Pablo Peralta's Blog

3 Reasons why I am so excited about attending Convergence 2013!

pablop — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:30:00 GMT

Convergence 2013 is just around the corner! New Orleans seems to be closer everyday :)

I can’t really hide how excited I feel about attending this event again, the biggest one in the year for the Microsoft Dynamics Community. This is also an special year for us at UruIT Dynamix and for me, both as a member of this fantastic crew and as a rep of the MS Dynamics CRM Spanish Community, elblogdedynamicscrm.com.

So geeked I feel that I decided to share with you just 3 main reasons why this is so special for me:

Reason #1: getting together with lots of great friends :-). Dynamics CRM community and specially, the MVP community is my second family and this is the chance (sometimes the unique among the year) to get everyone together in a non-virtual fashion ;-). E-mail, chat, social networks, etc, all work fine but nothing like gathering in the same place and share some drinks ;-).

I guess you can recognize several of these faces and if you are one of them, probably will feel some nostalgia…

…the above was taken at MVP Summit 2011 and it is amazing how this family has grown in just a couple of years:

This is from the last MVP Summit that I couldn’t attend unfortunately and that’s also why maybe I am so anxious to catch up with everyone!.

Reason #2: being honored by co-authoring The CRM Field Guide with several recognized MVPs, now I am keen on with the idea of signing books together at CRM User Group booth. This will be carried out every day at 2pm so stop by the booth to meet the authors, say hello, tell us your feedback and get your copy signed by any of us.

In addition, special discounts coupons will be offered if you don’t have the book and want to buy it right there. As far as I know, limited number of books will be available so I’d recommend you hurry up for your copy in that case ;-).

The CRM Field Guide is an essential guide to Microsoft Dynamics CRM that everyone should have on their bookshelf. This book offers you details not only on CRM fundamentals and extensibility points but also the tried and true best practices and strategies of the combined experience of some of the most recognizable global experts in the CRM industry. The field guide contains insights from many CRM MVP contributors and is intended to be a book you pick up over and over again as you use CRM.

Reason #3: having our own booth where we will be officially showing the RTW version of CRMGamified®, our innovative gamification add-on for Dynamics CRM that I personally have strong feelings it will change the way companies fuel users adoption, a hot topic in CRM / XRM projects.

In addition, mimicking CRMGamified®, we came up with the crazy idea of gamifying Convergence with a KINECT game specially developed for this occasion, where you can earn points, share your score and get some gifts based on your score. Just stop by booth #457 | Hall F to join the fun! :) .

A preliminary, under development screenshot that I shouldn’t’ be sharing yet …

So, hope to see you all there!!. Are you also excited about Convergence? Hope so!.

Cheers!

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | #1 in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

Founder of the #1 MS Dynamics CRM Spanish Community, elblogdedynamicscrm.com

Error importing solution: Found more than one RibbonDiff entity

pablop — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:41:12 GMT

Hi,

When trying to import (actually update) an unmanaged solution, the import process failed due to an error in the ribbon of an existent entity. Pretty odd I didn’t modify it since last import.

I downloaded the log file and found the actual error message which was:

Error

Found more than one RibbonDiff entity

Did some research and found it is a known issue, documented in this KB article.

Cause

What the above article suggests is that there may be duplicate LocLabel nodes with same LocLabel Id. Nevertheless, after opening my customizations.xml I couldn’t find any duplicates.

Solution

In my case, what I did to sort out this problem was:

Open solution zip file and edit customizations.xml (back it up first, obviously )
Completely replace the whole <RibbonDiffXml> node with just an empty one:

Just leave it as is: “<RibbonDiffXml />”

Import the solution. This time, it should work and import process should complete successfully.
Publish customizations
Undo the changes to customizatinos.xml file, restoring the original <RibbonDiffXml> node.
Import again the solution.
It should work again .

Hope it helps to save you some time.

Regards,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | #1 in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

There is a problem communicating with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server– Outlook 2010 through VPN –System.ServiceModel.FaultException: The request for security token could not be satisfied because authentication failed.

pablop — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 03:16:52 GMT

Hi,

Today I was trying to connect CRM Outlook Client with Dynamics CRM 2011 through VPN and got the typical "There is a problem communicating with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server...." error.

I clicked on the “View log” link at the end of this “friendly message”, and the log pointed me to the following problem:

Microsoft.Crm.CrmException: Logon failed because credentials are invalid ---> Microsoft.Crm.Passport.IdCrl.IdCrlException: GetAuthState() - Request Status:
at Microsoft.Crm.Passport.IdCrl.OnlineServicesFederationLogOnManager.LogonOrgId(String policy, String partner, LOGON_FLAG logonFlag)

Now, I found this error pretty odd as it was an On-premises deployment and not Online. Seems it was not the actual error for me. Obviously I tried it via Internet Explorer and it worked fine..

So, I decided to open Microsoft Dynamics Diagnostics tool in my client machine and turn on Tracing (which is much more trustworthy)! (Start –> All Programs –> Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 –> Diagnostics).

Then, run Configuration Wizard again and reproduce the error. Now you will find a new file in the following folder: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\MSCRM\Traces

where <user> = current logged in user in the system

[Problem]

Once opened the tracing file found out the actual cause of the problem which was the following one:

Exception: System.ServiceModel.Security.SecurityNegotiationException: The caller was not authenticated by the service. ---> System.ServiceModel.FaultException: The request for security token could not be satisfied because authentication failed.
at System.ServiceModel.Security.SecurityUtils.ThrowIfNegotiationFault(Message message, EndpointAddress target)
at System.ServiceModel.Security.SspiNegotiationTokenProvider.GetNextOutgoingMessageBody(Message incomingMessage, SspiNegotiationTokenProviderState sspiState)

[Solution]

As I was connecting through VPN and I was outside the company domain, my problem was with Windows Credentials, where credentials were stored for that web url.

So, the steps I followed to solve this problem were:

Close Configuration Wizard.
Open Windows Credentials store (Control Panel –> Credential Manager)
Look for the credentials associated to the organization Url. (typically found under the convention “Microsoft_CRM_http://server:port)
DELETE that record.
Close Windows Credentials
CLOSE Internet Explorer if opened
Open Internet Explorer again
Navigate through the organization Url, credentials will be prompted
Specify the credentials in the format “domain\user” for the username part.
You should be able to enter CRM and work with it in IE.
Now, open again Configuration Wizard
In the Server URL field write http://server:port (where server = your CRM server name and port the specific port if need, i.e. 5555). Do NOT include the name of any oranization here.
Click on “Test Connection..”
You should be able to get through CRM server successfully and choose the organization to connect to from Outlook.

