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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
MS CRM QUestions
What is the difference between Role Based and Object Based Security Model in MSCRM?
Code based security is entirely coded in the application itself. Role based security uses one of the authentication/authorization mechanisms of the application server.
The fundamental concept in role-based security is that of privilege, defined at design time, on a system-wide basis. Each user has a set of privileges (there are well over a hundred privileges) that are enabled for that user. However, Policies and Roles grant privileges and simplify the process.
The other form of security applies to individual instances of objects. There is a fundamental difference between an access right and a privilege: an access right is a right granted to a user on an object), but a privilege is a right granted to a user on a class of objects. Access rights apply only after privileges have taken effect. In other words, if a user does not have the privilege to read accounts, the user will not be able to read any account, whether or not it has been shared.
Difference between Find and Advanced Find? Which one is faster and Why?
Find perform a search on an attribute for which it is defined. Advanced Find perform search on the conditions and the attributes for which user customizes or runs it. Normal Find in faster as it looks for one attributes and matches with that and returns the result whereas Advanced Find searches for all the attributes and conditions while parsing through the records.
Find is applicable on only active records and it finds only on 2 or 3 column which we have defined in the find view and even it returns any those column which is there in the view but advanced find is applicable to all the records and it finds all the columns and even it returns all the column and filter criteria can be on any column and most important - find filters on just one condition but adv find filters on multiple condition at one time.. Find is faster than Advanced Find.
Difference between CRM Discovery Service and CRM Metadataservice?
CRM service - when we need ORG related information like ORG name, Properties, CRM service path for this ORG -- then we use CRM discovery service..this is only to get the ORG related information
Meta data service - we use this when we need to interact with the CRM records – create, update or delete anything-- it is very specific to the CRM records. When we need to interact with the CRM entity and attribute -- like create an entity (not record) or attribute -- add a value to pick list-- retrieve the pick list value retrieve the entity properties-- attribute property and all we need Meta data service.
Difference between Plug-in and Workflows?
RequirementPlug-inWorkflowNeeds a synchronous action to happen before or after an event occursXThe same piece of logic will be executed for different events and possibly on different entities XxThe logic needs to be executed while offlineXNeeds elevation of privileges (impersonation)XNeeds to execute on events other than assign, create, update, set stateXThe process/logic may take a long time to complete or will be a persistent process (multiple long running steps)xNeeds an asynchronous actionXxEnd users will need to modify the process logicxChild sub processes will be triggered x
Whenever you install MSCRM what all databases get created?
MSCRM_Config and MSCRM_orgname
Whenever you install MSCRM what all user groups get created in Active Directory?
UserGroupAll Microsoft CRM users . This group is updated automatically as users are added and removed from Microsoft CRM.
ReportingGroupA group that contains all users within Microsoft CRM. This group is updated as users are added to Microsoft CRM. Users in this group have read-only access to the filtered views in the Microsoft CRM database.
PrivUserGroupPrivileged Microsoft CRM user group for special administrative functions.
SQLAccessGroupA group that contains Microsoft CRM ASP.NET account and other service accounts. Members in this group have full access to the Microsoft CRM database and this group is used by the Microsoft CRM platform layer. End users should never be added to this group
Difference between MSCRM3.0 and MSCRM4.0?
Multiple organizations can now be hosted and WSDL APIs are now unique per organization in MSCRM4.0.
The metadata API service has been extended to retrieve language information in MSCRM4.0.
Plug-ins (callouts) and workflow now use the same event framework, allowing for even more extensibility.
The SDK has been expanded to include offline access.
Now we can programmatically create, read, update and delete the metadata such as entities, attributes and relationship.
There are three services instead of two which we used to have in previous version
Many to Many Relationship was not available in MSCRM3.0
Multicurrency feature was not available in MSCRM3.0
What is 'Append' and 'Append To' privilege in MSCRM? Give one example of it?Ans: 'Append' and 'Append To' priviledges works together. 'Append To' priviledge will allow other entities to get attached with the entity. 'Append' priviledge will allow the entity to attach the records to the entity with 'Append To' privildege.Let us understand this with simple example:Let us say that you want to attach a note to a case then note entity should have 'Append' access right and case entity should have 'Append To' access right.Let us take one more example to understand this. Suppose you have two custom entities called 'TestCustomEntity1' and 'TestCustomEntity2'. You want to attach the 'TestCustomeEntity2' records to 'TestCustomEntity1'records. For this you need to have 'Append' access right on 'TestCustomEntity1' entity and 'Append To' access right on 'TestCustomEntity2'.Now guess will I be able to attach the records? Answer is " NO" because we need to create a 1:N relationship between 'TestCustomEntity1' and 'TestCustomEntity2'. Now the user who has above mentioned access right in his security role will only be able to add 'TestCustomEntity2' records to 'TestCustomEntity1'.
