Microsoft Dynamics AX-GP-NAV-CRM: Trends and International Recommendations

Microsoft Dynamics project ? or formerly referred as Project Green should unify and modulate all Microsoft Business Solutions ERP applications: Microsoft Great Plains/Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Navision (former Attain) Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft (Navision) Axapta/Microsoft Dynamics AX. The challenge of unification probably will result in quality change for the unified interface, such as Web/Business portal/Microsoft Outlook & MS Office integration, Deployment of new technologies, such as Microsoft Sharepoint with workflow automation. Plus the development platform for Microsoft Dynamics products should shift from proprietary tools, such as Microsoft Dexterity, C/SIDE, MorphX (no confirmation for Axapta yet ? but we guess it should follow) to C# and VB.Net with VisualStudio. In this small article we will try to orient IT managers in Microsoft Business Solutions MRP products selection for international and regional markets.

? Microsoft Dynamics GP. The regional markets for Great Plains 9.0 and following Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 version will narrow: United States, United Kingdom, Canada: both English and French speaking, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other English speaking countries in Asia, Africa and Worldwide, plus Spanish Speaking Latin America. Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 will not be available for Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland ? the last version localized for these European countries will be 9.0 ? June 2006

? Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Currently Navision has very good presence in Europe, including East Europe: Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia. Microsoft also localized Navision for new markets, where it just moved in: Brazil for example ? it was interesting development in Brazil ? first Microsoft probed Solomon, then Microsoft Great Plains 7.5 and in 2004 replaced it with localized Navision

? Microsoft Dynamics AX. Microsoft Axapta, opposite to Navision or Great Plains where market shares are gained/divided and competition is based on renovations and product improvements, Axapta has great potential yet to be deployed, coming from its modern and very futuristic system design and architecture. Being targeted to upper mid-market and corporate clients Axapta shows very good progress on emerging markets: in Russia for example the number of Axapta installation is similar and comparable with the number of Navision installations. Plus, in 2005 large number of Microsoft Business Solutions gold certified partners rushed into Axapta consulting arena ? this is seen in the USA, UK, Australia and continental Europe. In Brazil currently MBS in local Portuguese Axapta launching mode ? localized for Brazilian tax code

? Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Is planned as front CRM solution for the majority of Microsoft Dynamics ERP system: integration with Microsoft Dynamics GP is available for GP 7.5, 8.0, 9.0 and CRM 1.2 and 3.0, Microsoft Navision ? through third party integrations, Axapta integration is planned. Microsoft has Microsoft CRM as worldwide product, so you should not have any doubts regarding your regional market.

? Competition. Oracle is on the way with Oracle Fusion project, aiming on Oracle Financials/Applications/E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards and potentially Siebel integration. SAP with the purchase of new mid and small market ERP: SAP Business One and Mendocino ? for SAP R/3 is catching up

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com http://www.greatplains.com.mx http://www.enterlogix.com.br ) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner. Please do not hesitate to call or email us: USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

Microsoft CRM Modification overview for IT specialist

Microsoft CRM Modification overview for IT specialist

 by: Andrew Karasev

Microsoft CRM is now on the scene and it is increasing its market share, due to the Microsoft Business Solutions muscles and marketing strategy. It is tightly integrated with other Microsoft Business Solutions products such as Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon, Navision.

If you are programmer or database administrator who is asked: how do we modify Microsoft CRM read this article and you will have the clues for further research.

1. Microsoft CRM SDK this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.

2. Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config please refer to MS CRM SDK

3. Legacy ASP integration this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.

4. Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesnt have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming - you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.

5. Direct SQL touch in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But in real world this is not always true you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.

6. MS CRM Customization tool this is rather end-user tool and we dont describe it here read the manual. Weve described above the options to use when this tool doesnt do the job

7. Crystal Reports - feel free to create Crystal report - tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead - create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.

Happy modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, and Miami and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, VB/C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. akarasev@albaspectrum.com

 

Microsoft CRM Customization

Microsoft CRM Customization

 by: Andrew Karasev

Microsoft CRM customization techniques are very diversified and based on the whole spectrum of recent Microsoft technologies. The main terms you should know are: Microsoft CRM SDK 1.2 and Visual Studio.Net 2003. And of course you should be familiar with all the legacy internet technologies, such as HTML, XML, XSLT, JavaScript and be good C#/VB/Net developer.

If you are developer who is asked: how do we customize Microsoft CRM read this and you will have the clues on where to look further.

1. Microsoft CRM SDK this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net examples it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is all web services based calls, if you are C# .NET developer you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred customization scenarios and this should be easily upgradeable customization.

2. Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config please refer to MS CRM SDK

3. Legacy ASP integration this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.

4. Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesnt have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming

5. Direct SQL touch in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But in real world this is not always true you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support but you can rescue to this technique if you have to make job done.

6. MS CRM Customization tool you can feel free to use this this is rather end-user tool and we dont describe it here read the manual. Weve described above the options to use when this tool doesnt do the job

Happy customizing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, California, Colorado, Texas, New York, Georgia and Florida, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. akarasev@albaspectrum.com

 

Microsoft CRM Development: SDK, C#, SQL, Exchange, Integration, Crystal Reports overview for programmer

Microsoft CRM is new player on the CRM software market. The whole conception behind CRM seems to be different. In case of traditional CRM software (Siebel, Oracle) - the application was designed with platform independence in mind. Microsoft CRM is dedicated to Microsoft technology and so deploys all the Microsoft tools: Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange 2003/2000, SQL Server, Crystal Reports Enterprise, Biztalk server, Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Great Plains as backend, etc.
If you are software developer, database administrator or web designer who is asked: how do we customize Microsoft CRM we are giving you directions in this article.
1.Microsoft CRM SDK this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.
2.Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config please refer to MS CRM SDK
3.Legacy ASP integration this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.
4.Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesnt have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming - you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.
5.Direct SQL touch in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But in real world this is not always true you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.
6.MS CRM Customization tool this is rather end-user tool and we dont describe it here read the manual. Weve described above the options to use when this tool doesnt do the job
7.Crystal Reports - feel free to create Crystal report - tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead - create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.

Happy customizing, modifying and developing! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com
If you are software developer, database administrator or web designer who is asked: how do we customize Microsoft CRM we are giving you directions in this article.
1.Microsoft CRM SDK this is software development kit with C# and partly VB.net code samples it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions technical support. It is based on web service calls, if you are C# .NET developer you are excellently positioned to do this type of customizations. This is the preferred modification scenario and this should be easily upgradeable customization. VB.Net examples will be available soon.
2.Legacy SQL Data integration. This is also easy and safe. If you have SQL database, sitting on the same or linked SQL Server you can create ASPX .Net application and simply integrate it into CRM. You can place it on the navigation bar or menu in isv.config please refer to MS CRM SDK
3.Legacy ASP integration this is somewhat more sophisticated. You have to deploy HTTP handler to be a middle party between CRM which is .Net based and ASP which is legacy IIS. The trick is you have to have INI file with security settings to penetrate into MS CRM with proper credentials, calling web service.
4.Microsoft Exchange Programming. Microsoft CRM has Exchange connector which moves CRM incoming email to MS if it has GUID in its subject. You can alter this logic (for instance - move email to CRM if it doesnt have GUID but it is from the sender who is contact or account in MS CRM). Refer to MS Exchange SDK onsyncsave event handling. Then simply apply some MS CRM SDK programming - you need some COM+ objects creation and VB programming experience.
5.Direct SQL touch in #4 above I described you the scenario with MS Exchange handlers this would be ideal world if MS CRM SDK does the job. But in real world this is not always true you have to do direct flags correction in CRM database (like making Activity closed, moving email attachments/octet streams, etc). This is not supported by MBS technical support but you can rescue to this technique if you have to get job done.
6.MS CRM Customization tool this is rather end-user tool and we dont describe it here read the manual. Weve described above the options to use when this tool doesnt do the job
7.Crystal Reports - feel free to create Crystal report - tables and views structure is self explanatory. Try to avoid the temptation to create your own SQL view or stored procedure in MS CRM database, instead - create custom database and place your view and stored proc in it.

Happy customizing, modifying and developing! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Dallas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, CRM & RMS: serving international clien

Microsoft Business Solutions products: Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft RMS are now serving not only to small and mid-size, but also large clients, plus they maybe reasonably priced solution for the branch of multi-national corporation.

Microsoft Business Solutions products: Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft RMS are now serving not only to small and mid-size, but also large clients, plus they maybe reasonably priced solution for the branch of multi-national corporation.

Microsoft Business Solutions products: Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft RMS are now serving not only to small and mid-size, but also large clients, plus they maybe reasonably priced solution for the branch of multi-national corporation.  This raises question of supporting Microsoft Business Solutions product installation remotely and internationally.  We do not question local Microsoft partners service quality, the question maybe different local partners may not be authorized to sell and service specific MBS product, the example in France MBS promotes Navision, but there are multiple cases when branch of the US-based company in France needs users training and support for Microsoft Great Plains system.

In this small article we are trying to give you the best system selection idea, depending on your country and business type.

