Chapter 29. On-Premises Deployments

This chapter is largely important for CRM 2016 On-Premises deployments, which differ significantly from Online deployments due to the requirements necessary to install an application on local servers.

However, a couple of things do overlap:

Outlook client configuration options

Setting up your business in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

For more information on Outlook Client configuration options, refer to CHAPTER 19, “Outlook Configuration.” For more information on setting up your business in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, see the last section in this chapter, “Setting Up Your Business in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016.”

With these exceptions, if you have a hosted instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM (that is, Dynamics CRM Online), you can probably skip this chapter, or at least you can skip to the “Microsoft CRM Office Client for Outlook” section of this chapter, because a majority of the material does not apply to you. If, however, you are running your own in-house (that is, On-Premises) version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you will want to pay special attention to the requirements in this chapter for configuration, setup, and prerequisites.

The On-Premises version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the version that requires the most amount of infrastructure. This is simply because you’re dedicating server resources (if not several servers) to host the Microsoft Dynamics CRM application. The other versions (CRM Online and partner-hosted Dynamics CRM) require only Outlook, the email router, and/or a browser and mobile device.

See the “Setting Up Your Business in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016” section, later in this chapter, for more information about single-server versus distributed-server deployment.

You can install individual server roles in different computers or on the same computer by using the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup Wizard. In addition, you can add a server role and change or remove installed server roles by navigating to Control Panel > Features > Programs.

Microsoft recommends the following components when considering a single-server deployment:

Processor—Minimum of x64 or compatible dual-core 1.5GHz (quad-core x64 2GHz or higher recommended)

Memory—Minimum of 4GB RAM (8GB RAM recommended)

Processor—Minimum of 10GB of available hard disk space (40GB of available hard disk space recommended)

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

Windows Server 2012 Standard

Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

A forest is the top level of Active Directory. Forests contain domains, and domains contain organizational units (OUs) (see Figure 29.1).

One of the following Active Directory service modes must be running:

Windows Server 2008 Interim

Windows Server 2008 Native

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012 R2

Other Active Directory requirements include the following:

The computer that Microsoft Dynamics CRM is running on shouldn’t function as an Active Directory domain controller.

When you use the Add Users Wizard, only users from trusted domains in the current forest are displayed. Users from trusted external forests aren’t supported and don’t appear in the wizard.

Installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2016 in a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory that is running in Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) is not supported.

Active Directory is an integral part of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Starting with the earliest versions of Microsoft CRM, Active Directory was the centralized location for user management and security for the system. When users first attempt to log on to the network, they are validating who they are against the information in Active Directory. When they are on the network, Microsoft CRM uses another internal security mechanism to determine record access. This division of security is known as authentication and authorization.

Authentication (or who the user is) is the process by which a user is verified by providing credentials. In the case of Active Directory, the credentials consist of a username, password, and Windows domain name. In the Windows and Microsoft CRM model, authentication is determined when a user logs on to the network. When a user attempts to access Microsoft CRM, he is not prompted for credentials because he has already been verified (see Figure 29.2).

Authorization (or what the user can do) is the process by which users are granted the rights to certain resources, based on the security levels and permissions they have. For example, a network administrator might have full access rights to the entire system, whereas a secretary might have very limited access rights.

Further, the previous example is specific to the network rights that users have; however, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM rights they might have are completely independent of their network rights. Therefore, the secretary previously mentioned, who has very limited access rights, might be a full Microsoft CRM administrator and able to do nearly anything in the CRM system, whereas the network administrator might have read-only rights for CRM.

If it sounds confusing, it might be easier to think of it like this:

Users need to be valid network domain users to be given access to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016.

After being granted access to Microsoft CRM 2016, users need to be given a security role to determine what level of access they have to work within Microsoft CRM 2016.

No inherent correlation exists between network permissions and Microsoft CRM 2016 permissions.

To explain further, just because users can log on to the network does not necessarily mean they have the rights or the capability to log on to Microsoft CRM 2016. The reason for this is that although Active Directory controls network and network resource access, users must also be set up in Microsoft CRM 2016 as valid users. For example, if you have 85 people in your organization, but only the CEO has been set up in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 as a valid user, only the CEO can access CRM; other users who tried to access CRM would encounter the authentication dialog shown in Figure 29.3.

