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Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived) / What does Server-side ...
Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Archived)

What does Server-side Synchronisation do??

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Posted on by Community Member

I have spent the day trying to get emails synchronising between my outlook and my CRM Online instance.

I created, approved and enabled a mailbox within my CRM.

Sending emails from inside CRM works ok.

It is using my office 365 account and using Exchange Online for synchronisation.

I added the same office 365 email to my outlook client and installed CRM for outlook.

I have spent a bit of time on the phone to Microsoft support who tell me that, while I have server-side synchronisation selected on my mailbox, emails sent through crm for outlook will not synchronise with CRM.

I am having a lot of trouble understanding why this is the case and looking for some more guidance.  What is the point of server-side synchronisation of emails?  Where can I send an email from (with my office 365 email), and have it appear inside CRM?  Surely if I send an email from outlook, using my office 365 account that I use in CRM, that it would go through exchange online and be processed.  But apparently this is not the case??

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  • Verified answer
    Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Hi CRMDevOps,

    There are three ways to use email and CRM together - and from both perspectives - Incoming and Outgoing.

    1.CRM For Outlook - use this when you want to manually choose which emails to sync from Inbox into CRM.  You can also use this so that CRM generated emails are sent through your Outlook (downside is Outlook has to be open to sync)

    2. Dynamics CRM Email Router - think of this as the middle man that connects your email exchange and crm.  use this when you want CRM generated emails to send (but not have to rely on Outlook being open for that sync).  Email router can also sync inbox emails into CRM.  The upside is emails get sent from CRM right away (no need to wait for Outlook sync).  Downside is you have to run the Email Router on a server.

    3. SSS - if you use SSS, currently cannot use CRM for Outlook to track emails.  SSS is also like the middle  man - but does not need to be managed on a server.  It simply is just a few settings in CRM.  Upside - not only can it sync CRM Generated emails to your exchange - but also appointments/activities.  so if you have appointments being managed in CRM - those can push to your exchange automatically.  Same for emails.  Downside of SSS - if trying to sync emails INTO CRM from your inbox - really its all or none.  There is no option to select individual emalis to track into crm.

    You'll have to weigh the pro/cons of each and choose which is best.  Most people would use CRM for Outlook/Email router - but if you need appoitnments from crm to sync to your exchange automatically (typically for sales people in the field) - SSS is the only solution.

    Microsoft explanation of SSS-

    technet.microsoft.com/.../dn832121.aspx

    Another explanation -

    crmbook.powerobjects.com/.../server-side-sync

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Hi Darren,

    and thank you for taking the time to explain this to me.

    I think my confusion stemmed from reading this FAQ yesterday:

    www.microsoft.com/.../synchronizing-data-with-outlook-or-exchange-faq.aspx

    Item 4 on that FAQ seems to indicated that I can use SSS, but also send CRM emails from outlook that will get synchronised on the server side.  So this is not true?

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    I have since had another email from Microsoft support that says that I CAN in fact use SSS, and also track emails from CRM for outlook.

    Why so much conflicting information?  It is so frustrating when the system experts cannot tell me the correct information.

    Thanks again Darren for your help and hopefully anyone else looking for this answer will stumble across my post.

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Hey CRMDevOps,

    Yes the differing information you can find on the internet can be frustrating.  I am stating that although its technically supported - the last organization I tried setting this up for - it did not work.  It was a known issue that MS was working on.  I will test this scenario in a CRM Online 2015 org and let you know what I find - by this time tomorrow.

  • Suggested answer
    Elad Profile Picture
    Elad on at

    Hi,

    I'm sorry for the misleading documentation. Part of it is because the number of options you have to track emails. 

    So how can you track SENT emails with server side synchronization?

    1. By sending emails directly from CRM.

    2. By sending emails from Outlook, and track them manually by using the Track button in CRM for Outlook (Outlook add-in).

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/dynamics/crm-customer-center/synchronizing-data-with-outlook-or-exchange-faq.aspx

    3. By sending emails from Outlook, and manually track them by using CRM app for Outlook.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-customer-center/crm-app-for-outlook-user-s-guide.aspx

    4. By sending emails from any email client, and move them (or copy them) from the Sent folder to another folder, which are tracked by using Folder level tracking.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-customer-center/track-outlook-email-by-moving-it-to-a-tracked-exchange-folder.aspx

    I hope that helps!

    Elad

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Hi CRMDevOps1,

    From my testing - SSS and CRM for Outlook jive well except if using these settings:

    Incoming - CRM for Outlook

    Outgoing - SSS

    Appointments - either

    If using SSS for outgoing email on a CRM mailbox - does not allow the Track button in outlook client to work correctly.  This is known bug - should be fixed in CRM 2016.  

  • Community Member Profile Picture
    Community Member on at

    Thanks Darren for the informative reply, that was very helpful.

    Thanks to Elad also for the information.

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