Hope it helps to save somebody else’s time,

Regards,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | #1 in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

10 deadly sins in CRM Users’ Adoption (full version)

pablop — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 05:06:26 GMT

Some days ago I wrote an article under this title in Spanish in our community blog (here) and it has several comments, mostly on social networks.

The CRMGamified® team took up that article and shared a summary of ideas expressed on it. Here is the article if interested in reading just a summary.

Now, I have been asked by several people in the CRM arena (not necessary related to Microsoft® Dynamics CRM) to post a more detailed version in English and that is what I will try in the following paragraphs.

Hope you like it and share your comments below and/or related social discussions in linkedin.

10 deadly sins in CRM User Adoption

The users’ adoption in CRM is undoubtedly one of the most important issues related to success in this kind of projects, and Forrester® has found it was the main cause of failure in 70% of CRM projects that failed.

We talked and discussed about this topic in our 2nd virtual event of the community of elblogdeDynamicsCRM.com community! (Spanish) with Gus Gonzalez and Javier Garagorri. Unfortunately the video couldn´t be recovered, since from my humble point of view it was a very enriching conversation in every way.

So, from that instance and due to a group of Dynamics CRM events that we are doing in the region, I have been compiling and presenting a summary of "10 deadly sins" that typically are committed in CRM projects related to the adoption of users.

In the following lines I will try to share these 10 sins:

1. Believing that a “blessing” from upper management is enough to get users engaged in CRM.

Sure we need managers to be on board with our CRM program but this is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.

We shouldn´t believe that if the manager supports and encourages the use of CRM, it simply will be used. If he doesn´t, it is very difficult for the CRM succeed but if he does, there is no guarantee that it will be adopted.

2. Having a Do-It-Yourself approach and only reveal the final stages of the project to end users.

This is very risky from the functional point of view (we could be doing something totally different than expected by final users). Besides, by doing this way, users are not involved neither committed with the project, so ‘legitimately’ increases resistance.

The real problem here is the lack of feedback. You are building the CRM for they, you do need to take their opinions into account. Use prototypes, pre-releases, demos. Make sure they get familiar with the product and their expectations in place.

3. Entering too slowly into the system.

Of course, implementation needs to be gradual, but keep in mind that it shouldn’t be too slow that users feel the CRM is a mere option. You need to prevent them from getting the idea that CRM is just a side dish in their day to day work.

Once the system is in place, you need to push it whenever you can to promote a change in users’ behavior.

I would like to paraphrase our fellow MVP Gus Gonzalez who advises to always answer “it’s in the CRM” to any question related to a case, an opportunity, etc – thus forcing users to rely on the system instead of spreadsheets, emails, notes, etc.

4. Blaming the software for lack of adoption.

No doubt about it. Microsoft® Dynamics CRM is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office. It’s a very powerful tool that consistently stands out as a CRM solution. There’s a very high chance that the tool is not the problem. If you feel that adoption is low because the software is not friendly enough… well, you are probably doing something wrong.

5. Choosing the wrong Power Users.

Selecting your power users by their time availability and willingness seems natural but it’s often a big mistake: those people are usually the newcomers; young people that may not have enough experience in the industry and, most importantly, don’t have the trust of veteran employees yet. Choosing them as your power users will probably create a much higher resistance to change.

You need to select power users that are deeply involved in the company’s processes, especially in their particular area or department. However, you need to avoid having only one power user per area. If doing so, you may found yourself very weak, depending on only one person’s mood, affair with the project and time availability.

You need to have more than one point of view to minimize risks and make sure that the implementation is successful in all areas of the company.

6.Dumping duplicated or dirty data.

Data migration from other systems and databases may need to be considered a subproject in itself. Data cleaning and redundancy elimination needs to be carefully implemented in order to have usable valuable information in the CRM.

In fact, data migration is one of the transverse processes of the development methodology Microsoft ® Sure Step.

For example, a data migration process "standard" that we often follow in our projects, lined-up with Microsoft ® Sure Step, looks like this:

Regarding the tools and resources used for data migration, at UruIT Dynamix we work with Scribe, a world-class software for migration and integration of data from and to Dynamics CRM. In other occasions we apply SSIS or we even involve the BI team to work with us in data cleaning practices.

This is the way Workbench - the Scribe´s tool for data mapping from different sources to CRM without having to write code - looks like:

7. Keeping the CRM isolated from other systems in the organization.

There are organizations in which is possible to run CRM as an independent isolated system (for a while at least), but that’s often not the case for large organizations, especially if you want to increase user adoption.

For example, at UruIT Dynamix we have experiences with Banks, Health companies, TELCOs, where not having the information of core banking or legacy systems where important customer information and history resides would be totally unacceptable.

Therefore, it is important that CRM “talks” with the others systems and databases in order to increase its value and in this way the user may have all the necessary information immediately.

The form of integration is a study that an architect must make carefully on the platform and it changes from project to project. At UruIT Dynamix we apply .Net processes, SSIS, Microsoft connectors (Dynamics connectors), Scribe, Biztalk, etc.

For quick reference, I include below the component´s architecture and integration points of Microsoft ® Dynamics CRM:

8. Underestimating training.

Dynamics CRM may seem intuitive enough to any Office user but don’t let that make you assume training is not important. In order to encourage user adoption it’s very important to make them feel confident in the system. You need to allocate enough time for trainings, if only to make your users feel they invested time and resources in learning something new.

9. Failing to communicate the value of on-going maintenance to organizations.

From my point of view, as consultants our job is not over the minute we implement the system. On the contrary, that’s when the ACTUAL challenge begins and it’s one in which our clients are going to need our help as much as when they first contacted us . If they don’t see the importance of maintenance that’s probably our fault for not making it clear.

This stage is part of the Microsoft ® Sure Step methodology called "Operations"

During this stage we make adjustments and optimizations. We also check the system´s health, we improve the performance, we apply update rollups, we add new abilities and produce new reports, etc.

We need to have a previous agreement for the maintenance of the project for at least one year. Optimization is key in every CRM. It will not be truly “complete” until it is put to the test of time and use.

10. Failing to measure user adoption and not rewarding achievements.

We need to be able to measure. Always. Everything we do to perfect the system needs to be based on data. How many of them are using it? How are they using it? Which issues are causing them troubles? The answers to these questions are essential if we want to answer the even more important questions: What changes do we need to apply? How do we get them to use it? How do we keep them engaged?