The number of valid Microsoft CRM 2016 users you can have is established by the version of Microsoft CRM 2016 you purchase, as well as the particular licensing used (see the “Licensing” section, later in this chapter).

Dynamics CRM Server 2016 must have access to a Secure Token Services (STS) service, such as the STS called Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS).

Dynamics CRM supports the following versions of AD FS:

2.0

2.1

2.2

3.0

The following must be available after you run Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup and before you configure IFD:

If you are installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM in a single-server configuration, be aware that AD FS 2.0 installs on the default website. Therefore, you must create a new website for Microsoft Dynamics CRM if you’re using AD FS 2.0. If you’re using AD FS 3.0, there is not a conflict.

When you run the Internet-Facing Deployment Configuration Wizard, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2016 must be running on a website that is configured to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup will not configure the website for SSL.

The Require SSL setting enabled in IIS should be set where the CRM web application will be installed.

Multiple IIS bindings, such as a website with an HTTPS and an HTTP binding or two HTTPS or two HTTP bindings, are not supported for running Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and therefore a single binding is strongly recommended.

You access the AD FS federation metadata file from the computer where the Configure Claims-Based Authentication Wizard is run. In addition, the federation metadata endpoint must use the Web Services Trust Model (WS-Trust) 1.3 standard, because previous standards are not supported.

The following encryption certificates are required. You can use the same encryption certificate for both purposes, such as when you use a wildcard certificate:

Claims-based authentication requires identities to provide an encryption certificate for authentication. This certificate should be trusted by the computer where you are installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2016, so it must be located in the local Personal store where the Configure Claims-Based Authentication Wizard is running.

The certificates for SSL encryption should be valid for hostnames similar to org.your-domain.com, auth.your-domain.com, and dev.your-org.com. To satisfy this requirement, you can use a single wildcard certificate (*.your-domain.com), a certificate that supports Subject Alternative Names, or individual certificates for each name. Individual certificates for each hostname are valid only if you use different servers for each web server role.

The CRMAppPool account of each Microsoft Dynamics CRM website must have read permission to the private key of the encryption certificate specified when configuring claims-based authentication. You can use the Certificates snap-in to edit permissions for the encryption certificate found in the Personal store of the local computer account.

Refer to CHAPTER 28, “Forms Authentication,” for more information about IFD configuration.

SQL Server Editions

SQL Server Reporting Services

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Enterprise Edition, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Business Intelligence, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Standard, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Developer, x64 (for non-production environments)

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Enterprise, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Business Intelligence, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Standard, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Developer, 64-bit SP1 (for non-production environments)

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Enterprise Edition, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Business Intelligence, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Standard, x64

Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Developer, x64 (for non-production environments)

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Enterprise, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Business Intelligence, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Standard, 64-bit SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Developer, 64-bit SP1 (for non-production environments)

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for SQL Server Reporting Services has the following general requirements:

You must complete Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup before you run Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for SQL Server Reporting Services Setup.

You can install and run only one instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions on a computer that has SQL Server 2012 or 2014 Reporting Services installed.

Separate deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM cannot share one SQL Server Reporting Services server. However, a single deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM that has multiple organizations can use the same (or more than one) SQL Server Reporting Services server.

Refer to CHAPTER 16, “Reporting and Dashboards,” for more information about the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Connector for SQL Server Reporting Services.

To enable Microsoft SharePoint integration, the following Microsoft SharePoint Server editions are required and must be installed and running, and at least one Microsoft SharePoint site collection must be configured and available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server:

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 SP1 (all editions) or SP2

Microsoft SharePoint 2013 or SP1

Microsoft SharePoint Online

To enable SharePoint functionality, go to the Settings area of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web application and select Document Management. The configuration page shown in Figure 29.4 appears.

Refer to CHAPTER 27, “SharePoint,” for more information about this configuration.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router Setup consists of two main components: the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router Service and the Rule Deployment Wizard. The CRM Email Router Service installs the Email Router Service and Email Router Configuration Manager. The Email Router Configuration Manager is used to configure the Email Router Service. The Rule Deployment Manager component deploys the rules that enable received email messages to be tracked.

