CRM Documentation Strategy

Convergence begins this weekend and we would like to take this opportunity to help you find the information you need for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Amy Lanfear and Amy Langlois will be offering an interactive session called “Finding Help When & Where You Need It: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Documentation, Resources & Communities”. This session will be held Wednesday at Noon and Thursday at 3:30 PM. We would love to see you!

At Convergence, we’ll be handing out a reference guide to all the resources we provide. Here is a download: Dynamics CRM Help & Resources Data Sheet

Finding Help When You Need It: A Guide to Online Resources

Where can you find our content?

We know that Microsoft Dynamics CRM has many sites and that searching for and locating documentation and resources can be a challenge.

The goal of this datasheet is to help you navigate our websites and in-product help, and to understand when to use each resource.

Websites

Our websites are organized to support the customer lifecycle. Each phase is supported by a different set of sites.

*Requires service plan enrollment (included with subscription to CRM Online)

Resources for Evaluation & Purchase

When you are evaluating Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

• CRM Pre-Sales– The primary site for evaluating and purchasing Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It provides information about the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, customer references, opportunities to view the product in action, and information about how to buy the product.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Office 365 Trial Guide – This guide is intended for administrators and technical decision makers in your company who want to gain experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Office 365 to evaluate their benefits for your company.

Resources for Planning, Deployment & Administration

When you are ready to deploy, upgrade or administer Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Deployment and Administration Guide – This guide is designed for administrators who need to plan and implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in their organizations. The guide also provides information to help users achieve a smooth startup with the system.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Implementation Guide – This guide contains comprehensive information about how to plan, install, and maintain on-premises deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Where applicable, it also contains information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Enterprise Planning Guide – This document is designed to help readers understand the key compliance and security considerations associated with planning for a deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in environments that may include enterprise directory integration services such as directory synchronization and single sign-on.

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM IT Pro Center – The place to go for all administration and implementation documentation. The IT Pro documentation can be found in the TechNet library: technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj992623.aspx

Resources for Using Dynamics CRM

When you are using Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Center – (Formerly the Resource Center) Here you’ll find videos, Help topics, new feature descriptions, and more info to help you maximize your efficiency and build your business.

• In-product Help – Every page of the CRM application has a question mark in the upper right corner. Click it for context-specific topics or links to the full Resource Center.

Resources for Customization & Development

When you are ready to customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Center – The place to go for information and sample code for customizers, developers and report writers. You’ll find the SDK download package, introductory and in-depth articles, overview and reference documentation, entity model diagrams, and much more. The SDK documentation can be found in the MSDN library: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg309408.aspx

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM SDK Download Package – This download contains all the same documentation found in the MSDN library, as well as hundreds of code samples in both C# and Visual Basic .NET, tools for registering plug-ins, and a design guide to help you create solutions that match the look of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

CustomerSource* and Microsoft Learning - Training Resource Sites

Resources that both your partner and in-house development team can use.

• CustomerSource*: www.customersource.com

• PartnerSource*: https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource

*Requires service plan enrollment

How To Find Content

• Use Bing® and other search engines to find publicly-available content. Be sure to include the words CRM Online or CRM 2011 in your search in order to find the most relevant information.

• Note that CustomerSource and PartnerSource are not indexed by external search engines—you must be on the sites to search them.

How to Send Feedback to Microsoft

You can use the Microsoft Connect site to send feedback about Microsoft Dynamics products. You can also use the feedback link found at the bottom of documentation topics to send feedback about the information presented in the topic.

Blogs

• CRM Team Blog – Provides news direct from the CRM engineering team.http://blogs.msdn.com/crm

• CRM Online Service – Provides news about the CRM Online service.

• CRM Support blog – Provides insights, tips and techniques from the support team.

• Community.Dynamics.com – Hosts blogs by various people outside of the engineering team, and forums that answer your questions.

CRM on Social Media

• http://facebook.com/
  Search for "Microsoft Dynamics CRM".
• http://linkedin.com/
  In the group directory, search for "Microsoft CRM".
• http://youtube.com/
  Search for "Microsoft Dynamics CRM".
• http://twitter.com/MSDynamicsCRM