Ranko

Trigger CRM Workflows On Records Created By Import

Ranko — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:49:00 GMT

How often do you want to run a workflow only if the record is created through an import? If the answer is “at least once”, read on.

The only problem is figuring out how to trigger the workflow. Fortunately the solution is dead simple.

Every time you run an import job it generates a unique sequence number of the migration job. That number, appropriately called Import Sequence Number, is in turn stored in each record that particular data import creates and exposed to the CRM GUI.

That means that you can create workflows that trigger on create event and check if the record has an Import Sequence Number to determine if it was created by a data import.

If nothing else, you can use this to circumvent the one record owner per import rule.

Updating Records With MS Dynamic CRM 4.0 Import Wizard

Ranko — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:22:00 GMT

Records update feature is another one of those features I learned to hate in CRM. First we were teased in the Titan previews with it. Then it wasn’t in the RTM of the CRM, and then rumors were that one of the rollups (I forget which one) for CRM included this option. I say rumors because I never found it after applying the rollup.

Well, not until I bumped into it one day by chance. And I was so happy I took a screenshot and sent it out to a few colleagues to share my happiness. A few days latter I was back at the home office and wanted to try it out, prepared a test import for update and it wasn’t there to be found!

But it is, and here is how you can get the mysterious Enrich data by updating records rather than creating new records option to show up in your data import too.

Export the data you want to update
Build your query, or export the data from a view. You can omit mandatory fields if you are not updating them. Now for the tricks that make the update work:

Export the data into a Dynamic worksheet, open the Excel file and edit the data as needed.

Select the whole worksheet, not just the records, then right click on any of the columns and select the Unhide option. Non Excel users watch out, right click Unhide on a filed will not unhide the columns we need.

Now you should have gone from this:

To this:

The record ID is what makes the magic of the update work. But this is not enough. Now you need to move the ID column to be the first one and rename it to Record Name, in my example - Opportunity. The export added two spaces in front of the exported column name, make sure you remove them when renaming the column. The end result should look a little like this:

The GUIDs in the first column, and the record name in the header row are the key for this operation. They are enabling the CRM to recognize that you are using the existing records and what entity you are trying to update.

Save the file as a CSV; and if you are using any special characters remember to save it in Unicode format.

Enrich your records
Now that you have your file you can go to the Import Data wizard. Pick out your data file and delimiters (by default Excel 2007 will use no delimiter for data and semicolon as a field delimiter). On the second screen you should see the checked Enrich data by updating existing records rather than creating new records option; the record type drop-down should be filled in and disabled; and data map should be set to Automatic and disabled as well.

When testing I was using the sample data set you see in the screenshots above, and trust me those two fields are not the only mandatory ones. So why am I not getting any errors from the wizard? Because we are updating. The ignored column is the Owner, which is not valid for create and update actions.

You can proceed with the Data Import wizard, and see it running on the Imports page.

CRM Permissions For Data Import

Ranko — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:02:00 GMT

The other day I received an e-mail that led me to a fun-to-solve problem with one of our MS Dynamics CRM 4.0 installations. A user informed me that they could see the Imports section within the workplace just fine, but no New button. A quick check of the security roles and a double check using a test account latter and there it was, or is it better to say there it wasn't. No New button on the Imports page.

First thing to check was the test account. It goes around quite a bit, and it changes Business Units and security roles quite often. One thing to remember is that rarely security roles will not apply properly, so you can remove and reapply all security roles to that system user. In some, even more rare, cases you will need to disable, enable and reapply the roles to the user.

And that wasn't it in this scenario, since my test user still didn't get the coveted button.

The next likely culprit was the security role itself. As soon as my brain decided to work I realised where the problem was. In this implementation the security is pretty tight, meaning that the end users are not allowed to delet almost anything. That included turning off the deletion for Data Import and Data Map entities. Lack of those permissions will result with the users unable to create new Data Import records. The solution is to give the requiered role the user scope for deletion of both the Data Import and Data Map.

Fortunately for me I did so much work with CRM security I needed more coffee to remember this. But remembering my first steps with Dynamic CRM I wish it included even more documentation on security, and SharePoint's smart security settings (when you turn a setting on, SharePoint automatically checks all additional required permissions).

Killing Choices Is Not All That Good

Ranko — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:24:00 GMT

I love Silverlight. If you are reading this text, you know why. Looking at the various demos makes me want to work in Silverlight. When Microsoft.com offers me their download center in Silverlight I click the yes please option.

The eye candy makes me happy to be a user. Even the moving backgrounds are subtle enough and I don't feel dizzy or ready to rant. All the effects make me feel special and loved.

And then I hit my middle button.

No, it must be me. The Silverlight wouldn't do that to me. Look at it, it loves the dev me and the user me. I hit the obviously malfunctioning middle button again, and the one on the side too (mapped to act as middle click) - just to be sure.

No tab appears.

Apparently, while starting work on a competitor product to Flash, no one cared to think about the usability of the user experience. Or think of the various user habits. Or look at all the mistakes Flash made.

So I have to wonder - after playing catch up in the "tabs are good, people want tabs" game, why kill them again? What is so wrong about people opening links in new tabs? Is no one on the Silverlight design team loves tabs a bit too much? And why do they hate me using a context menu? I though Windows loved the context menu.