For more information on how to install and configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router, SEE CHAPTER 20, “Email Configuration.”

You can install the Email Router Service and Rule Deployment Manager on any computer that is running one of the following operating systems and has network access to both Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the email server:

Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 (either x64 or 32-bit versions)

Windows 7 (32- or 64-bit version)

Windows Server 2012

Microsoft Exchange Online

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Standard or Enterprise Edition

Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Standard or Enterprise Edition

If the .NET Framework 4.0 is missing, Email Router Setup installs it on the computer where you install Email Router.

The Rule Deployment Wizard component must be installed on a computer that is running any of the previously mentioned Windows or Windows Server operating systems and has the Microsoft Exchange Server Messaging API (MAPI) client runtime libraries installed.

If you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM Email Router to connect to a POP3-compliant or SMTP server, the following standards are required:

POP3—RFC 1939

SMTP—RFC 2821 and 2822

Internet Explorer (on Windows)—Version 10 or later

Firefox (on Windows)—Latest publicly released version

Safari (on Mac OS X)—Latest publicly released version

Chrome on Windows or Google Nexus 10—Latest publicly released version

The Microsoft CRM web browser client is the recommended option in the following situations:

Remote/offsite access is necessary.

Support staff don’t necessarily need Office.

A thin client solution is desired.

To use Microsoft Dynamics CRM Office integration features, such as Export to Excel and Mail Merge, you must have one of the following installed on the computer that is running the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web client:

Microsoft Office 2016

Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft Office 365

The Microsoft CRM Outlook client comes in two versions, 32-bit and 64-bit. The same client can also run in two modes (online or offline) and can connect to more than one CRM organization and to any Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online organization.

On a standard installation, the offline access is not installed, and although it can be seen by navigating to Outlook > CRM, when you select it for the first time, the system configures itself and installs the offline components. The Offline Access type has the capability to go offline and enables users to work with CRM data while not connected to the Microsoft CRM server. When this is installed and configured, a local version of the data is installed in an installed instance of SQL Server Express Edition 2012 SP1 (installed by the installer).

When users have completed their offline tasks and return to the Microsoft CRM 2016 server, they can click the Go Online button on the ribbon, and a synchronization process checks for updated data on both the Microsoft CRM server and the Microsoft CRM Outlook client.

Finally, note that the Offline Access Client mode does not require installation on a laptop. If you choose to install the Offline Access Client mode on your desktop, it will have the same functionality as the desktop client, but it will install the required components outlined earlier. There are not too many reasons for doing this, however, other than testing and development purposes, because it is unlikely that you’ll be taking your desktop offline.

Regardless of which Microsoft CRM client is used, the following operating systems are required for the Microsoft CRM Office client for Outlook:

Windows 10 (both 64-bit and 32-bit versions)

Windows 8 (both 64-bit and 32-bit versions)

Windows 7 (both 64-bit and 32-bit versions)

Windows Server 2012 (when running as RDC applications) and 2012 R2

In addition, the following components must be installed (and running) before you attempt a Microsoft CRM Office client for Outlook installation:

Microsoft Office 2016

Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Office 2010

The following components are required. However, the installer automatically downloads and installs them as part of the installation process:

SQL 2012 Express Edition (Offline Access Client mode only)

.NET Framework 4.5.2

Windows Installer (MSI) 4.5.

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2010

Microsoft Application Error Reporting

Windows Identity Framework (WIF)

Windows Azure AppFabric SDK V1.0

Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5

Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant 2.1

Microsoft SQL Server Native Client

Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0

Enterprise—The Enterprise license is designed to deliver full-featured application functionality. No usage limitations apply with this license.

Professional—The Professional license is designed to deliver full-featured application functionality. No usage limitations apply with this license.

Basic—The Basic license limits some application functionality and is designed for users at entry levels.

Essential—The Essential license allows little native functionality but is an excellent option for organizations that need to deploy custom solutions (xRM applications).

For CRM Online, the licenses are referred to as user subscription licenses (USLs), and for On-Premises, as either client access licenses (CALs) or subscriber access licenses (SALs).

Table 29.1 (provided by Microsoft) describes the complexities related to the different versions. Note that Enterprise includes all the rights of Professional, as well as additional products (such as usage rights to Parature and MDM).