Por lo que en UruIT Dynamix nos embarcamos en un proyecto apasionante durante todo este año 2012, altamente innovador y pensado para atacar el problema de adopción de los usuarios, aplicando técnicas de “gamificación” para fomentar el uso. Su nombre es CRMGamified® y hemos liberado el primer Beta hace tan solo unas semanas. Está disponible para descargarlo GRATIS aquí.

To solve that problem we embraced on an exciting project all over the year 2012, highly innovative and designed to address the problem of user adoption and engagement, applying gamification techniques to encourage its use. We call it CRMGamified® and we´ve launched the first Beta FOR FREE a few weeks ago. It´s available to free download from here: http://crmgamified.com/

The idea is to reward users for the proper adoption of the system, for achievingtheir objectives (for example sales target). Thus, people are recognized for their work, they´re rewarded, a ranking of users is generated according the way they adopt CRM.

For managers this is an invaluable information: they will know exactly who is using the system and how, if the objectives are being achieved or not, who are not using the tool, as well as having the chance to influence the behavior and then also reward the staff for objective results.

We hope you try it and send us your comments. There have been hundreds of downloads these days and we have received a very good feedback. This really encourages us to continue developing the final release.

I hope the presentation of these 10 deadly sins of user adoption of CRM has been helpful for you.

Do you know any other sin that is not here? Comment it to us!

Regards,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | #1 in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

Today we are changing the way users will adopt Microsoft Dynamics CRM!

pablop — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:32:00 GMT

Hi all,

I’m really really excited to share this news with you! You have no idea of how long we’ve been waiting for this moment. For the past few months we’ve been very busy working on a new exciting project and now it’s finally time to let the game begin and tell you everything about it!

So, here it is. Pay attention. We call it CRM Gamified®.

Pretty self explanatory, isn’t it? Indeed, it’s a complete gamification solution for your CRM / xRM . A groundbreaking add-on for Microsoft® Dynamics CRM 2011 Online and On-premises that will change the way users adopt the CRM. It applies gamification technics to encourage the adoption of the CRM by final users (i.e. salespersons), rewarding them for their actions and goals achieved according to your business rules. In addition, it allows managers and CRM project sponsors to get real time information and metrics on how their teams are using the system, who is doing what, and how to influence people’s behavior to get better results and return on CRM investments.

Some screenshots:

CRMGamified News feed page:

People’s and Team’s Ranking:

User’s activity:

Statistics:

Rules configuration:

Excited about this too??? Well, there is one more thing…

We are letting you try it for FREE! :)

That’s right! We are so excited about CRM Gamified® that we just want to spread the word and let you be the judge. Please visit our home page (CRM Gamified®), fill the form and try CRM Gamified Beta for FREE.

I encourage you keep it up with the news, by following CRMGamified® in twitter.

We are starting something today. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Regards,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

My first contribution as co-author..

pablop — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 03:38:11 GMT

Hi everyone,

I want to share with you a big project that run together several of us, MVPs: The CRM Field Guide.

This is a very complete book, covering from the basis to the most complex techniques and customizations, including several best practices from real life, real experience.

Personally, I feel proud about this and it has been an important challenge and responsibility to be part of this project.

Hope it may help you out with your needs and questions.

The complete list of chapters is available here .

Regards,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Co-author The CRM Field Guide

A glimpse of the integrated experience of Dynamics CRM Online and office 365 in the same Microsoft Online Portal…

pablop — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 05:54:48 GMT

Hi,

Recently, I have been creating new trials of CRM Online and Office 365. Actually, for integrating SharePoint Online with CRM Online for some presentations.

Maybe you already know it or maybe not, but since last July, 19th, all new Dynamics CRM trials as well as conversions to paid version are provisioned by the Microsoft Online Services Portal (MOSP or MOP), the same as Office 365.

This allows users and administrators to get a unified and consistent experience, in addition to enable the possibility to set up single sign-on (identity federation) between on premises Active Directory and MS Online Services. Up to July 19th, Dynamics CRM Online depended on Windows Live ID and luckily it does not anymore :).

I honestly have to confess that the integrated experience within the MS Online Services Portal pleasantly surprised me. It really works pretty nice and makes our lives easier . As everything, it also has some room for improvements, but in general, it’s great!.

I want to share with you in this article some screenshots of this experience, by subscribing to Dynamics CRM Online first and then adding Office 365 as well as vice versa, by subscribing to Office 365 first and then adding Dynamics CRM Online.

Hope you enjoy it and give you a glimpse of these enhancements.

Subscribing to Dynamics CRM Online first and then adding Office 365

Go to http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/trial-overview and click on ‘Sign up now!’

Complete the information requested

Accept terms and conditions

Indicate password recovery data

Our new Trial organization is being created and setting up…

Once set up is finished, click on ‘Manage’ in order to manually set up remaining configurations (base currency in essence):

Once configuration is completed, our organization is ready to work with:

Now, the most interesting part: we can now add new subscriptions (trial as well as paid ones) in a totally unified and easy manner. For doing so, let’s go to Subscriptions->Purchase.

Choose an Office 365 plan, in this case the E3 plan (it comes with SharePoint Online). If we only want to get it a try instead of buying by now, just click on the ‘Trial’ link.

Now, let’s see how this new subscriptions comes up in the Admin Overview page within MS Online Portal. If, it does not appear, I suggest you ‘Sign out’ and enter again the portal (sometimes it happens that changes are not immediately refreshed but by signing out and in again, it does).

Subscribing to Office 365 first and adding Dynamics CRM later on

Now, we can also do it the ‘other way’, meaning setting up an Office 365 trial first and then including CRM.

For doing so, let’s navigate to: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/online-software.aspx and click on ‘Free Trial’.

Choose the appropriate plan. The E3 plan includes SharePoint Online and that allows us to set up integration between it and Dynamics CRM if desired.

Complete the required information.

Accept terms and conditions.

Indicate password recovery data.

The Office 365 Trials setup begins …

Set up completes successfully …

Now, in order to add new products to this subscription (CRM in our sample), we have to go to Subscriptions->Purchase:

Click on ‘Other plans’

Scroll down until you see an offering titled ’Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online’ and click on ‘Trial’:

In order to finalize adding the subscription, it should appear listed under the Admin Overview page. Nevertheless, if it does not automatically appear, try signing out and in again.

To add and assign users to the CRM organization, press on ‘Users’ and then in ‘New’.

[Conclusion]

We have went through some screenshots that quickly depicts how to create Dynamics CRM Online and Office365 Trials (in any order) and how to the Microsoft Online Portal gives us an integrated, consistent and intuitive experience to administer it all in the same place.