Please stop me before I move on to the dreaded JavaScript link...

And while I am at this choices thing, I'd like to know why Live anything doesn't allow me to set the language of my choice?

Seriously people! I have it in my IE languages options, right there at the top. So you chose to be smarter than I and read my location, color me impressed. But I have a profile, don't I? And I can't set my preferred language? Why? Please let me know why me telling your site what language I like to read stuff in is bad.

Is Developing Just About Writing Code?

Ranko — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:21:00 GMT

A couple of colleagues and I went to dinner a few weeks ago. As it does so often, we chatted about work stuff. It drifted to various topics, some more, some less on the personal side of life.

One of the things I mentioned (or complained) was my unhappiness with my working knowledge of .net development work. Which is to say I went on about stuff I couldn't figure out due to a lot of stuff. Since my day job isn't really about writing code I have only my free time to learn .net. And being mostly self taught there is a big barrier standing between the idea and the text I need to look for - namely names of things.

But another approach was mentioned. Development isn't about code. It is about the process. Working on an application is about a great many more steps than sitting down, firing up Visual Studio (or insert editor of your choice) writing a control to do X and a database (insert your data store here) to hold your information.

Development starts with an idea, a need, a thing to get done. It starts with a piece of paper to jolt down the purposes, ideas and improvements of existing applications out there. If you ever looked into starting a company it is very much like that. You start with two business plans - a long one and a short one.

An application should start like that. Writing down a short business plan, a summary you can show to people and make them understand why you need to write it, why it is an improvement on an existing version of the same thing (and odds are it already exists). It is your pitch to yourself and anyone interested. I like to grab non IT friends and talk to them because I have to explain things to them to make them understand, and they pose simple questions users might ask - it is like getting user feedback before you have anything to hand out to users.

The long business plan of an application is the long term projection. It needs to be harsh and realistic, slacking off time included. Writing down the phases and time frames. Expected growth and goals. Will it be released to the general public, will it be open-source, which licensing option will you use, how will you (will you) generate any income?

Doing pre development planning offers a great deal of benefits, or I'd like to think. It allows you to set realistic goals for yourself. It should provide you with time frame to keep to. Looking into tools to use sets your framework and can help build new skills. Most of all it will keep you in focus.

And development, be it for fun or profit, needs its focus.

First Thoughts On MVC.NET

Ranko — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:01:00 GMT

Finally some time for .net.

Since Scott and Phil started writing about is I wanted to read and try out the MVC framework. So last night I managed to read a few blog posts on the topic, namely Scott's expectedly great series of posts and Phil's REST like post and Testing Routes. I wrapped my evening of MVC with Scott's (this time Hanselman) MVC How-To Screencast.

The Screencast
It is a really good place to start. Not to mention that I really enjoyed the production value it brought to the table.

First of all the small screen capturing his face as he talked and worked was a great idea. I really thought it would bring nothing to the presentation, but it did. And it was small enough, and not present at all times, so it didn't overdo it or get in the way. The worse thing about it was that I kept thinking how he looked like a hockey player.

Comments were useful for us (grab a few notes while watching) and him (not recording parts again), and sometimes funny. They helped set a nice casual tone.

The only thing I have a minor issue with is the zooming which was sometimes too fast. There were times when I thought I was watching a car chase on TV.

The MVC
So far I really like the idea behind the model. And there are a few things I really want to try for myself.

Routing my way - I am pretty sure that I can do all of the following out of the box:

Add more stuff to the routing rules to get more parameters in. Should be simple enough and a brilliant way to make multi-language sites.

Setting default actions to get prettier URLs. So site.com/category/product/productID would show the product details; but site.com/category/product/edit/productID will take me to the update page. The simplicity of making a end-user site and an administrative portion of a site is present (and you can then move the admin bit into a subdomain or something like that).

Or even downsize it more: there has to be a way to make site.com/Green_Tea understand that it is looking at Green_Tea category and then list all the needed items.

The thing I want to test the most is building routes dynamically, and cheating with the displayed URLs. For example: site.com/category/id should display a list of records. But what if the end user wanted a site in German? Why should his German speaking users need to read category? I should be able to map the category display dynamically and get site.com/kategorie/ that routes to the controller listing the category.

I hope to try it out a bit this Sunday. And I'll keep you posted.

Community Server Cuts Personal And Small Business Licenses

Ranko — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 21:32:00 GMT

Yesterday Telligent, in an interesting turn of events if you ask me, announced that Personal and Small Business licenses for Community Server are no longer available. Yes, you read it right - not will not be available, but as of November 2nd, when it was posted, are no longer available.

More from me soon, I promise. Life was a bit on the wild side lately.

ASP.NET Baby Steps

Ranko — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:36:00 GMT

When Joe made an open call to blog with ScottGu I had to at least try to get in. And I did. Now I have to make a first post before my cold feet get the better of me.

Baby steps, you know ...

The idea I pitched was that I'd write about getting into ASP.NET. I know that there are a lot of resources out there, most of them easy to find, but most of them presume that you know something or other. Something a self taught developer in training might not know. And would get frustrated by. And will spend way too much time figuring out.

So I decided to try it out. Jolt down stuff as I go, or remember my pitfalls.

And here we are - me taking baby steps writing my first blog; you reading my ramblings.

So hang in there, first real post is coming soon.