How to create a Custom Entity record using SDK?Using Dynamic Entity.
How to join two table using Query Expression?Using Linked entity. You should always try to minimize the number of SWS calls that we make in the database. Often during code review it is explored that the number of Microsoft CRM web-service could have been reduced by making use of the Linked-entity concept. So we should always look for the opportunity to minimize the effort.
Can we modify the name of Root Business Unit?No; we will have to re-install MSCRM.
Suppose if I have 20 user license and I have created 20users. What will happen if I create 21st User?The 21st User will get created in MSCRM but that user will be in disabled state.
What is the maximum number of tabs allowed on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 forms? 8
How to enable/disable the form assistant? How to make sure the form assistant is expanded/collapsed on a form?Navigate to Customization >> Open the Entity >> Open Forms and Views >> Open Form >> Select Form Properties >> Open Display Tab >> Check/Uncheck the " Enable the Form Assistant" and " Expanded by Default" .The interviewer will always try to figure-out whether one is comfortable with the basic concepts of Microsoft CRM (MS CRM) or not and after that; questions will be asked from your previous experience (if you have any experience in CRM). Those questions will be something like this:
What was your role in the MSCRM implementation project that you have worked on?You should be honest while giving answer to this question and should give a brief overview of the project and your role. This is very important question because the answers of this question will trigger so many questions. You should highlight the key skills you have; this way you will divert the attention of the interviewer to your key skills and try not to expose the area in which you are less confident.
What was the most challenging task you have faced till now?Here you should give answer that exhibits your positive attitude. E.g. for a technical consultant it may be something like ... " I was new to the support and during this experience i faced challenging issue related to plug-in that improved my debugging skills. Email-to-case plug-in was really difficult as we had to take care of so many conditions. I have learnt one thing during my previous assignment and that is 'Never give-up'" .
How is CRM changing and what does the business owner need to be aware of?
At the heart of CRM is the benefit of having the customer record at the center of the data universe rather than multiple galaxies of transactions held in separate, transaction-specific apps. So the innovation lies in new and improved visibility for putting information to use in intelligent decision making. Companies that used to serve 100 are serving 10,000, and with this kind of scaling, better top-level tools and custom dashboards are where I see CRM continuing to morph and advance.
19. Who are the newcomers to the CRM landscape?
It is such a hot area right now, there are literally hundreds. But two I have been following are Zoho and HighRise. Both are niche vendors that have garnered great contact lists with their other products and created relatively simple implementations for their clients and others. They both illustrate the fact that CRM is no longer esoteric — it is going mainstream, which is a great thing for business, particularly customer service and data security.
20. How much should I plan to spend on a good solution?
That’s always a tough question, given that applications vary widely in price based on whether it’s a hosted or installed delivery model, user-based or organization-wide subscription model, or a per-gigabyte or other data model. I would use the cost-per-sale and cost-per-lead values to help determine what a system is worth to a business. For most customers, services are going to be anywhere from $20 to $350 per month per user.
What exactly should I be expecting CRM to do for me?
This is an important question, as there are many misconceptions about software and CRM in particular. Besides some fundamentals, like data security and access and ease of use, CRM will primarily help you do what you do anyway, but move it to the next level. If your main focus is customer service, CRM will help you monitor, deliver, and measure your effectiveness. If your goal is a flat organization where the right hand knows immediately what the left hand is doing, CRM will help you be informed about the customer’s world and not just what relates to your department or team.
What are your expectations for CRM in the next five years?
First, I expect CRM to become much more commonplace. Players like Zoho and 37signals (Highrise) are knocking down barriers to entry. I also expect to see some consolidation. I think the bigger players, like Salesforce, Microsoft, and SAP, will buy up some of their smaller rivals to build into their suites and migrate their user bases. As long as the acquiring provider keeps the connections intact during the migration and meets a similar price point, it will be a win-win. I also think we’ll be seeing more mobile-friendly applications, like Salesforce’s Visualforce and NetSuite’s iPhone, to maximize data access and timeliness.
What are the most common mistakes you see companies make with CRM?