Microsoft CRM 2016 uses named licenses (or user CALs) as well as machine licenses (or device CALs) as its licensing model. Named licenses require that every user who accesses Microsoft CRM 2016 must have a license. If a user leaves the company or no longer needs to use the CRM, the license can be transferred to another individual; however, the previous individual then no longer has access to Microsoft CRM 2016. Machine licenses allow a single computer to be licensed to Microsoft CRM 2016, and multiple users can use the same machine, provided that they aren’t accessing it simultaneously. This is a significant improvement with regard to licensing when you consider call centers or similar organizations that operate around the clock. Named and machine CALs can be mixed in a deployment.

In addition to the licensing types previously described, Microsoft also allows you to manage the access mode for Microsoft CRM 2016:

Read-Write—Full system functionality is granted to a user with this type of access. These users have full system access and full permission to modify records, limited only by the security role and privileges set for them.

Limited-Use—This CAL is a read-only CAL and comes in two options: administrative and read-only. With this access, users can view all areas and records in Microsoft CRM 2016. However, they cannot make any changes. The administrative version allows users to modify records only in the Settings area.

Figure 29.6 shows where on the user record the license type and access mode are set in the Settings > Security > Users section.

To manage licenses in Microsoft CRM 2016, the Deployment Manager is used on the server. From the Deployment Manager, you can view and upgrade licenses by going to the License tab in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Properties dialog (see Figure 29.7).

Microsoft has eliminated the need for the External Connector license in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016, and users can now access data outside their domain via custom interfaces at no additional charge.

Retail

Volume

You can purchase retail licensing from any vendor that sells software.

Microsoft makes volume licenses available based on the following criteria:

Size of the purchasing organization

Type of licensing desired

Licensing term desired

Payment options

When purchasing licenses through volume licensing, customers also can add Software Assurance (SA), which enables customers to upgrade their software if Microsoft releases a newer version within a certain time frame. Customers can therefore purchase software and not worry about it being obsolete and/or having to repurchase again when a new version comes out.

Volume licensing is broken down into four methods:

Open License—Organizations that Microsoft considers small or midsized (usually with fewer than 250 computers) have the option to purchase licensing and receive benefits such as discounts, SA (mentioned previously), and easy deployment and management. The only restrictions on Open License are that a minimum of five licenses must be purchased at a time, and payment is expected at the time of the transaction. These specific licensing options are available with Open License:

Open Value

Open Business

Open Volume

Each option has different advantages, depending largely on the business needs.

Select License—Organizations have the option to create a payment plan and are given discounts based on the amount of software ordered. Generally, the Select License option is reserved for organizations that have more than 250 computers.

Enterprise Agreement—Enterprise Agreement licensing is similar to the Select License option, but there are more significant discounts (usually reserved for larger orders).

Enterprise Subscription Agreement—This is a subscription-based model similar to the Enterprise Agreement option. However, because the software is not purchased, it offers discounts at a greater rate. Again, this option is usually reserved for organizations with more than 250 computers.

If you are a developer or an independent software vendor (ISV), or if you are interested in enhancing or working with some of the features of Microsoft CRM 2016, you might want to consider acquiring an MSDN subscription license, which includes a copy of CRM for development purposes.

Domain controller

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server

SQL Server

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

It is important to consider these functions when planning a deployment because the resource requirements for any one of these functions can be extensive. Therefore, we recommend considering a multiple-server deployment whenever you might be using the server for more than just Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Workgroup Edition is limited to a single computer running Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server, so it is the most common usage of a single-server deployment and is limited to five users.

Scalability

Performance

Server resource allocation and control

Shortened disaster recovery time

Server roles

Server roles provide the capability to deploy specific services and components to different computers for scaling and performance benefits.

You can select three predefined server role groupings when installing Microsoft Dynamics CRM under the custom setup process, as shown in Figure 29.8. By default, all three server role groupings are installed with a typical install:

The Front End Server role provides the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web user interface and services.

The Back End Server role provides asynchronous services, such as the Workflow and Bulk Email services and the Sandbox Processing Service to run code with partial trusts security restrictions.