Microsoft has two major mid-market ERP packages: Microsoft Great Plains and Navision (Solomon is the one to consider for Project oriented company this would deserve dedicated publication).

• Microsoft Great Plains this application serves the markets, formerly targeted and gained by Great Plains Software (Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise or Great Plains Accounting), later on GPS was purchased by Microsoft.  These markets are: USA, Canada, Spanish Speaking South and Central America (except Brazil), South Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.  If you are in these regions you should probably consider Microsoft Great Plains
• Navision we believe that Microsoft bought Navision Software Denmark based software development company few years ago in order to get European market share.  However Navision Software itself had long history of penetration to US market.  This is why we see Navision clients in both Europe and US. Now Microsoft seems to appreciate Navision accommodation to former European tax and language specifics and it promotes Navision on emerging markets: Russia, East Europe, Africa, Asia.  In Brazil situation is more complex Microsoft have not decided yet and you can have either Navision or Great Plains (our subdivision Enterlogix.com.br is exclusive Great Plains reseller in Brazil).  It is very delicate question for MBS - but what you can see - Great Plains version 8.0 has fewer number of languages support and at the same time Navision has more with new releases.
• Microsoft CRM Microsoft promotes its CRM worldwide and it is web based so it naturally automates your worldwide operations or serves you in your local country.  Microsoft CRM has C# and VB.Net based SDK, BizTalk server based integration to Great Plains and Microsoft SQL Server database.  Plus it deploys all the spectrum of Microsoft technologies: MS Exchange, Message Queuing, Active Directory.
• Solomon - this ERP application was formerly bought by Great Plains Software (before GPS was bought it its turn by Microsoft) - Solomon is very good fit for project-driven organization. 
• Microsoft RMS you should probably stay with Navision Retail module if you are in the region where MBS promotes Navision.  In all other places consider Microsoft Retail Management System: RMS Store Operations and POS.  If you have multiple stores you may manage and control them via Microsoft RMS Headquarters.  RMS has several integration options to Microsoft Great Plains.
• Remote Support Technology it gives you cheaper consulting rates, because consultant doesnt have to travel to you and can serve several remote clients per day.  Microsoft VPN and Remote desktop solution is usually free for the client and in the case of sophisticated firewall Web Session could be another way to serve.  We do voice training, based on Internet telephony solutions, such as Skype enable you free voice over the internet.
• Customization it is always better to avoid it however if you really need it, you should consider MBS customization partner who specializes in custom development and has experienced programmer.  In such a case we do not recommend to stick to local programmers in our experience local markets may not provide enough clientele for local developers to specialize in your product customization.  Also we do not recommend choosing generic offshore software developer.  MBS products require dedication in their customizations and integrations.

You can always have us help you internationally, give us a call: 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft RMS customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Arizona, Colorado, California, Texas, New York, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota( http://www.albaspectrum.com )

Microsoft CRM in Latin America: implementation, customization, support overview for consultant

Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the US software market plus it makes advances in Europe.  We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across South and Central AmericaMicrosoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the US software market plus it makes advances in Europe.  We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across South and Central America

 

Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is present several years on the US software market plus it makes advances in Europe.  We expect substantial number growth of Microsoft CRM implementations across South and Central America and the need for Microsoft CRM implementation, support, tuning, reporting, training services, especially in such countries as Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Chili, Costa Rica.  In this small article we try to project US market lessons on Latin American business climate.

• Sales.  Microsoft CRM in opposite to former CRM leaders, such as Siebel, Onyx, Saleslogix doesnt need hard pushing sales efforts.  It also should probably not be sold to the company top management, but rather to IT department enthusiasts, who are in charge for specific legacy business system support and data fixing.  Microsoft CRM is very simple from business logic and intuitively understood by IT group.  It is rather very simplified version of full-featured CRM, such as again Siebel.
• Installation.  Microsoft CRM should be either hosted or installed by in-house IT group.  And this is due to the fact, that MS CRM utilizes all the resent Microsoft technologies: MS Exchange Server 2003/2000, Active Directory, MS SQL Server, Crystal Reports Enterprise, MS Outlook client, Microsoft IIS, .Net components, etc.  This makes installation sensitive to existing setup of the above components
• Implementation.  The crucial in the implementation is Workflow design, which should be probably done by consultant with IT in-house specialist.  This process doesnt require a lot of business consulting knowledge and in our experience company middle management actually makes suggestions in the time of initial presentation.  In the case of MS CRM Sales module the workflow should organize leads processing up to the point of closing the deal and following invoicing.  When workflow is realized sales team works as excellent orchestra.
• Customization.  Usually MS CRM ties together existing legacy business systems and replaces large portion of them.  Typical case if you are freight forwarding client and have cargo tracking system you should more likely have lookup from the MS CRM account screen to the customer current shipments statuses.  This is usually made as small web application, created in Visual Studio.Net with MS CRM SDK and SQL queries to legacy database.
• Support.  Because MS CRM is web application it can be used by remote users and automate operations across the whole South America and even Worldwide.  The same should be said about MS CRM support your Microsoft Business Solutions CRM Partner can support your installation remotely from say office in San Pablo as if it is located across the street.