Many organizations use Outlook BCM or Excel for managing their contacts, which offer no planning or setup process — just create a column or type in a field and get started. This causes problems when information is related and the flexible aspects of the previous solution are overlooked. There are real benefits that won’t happen without understanding the new vernacular; the specific way the new solution describes the data. For example, an “account” in Salesforce may not be the same as an “account” in Highrise. In fact, it might have another name altogether, such as “company.” Understanding how the particular vendor uses “leads” or “opportunities” will help to avoid a great deal of frustration.
Do you have a few key best practices someone considering CRM can use?
Yes, I have three that anyone can use. First, consider your future needs. Look down the road and ask “How many contacts will I have in five years?” “How many salespeople will I have?” “How many of my people will need real-time access to this information at home or on their phones and PDAs?” “How much would it cost me to replace these contacts?”
Second, take the opportunity to clean up your data now. Moving to a CRM solution is an opportunity to start with a clean version of accurate data. De-duplicate and otherwise scrub the data to minimize the possibility of needing to import twice. For example, the flexibility of Excel and Outlook BCM allow placing incorrectly formatted information in their fields. This data will not import well without some good planning.
Third, be sure to communicate throughout the process and get early buy-in. The biggest focus of Saleforce.com with its customers is adoption. Members of your team are influencers in their departments. Leverage their expertise and influence by building a team to help you make decisions about the solution. Even if you disagree, listening, acknowledging, and respecting will build loyalty and acceptance within the process.
What advantages might CRM have for specific verticals?
The answer to this question is not if but how much. Since CRM helps you do what you do better, if you are in a professional services company with long sales cycles, project terms, and frequent interactions and touch points, CRM will be exponentially more valuable to you. So service businesses, like lawyers, consultants, and accountants, are ripe for CRM but often have a technological aversion and a strong status quo to maintain.
Does CRM fall more to sales or marketing in most organizations?
In my experience, marketing is somewhat of a new concept in CRM. Sales is definitely involved, but most often it is operations leading the charge.
What are my best resources for finding out more about CRM?
One resource I would recommend any company creates for it is a one- to two-page document that answers the best practice questions above and includes input from the team. Send it to five vendors your team has selected and go over the proposals to see which companies address you as a unique business — not just with a customizable offering but as a discrete business. Here are a few good sites I would recommend to anyone considering a solution
Code based security is entirely coded in the application itself. Role based security uses one of the authentication/authorization mechanisms of the application server.
The fundamental concept in role-based security is that of privilege, defined at design time, on a system-wide basis. Each user has a set of privileges (there are well over a hundred privileges) that are enabled for that user. However, Policies and Roles grant privileges and simplify the process.
The other form of security applies to individual instances of objects. There is a fundamental difference between an access right and a privilege: an access right is a right granted to a user on an object), but a privilege is a right granted to a user on a class of objects. Access rights apply only after privileges have taken effect. In other words, if a user does not have the privilege to read accounts, the user will not be able to read any account, whether or not it has been shared.
Difference between Find and Advanced Find? Which one is faster and Why?
Find perform a search on an attribute for which it is defined. Advanced Find perform search on the conditions and the attributes for which user customizes or runs it. Normal Find in faster as it looks for one attributes and matches with that and returns the result whereas Advanced Find searches for all the attributes and conditions while parsing through the records.
Find is applicable on only active records and it finds only on 2 or 3 column which we have defined in the find view and even it returns any those column which is there in the view but advanced find is applicable to all the records and it finds all the columns and even it returns all the column and filter criteria can be on any column and most important - find filters on just one condition but adv find filters on multiple condition at one time.. Find is faster than Advanced Find.
Difference between CRM Discovery Service and CRM Metadataservice?
CRM service - when we need ORG related information like ORG name, Properties, CRM service path for this ORG -- then we use CRM discovery service..this is only to get the ORG related information
Meta data service - we use this when we need to interact with the CRM records – create, update or delete anything-- it is very specific to the CRM records. When we need to interact with the CRM entity and attribute -- like create an entity (not record) or attribute -- add a value to pick list-- retrieve the pick list value retrieve the entity properties-- attribute property and all we need Meta data service.
Difference between Plug-in and Workflows?
RequirementPlug-inWorkflowNeeds a synchronous action to happen before or after an event occursXThe same piece of logic will be executed for different events and possibly on different entities XxThe logic needs to be executed while offlineXNeeds elevation of privileges (impersonation)XNeeds to execute on events other than assign, create, update, set stateXThe process/logic may take a long time to complete or will be a persistent process (multiple long running steps)xNeeds an asynchronous actionXxEnd users will need to modify the process logicxChild sub processes will be triggered x
Whenever you install MSCRM what all databases get created?
