Author: Carl

Dynamics CRM Package Deployer

Packages can be deployed from one environment to another using the Dynamics CRM package deployer. Let’s go through an example of how to use the tool. We will create a sample solution called the “Sample Application”. The application has a custom entity called “App Configuration”. This contains records that hold data for the configuration. This entity and data exists in our development environment. Now, we will create a package that exports this … Continue reading Dynamics CRM Package Deployer

Using Plugin Trace Log to Trace Plugin Exceptions in Dynamics 365

In Dynamics 365, you can add tracing to your code to assist with troubleshooting. To do this, in your plugin, add the code: ITracingService tracingService = (ITracingService)serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(ITracingService)); Then add a line to do the trace: tracingService.Trace(“This is a trace.”); Next, go to System Settings to actually turn tracing on in the system: Under Customization, you can set the tracing level. The trace writes to the Plugin Trace Log, which we … Continue reading Using Plugin Trace Log to Trace Plugin Exceptions in Dynamics 365

USD Session Lines

Session Lines are a hosted control in USD that is used for session overview and name information. Session Lines are configured in the USD setup. We will go through an example of how these work. To access session lines, go to USD configuration->Session Lines: You can see we have many session lines defined. Note the type – there are 2 types, Session Name, and Session Overview Line. We will look at each of these. … Continue reading USD Session Lines

Introduction to FetchXML

FetchXML is a language used in Dynamics 365 to retrieve data. Here we will look at FetchXML queries. A simple way to view a FetchXML query is through the Advanced Find menu. Go to Advanced Find and create a simple query, for example, show all Accounts. You will see a small FetchXML icon: Select the icon, and the FetchXML query will be downloaded. You can see the XML created is … Continue reading Introduction to FetchXML

Building Charts in Dynamics CRM

Here we will look at building charts in Dynamics CRM. Let’s go through an example. Select Accounts->Sales and then select Charts: This will open the charts for Accounts: Using the drop down, we can see the system charts for Accounts: And we can change the chart: \ If we change the view in CRM to all Active Accounts, we can see the chart is redrawn and the numbers of the charts … Continue reading Building Charts in Dynamics CRM

Creating Reports with Dynamics CRM Report Wizard

To build a basic report in Dynamics CRM, you can go through the following steps by using the Report Wizard. In CRM, select Reports from the menu: Select New from the menu: This will open the New Report window. Select Report Wizard Report as the Report Type and click Report Wizard: Click Start a new report: Select Account as the primary record type. We will name the report “Test Account Report”: The next … Continue reading Creating Reports with Dynamics CRM Report Wizard

USD Replacement Keys

Replacement Keys in Unified Service Desk are used to provide specific logic to Replacement Parameters. Here we will go through each of the replacement keys: + is used to replace a null with an empty string. E.g. if your replacement parameter [[contact.firstname]] is null, it may cause an issue if used in an action. We can change this to [[contact.firstname]+] to replace the null with an empty string $ is used … Continue reading USD Replacement Keys

Unified Service Desk – Add CRM Dashboard or Webpage

In USD, we have the ability to display a dashboard from CRM. Let’s go through an example of how to do this. Firstly, determine the URL of the Dynamics CRM dashboard you want to use. You can do this here. In our case, we will be showing the Customer Service Representative Social Dashboard: Let’s access this through a Toolbar in USD. Go to Toolbars and open the existing Main toolbar. We … Continue reading Unified Service Desk – Add CRM Dashboard or Webpage

Getting a Dynamics 365 CRM Dashboard URL

In the newer versions of Dynamics CRM, getting the URL of a dashboard is not that straight forward. Here are the steps to do it. Get the GUID of the dashboard. To do this, go to Settings->Customizations->Customize the System: Select and open the dashboard: In the URL of the dashboard, find where it says formId. Copy the GUID between %7b: Add your GUID to this URL: https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com/dashboards/dashboard.aspx?dashboardId=GUID&dashboardType=1030&pagemode=iframeI.e. https://yourorg.crm.dynamics.com/dashboards/dashboard.aspx?dashboardId=063E7659-05D9-4030-960D-10FE269A5A8B&dashboardType=1030&pagemode=iframe Open this in a … Continue reading Getting a Dynamics 365 CRM Dashboard URL