Good luck implementing, customizing and reports designing and if you have issues or concerns we are here to help!  If you want us to do the job - give us a call in San Pablo: 55-11-3826-3449, 55-113825-2586! help@albaspectrum.com

Author is MS CRM Specialist in Microsoft Business Solutions Partner Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) Navision, Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving client in Mexico-city, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Bogota, Caracas, Panama, San Jose, Lima, Quito, Madrid, Barcelona

Microsoft CRM implementation & customization: MS CRM Fax Gateway

With this small article we are continuing Microsoft Business Solutions CRM customization, development, modification, setup and implementation discussion.
Microsoft CRM at this moment doesnt have advanced fax automation you can register the fact of fax receiving or sending, but it is not sufficient for your daily work with your clients. User should be able to send and receive faxes in her/his work environment it is in MS CRM

With this small article we are continuing Microsoft Business Solutions CRM customization, development, modification, setup and implementation discussion.
Microsoft CRM at this moment doesnt have advanced fax automation you can register the fact of fax receiving or sending, but it is not sufficient for your daily work with your clients. User should be able to send and receive faxes in her/his work environment it is in MS CRM

Fax software automation market is very mature and we dont have to re-invite the bicycle here. All we have to do is integrate one of the reliable solutions into Microsoft CRM. Lets look at the technical aspects of the integration:

• Modification should be based on the standard event Fax Activity logic alteration. Standard CRM version allows in- or out-going fax info saving into SQL database. Alternative form should have additional parameters for fax delivering
• Immediately after the moment of fax saving into CRM database, Albaspectrum MS CRM Universal Fax Connector takes over the logic, more precisely its fax sending portion of the logic, realized as MS CRM Post-Callout, registered for Fax Activity addition and update. At the moment of new fax activity creation, our module considers attached documents as subject to be transferred to the addressee.
•  Depending on the fax application/extension you use, call parameters are transferred to the appropriate plug-in, which in turn communicates with fax application.
• Fax sending might be done through specialized systems or direct hardware control via MS FAX API.
• Initially we plan to support GFI FaxMaker and Captaris RightFax via their printing & integration system with email servers MS Exchange and Lotus Domino
• Documents, delivered or received through fax extension could be integrated into MS SharePoint via our proposed product Albaspectrum MS CRM Document Gateway. This allows you to revise and versionize document with automatic fax delivery to the addressees involved
• For incoming faxes we suggest capturing via special handlers on the MTA (MS Exchange or Lotus Domino) level their task is to take over fax transfer and saving it for the addressee in CRM and Fax Activity creation in MS CRM
• This approach provides seamless incoming and outgoing fax document workflow in MS CRM.

Happy programming, implementation, customization and modification! If you want us to do the job call use 1-630-961-5918, 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Lead Software Developer in Alba Spectrum Technologies USA nationwide Oracle, Navision, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving Chicago, California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, Canada, Australia, UK, Russia, Europe and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Oracle, Unix, Microsoft CRM SDK, Navision, C#, VB.Net, SQL developer.

Microsoft CRM: data conversion import from Act!

Best Software Act! is very popular CRM for small and mid-size organization.   This system attracts business owner by its low price, plus system is very easy to use.  However if your business is growing you should reach the moment to implement more advanced CRM solution.  Natural question is how do we convert the data from Act! to new CRM solution and the mapping of your objects for conversion.  You would probably like to avoid operator data entry with potential numerous errors and mistypes.  Assuming that you are IT specialist, well give you technical side of Act to MS CRM data migration

This system attracts business owner by its low price, plus system is very easy to use.  However if your business is growing you should reach the moment to implement more advanced CRM solution.  Natural question is how do we convert the data from Act! to new CRM solution and the mapping of your objects for conversion.  You would probably like to avoid operator data entry with potential numerous errors and mistypes.  Assuming that you are IT specialist, well give you technical side of Act to MS CRM data migration:

• First you need to download Act! SDK from Best Software website
• Install Act! SDK on the computer, where you plan to do programming
• Well use asynchronous data export/import model, this means that well design the system, containing two parts: export into XML and this XML file import into the CRM
• Lets code Act! data export application, well use C# to address Act Framework classes, well need these libraries:

using Act.Framework;
using Act.Framework.Activities;
using Act.Framework.Companies;
using Act.Framework.ComponentModel;
using Act.Framework.Contacts;
using Act.Framework.Database;
using Act.Framework.Groups;
using Act.Framework.Histories;
using Act.Framework.Lookups;
using Act.Framework.MutableEntities;
using Act.Framework.Notes;
using Act.Framework.Opportunities;
using Act.Framework.Users;
using Act.Shared.Collections;

• To connect to Act! database:

ActFramework framework = new ActFramework();
framework.LogOn("Act Username", "password", "SERVER, "Database");

• Now we need Act field names to map them with the fields in the MS CRM:

private void ShowContactsFieldsDescriptions(ActFramework framework) {

    ContactFieldDescriptor[] cFields = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptors();

    ContactFieldDescriptor cField;

    for(int x = 0; x < cFields.Length; x++)

        {

            cField = cFields[x];
            Console.WriteLine("Table Name:tt{0}", cField.TableName);
            Console.WriteLine("Column Name:t{0}", cField.ColumnName);
            Console.WriteLine("Display Name:t{0}", cField.DisplayName);
            Console.WriteLine("ACT Field Type:t{0}", cField.ACTFieldType);
            Console.WriteLine("");

         }

}

• Lets get contact list and create the file for import instructions to MS CRM:

ContactList cList = framework.Contacts.GetContacts(null);
FileInfo t = new FileInfo("Contacts.xml");
StreamWriter stw = t.CreateText();

• Now we form export data:

for (int i = 0; i < cList.Count; i++) {

    string strContactXml = "<contact>";

    ContactFieldDescriptor cField;
    Object oValue;

    // First Name
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.FIRSTNAME");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);
    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<firstname><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></firstname>";

    // Last Name
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.LASTNAME");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);

    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<lastname><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></lastname>";
    else
 strContactXml += "<lastname>" + "N/A" + "</lastname>";

    // Salutation
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.SALUTATION");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);
    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<salutation><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></salutation>";

    // Job Title
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.JOBTITLE");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);

    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<jobtitle><![CDATA[" + Regex.Replace(oValue.ToString(), "rn", "<BR>") + "]]></jobtitle>";

• This is only portion of the data, that could be transferred into CRM, the whole list of fields is too long for small article, but your could design the whole list of desired fields.  Please, pay special attention to replace <BR> HTML tag this is required for text data transfer into CRM
• Next is import application creation.  We will not describe here connection to MS CRM details please read Microsoft CRM SDK if you need this examples.  Well concentrate on the nature of the import.

 The XML export file should look like this:

<contact><firstname><![CDATA[John]]></firstname><lastname><![CDATA[Smith]]></lastname><salutation><![CDATA[John]]></salutation><address1_line1><![CDATA[1234 W. Big River]]></address1_line1><address1_city><![CDATA[Chicago]]></address1_city><address1_stateorprovince><![CDATA[IL]]></address1_stateorprovince><address1_postalcode><![CDATA[123456]]></address1_postalcode><description><![CDATA[Toy Corporation]]></description><ownerid type="8">{4F1849C3-9184-48B5-BB09-078ED7AB2DAD}</ownerid></contact>

• Reading, parsing and MS CRM object creation look is relatively simple:

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser bizUser = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser();

        ICredentials credentials = new NetworkCredential(crmUsername, crmPassword, crmDomain);

        bizUser.Url = crmDir + "BizUser.srf";

        bizUser.Credentials = credentials;

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CUserAuth userAuth = bizUser.WhoAmI();

        // CRMContact proxy object

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMContact contact = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMContact ();

        contact.Credentials = credentials;
        contact.Url = crmDir + "CRMContact.srf";
        CorrectXML("Contacts.xml", userAuth.UserId);
        StreamReader reader = File.OpenText("Contacts.xml");

        string input = null;                       

        while ((input = reader.ReadLine()) != null)

        {

            string strContactId = contact.Create(userAuth, input);
            Console.WriteLine("Contact {0} is created", strContactId);
            log.Debug("Contact " + strContactId + " is created");

}

• Just consider in more details CorrectXML function it places OwnerId into XML contact tree:

        private void CorrectXML(string fileName, string userId) {

           File.Move(fileName, fileName + ".old");
           StreamReader reader = File.OpenText(fileName + ".old");
           FileInfo t = new FileInfo(fileName);
           StreamWriter writer = t.CreateText();
           string input = null;

           while ((input = reader.ReadLine()) != null) {

               input = Regex.Replace(input, "{_REPLACE_ME_}", userId);
               writer.WriteLine(input);