The Deployment Administration Server role provides the tools and services necessary to manage CRM deployments and organizations.

The Front End Server role is divided into the following components:

Web Application Server—Provides the necessary components and web services needed to run the web application server and to connect the CRM Outlook client that is used to connect users to Microsoft Dynamics CRM data.

Organization Web Service—Installs the components needed to run the Microsoft Dynamics CRM external applications that use the methods described in the Microsoft CRM software development kit (SDK).

Discovery Web Service—Installs the components required for users to find the organization of which they are members in a multi-tenant deployment.

Help Server—Provides the components needed to make Microsoft Dynamics CRM Help available to users.

The Back End Server role is divided into the following components:

Asynchronous Processing Service—Processes the queued asynchronous events, including the following:

Workflow

Data import

Bulk email

Email Integration Service—Sends and receives email messages when connected to an external email server.

Sandbox Processing Service—Provides an isolated partial trust environment to run custom plug-in codes or workflows in a more secure environment.

The Deployment Administration Server role is divided into the following components:

Deployment Tools—Installs the Deployment Manager tools and the components required to manage the deployment by using the methods described in the SDK, such as creating an organization or removing a Deployment Administrator role from a user.

Deployment Web Service—Provides the service needed to deploy and manage organizations and manage general deployment configuration setting, using the Microsoft SDK automated deployment frameworks.

VSS Writer Service—Provides an interface for backup and restore of Microsoft Dynamics CRM data by using Windows Server Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) infrastructure.

Another consideration related to multiple-server deployments is the Microsoft CRM LAN topology. The topology should include Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server as well as both Active Directory and SQL Server on the same LAN, primarily because of the large amount of network traffic that they create and use. Failure to have a permanent high-speed network connection between any of these computers can seriously affect performance and possibly cause data corruption.

Microsoft’s recommended topology is one of the following:

Division topology (six servers, all running Windows Server):

Computer 1: Domain controller

Computer 2: Secondary domain controller

Computer 3: Microsoft Dynamics CRM server

Computer 4: SQL Server and CRM Reporting Extensions

Computer 5: Microsoft Exchange Server

Computer 6: AD FS (typically used for, and required by, CRM IFDs)

Multiforest and multidomain Active Directory topology

For very large user bases that span multiple domains and, in some cases, forests, the following configuration is supported:

Forest X: Domain A: Perimeter subnet

Network Load Balanced (NLB) virtual server consisting of the following two nodes:

Front End Server: Running Windows Server and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server with the Front End Server role

Front End Server: Another Windows Server running Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server with the Front End Server role

AD FS Server: Running on Windows Server as the Internet-facing claims-based authentication security token service

Forest X: Domain A: Intranet

NLB virtual server consisting of the following two nodes:

Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions for SQL Server Reporting Services (Server X)

Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions for SQL Server Reporting Services (Server Y)

NLB virtual server consisting of the following nodes:

Front End Server: Running Windows Server and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server with the Front End Server role

Front End Server: Another Windows Server running Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server with the Front End Server role

Microsoft SQL Server failover cluster running the following nodes:

Windows Server, SQL Server database engine (Server X)

Windows Server, SQL Server database engine (Server Y)

Windows Server running the Asynchronous Service server role

Windows Server running the Sandbox Processing Service server role

Windows Server running the AD FS Windows Server role

Windows Server running Microsoft SharePoint (required for document management)

Forest Y: Domain B: Intranet

Exchange Server failover cluster consisting of the following two nodes:

Windows Server running Exchange Server (Server X)

Windows Server running Exchange Server (Server Y)

Follow these steps to install SQL Server 2014:

1. Start SQL Server 2014 Setup, and you see SQL Server Installation Center page, shown in Figure 29.9.

2. Select Installation from the left side of the screen and then select the first option on the right, which says New SQL Server Stand-alone Installation or Add Features to an Existing Installation. The Product Key page, shown in Figure 29.10, appears.

3. Enter the product key, if necessary, and click Next. The License Terms page, shown in Figure 29.11, appears.

4. Accept the license terms and click Next. The Microsoft Update page, shown in Figure 29.12, appears.

5. Select the Use Microsoft Update to Check for Updates (Recommended) check box and click Next. The Install Rules page, shown in Figure 29.13, appears.