I hope you find this article useful.

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Cannot connect to Microsoft Dynamics cRM Server because we cannot authenticate your credentials in Office 2013 over windows 8..

pablop — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:19:28 GMT

Hi,

I have installed Windows 8 RTM, then Office 2013 Preview and then, guess what.. Dynamics CRM 2011 Oultlook client .

Everything installed successfully but when setting up my on-line organization I faced the following error:

[Problem]

This is typically related to timezones (actually I have blogged about it here), but, in this case it was not that known issue. Instead, it is another (known) issue related to Windows 8. Issue is that you need to install WIF (Windows Identity Foundation) feature in order to be able to get through Dynamics CRM online from CRM Outlook Client.

[Solution]

So, solution is pretty easy. Just go to the ‘Start’ (desktop mode, left down corner, right click) and click on Programs and Features…

…then, click on Turn Windows features on or off and enable Windows Identity Foundation 3.5:

…feature installation gets completed…

…and now, if you try again, you will be able to connect to your Dynamics CRM online organization successfully …

Hope it helps to save somebody else's time,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Can’t see ‘Recalculate’ button in the Goal form…

pablop — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 02:32:48 GMT

Hi,

It happened to some me that some users missed the ‘Recalculate’ button in the ribbon bar of Goal forms. They didn’t have it and hence, were not able to manually recalculate goal progress. So, I started to identify the cause.

It all seemed something related to some privilege missing but couldn’t find anyone related to goal calculations. Finally, I did found out which privilege the user lacked off:

After adding this permission, the user should be able to see the ‘Recalculate’ button within a Goal form so as to perform this action.

As this is not so clear and easy to realize, I decided to share it here.

Hope this helps to save somebody else’s time,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Be careful with time zones in CRM–> It could be defaulted to GMT 0, Monrovia, Reykjavik

pablop — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:58:52 GMT

If you happen to install Dynamics CRM 2011 and / or (yet not sure) CRM Outlook Client with the RTM bits (Release To Market, not the most recent ones which already have the latest UR merged in), you may experience some odd behavior regarding to times zones.

Apparently, due to a bug corrected in UR1, the default time zone is not set for users according to the country or region setting in the server (or Online). Instead, it is defaulted to just GMT which appears to be Monrovia, Reykjavik. I’ve found that my colleague Jerry, from CRM innovation faced something similar as posted here.

This could turn into a relevant issue if you happen to build some reports or measure some things based on date or date-time fields. It may also display different dates on the same record for different users (depending on their time zones and if they installed CRM Outlook client from Internet or from RTM bits).

Besides, if using Outlook, it turns difficult to realize the problem, because if you go to File->CRM->Options…

…you won’t find any option to choose your time zone…

…this makes some sense, as it should take the time zone I have set up in my machine …. BUT …….

.. if you go through the Web interface, through Internet Explorer and click on File->Options…

… guess what… you do have an option to select the time zone and guess what… it may be set up for GTM 0 (Monrovia)

So, you have to correct the time zone here in order to properly work with dates and times.

Now, what happens if this problem is being faced by tens or hundred of users?? You may need to instruct one by one on how to do this change.

Luckily, I’ve found this tool, called “CRM2011 User Settings Utility” which helps to list and apply users’ settings to a bunch of users with just a couple of clicks:

Hope this helps to somebody else. It took us a lot to realize the real cause of this problem.

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Windows could not start the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service service on… failed while monitoring asynchronous operations queue. System.NullReferenceException.

pablop — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Hi,

I have successfully installed Dynamics CRM “R8” beta (Update Rollup 9) but then realized that the Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service was down. So, I tried to start it up and suddenly, came up with this error:

Windows could not start the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service on … . Error 1067: The process terminated unexpectedly.

As the error message was not so meaningful, I decided to take a look at the EventLog to see further details, finding out the following error:

Host URUIT-DYNCRM-R8: failed while monitoring asynchronous operations queue. Exception: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.ServerConfiguration.CreateOrganizationConfiguration(PropertyBag organization, ServerRoles roles, Dictionary`2 newOrganizations, Dictionary`2 inactiveOrganizations)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.ServerConfiguration.<>c__DisplayClass5.<InitializeOrganizationList>b__0(IServiceOperation serviceOperation)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.Operations.OrganizationOperation.<get_EventAction>b__0(IServiceOperation operation)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Behaviors.FaultToleranceBehavior.Execute(ServiceOperationAction operation, IServiceOperation operationParameter)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Operations.MonitoredOperation.Execute()
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.SequentialExecutionEngine.ExecuteSteps(IEnumerable`1 steps)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.SequentialExecutionEngine.ExecuteOperations(IEnumerable`1 operations)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.ServerConfiguration.InitializeOrganizationList()
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.ServerConfiguration..ctor(ILocatorService locatorService, IServiceOperationsFactory operationsFactory)
   at Microsoft.Crm.Asynchronous.AsyncService.StartServiceComponents(Object state)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean ignoreSyncCtx)
   at System.Threading.QueueUserWorkItemCallback.System.Threading.IThreadPoolWorkItem.ExecuteWorkItem()
   at System.Threading.ThreadPoolWorkQueue.Dispatch()
   at System.Threading._ThreadPoolWaitCallback.PerformWaitCallback()

Cause

It seemed to be a bug and actually it was, due to some columns missing in the DB, as stated in this MS Connect thread, which some colleagues have pointed me to.

Unfortunately it is not easy at all to find it for everybody and that’s why I decided to share here the solution.

Solution

In order to workaround this problem, it’s necessary to apply the following script to the MSCRM_CONFIG Database:

SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON

GO

SET ANSI_NULLS ON

GO

DECLARE @XmlDoc xml

DECLARE @buildVersion nvarchar(max)

DECLARE @settingExists bit

DECLARE @changed bit

select @changed = 0

Select top 1 @buildVersion = BuildVersion from ConfigurationMetadata Order By InstalledOn desc

Select @XmlDoc = ConfigurationMetadataXml from ConfigurationMetadata where BuildVersion = @buildVersion

-- Add IsDisabledForAsyncProcessing to Organization table

Select @settingExists = @XmlDoc.exist('/metadata/tables/Table[@Name="Organization"]/Columns/Column[@Name="IsDisabledForAsyncProcessing"]')

if (@settingExists = 0)

begin

                    Set @XmlDoc.modify('insert     <Column Name="IsDisabledForAsyncProcessing">

                                                                                <Description>Specifies if async processing should be disabled for this organization</Description>

