Microsoft Dynamics CRM: Q2 2012 Update

Earlier this week Microsoft announced that the next Microsoft Dynamics CRM service update will be released between April and May.

Under the branding 'CRM Anywhere' this update will include what we and many Dynamics users have been crying out for, multiple web browser and device support!

The official release preview guide can be downloaded here but here are the highlights:

Multi Browser Support for Micosoft CRM

At last! With the Q2 2012 update Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be accessible and supported in non-Microsoft web browsers:

• Internet Explorer (Version 7+): Windows 7 / Vista / XP
• Firefox (Version 6+): Windows 7 / Vista / XP, Apple Mac OS-X
• Chrome (Version 13+): Windows 7 / Vista / XP
• Safari (Version 5.1.1+): Apple Mac OS-X, iPad 2 (iOS 5.x) 

Microsoft are promoting this wider compatibility for end users and our understanding is that administrators will still need to use an IE browser to access these and other database customisation pages.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile

As part of the CRM Anywhere release Dynamics CRM will also include the option of upgrading to a new CRM mobile application.

Microsoft will be providing a range of CRM apps for multiple mobile devices including iPad and iPhone. This will represent a step up from the default Mobile Express which doesn't always fit for all mobile users so everyone can have a closer connection to CRM from their device of choice.

These will be feature rich include functions for dial / text from CRM records, mapping using CRM data and CRM dashboards.

Native Microsoft CRM Mobile apps will include support for:

• iPhone 3GS+: iOS 5+
• Android: 2.2+
• Windows Phone: 7.5+
• Blackberry: 6.x & 7.x
• iPad & iPad2: iOS 5+

The Microsoft CRM Mobile Service will be available to on-premise and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online cloud users with an offline working option.

An additional subscription will be needed to for each user that requires access to this service. The price is being advertised as USD30 per user each month so that's likely to be around £20 in the UK.

Administrators will be able to set mobile profiles that can be role specific. We understand there'll be a safeguard to remotely wipe devices of CRM data if they are lost or stolen but we'll have to wait for further detail on this.

Each CRM mobile licence will give a user the flexibility to connect from up to as many as 3 devices so that's great news for users with an iPhone and iPad.

To whet our appetite Microsoft have released this screenshot of the CRM Mobile App for the iPad

Activity Feed Improvements

The final service release of 2011 introduced new CRM activity feeds reflecting Microsoft's increasing focus on adding social media functions to CRM.

The Q2 2012 update develops these feeds by adding new filter options:

• Filter activity feeds to show just your own @myuser account mentions
• Apply activity feed filters based on CRM views so even if you don't follow a specific content, opportunities or account these updates will still appear in your activity wall
• The updated activity feeds will also include an new option to 'like' and 'unlike' posts
• Microsoft will release a dedicated activity feed app for Windows Phone 7.5

Rapid View Forms

This new option will enable selected user groups to open CRM records in light weight form. It's designed for users who mainly need just read only access by improving load times as less data will be downloaded.

These forms will be configured like any other in Microsoft CRM 2011 so they can be used to display contacts, accounts, cases and other entities.

Users can switch to an editing function with the click of a button and set defaults to choose the form open mode between the standard edit and rapid view.


Other CRM Q2 2012 Updates

For On-Premise Users

Supports Microsoft SQL Server 2012: The release guide outlines examples of the CRM performance gains with a SQL Server 2012 implementation.

An example Power View BI
report using CRM data

New BI Capabilities: Other CRM functions will use the extended SQL 2012 capabilities including a new reporting add-in for Sharepoint Server 2010 called Power View to provide an advancement in the analysis and presentation of business intelligence. As part of the update CRM will include a series of pre-defined Power View templates.

At this stage Power View reports will only be available to on-premise customers but similar functions will be rolled out to hosted Online accounts in a later release.

For CRM Online Users

Customer Workflow Assemblies: Currently Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online doesn't support custom workflow assemblies but the Q2 2012 release will resolve that so plug-in's and other assemblies can be applied to CRM workflows for Online and on-premise databases.

Extra Online Certifications: For the Q2 2012 Service Update Microsoft will have increased their cloud computing and hosting certifications to include: ISO27001, SAS 70 Type II, SOX, SSAE 16 SOC1, Safe Harbor, Data Processing Agreement, EU Model Clauses and HIPAA compliance.

We'll hear a lot more about all the improvements in the Q2 Dynamics CRM release over the coming weeks so we'll share further information when we receive it.

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Warren Butler
wbutler@preact.co.uk