MSCRM_Config and MSCRM_orgname
Whenever you install MSCRM what all user groups get created in Active Directory?
UserGroupAll Microsoft CRM users . This group is updated automatically as users are added and removed from Microsoft CRM.
ReportingGroupA group that contains all users within Microsoft CRM. This group is updated as users are added to Microsoft CRM. Users in this group have read-only access to the filtered views in the Microsoft CRM database.
PrivUserGroupPrivileged Microsoft CRM user group for special administrative functions.
SQLAccessGroupA group that contains Microsoft CRM ASP.NET account and other service accounts. Members in this group have full access to the Microsoft CRM database and this group is used by the Microsoft CRM platform layer. End users should never be added to this group
Difference between MSCRM3.0 and MSCRM4.0?
Multiple organizations can now be hosted and WSDL APIs are now unique per organization in MSCRM4.0.
The metadata API service has been extended to retrieve language information in MSCRM4.0.
Plug-ins (callouts) and workflow now use the same event framework, allowing for even more extensibility.
The SDK has been expanded to include offline access.
Now we can programmatically create, read, update and delete the metadata such as entities, attributes and relationship.
There are three services instead of two which we used to have in previous version
Many to Many Relationship was not available in MSCRM3.0
Multicurrency feature was not available in MSCRM3.0
What is 'Append' and 'Append To' privilege in MSCRM? Give one example of it?Ans: 'Append' and 'Append To' priviledges works together. 'Append To' priviledge will allow other entities to get attached with the entity. 'Append' priviledge will allow the entity to attach the records to the entity with 'Append To' privildege.Let us understand this with simple example:Let us say that you want to attach a note to a case then note entity should have 'Append' access right and case entity should have 'Append To' access right.Let us take one more example to understand this. Suppose you have two custom entities called 'TestCustomEntity1' and 'TestCustomEntity2'. You want to attach the 'TestCustomeEntity2' records to 'TestCustomEntity1'records. For this you need to have 'Append' access right on 'TestCustomEntity1' entity and 'Append To' access right on 'TestCustomEntity2'.Now guess will I be able to attach the records? Answer is " NO" because we need to create a 1:N relationship between 'TestCustomEntity1' and 'TestCustomEntity2'. Now the user who has above mentioned access right in his security role will only be able to add 'TestCustomEntity2' records to 'TestCustomEntity1'.
How to create a Custom Entity record using SDK?Using Dynamic Entity.
How to join two table using Query Expression?Using Linked entity. You should always try to minimize the number of SWS calls that we make in the database. Often during code review it is explored that the number of Microsoft CRM web-service could have been reduced by making use of the Linked-entity concept. So we should always look for the opportunity to minimize the effort.
Can we modify the name of Root Business Unit?No; we will have to re-install MSCRM.
Suppose if I have 20 user license and I have created 20users. What will happen if I create 21st User?The 21st User will get created in MSCRM but that user will be in disabled state.
What is the maximum number of tabs allowed on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 forms? 8
How to enable/disable the form assistant? How to make sure the form assistant is expanded/collapsed on a form?Navigate to Customization >> Open the Entity >> Open Forms and Views >> Open Form >> Select Form Properties >> Open Display Tab >> Check/Uncheck the " Enable the Form Assistant" and " Expanded by Default" .The interviewer will always try to figure-out whether one is comfortable with the basic concepts of Microsoft CRM (MS CRM) or not and after that; questions will be asked from your previous experience (if you have any experience in CRM). Those questions will be something like this:
What was your role in the MSCRM implementation project that you have worked on?You should be honest while giving answer to this question and should give a brief overview of the project and your role. This is very important question because the answers of this question will trigger so many questions. You should highlight the key skills you have; this way you will divert the attention of the interviewer to your key skills and try not to expose the area in which you are less confident.
What was the most challenging task you have faced till now?Here you should give answer that exhibits your positive attitude. E.g. for a technical consultant it may be something like ... " I was new to the support and during this experience i faced challenging issue related to plug-in that improved my debugging skills. Email-to-case plug-in was really difficult as we had to take care of so many conditions. I have learnt one thing during my previous assignment and that is 'Never give-up'" .
How is CRM changing and what does the business owner need to be aware of?