                                                                                                    <Type>bit</Type>

                                                                                                    <SchemaType>Settings</SchemaType>

                                                                                                    <Locator>1</Locator>

                                                                                                    <Cached>1</Cached>

                                                                                                    <IsWritable>1</IsWritable>

                                                                                                    <Default>0</Default>

                                                                                </Column>

                    after (/metadata/tables/Table[@Name="Organization"]/Columns/Column[@Name="MobileOrgName"])[1]')

                    select @changed = 1

end

-- Add RunAsyncServiceInSafeMode to DeploymentProperties

Select @settingExists = @XmlDoc.exist('/metadata/tables/Table[@Name="Deployment"]/Columns/Column[@Name="RunAsyncServiceInSafeMode"]')

if (@settingExists = 0)

begin

                    Set @XmlDoc.modify('insert <Column Name="RunAsyncServiceInSafeMode">

                                                            <Description>Specifies if async processing should be carried out in safe mode</Description>

                                                            <Type>bit</Type>

                                                            <SchemaType>Settings</SchemaType>

                                                            <Locator>1</Locator>

                                                            <Cached>1</Cached>

                                                            <IsWritable>1</IsWritable>

                                                            <Default>0</Default>

    </Column>

                    after (/metadata/tables/Table[@Name="Deployment"]/Columns/Column[@Name="AsyncSelectMaxItems"])[1]')

                    select @changed = 1

end

-- update ConfigurationMetadataXml

if (@changed = 1)

begin

                    UPDATE ConfigurationMetadata Set ConfigurationMetadataXml = CAST(@XmlDoc AS nvarchar(max))

                    Where BuildVersion = @buildVersion

                    UPDATE ConfigurationMetadata set ConfigurationMetadataXml = replace(CAST(ConfigurationMetadataXml AS nvarchar(max)), '&gt;', '>')

                    Where BuildVersion = @buildVersion

end

INSERT INTO  DeploymentProperties(Id, ColumnName, BitColumn)

                    SELECT Id, 'RunAsyncServiceInSafeMode', 0

                    FROM Deployment

                    WHERE Id NOT IN

                                        (SELECT dep.Id

                                        FROM Deployment dep

                                        JOIN DeploymentProperties depProp ON (dep.Id = depProp.Id)

                                        WHERE depProp.ColumnName = 'RunAsyncServiceInSafeMode')

After doing so, when trying again to start Dynamics CRM Asynchronous Processing Service, it worked like a charm for me :)

Hope it helps to save somebody else’s time and enjoy trying R8 beta, which is great! ;-)

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Import Organization error: The DELETE statement conflicted with the REFERENCE constraint "FK_BusinessUnitExtensionBase_BusinessUnitBase".

pablop — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:34:00 GMT

Hi,

After making a DB backup of an existent organization, restoring it with a different name and attempting to Import the Organization (a ‘usual task’ in CRM), we came across the following error when import was about to finish:

Error

The DELETE statement conflicted with the REFERENCE constraint "FK_BusinessUnitExtensionBase_BusinessUnitBase". The conflict occurred in database "<DBNAME>", table "dbo.BusinessUnitExtensionBase", column 'BusinessUnitId'.

Organization ended up in disabled state or just completely fade out from Deployment Manager.

After some research, we just found only one thread in MSDN forums that talks about it, which was pretty odd BTW.

Cause

It all seems to be a bug in the import process, when attempting to import and organization with same OrganizationId than an existent one and (probably) because additionally, the Business Unit entity has been customized (in our case, just added 3 fields). That may explain why only one thread talks about it.

Solution

The solution (at least what worked for us) was to apply the following SQL script from Frankie Smart in the new organization DB which we want to import:

DECLARE @OldOrganizationId uniqueidentifier, @NewOrganizationId uniqueidentifier

 -- The Old OrganizationId

 SET @OldOrganizationId = (SELECT TOP(1) OrganizationId FROM OrganizationBase)

 -- The New OrganizationId

 SET @NewOrganizationId = (SELECT NEWID())

 --PRINT @OldOrganizationId

 --PRINT @NewOrganizationId

 -- Table with all Found Columns with the OrganizationId

 DECLARE @FoundOrganizationIds TABLE (Id bigint identity(1,1), TableName nvarchar(max), ColumnName nvarchar(max), ColumnValue nvarchar(max))

 -- Table with all uniqueidentifier Columns in the Database

 DECLARE  @FoundUniqueIdentifierColumns TABLE(Id bigint identity(1,1), TableName nvarchar(max), ColumnName nvarchar(max))

 -- Search for all uniqueidentifier Columns in the Database

 INSERT INTO @FoundUniqueIdentifierColumns

 SELECT

   col.TABLE_NAME, col.COLUMN_NAME

 FROM

  INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES tbl INNER JOIN

  INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS col ON tbl.TABLE_NAME = col.TABLE_NAME

 WHERE

  tbl.TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE' AND

  col.DATA_TYPE IN ('uniqueidentifier')

 DECLARE @ColumnCount bigint

 SET @ColumnCount = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM @FoundUniqueIdentifierColumns)

 -- PRINT CAST(@ColumnCount as nvarchar)

 DECLARE @Iterator bigint

 SET @Iterator = 1

 -- Look through all found uniqueidentifier for the Old OrganizationId Columns and Save the TableName/ColumnName in @FoundOrganizationIds

 WHILE @Iterator <= @ColumnCount

  BEGIN

   DECLARE @execsql nvarchar(max)

   DECLARE @TableName nvarchar(max)

   DECLARE @ColumnName nvarchar(max)

   SET @TableName = (SELECT TableName FROM @FoundUniqueIdentifierColumns WHERE Id = @Iterator)

   SET @ColumnName = (SELECT ColumnName FROM @FoundUniqueIdentifierColumns WHERE Id = @Iterator)

   --PRINT(@TableName)

   --PRINT(@@ColumnName)

   SET @execsql = 'SELECT DISTINCT ' + CHAR(39) + @TableName + CHAR(39) + ','

   SET @execsql = @execsql + CHAR(39) + @ColumnName + CHAR(39) + ','

   SET @execsql = @execsql + @ColumnName

   SET @execsql = @execsql + ' FROM '

   SET @execsql = @execsql + @TableName

   SET @execsql = @execsql + ' WHERE '

   SET @execsql = @execsql + @ColumnName

   SET @execsql = @execsql + ' = ' + CHAR(39) + CAST(@OldOrganizationId as varchar(50)) + CHAR(39)

   INSERT INTO @FoundOrganizationIds (TableName, ColumnName, ColumnValue)

