We're proud to announce that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 8 released Thursday, May 3rd, 2012! 

On Friday May 4th 2012, Greg Nichols and Ryan Anderson from the Microsoft Premier Field Engineering team will provide information about the recent release of Update Rollup 8 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, and will briefly discuss some of the new features (the Q2 2012 Service Update) being released via Update Rollup 9 during their:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 8 Podcast

Note regarding Podcasts: You can make our CRM Premier Field Engineering podcasts available on Zune by using the RSS feed below.  In the Zune software, go to Collection -> Podcasts and click on the Add a Podcast button on the lower left, then enter the url for the RSS feed: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pfedynamics.rss. After that, you can adjust the series settings like any other podcast, so you can sync with your smartphone or Zune.

Feature Addition in Update Rollup 7, also available in Update Rollup 8!

Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduced a new feature known as Read Optimized Forms. Read Optimized Forms allow a user to quickly open a read-only copy of a record form. Read Optimized Forms improve performance for users who have high network latency and users who spend most of their time consuming information instead of editing. Form loads are faster because of the removal of the ribbon, navigation pane, web resources, and form scripting. However, you can still open the standard editable form if changes have to be made. The ability to default to using the Read Optimized Forms can be set at the Organization level, but is also controlled per user to meet individual needs. For more information about Read Optimized Forms, see "Customize Entity Forms in Microsoft Dynamics CRM"

Update Rollup 8 Build number:
5.0.9690.2243

Note: Update Rollup 8 can be uninstalled, unlike Update Rollups 4-6, which could not be uninstalled.  However, you should always back up your databases and application servers before you install an Update Rollup.

Update Rollup 6 established a new servicing baseline. This will enable uninstalls of some future CRM 2011 Update Rollups, but this also means that Update Rollup 6 is prerequisite for installation of future Update Rollups, starting with Update Rollup 7.

A database created with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 6 or a higher version cannot be imported to a deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 5 or an earlier version. This scenario is not supported.

Note: As Update Rollup 8 is cumulative, containing all changes released in earlier Update Rollup releases, it also contains the Dynamics CRM Q4 Service Update features released via Update Rollup 5.  Some of these features include:

  • Outlook Client Updates:
  • Enhancements to the Reading Pane
  • Asynchronous promotion for tracked emails
  • Dialog Enhancements
  • Data Visualization Enhancements:
  • Chart Designer Enhancements
  • New Chart Types
  • Data Management Enhancements to:
  • Auditing
  • Duplicate Detection
  • Activity Feeds
  • Listening in on important activities in Social Media that take place around the people, accounts, contacts, leads or opportunities that you care about, including a Windows 7.5 phone application: "Business Hub"
  • Update Rollup 5 does not install Activity Feeds:

For more information about the Dynamics CRM Q4 Service Update features, consult:

Packages are available for download via: 

  • The Update Rollup 8 Microsoft Download Center page (on May 3rd, 2012)
  • The Microsoft Update Catalog (on May 22nd, 2012)
  • The Microsoft Update detection / installation process (on May 22nd, 2012)
    • Note: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Updates will be pushed via Microsoft Update as Important updates
    • Client packages installed manually by downloading the packages and running install will require local administrator privileges. If the client packages are installed via Microsoft Update or SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager), they will not require local administrator privileges
    • Consider using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or similar software distribution technologies to distribute Dynamics CRM Update Rollups internally.  WSUS is a locally managed system that works with the public Microsoft Update website to give system administrators more control. By using Windows Server Update Services, administrators can manage the distribution of Microsoft hotfixes and updates released through Automatic Updates to computers in a corporate environment
    • For help with installation please see the Installation Information section of the Update Rollup 8 "master" Microsoft Knowledge Base article
    • Please review my teammate Shawn Dieken's superb blog posting "How to install Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 without an Internet Connection" which provides details on how to set up an install on a machine without access to the Internet
    • Please review my teammate Jon Strand's equally superb blog posting "CRM 2011: Silently Installing Update Rollups" which provides details on installing CRM Outlook client update rollups "silently" in order to limit end-user interruption

for these CRM components:

NOTE: As of Jan. 20th, 2012 these installation files have been updated to include CRM 2011 Update Rollup 6 (Build 05.00.9690.1992)

 Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 8 Prerequisites:

  • Essentially the prerequisites listed in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Implementation Guide download or online versions for the various CRM components serviced
  • You must have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 6 installed (build 5.0.9690.1992) to apply this Update Rollup.