           }

           reader.Close();
           writer.Close();
           File.Delete(fileName + ".old");

        }

• Finally, we are launching export, import, opening MS CRM and looking at the contact list, transferred from Act!
• Separate task would be Sales data from Act!, Notes etc. we plan to describe them in the future articles

Good luck with integration!  If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), serving Microsoft Great Plains, CRM, Navision to mid-size and large clients in California, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan

Microsoft Great Plains & CRM in Transportation & Logistics overview

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains and MS CRM (client relation management system) are very popular in various industries and market niches. In previous article we described Microsoft Great Plains implementation for transportation & logistics company. Having more material, we would like to share with you how you can leverage Microsoft Business Solutions products to automate your business. Well try to be both technical and business processes specific and be laconic to comply the rules of tiny article.

• Cargo/Shipment Tracking System. Transportation & Logistics industry is pretty mature and you more likely have industry standard (like Efreight) or custom system. So, if you plan to implement new ERP it should be tightly integrated with your cargo tracking system.

• Customer Base. This is the question of the core application. If you have to sell to a large number of prospects and track their relatively small shipments you should first consider Microsoft CRM, which has Sales and Service modules. In this case you should enable shipment status lookup from MS CRM screens. In the case when you ship to limited number of large customers you are focusing on the profitability of the shipments and looking at Great Plains as the core system.

• Agent Settlement. This seems to be logistics industry feature. You use agents and settle their AR/AP invoices on the monthly or weekly basis. In Great Plains you should use customer/vendor consolidation, available for Great Plains Professional version. Plus you will need Great Plains Dexterity or .Net customization to link SOP and POP invoices in the settlement process.

• eConnect. Each logistics business has unique business processes and this is why we see software developers in staff plus strong IT department. This makes eConnect (Microsoft Great Plains SDK) very popular among logistics companies. You can create Great Plains objects: Customers, Invoices, Purchase Orders, etc. Plus it allows you to eliminate GP licenses cost you can have users work with Great Plains through web forms

• Integration Technology. In the case of both Great Plains and Microsoft CRM you use MS SQL Server linked server technology. Then you deploy MS CRM SDK, Dexterity, Heterogeneous Stored Procedures.

• Programming Tools. You use Visual Studio.Net to program MS CRM lookups, in some cases you can use WebMatrix, but we do not recommend tools, which do not have rich debugging features.

• Reporting. Crystal Reports is the tool of choice. You should create heterogeneous SQL view and base you Crystal Report on this view. Microsoft CRM security suggests you to use MS CRM SDK or built-in Crystal Reports Enterprise to comply.

• MS CRM Messaging. Microsoft CRM Exchange connector has relatively straightforward mechanism GUID in the message header. If you need advanced messaging capturing emails, based on contact email or domain you main consider advanced connector, developed and supported by Alba Spectrum Technologies. In some cases you would like to use Lotus Notes Domino as email server this is also possible.

You can always have us help you, give us a call: 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is consultant and CTO in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) Microsoft Business Solutions partner, serving clients in Illinois, New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Minnesota, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, Russia. He is Microsoft Great Plains certified master, Great Plains Dexterity, Microsoft CRM SDK C#.Net, Crystal Repots developer.

help@albaspectrum.com

Customer Relationship Management - 2 Secrets Every Small Business Owner Should Know!

When was the last time you received some form of communication, such as a postcard, phone call, or email, from a business asking how satisfied you were with their products and services? If you're like me, you may not be able to remember the last time because it has been so long (almost three years for me).

When was the last time you received some form of communication from a business to thank you for using their products or services or to simply maintain friendly contact with you? Once again, if you're like me, it has been a very long time.

In fact, the last time a business did that with me was almost seven years ago. I had spent several nights at a Bed & Breakfast in Colorado during the summer of 1999, and I received a Christmas card from the owners that Christmas with a picture of their house during one of Colorado's famous blizzards.

It was a nice follow-up on their part. When I received the card, it brought back the memory of the great experience and fun that I had while staying there. It also made a very nice impression on me that they had taken the time and effort to send me such a nice Christmas card (in reality, there wasn't much effort involved on their part, but recipients of this type of communication always magnify the effort in their minds).

This type of follow-up is one area in which almost all businesses fail miserably. Customer relationships are the life force of every business, yet business owners continually neglect these relationships. And it costs them dearly.