   -- PRINT (@execsql)

   EXEC (@execsql)

   SET @Iterator = @Iterator + 1

END

 -- SELECT * FROM @FoundOrganizationIds

 DECLARE @ColumnIterator bigint, @ColumnTotal bigint

 SET @ColumnIterator = 1

 SET @ColumnTotal = (SELECT COUNT(id) FROM @FoundOrganizationIds)

 PRINT (@ColumnTotal)

 -- INSERT New Organization in the OrganizationTable with the new OrganizationId (Copy of the Old Organization but with the new Id)

 INSERT INTO [dbo].[OrganizationBase]

           ([OrganizationId]

           ,[Name]

           ,[UserGroupId]

           ,[PrivilegeUserGroupId]

           ,[FiscalPeriodType]

           ,[FiscalCalendarStart]

           ,[DateFormatCode]

           ,[TimeFormatCode]

           ,[CurrencySymbol]

           ,[WeekStartDayCode]

           ,[DateSeparator]

           ,[FullNameConventionCode]

           ,[NegativeFormatCode]

           ,[NumberFormat]

           ,[IsDisabled]

           ,[DisabledReason]

           ,[KbPrefix]

           ,[CurrentKbNumber]

           ,[CasePrefix]

           ,[CurrentCaseNumber]

           ,[ContractPrefix]

           ,[CurrentContractNumber]

           ,[QuotePrefix]

           ,[CurrentQuoteNumber]

           ,[OrderPrefix]

           ,[CurrentOrderNumber]

           ,[InvoicePrefix]

           ,[CurrentInvoiceNumber]

           ,[UniqueSpecifierLength]

           ,[CreatedOn]

           ,[ModifiedOn]

           ,[FiscalYearFormat]

           ,[FiscalPeriodFormat]

           ,[FiscalYearPeriodConnect]

           ,[LanguageCode]

           ,[SortId]

           ,[DateFormatString]

           ,[TimeFormatString]

           ,[PricingDecimalPrecision]

           ,[ShowWeekNumber]

           ,[NextTrackingNumber]

           ,[TagMaxAggressiveCycles]

           ,[TokenKey]

           ,[SystemUserId]

           ,[CreatedBy]

           ,[GrantAccessToNetworkService]

           ,[AllowOutlookScheduledSyncs]

           ,[AllowMarketingEmailExecution]

           ,[SqlAccessGroupId]

           ,[CurrencyFormatCode]

           ,[FiscalSettingsUpdated]

           ,[ReportingGroupId]

           ,[TokenExpiry]

           ,[ShareToPreviousOwnerOnAssign]

           ,[AcknowledgementTemplateId]

           ,[ModifiedBy]

           ,[IntegrationUserId]

           ,[TrackingTokenIdBase]

           ,[BusinessClosureCalendarId]

           ,[AllowAutoUnsubscribeAcknowledgement]

           ,[AllowAutoUnsubscribe]

           ,[Picture]

           ,[TrackingPrefix]

           ,[MinOutlookSyncInterval]

           ,[BulkOperationPrefix]

           ,[AllowAutoResponseCreation]

           ,[MaximumTrackingNumber]

           ,[CampaignPrefix]

           ,[SqlAccessGroupName]

           ,[CurrentCampaignNumber]

           ,[FiscalYearDisplayCode]

           ,[SiteMapXml]

           ,[IsRegistered]

           ,[ReportingGroupName]

           ,[CurrentBulkOperationNumber]

           ,[SchemaNamePrefix]

           ,[IgnoreInternalEmail]

           ,[TagPollingPeriod]

           ,[TrackingTokenIdDigits]

           ,[NumberGroupFormat]

           ,[LongDateFormatCode]

           ,[UTCConversionTimeZoneCode]

           ,[TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber]

           ,[CurrentImportSequenceNumber]

           ,[ParsedTablePrefix]

           ,[V3CalloutConfigHash]

           ,[IsFiscalPeriodMonthBased]

           ,[LocaleId]

           ,[ParsedTableColumnPrefix]

           ,[SupportUserId]

           ,[AMDesignator]

           ,[CurrencyDisplayOption]

           ,[MinAddressBookSyncInterval]

           ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForOnlineCreateUpdate]

           ,[FeatureSet]

           ,[BlockedAttachments]

           ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForOfflineSync]

           ,[AllowOfflineScheduledSyncs]

           ,[AllowUnresolvedPartiesOnEmailSend]

           ,[TimeSeparator]

           ,[CurrentParsedTableNumber]

           ,[MinOfflineSyncInterval]

           ,[AllowWebExcelExport]

           ,[ReferenceSiteMapXml]

           ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForImport]

           ,[CalendarType]

           ,[SQMEnabled]

           ,[NegativeCurrencyFormatCode]

           ,[AllowAddressBookSyncs]

           ,[ISVIntegrationCode]

           ,[DecimalSymbol]

           ,[MaxUploadFileSize]

           ,[IsAppMode]

           ,[EnablePricingOnCreate]

           ,[IsSOPIntegrationEnabled]

           ,[PMDesignator]

           ,[CurrencyDecimalPrecision]

           ,[MaxAppointmentDurationDays]

           ,[EmailSendPollingPeriod]

           ,[RenderSecureIFrameForEmail]

           ,[NumberSeparator]

           ,[PrivReportingGroupId]

           ,[BaseCurrencyId]

           ,[MaxRecordsForExportToExcel]

           ,[PrivReportingGroupName]

           ,[YearStartWeekCode]

           ,[IsPresenceEnabled]

           ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabled]

           ,[RecurrenceExpansionJobBatchInterval]

           ,[DefaultRecurrenceEndRangeType]

           ,[HashMinAddressCount]

           ,[RequireApprovalForUserEmail]

           ,[RecurrenceDefaultNumberOfOccurrences]

           ,[ModifiedOnBehalfBy]

           ,[RequireApprovalForQueueEmail]

           ,[AllowEntityOnlyAudit]

           ,[IsAuditEnabled]

           ,[RecurrenceExpansionSynchCreateMax]

           ,[GoalRollupExpiryTime]

           ,[BaseCurrencyPrecision]

           ,[FiscalPeriodFormatPeriod]

           ,[AllowClientMessageBarAd]

           ,[InitialVersion]

           ,[HashFilterKeywords]

           ,[NextCustomObjectTypeCode]

           ,[ExpireSubscriptionsInDays]

           ,[OrgDbOrgSettings]

           ,[PastExpansionWindow]

           ,[EnableSmartMatching]

           ,[MaxRecordsForLookupFilters]