Note regarding Microsoft Dynamics CRM Stack Technology Compatibility:

Do you want to know if certain Service Packs or versions of a Microsoft product are supported with Dynamics CRM? Now we have all of this in one “living" Knowledge Base article: the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Compatibility List.  For example, you can use this KB to determine the latest Microsoft SQL Server major version and Service Pack that is supported. Microsoft will list new products like Internet Explorer 10 as TBD until testing is complete; generally near General Availability (GA) of that product.

Issues resolved via Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollups: 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 8 is the eighth of a series of cumulative Update Rollups that include fixes for the issues that are or will be documented in the "Master Knowledge Base Articles" for CRM 2011 Update Rollups.  As they are cumulative, Update Rollup 8 contains all fixes shipped via Update Rollups 1-8. 

Hotfixes and updates that were released as individual fixes before Update Rollup 8 release

The following issues were fixed and delivered to requesting customers prior to Update Rollup 8 release as Critical On Demand (COD) fixes:

  • When you browse through many records in the Hungarian version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 1011, the alphabet clickable index (the jump bar) is in English
  • Assume that the Microsoft Dynamics CRM website application pool identity is configured as a domain user account. When you try to configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook over the HTTPS protocol, a generic error occurs
  • You cannot configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook with Office 365 platform when you use a name that contains multibyte characters
  • When you make a change in an existing appointment, and then you save the appointment, the form reloads with the original values. Therefore, you cannot see the change that you made
  • Multiple Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 toolbars appear randomly when you use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit email message
  • Custom saved views that are shared are not available in Microsoft Office Outlook when you are offline
  • When you run the Test Access function on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email router produces for some Office 365 Exchange users, you receive the following error message:
  • An error occurred while opening mailbox.
  • Microsoft.Crm.Tools.Email.Providers.EmailException: The remote Microsoft Exchange e-mail server returned the error "(401) Unauthorized"

Other fixes released via CRM 2011 Update Rollup 8:

  • An appointment is not displayed in the service calendar in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • This issue occurs when the duration of the appointment is zero, and the end date of the appointment is the same as the start date of the next appointment
  • Consider the following scenario:
  • You create an appointment in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook
  • You select the option to track the appointment in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and then save the appointment
  • You open the appointment and change the value in the pick list
  • In this scenario, the value in the pick list is not saved
  • When you copy the Service Manager role to rename it, and then assign the role to a user, the service calendar is not displayed
  • This issue occurs after you create a new organization in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 with the Portuguese language pack installed
  • The Import Data Wizard stays in the loading status in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 with Internet Explorer 10
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook crashes when the reading pane is enabled in a form that contains many multiline text box fields in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • The W3WP process crashes with unhandled exceptions in the scheduling engine thread in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • When there are many users and equipment and the LeastBusy option is enabled in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you experience slow performance in the service scheduling process
  • When you click attachments in the reading pane in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, the Open button is enabled unexpectedly
  • Software Development Kit (SDK) receives a deserialization exception for users on Microsoft Office Online
  • This issue occurs because of an unexpected response from the GetUserRealm call
  • There is no validation for domains in the stage.axpx.cs page in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • When you create a new Email type quick campaign, and then select a new template that you created, an alert popup appears
  • When you run a report in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in a Report Definition Language (RDL) sandboxed environment, images in the report truncate or do not load
  • After you set the Min Pool Size value to 20 in CrmSqlCnnectionManager, many SQL connections without a valid SQL handle are generated or remained in Microsoft SQL Server
  • When you switch folders in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in a wide area network (WAN) environment, you experience slow performance
  • No Performance Monitor data is logged for the "#Organizations" performance counter
  • When you apply Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, the language provisioning jobs fail
  • Additionally, you receive the following error message:
  • Reprovisioning Job for 1033 Failed
  • When you click Insert Template in an email activity, you receive the following error message intermittently:
  • An error has occurred
  • After you perform a synchronization process in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook, status reason codes are changed to the default status reason code in activities that are closed
  • When you click to open an attachment in a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 record, the Open button is unavailable in the file download dialog box
  • You cannot seamlessly access Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 pages in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 client for Outlook
  • Assume that you call the SetLabel function from the "Xrm.Page.ui.controls" namespace on the priceperunit attribute of the Quote entity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. When you set the product type option to Write-in, and then you close the quote product form, you receive the following error message:
  • Object doesn't support this property or method
  • When you try to list trusted domains in the New Multiple Users wizard in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, an error occurs
  • You cannot import an organization into the same Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 deployment if the business unit entity has new attributes added
  • Assume that you update the default Outlook filter templates by using the CRM 2011 SDK. When you perform an Outlook Filter Reset process, two or three filters with the same name but different fetchxml are generated
  • Assume that you untrack Microsoft Dynamics CRM email messages in the Outlook inbox explorer view in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. When you try to delete the corresponding email activity from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 server, you receive the following error message:
  • Unrecognized GUID Format
  • Assume that you are not a member of any administrative groups in Active Directory. When you export a dynamic worksheet to an Excel worksheet, you may receive the following error message:
  • [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][ SQL Server] The select permission was denied for the object 'fn_GetGuidsFromString'
  • The donotbulkpostalmail account attribute is not editable. Additionally, the account attribute is not listed when you design the entity form
  • When you synchronize appointments in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 by using the Microsoft Office Outlook online mode (noncached mode), all attendees in the appointments become organizers in Microsoft Office Outlook
  • When you export advanced find views that contain "Or" conditions to dynamic worksheets, incorrect SQL query syntax is generated
  • When you revise a closed quote, you receive the following warning message:
  • Are you sure you want to navigate away from this page?
  • However, the Revised Quote form opens above the Closed Quote form
  • You cannot cancel the "On Save" event in a recurring appointment form by using Java scripts in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • When you perform RetrieveMultiple queries for the listmemeber entity by using the paging functionality and pass the paging cookies to improve performance, not all listmembers are returned. Some queries retrieve two full pages of data, and the second page indicates there are more records. However, no records are returned on the third page
  • This issue occurs when the "OrderType.Descending" order type is used in the OrderExpresion for the createdon or modifiedon attributes
  • When you open a form in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you receive the following script error message:
  • The disk is full
  • Consider the following scenario in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:
  • You click My Work, and then click Activities
  • You click Phone Call, and then open the debugging tool
  • You click the Script tab on the left side, and then click the Console tab on the right side
  • You click the List in regarding field
  • In this scenario, you receive an error message that resembles the following:
  • HTML1422: Malformed start tag. A self closing slash should be followed by a U+003E GREATER-THAN SIGN (>).
    lookupinfo.aspx, line 1018 character 5434
  • HTML1422: Malformed start tag. A self closing slash should be followed by a U+300E GREATER-THAN SIGN (>).
    lookupinfo.aspx, line 1018 character 5440
  • HTML1409: Invalid attribute name character. Attribute names should not contain ("),('),(<), or (=).
    lookupinfo.aspx, line 1018 character 5455
  • Assume that you have a named SQL instance that has ports specified and you disable the SQL Browser service. When you try to install Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 in the named SQL instance, the installation fails. Additionally, you cannot create organizations by using the named SQL instance in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • If you register a plug-in against an opportunity entity in the post-operation stage, the plug-in is unexpectedly executed outside the transaction
  • When you try to export campaign activity distribution failures to Microsoft Office Excel, you receive the following error message:
  • Invalid Argument
  • When you receive incoming email messages from duplicate contacts in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, the email messages are tracked incorrectly
  • A dynamic value, such as a date, in a record from a query does not reflect your time zone or regional date format in a dialog box
  • When you try to qualify an opportunity, an account, or a contact, a duplicate detention dialog box appears. However, when you continue to qualify the record, the dialog box stops responding. Additionally, you receive the following error message on the Internet Explorer status bar:
  • Error on page
  • View list caching causes an incorrect list of views in other parts of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Therefore, when you customize dashboard with a grid component and set certain views to be available in the grid component, not all views are displayed
  • Some entities are added to the cache to improve the performance for the Service Scheduling process
  • For more information about how to enable the performance improvements, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  • 2651621 Service Scheduling performance enhancements for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • When you synchronize appointments in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to Microsoft Office Outlook, the appointments are generated as meeting requests. This issue occurs even though there are no attendees who are listed in the appointments
  • Assume that a contact entity contains trailing spaces in a text field in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. In this situation, the contact entity is synchronized continuously in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Outlook. This occurs even though no record is changed in the contact entity
  • The edit.aspx page double loads unexpectedly