Think about all the money that a business may spend on advertising to bring in new customers. Think about all the money that a business may spend on creating a high-quality experience for their customers. Now think about how much most businesses spend to cultivate and reinforce their relationships with current customers.

How about your business? What do you, as a business owner, do to cultivate your relationships with your current customers? A current satisfied customer is your greatest asset. Not only are they already predisposed to continue doing business with you, but they are one of the absolute best sources of new customers through the power of "word-of-mouth" advertising.

Sure, your paid advertising promotes your business as being "the best". But paid advertising is almost never viewed as being objective. After all, everybody's paid advertising promotes their business as being "the best".

On the other hand, when a customer who has no profit motive enthusiastically recommends your business, that recommendation is worth its' weight in gold. People will trust the independent recommendations of others. That's just one of the many reasons why you should always take good care of your customers.

Okay, so how can you cultivate a high-quality relationship with your customers? Let's start by developing a simple action plan that you can begin to use immediately.

First, you need to collect contact information for your customers. Ideally, you should choose a method of contact that fits your type of business. In my example above, the postcard with a picture of the Bed & Breakfast was a great method of contact for that particular type of business. It was personal and effective. If you sell very expensive items, then you may want to consider a personal phone call. For many businesses, email contact may be the best method.

Whatever method of contact you choose, just be sure to let your customers know that you value their privacy and will not disclose their contact information to anyone else (trust is a huge part of any relationship). In some cases, you may even have to offer a little something to encourage your customers to provide their contact information. If necessary, do so.

Second, follow-up with your customers on a regular basis. You will need to decide what that regular basis should be based on the type of business you own. If you own a dress shop, then you may want to contact your customers and let them know that you just received a new inventory of the very latest fashions from one of your best suppliers. In this particular case, email or possibly snail mail will be your best method of contact.

If you own a boat dealership, then you may want to send recent boat buyers a note letting them know that you just received a new shipment of accessories that they may be interested in seeing. You may want to send less recent customers a note telling them about the new boat models you now have in stock and the incredible trade-in program you are currently running. Or maybe you can tell them about a "Customer Appreciation Sale" that you are having.

Perhaps you can contact your customers and offer them a special deal that will allow you to smooth a seasonal demand that your business may have. If you operate a small engine or lawnmower repair shop, then March and April are going to be pretty busy months for you. Why not send a note to your customers in January offering a special discount on lawnmower maintenance if they act by February 15th? That will allow you to level your workload and avoid the huge peaks and valleys in demand that you would normally have to deal with.

I do have one word of caution though; be very careful with the content of your communication with your customers. Always try to provide some value whenever you contact your customers so that they don't just view your contact as nothing more than a cheap and poorly conceived sales pitch.

If you do a good job of cultivating your relationships with your customers, then your business will reap the rewards. So don't delay. Use what you have learned in this article to begin building a strong and lasting relationship with your customers. You'll be glad you did.

Gerald Cook holds a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree in Business Administration, and he has extensive real-world business consulting experience. Gerald is the author of the "One book every small business owner or manager should read!" Visit http://www.discovergreatsuccess.com for more details.

The Secret To Building Good Customer Relationships

While it may be your first reaction to make new sales or pursue bigger clients, the truth of the matter is that you should be paying attention to your existing customers as well. The secret to getting sustainable repeat business is to follow up with every customer, and an effective follow-up begins immediately after the sale. You should give the customer 24 to 48 hours and then phone them up just to say thank you and find out if they are pleased with what they purchased.

1. Educate Customers

Intentionally make a habit of pointing out to customers what excellent service you provide. Failing to constantly and repeatedly get in your customers face highlighting your over-the-top service is equivalent to losing customers. If you want to talk with customers in store, be sure to use a newsletter. It is a good idea to have an online newsletter as well.

2. Keep it personal

Instead of sending an e-mail, send a handwritten letter. Or at least follow up and leave them a voice message. Failure to be in constant communication is equivalent with the customer percieving that they aren't getting any additional service at all.

3. Be Aggressive About Collecting Data

If you need to collect data, be aggressive about it. Most people won't want to take even a moment of their day out to tell you about your business. Keep things simple and short - ratings should be out of 5 or 10 and never require a written response. The total time needed to do the survey should be under 30 seconds. You should give incentives to the customer such as a chance to win $1,000.

4. CRM in Business

The use of internet sites and specifically e-mail, in particular, are often touted as less expensive communication methods in comparison to traditional ones such as telephone calls. These types of technologies service can be very helpful, but it is completely useless to a business that cannot reach its customers. Some major companies believe that the majority of their clients trust other means of communication, like telephone, more than they trust e-mail. Clients, however, are usually not the ones to blame because it is often the manner of connecting with consumers on a personal level making them feel as though they are cherished as customers. It is up to companies to focus on reaching every customer and developing a relationship.