           ,[BaseCurrencySymbol]

           ,[ReportScriptErrors]

           ,[RecurrenceExpansionJobBatchSize]

           ,[FutureExpansionWindow]

           ,[GetStartedPaneContentEnabled]

           ,[SampleDataImportId]

           ,[BaseISOCurrencyCode]

           ,[GoalRollupFrequency]

           ,[CreatedOnBehalfBy]

           ,[HashDeltaSubjectCount]

           ,[HashMaxCount]

           ,[FiscalYearFormatYear]

           ,[FiscalYearFormatPrefix]

           ,[PinpointLanguageCode]

           ,[FiscalYearFormatSuffix]

           ,[IsUserAccessAuditEnabled]

           ,[UserAccessAuditingInterval])

 SELECT

    @NewOrganizationId,

    [Name]

   ,[UserGroupId]

      ,[PrivilegeUserGroupId]

      ,[FiscalPeriodType]

      ,[FiscalCalendarStart]

      ,[DateFormatCode]

      ,[TimeFormatCode]

      ,[CurrencySymbol]

      ,[WeekStartDayCode]

      ,[DateSeparator]

      ,[FullNameConventionCode]

      ,[NegativeFormatCode]

      ,[NumberFormat]

      ,[IsDisabled]

      ,[DisabledReason]

      ,[KbPrefix]

      ,[CurrentKbNumber]

      ,[CasePrefix]

      ,[CurrentCaseNumber]

      ,[ContractPrefix]

      ,[CurrentContractNumber]

      ,[QuotePrefix]

      ,[CurrentQuoteNumber]

      ,[OrderPrefix]

      ,[CurrentOrderNumber]

      ,[InvoicePrefix]

      ,[CurrentInvoiceNumber]

      ,[UniqueSpecifierLength]

      ,[CreatedOn]

      ,[ModifiedOn]

      ,[FiscalYearFormat]

      ,[FiscalPeriodFormat]

      ,[FiscalYearPeriodConnect]

      ,[LanguageCode]

      ,[SortId]

      ,[DateFormatString]

      ,[TimeFormatString]

      ,[PricingDecimalPrecision]

      ,[ShowWeekNumber]

      ,[NextTrackingNumber]

      ,[TagMaxAggressiveCycles]

      ,[TokenKey]

      ,[SystemUserId]

      ,[CreatedBy]

      ,[GrantAccessToNetworkService]

      ,[AllowOutlookScheduledSyncs]

      ,[AllowMarketingEmailExecution]

      ,[SqlAccessGroupId]

      ,[CurrencyFormatCode]

      ,[FiscalSettingsUpdated]

      ,[ReportingGroupId]

      ,[TokenExpiry]

      ,[ShareToPreviousOwnerOnAssign]

      ,[AcknowledgementTemplateId]

      ,[ModifiedBy]

      ,[IntegrationUserId]

      ,[TrackingTokenIdBase]

      ,[BusinessClosureCalendarId]

      ,[AllowAutoUnsubscribeAcknowledgement]

      ,[AllowAutoUnsubscribe]

      ,[Picture]

      ,[TrackingPrefix]

      ,[MinOutlookSyncInterval]

      ,[BulkOperationPrefix]

      ,[AllowAutoResponseCreation]

      ,[MaximumTrackingNumber]

      ,[CampaignPrefix]

      ,[SqlAccessGroupName]

      ,[CurrentCampaignNumber]

      ,[FiscalYearDisplayCode]

      ,[SiteMapXml]

      ,[IsRegistered]

      ,[ReportingGroupName]

      ,[CurrentBulkOperationNumber]

      ,[SchemaNamePrefix]

      ,[IgnoreInternalEmail]

      ,[TagPollingPeriod]

      ,[TrackingTokenIdDigits]

      ,[NumberGroupFormat]

      ,[LongDateFormatCode]

      ,[UTCConversionTimeZoneCode]

      ,[TimeZoneRuleVersionNumber]

      ,[CurrentImportSequenceNumber]

      ,[ParsedTablePrefix]

      ,[V3CalloutConfigHash]

      ,[IsFiscalPeriodMonthBased]

      ,[LocaleId]

      ,[ParsedTableColumnPrefix]

      ,[SupportUserId]

      ,[AMDesignator]

      ,[CurrencyDisplayOption]

      ,[MinAddressBookSyncInterval]

      ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForOnlineCreateUpdate]

      ,[FeatureSet]

      ,[BlockedAttachments]

      ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForOfflineSync]

      ,[AllowOfflineScheduledSyncs]

      ,[AllowUnresolvedPartiesOnEmailSend]

      ,[TimeSeparator]

      ,[CurrentParsedTableNumber]

      ,[MinOfflineSyncInterval]

      ,[AllowWebExcelExport]

      ,[ReferenceSiteMapXml]

      ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabledForImport]

      ,[CalendarType]

      ,[SQMEnabled]

      ,[NegativeCurrencyFormatCode]

      ,[AllowAddressBookSyncs]

      ,[ISVIntegrationCode]

      ,[DecimalSymbol]

      ,[MaxUploadFileSize]

      ,[IsAppMode]

      ,[EnablePricingOnCreate]

      ,[IsSOPIntegrationEnabled]

      ,[PMDesignator]

      ,[CurrencyDecimalPrecision]

      ,[MaxAppointmentDurationDays]

      ,[EmailSendPollingPeriod]

      ,[RenderSecureIFrameForEmail]

      ,[NumberSeparator]

      ,[PrivReportingGroupId]

      ,[BaseCurrencyId]

      ,[MaxRecordsForExportToExcel]

      ,[PrivReportingGroupName]

      ,[YearStartWeekCode]

      ,[IsPresenceEnabled]

      ,[IsDuplicateDetectionEnabled]

      ,[RecurrenceExpansionJobBatchInterval]

      ,[DefaultRecurrenceEndRangeType]

      ,[HashMinAddressCount]

      ,[RequireApprovalForUserEmail]

      ,[RecurrenceDefaultNumberOfOccurrences]

      ,[ModifiedOnBehalfBy]

      ,[RequireApprovalForQueueEmail]

      ,[AllowEntityOnlyAudit]

      ,[IsAuditEnabled]

      ,[RecurrenceExpansionSynchCreateMax]

      ,[GoalRollupExpiryTime]

      ,[BaseCurrencyPrecision]

      ,[FiscalPeriodFormatPeriod]

      ,[AllowClientMessageBarAd]

      ,[InitialVersion]

      ,[HashFilterKeywords]

      ,[NextCustomObjectTypeCode]

