales
UPDATE: Net income was up 48 percent compared to a year ago. Microsoft – Microsoft Office – Microsoft Windows – Companies – Microsoft Corporation

Read more on PC World

Sugar 6 Now Available on Microsoft Windows Azure Platform

Sugar 6 Now Available on Microsoft Windows Azure Platform
WASHINGTON—-SugarCRM, the world’s leading provider of open source customer relationship management software, today announced that Sugar 6 is now certified for deployment on the Microsoft Windows Azure platform.

Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

Make A Resolution To Reconnect With Microsoft Dynamics Crm 4.0

Are you someone who, in the last several years, gave Microsoft Dynamics CRM a chance, only to find yourself disappointed in what it could (or couldn’t) do?  If so, you are certainly not alone.  Accustomed to the whiz-bang sizzle that often accompanies new Microsoft innovations and expecting the same from Microsoft’s entry into the buzzword-worthy CRM industry, most people were surprised at the somewhat limited feature-set of the first version of CRM.  Sure, it covered the basics, but who is satisfied with that? 

The release of version 3.0 in December 2005 represented a major shift in Microsoft’s approach to the feature set.  This was the innovation-packed product that we had been hoping for.  It provided intuitive workflows, an easy-to-use search engine and dynamic reporting using SQL Reporting Services.  It also featured a seamless integration to Microsoft Outlook, so the application resided in the same place where the users worked day in and day out.  Dynamics CRM was quickly embraced around the world, and earned recognition from industry insiders like CRM Magazine and Gartner Inc. 

Still, though, there was much room for improvement.  Many CRM users reported difficulty accessing their reports online.  Access to the CRM system from outside the company network depended on a VPN connection.  It was very difficult to create SRS Reports without the help of a developer.  And though the customization capabilities were vastly expanded, CRM Administrators still had to get very creative about relationally linking different types of data in the system.

With the current version 4.0 of Dynamics CRM, Microsoft has proven that it is unquestionably committed to continuing to make huge development strides with the application.  Some of the features that have been well-received are the capability for an Internet-facing deployment, a user-friendly Report Wizard, Duplicate Detection, and the helpful Resource Center, where users can find, share and request information and best practices.  And for those of us who design CRM systems for our customers on a regular basis, we were very excited to find that Microsoft had finally provided the missing link to relationally linking all types of data in the system.

2010 proves to be a very exciting year for Dynamics CRM, and merits a second look for those who have turned away from it in the past.  CRM 5.0 is scheduled to be released before year’s end, and is reported to provide even more creative innovations to enhance the user experience.  Look for the ability to filter data in lists (just like we have been able to do in Excel for years), in-line graphics for statistical information on data you are currently viewing, and tight integration with SharePoint for document management.  This is just a small sneak-peek of what the application will include.

And now, with the arrival of xRM, Dynamics CRM’s use as a development platform for any type of relationship that needs to be managed, the question in the general consumer’s mindset has shifted from “Why should I use Dynamics CRM?” to “Why wouldn’t I use Dynamics CRM?”.

So, do yourself a favor and pledge to keep one more New Year’s Resolution – to take another look at Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and what it can do for you. 

FMT Consultants is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Dynamics CRM and GP located in Carlsbad, California.  Visit our website at http://www.fmtconsultants.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fmtconsultants. 

Microsoft CRM Customization: Plug-ins and Add-ons

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one of the most popular CRM systems.  One of its competitive advantages is its flexibility to extensions and modifications with its settings as well as its programming tools.  In MS CRM it is possible integration with external systems, such as Accounting applications, Document management, Call Centers, email servers etc.
It is often the case, when you have to do custom programming, as existing settings and adding custom tables and objects directly in MS CRM user interface do wonderful job, but still have their limits.  In those situations CRM technical consultants deploy plug-ins and/or Extensions, often referred as Add-ons

1. Plug-In – this is external business logic, which could be integrated into Dynamics CRM to redirect documents, master records or results of the business logic into CRM.  It is common practice to deploy MS CRM objects custom event handlers

2. Add-On – this is typically separate programming project, extending CRM, where you can introduce new entities (beyond the custom tables, available directly in CRM) – via Microsoft CRM SDK programming

All the entities and structures are stored in MS CRM in the database.  Plug-ins and Add-ons have to be realized via CRM SDK programming. MS CRM SDK is API for developers, allowing you to manipulate objects in CRM.  In theory it is possible to work directly with MS CRM Database insert and update bypassing CRM SDK.  However this approach is not recommended, even for your company in-house customizations.  And this is prohibited, when you do custom add-ons or plug-ins for external MS CRM customers, as you will need to register your MS CRM module with Microsoft Business Solutions.  The advantages of deploying MS CRM SDK include the fact that SDK programming gives you direct inclusion into MS CRM user security realm

Plug-ins and Add-ons are >Net assemblies.  As Software developer you deploy Microsoft Visual Studio for programming, compiling and final project builds.  It is common to use C# or VB.Net programming languages.  We will give you more details on Microsoft CRM SDK programming and projects maintenance in Visual Studio in the following publications
If you are planning to work on new Microsoft CRM user forms – it is important to make their design matching targeted MS CRM version.  At this point MS CRM SDK doesn’t provide design compatibility instruments.  Some of MS CRM software developers have better luck in interface look and feel replications, some of them do not.  But, it is recommended at least to try to match current MS CRM version user interface design patterns

If you are planning to become Microsoft CRM ISV, offering out-of-the-shelf Add-ons and plug-ins – you will face the questions of Installation key generation and module licensing.  You may consider several ways – first approach is when you require the customer to purchase the same number of Custom module license keys as the number of MS CRM users.  Second approach is more flexible, where you link your license key to specific CRM user, who is in reality your extension user