Dynamics CRM Local User Group Chapters: Get a Taste from a Chapter Leader

Last week the mid-atlantic CRMUG chapters hosted a 'Launch Party'.  Kylie Kiser, a CRM Specialist with a financial services firm and CRMUG Chapter Leader posted this blog recap.  If you've ever considered getting involved with your local chapter, this is a good look into the value of the community:

From Kylie Kiser: Last night we had the first ever DMV Chapter Launch Party! The idea was to promote all of the chapters in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area and show people how awesome it is to connect with your local CRM Community.

It was a huge success! Over half of the attendees had never been to a chapter meeting! Some people didn't even know there was a local chapter in DC (I have been attending the DC Chapter for over 3 years)!

The event was hosted by HigherLogic in their beautiful office. We had appetizers, beer and wine in the "Party Kitchen". It was a great time getting to know other CRM users in the area plus we had an "Ask-It Basket" to answer people's questions (see more below).

Here is the quick rundown of the chapters involved in our party:

I am going to include all of the Ask-it Basket questions and answers below in case you have any of the same questions. Wishing all of you a very warm weekend (2-25 feet of snow expected here :))! Remember to look for your local chapter meetings because they are a great way to get answers to your questions and connect with other CRM professionals in your area!

Ask-it Basket Questions and Answers

• A money field in a Dynamics CRM 2013 on-premise view does not display for some record, but does display for other records. The error is observed by a System Administrator user, so we don't think it's permissions related. Value is shown on export.
  • Issue may be with the home currency vs user currency
  • Check that the record has a currency assigned to it
  • Keep in mind that during an export the default currency will be used if the record does not have a currency assigned
• What gotchas should I be aware of? (new to CRM, setting up new environment)
  • Avoid over customization - look at how to adjust your business process instead of customizing to fit exactly the way you do it now
  • CRM Online is very straightforward set up. Trial can have insights and other add-ons. Be aware the trial process will be changing in the future (need to talk to a rep to set up).
  • Make sure you plan how you will set up SharePoint. For CRM Online, you cannot change this after it is initially configured.
  • Take time to learn Advanced Find. This will help you quickly become an advanced user by helping you look at the information in a different way.
  • Plan your data structure to work well with Advanced Find and your reporting needs.
  • Remove unused fields from Advanced Find by setting them to not be searchable
  • Remove unused fields from Quick Find to improve performance
  • Install Intelligent Query, Snapshot (copy records, pull from audit history, etc.)
• Has anyone ever used CRM Data Detective for CRM 2011? If so, do you find it beneficial? Are there other programs that offer similar results?
  • Data Detective is not always accurate because of issues with many to one relationships.
  • Microsoft also has a Data Analyzer tool that you can get by talking to your Microsoft Rep.
  • New features to help with this will be coming in the next version of the XRM toolkit
  • TIP: in CRM 2016 you will be able to remove some system fields that you are not using
• Auditing User Access?
  • This will be improving in the future. Built in to 2016 but not released yet.