At the heart of CRM is the benefit of having the customer record at the center of the data universe rather than multiple galaxies of transactions held in separate, transaction-specific apps. So the innovation lies in new and improved visibility for putting information to use in intelligent decision making. Companies that used to serve 100 are serving 10,000, and with this kind of scaling, better top-level tools and custom dashboards are where I see CRM continuing to morph and advance.
19. Who are the newcomers to the CRM landscape?
It is such a hot area right now, there are literally hundreds. But two I have been following are Zoho and HighRise. Both are niche vendors that have garnered great contact lists with their other products and created relatively simple implementations for their clients and others. They both illustrate the fact that CRM is no longer esoteric — it is going mainstream, which is a great thing for business, particularly customer service and data security.
20. How much should I plan to spend on a good solution?
That’s always a tough question, given that applications vary widely in price based on whether it’s a hosted or installed delivery model, user-based or organization-wide subscription model, or a per-gigabyte or other data model. I would use the cost-per-sale and cost-per-lead values to help determine what a system is worth to a business. For most customers, services are going to be anywhere from $20 to $350 per month per user.
What exactly should I be expecting CRM to do for me?
This is an important question, as there are many misconceptions about software and CRM in particular. Besides some fundamentals, like data security and access and ease of use, CRM will primarily help you do what you do anyway, but move it to the next level. If your main focus is customer service, CRM will help you monitor, deliver, and measure your effectiveness. If your goal is a flat organization where the right hand knows immediately what the left hand is doing, CRM will help you be informed about the customer’s world and not just what relates to your department or team.
What are your expectations for CRM in the next five years?
First, I expect CRM to become much more commonplace. Players like Zoho and 37signals (Highrise) are knocking down barriers to entry. I also expect to see some consolidation. I think the bigger players, like Salesforce, Microsoft, and SAP, will buy up some of their smaller rivals to build into their suites and migrate their user bases. As long as the acquiring provider keeps the connections intact during the migration and meets a similar price point, it will be a win-win. I also think we’ll be seeing more mobile-friendly applications, like Salesforce’s Visualforce and NetSuite’s iPhone, to maximize data access and timeliness.
What are the most common mistakes you see companies make with CRM?
Many organizations use Outlook BCM or Excel for managing their contacts, which offer no planning or setup process — just create a column or type in a field and get started. This causes problems when information is related and the flexible aspects of the previous solution are overlooked. There are real benefits that won’t happen without understanding the new vernacular; the specific way the new solution describes the data. For example, an “account” in Salesforce may not be the same as an “account” in Highrise. In fact, it might have another name altogether, such as “company.” Understanding how the particular vendor uses “leads” or “opportunities” will help to avoid a great deal of frustration.
Do you have a few key best practices someone considering CRM can use?
Yes, I have three that anyone can use. First, consider your future needs. Look down the road and ask “How many contacts will I have in five years?” “How many salespeople will I have?” “How many of my people will need real-time access to this information at home or on their phones and PDAs?” “How much would it cost me to replace these contacts?”
Second, take the opportunity to clean up your data now. Moving to a CRM solution is an opportunity to start with a clean version of accurate data. De-duplicate and otherwise scrub the data to minimize the possibility of needing to import twice. For example, the flexibility of Excel and Outlook BCM allow placing incorrectly formatted information in their fields. This data will not import well without some good planning.
Third, be sure to communicate throughout the process and get early buy-in. The biggest focus of Saleforce.com with its customers is adoption. Members of your team are influencers in their departments. Leverage their expertise and influence by building a team to help you make decisions about the solution. Even if you disagree, listening, acknowledging, and respecting will build loyalty and acceptance within the process.
What advantages might CRM have for specific verticals?
The answer to this question is not if but how much. Since CRM helps you do what you do better, if you are in a professional services company with long sales cycles, project terms, and frequent interactions and touch points, CRM will be exponentially more valuable to you. So service businesses, like lawyers, consultants, and accountants, are ripe for CRM but often have a technological aversion and a strong status quo to maintain.
Does CRM fall more to sales or marketing in most organizations?
In my experience, marketing is somewhat of a new concept in CRM. Sales is definitely involved, but most often it is operations leading the charge.
What are my best resources for finding out more about CRM?
One resource I would recommend any company creates for it is a one- to two-page document that answers the best practice questions above and includes input from the team. Send it to five vendors your team has selected and go over the proposals to see which companies address you as a unique business — not just with a customizable offering but as a discrete business. Here are a few good sites I would recommend to anyone considering a solution
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