      ,[ExpireSubscriptionsInDays]

      ,[OrgDbOrgSettings]

      ,[PastExpansionWindow]

      ,[EnableSmartMatching]

      ,[MaxRecordsForLookupFilters]

      ,[BaseCurrencySymbol]

      ,[ReportScriptErrors]

      ,[RecurrenceExpansionJobBatchSize]

      ,[FutureExpansionWindow]

      ,[GetStartedPaneContentEnabled]

      ,[SampleDataImportId]

      ,[BaseISOCurrencyCode]

      ,[GoalRollupFrequency]

      ,[CreatedOnBehalfBy]

      ,[HashDeltaSubjectCount]

      ,[HashMaxCount]

      ,[FiscalYearFormatYear]

      ,[FiscalYearFormatPrefix]

      ,[PinpointLanguageCode]

      ,[FiscalYearFormatSuffix]

      ,[IsUserAccessAuditEnabled]

      ,[UserAccessAuditingInterval]

  FROM

  [dbo].[OrganizationBase]

  WHERE

  OrganizationId = @OldOrganizationId

 -- Loop through the Found Columns and Update them with the new OrganizationId

 WHILE @ColumnIterator <= @ColumnTotal

  BEGIN

   DECLARE @CurrentTable nvarchar(max)

   DECLARE @CurrentColumn nvarchar(max)

   SET @CurrentTable = (SELECT TableName FROM @FoundOrganizationIds WHERE Id = @ColumnIterator)

   SET @CurrentColumn = (SELECT ColumnName FROM @FoundOrganizationIds WHERE Id = @ColumnIterator)

   --PRINT (@CurrentTable)

   --PRINT (@CurrentColumn)

   -- Skip the OrganizationBase table now, since we have allready added the new OrganizationId

   IF @CurrentTable <> 'OrganizationBase'

    BEGIN

     DECLARE @UpdateScript nvarchar(max)

     SET @UpdateScript = ' UPDATE ' + @CurrentTable + ' SET ' + @CurrentColumn + ' = ' + CHAR(39) + CAST(@NewOrganizationId as varchar(50)) + CHAR(39) + ' WHERE ' + @CurrentColumn + ' = ' + CHAR(39) + CAST(@OldOrganizationId as varchar(50))+ CHAR(39)

     -- PRINT (@UpdateScript)

     EXEC (@UpdateScript)

END

   SET @ColumnIterator = @ColumnIterator + 1

END

 -- Delete the Old Organization from the OrganizationBase

 DELETE FROM OrganizationBase WHERE OrganizationId = @OldOrganizationId

After applying this script, closing SQL Server Management Studio and trying again the import process, it all worked like a charm..

Hope it helps to save somebody else’s time.

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

Action Microsoft.Crm.Setup.Server.AddServerAction failed. Exceeded column length: Column Name

pablop — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 02:32:06 GMT

Hi,

In my last installation of Dynamics CRM I faced 2 (related) issues:

The first one, during validation system checks:

“The instance name must be the same as computer name”

This issue was due to computer name were different from SQL Server name. The reason: it was a VM, copied from another one which already had SQL Server installed.

I found a solution to this problem in this post by Zhongchen Zhou. Zhongchen suggests to drop invalid server name and add the one that matches with the computer name, by this way:

SP_DROPSERVER "INVALID SERVER NAME"

SP_ADDSERVER "CORRECT SERVER NAME", local

restart SQL Server instance

This was helpful and I could sort out the system checks and go on with installation. But…while installing, I came across a new error which I couldn’t sort out:

“Action Microsoft.Crm.Setup.Server.AddServerAction failed. Exceeded column length: Column Name”

Eventlog…

I tried several things, double checking that both my computer and SQL Server name matches, privileges and so on. Nothing useful.

But I noticed that in my case, my computer name had more than 15 characters, which is the NetBIOS limitation.

So, my solution was: change computer name so length <15 characters, restart, and run again SP_DROPSERVER and SP_ADDSERVER so SQL Server name matches computer name, restarting SQL service.

After doing so, I could successfully install Dynamics CRM 2011.

Hope it helps to save somebody else’s time.

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

EntityState must be set to null, Created (for Create message) or Changed (for Update message)

pablop — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:40:13 GMT

Hi,

When trying to update an Entity by using LINQ query provider in Dynamics CRM 201 this way:

regardingOpportunity.PriceLevelId = new EntityReference(PriceLevel.EntityLogicalName, rateCard.Id);

MyXrmServiceContext.Update(regardingOpportunity);

.. I came across the following exception:

EntityState must be set to null, Created (for Create message) or Changed (for Update message)

Pretty odd but in my case I get it to work by just using method UpdateObject instead of Update:

regardingOpportunity.PriceLevelId = new EntityReference(PriceLevel.EntityLogicalName, rateCard.Id);

MyXrmServiceContext.UpdateObject(regardingOpportunity);

MyXrmServiceContext.SaveChanges();

Apparently (honestly not sure), by using UpdateObject record is marked as modified and that allows to save it later.

Hope it helps to save somebody else’s time.

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.

TIP: How to easily workaround “The method 'Count' is not supported”

pablop — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:55:15 GMT

Hi,

I came across this problem when running a LINQ query through Dynamics CRM LINQ provider for getting the count of records returned by my query.

My query looked like this:

var lineItems = from lineItem in MyXrmServiceContext.OpportunityProductSet

                         where lineItem.OpportunityId.Id == opportunityId

                         select lineItem;

 if (lineItems != null && lineItems.Count() > 0)

     foreach (OpportunityProduct lineItem in lineItemsToDelete)

         //do something

Unfortunately this simple statement (lineItems.Count()) throws the following exception:

The method ‘Count’ is not supported

I have made some research and found some ways to workaround it by using FetchXml or RetrieveMultiple to get the count of records. Nevertheless, I discovered another workaround much simpler I guess that could perfectly work in case you are working with few records (I think it may be not so performant with relevant amount of records). The approach is just converting the IQueryable collection to a List, as shown below:

var lineItems = from lineItem in MyXrmServiceContext.OpportunityProductSet

                         where lineItem.OpportunityId.Id == opportunityId

                         select lineItem;

 if (lineItems != null && lineItems.ToList<OpportunityProduct>().Count() > 0)

     foreach (OpportunityProduct lineItem in lineItemsToDelete)

         //do something

Now, getting the count of records works like a charm for me .

Hope it helps you in your developments,

PP [twitter: @pabloperalta]

UruIT Dynamix | Excellence in Dynamics CRM Nearshoring Services.