The much anticipated release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Microsoft CRM 5) is right around the corner. The exact release date is still under wraps, but the production version is expected in late 2010 or early 2011. The product is in beta now and we at Logan Consulting have been feverishly trying out some of the new functionality. If you want to join the public beta you can go to this link:
In this article I wanted to highlight a few of the exciting new features. There are literally hundreds of new features, so I thought I would highlight the ones I hear clients want the most. Also, we will be blogging about new features from time to time on our site so check back for updates.
Dashboards
We have been hearing about the need for dashboards in Microsoft CRM for a while. In fact, it feels like this has been an issue since 2003 when the first version was released. The reality is you could create dashboards in Version 3 and Version 4 offered accelerators and SQL Reporting Services dashboards. However, in version 2011 Microsoft has hit a home run! In Microsoft CRM 2011 users can create their own dashboards directly in the interface and even within the Outlook Client. The dashboards are real-time and offer drill down functionality. You can also add additional query parameters to the dashboards on the fly. I have heard user’s concerns for the past several years and trust me, Microsoft has gotten this right.
Field Level Security
Another key area we hear about from clients and prospects is Field Level Security. Field Level Security does exist in Microsoft CRM 2011 and can be added to any custom field or object. It can’t, however, be added for Out-of-the-Box fields. I don’t see this as a real big issue because the Out-of-the-Box fields are so innocuous. I don’t see many companies, for example, wanting to create security around an address or name or number of employees, etc. The real need is around critically sensitive data which I think will be unique to each company and therefore be contained in newly added fields.
Role Based Configuration
The last major issue I wanted to cover was role based configuration. Role based configuration essentially allows you to create a unique screen layout for each user. Previously, this could only be handled via some simple JavaScript and was technically unsupported by Microsoft. Now, you could in theory, have each user in a separate role and have the screen configured differently for each role. A more practical application is for a group of users, such as salespeople, would have one layout for an account or contact and a different group, such as customer service representatives, would have a different screen layout.
At Logan Consulting we are extremely excited to get our hands on Microsoft CRM 2011 and will be having some sneak peak events and web seminars. Please
contact us if you are interested in learning more.