It is possible for CRM software to run an entire business. From prospect and client contact tools to billing history and bulk email management. The CRM system allows a business to maintain all customer records in one centralized location that is accessible to an entire organization through password administration. Front office systems are set up to collect data from the customers for processing into the data warehouse. The data warehouse is a back office system used to fulfill and support customer orders. All customer information is stored in the data warehouse. Back office CRM makes it possible for a company to follow sales, orders, and cancellations. Special regressions of this data can be very beneficial for the marketing division of a firm/company.

For more great customer related articles and resources check out http://makemoneycentral.info

How to Increase Sales with Automation Improvements

How to Increase Sales with Automation Improvements

 by: Diana Barnum

How popular is online shopping? And is there room for improvement? Lets check out some pros and cons of automated shopping and see.

Digital carts offer convenience for people around the globe 24 hours a day. Yet an estimated 4 percent of shoppers make purchases, up from 3.5 percent in 2003, reported by DoubleClick, an online marketing company.

And approximately 30 percent of shopping carts are abandoned, according to recent surveys by BizRate.com, a shopping search engine.

The main reasons for shopping cart abandonment are*:

• High shipping prices (72%)

• Comparison shopping or browsing (61%)

• Changed mind (56%)

• Saving items for later purchase (51%)

• Total cost of items is too high (43%)

• Checkout process is too long (41%)

• Checkout requires too much personal information (35%)

• Site requires registration before purchase (34%)

• Site is unstable or unreliable (31%)

• Checkout process is confusing (27%)

To decrease shopping cart abandonment and increase sales, simple minor improvements in automation can be highly effective. Here are some tips that work best for clients and workers alike of OhioHelp.net, an Ohio-based company that specializes in helping businesses worldwide with their marketing, public relations and freelance writing services.

TOP TIPS FROM OHIOHELP.NET

1. Calculate all handling charges and fees in with your price whenever possible, so that you can offer no-cost shipping. And check for specials like Flat Rate packages with Priority Shipping.

2. Dont have people pre-register, fill out lengthy forms, wait for email confirmation, find their password / user ID and figure out how to log in again and continue to fill out more detailed forms and click through a half-dozen pages. Ugh! People want to shop, buy and go. Period.

3. On EVERY page of your site, shopping cart, receipt and Thank You or other automated reply, list complete contact information. Include a specific person to follow up with, business phone number and postal address (no P.O. Box) and a direct email address like diana@ohiohelp.net (i.e. not info@ohiohelp.net). Then if the Internet connection fails, the site goes down or any number of other technical issues occurs, the shopper immediately has concrete information for follow up.

4. Set your product order numbers at one (1). In other words, when someone clicks a purchase button, have the cart say one (1) item purchased when they preview their cart instead of zero, making them select 1 again.

5. Include a no-cost gift in the shopping cart, with the receipt or in the Thank You email, especially with large purchases. Let your customers know you appreciate their business. And ask for referrals!

6. Test special product and package prices with offers on a Thank You page or with a Thank You email.

7. Accept multiple payment options when possible; credit cards, faxed and telephone orders, print checks, money orders, echecks and 3rd party solutions like Paypal. Note: many businesses use American Express.

8. Choose a progressive shopping cart software solution like ProfitAuto at http://presssuccess.com/AutoPilot for a variety of services, pricing packages and options for company growth. ProfitAuto manages not only the cart but also your leads, contacts and shoppers with automated Thank You follow up. It also has autoresponders for pre-sale and after-sale communications, digital tracking and delivery solutions, importing / exporting of lists and autoresponder series, electronic coupons, affiliate programs and more.

NO-COST TRIAL AND INFORMATION

For a 30-day no-cost trial of ProfitAuto, sign up online at http://presssuccess.com/AutoPilot . And download ebooks with loads of information to help with your business from the Freebies section of the OhioHelp.net bookstore at http://www.presssuccess.com/bookstore

So tweak your checkout process. Make your clients and your company happy. And ring up more sales. To learn more top tips and receive them on a regular basis at no charge in your email, sign up at http://ohiohelp.net today or email diana@ohiohelp.net.

* From research (Fall, 2001) by Vividence Corporation, specializing in Customer Experience Management (CEM) products and services.

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You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated - send to: diana@ohiohelp.net

Diana Barnum, president of http://movingaheadcommunications.com and CEO of http://ohiohelp.net. For more help with marketing, public relations and writing, email diana@ohiohelp.net or call: (614) 529-9459.