Hotfixes and updates that you have to enable or configure manually

Occasionally, updates released via Update Rollups require manual configuration to enable them. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update Rollups are always cumulative; for example, Update Rollup 8 contains all fixes previously released via Update Rollups 1-67as well as fixes newly released via Update Rollup 8. So if you install Update Rollup 8 on a machine upon which you previously installed no Update Rollups, you will need to manually enable any desired fixes for Update Rollups 1-8:

    • Update Rollup 1: no updates requiring manual configuration
    • Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 contains the following update that you must enable or configure manually - details on enabling or configuring can be found in this Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
    • 2535245 RetrieveMultiple optimization for basic depth needed for local and deep depth read privileges in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • Update Rollup 3: no updates requiring manual configuration
  • Update Rollup 4: no updates requiring manual configuration
  • Update Rollup 5: no updates requiring manual configuration
  • Update Rollup 6 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 contains the following update that you must enable or configure manually - details on enabling or configuring can be found in this Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
  • 2664150  Steps to clean up the PrincipalObjectAccess table in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 after Update Rollup 6 is applied
  • Update Rollup 7: no updates requiring manual configuration
  • Update Rollup 8: no updates requiring manual configuration

 

Mismatched Update Rollup versions within a Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment

In a scenario where you may be running many client workstations with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Microsoft Office Outlook, a common question is whether it is supported to run mismatched versions. For example, where Update Rollup 5 has been installed on the CRM Server but the Outlook clients are still on Update Rollup 1, or where Update Rollup 1 is on the CRM server but due to updates available to the Outlook client you have decided to install Update Rollup 6 on the clients without installing Update Rollup 4 on the server.

The general rule of thumb is to try to keep the versions in sync as much as possible. However, it is permissible (though not recommended as a long-term solution) to run mismatched Update Rollup versions on Outlook client and server, as Microsoft does do some testing of such combinations.

However, regarding the other Update Rollups (for example Rollups for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Email Router or Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Reporting Extensions), it is not supported nor recommended to run mismatched versions. A best practice is to update these components at the same time you update your CRM Server.  Do the best you can to keep these Update Rollup versions in sync.

For more information, see the blog posting "User experience while accessing CRM 2011 application servers while Update Rollups are being applied"

Internet Explorer 9 Compatibility

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sustained Engineering team extensively tested Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 against pre-release versions of Internet Explorer 9 and continues to address compatibility issues, as appropriate, against the RTW (Released to Web) version of Internet Explorer 9.  When necessary, Microsoft plans to release enhancements via future Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollups to assure compatibility with Internet Explorer 9.

There are two CRM 2011 application compatibility fixes released via Update Rollup 6 related to Internet Explorer 9:

  • When you click Add Existing to associate more than 250 records to a record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Internet Explorer becomes unresponsive. Additionally, you receive the following error message:
  • Message: Stop running this script? A script on this page is causing your web browser to run slowly. If it continues to run, your computer might become unresponsive
  • When you open a record on an associated view, picklists become inactive in Internet Explorer 9

There is a Update Rollup 5 fix for an expanding memory footprint issue associated with Internet Explorer, but it impacts all versions of Internet Explorer supported by CRM 2011  - those are currently Internet Explorer versions 7, 8, and 9.

Greg Nichols
Premier Field Engineering
Microsoft Corporation