6. When the initial validation completes, click Next. The Setup Role page, shown in Figure 29.14, appears.

7. Select SQL Server Feature Installation and click Next. The Feature Selection page, shown in Figure 29.15, appears.

8. Select Database Engine Services, Full Text and Semantic Extractions for Search, Reporting Service—Native, and Management Tools Basic and then click Next. The Instance Configuration page, shown in Figure 29.16, appears.

9. Leave Default Instance selected and click Next. The Server Configuration page, shown in Figure 29.17, appears.

10. Change the reporting service account to NT AuthorityNetwork Service and click Next. The Database Engine Configuration page, shown in Figure 29.18, appears.

11. Click Add Current User and then click Next. The Reporting Services Configuration page, shown in Figure 29.19, appears.

12. Select Install and Configure and click Next. The Ready to Install page, shown in Figure 29.20, appears.

13. Click Install to continue.

14. When the installation is complete, as shown in Figure 29.21, click Close. Close the SQL Server Installation Center.

In addition, you must have the following as part of the Microsoft CRM Dynamics Server Setup process:

Microsoft CRM license key

Desired Microsoft Dynamics CRM server type (application, platform, or both)

Organization name

An Active Directory OU with either domain admin permissions or full permissions on that OU

Organization friendly name

Desired base currency

Location/port of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM website

Location of Microsoft SQL Server

Location of SQL Server Reporting Services report server

Email router server name (optional)

It is not necessary to have the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server set up to install the Microsoft CRM Dynamics Outlook clients; however, you cannot configure the clients with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server until the server is set up.

Refer to CHAPTER 20, “Email Configuration,” for more information about the email router.

1. Start the Setup process by launching the Splash.exe file. The Setup screen shown in Figure 29.22 appears.

2. Click the first option, Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server. The Setup screen shown in Figure 29.23 appears, and you have the option to download updated installation files.

3. Select Get Updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Recommended) and click Next to continue.

4. In the Product Key Information page that appears, enter your license key (see Figure 29.24). When you have finished entering your license key, a message appears with your license status summary; it should match your license agreement from Microsoft. Click Next to continue.

5. Accept the license agreement and click I Accept to continue. The installer then performs a system check to see whether required components necessary for the installation to continue are installed. If you are not missing any components necessary for the installer to continue, you do not see this screen.

6. If you have missing installer components, as shown in see Figure 29.25, click Install to have them installed. After Setup confirms that all required components are installed, click Next to continue.

7. Specify the setup installation location on and optionally install different server roles (as mentioned previously in this chapter). You can choose which (or all) server roles you would like to set up (refer to Figure 29.8). For this installation, select a Full Server installation and click Next to continue.

8. Select the SQL Server computer that will be used for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (see Figure 29.26). By default, no SQL Server computers are listed. However, clicking the Refresh option next to the drop-down shows the ones that are identified on the network.

In addition, by default, Create a New Deployment is selected. If you already have an existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment, you can select Connect to, and if Necessary, Upgrade an Existing Deployment, and Setup uses that deployment. If you selected a deployment from a previous version of CRM, this option also upgrades the deployment. Click Next to continue.

9. Select the Active Directory OU to be used for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (see Figure 29.27). Clicking Browse connects to Active Directory, which allows you to select the OU. Click Next to continue.

10. Select the service accounts to be used for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (see Figure 29.28). Although it is recommended to use different accounts with minimum privileges for each service, you can use the default Network Service account for this quick installation. If you use domain accounts, you need to configure the SPN (service principal name) for each domain account. Click Next to continue.

11. Select the website where you want Microsoft Dynamics CRM to be installed (see Figure 29.29).

By default, the application is loaded onto the default website using server bindings (port) 80. However, if Create New Website is selected (see Figure 29.30), the website is created using server bindings on the port you enter in the text box (by default, 5555). The difference is whether you want to dedicate your port 80 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s exclusive use; other web applications will then not be able to use that port.

12. Click Next to continue.

13. Enter the email router server name (see Figure 29.31) if you’re configuring it. (With server-side synchronization, you may not need to use the email router at all.) The email router can be installed on a server with Microsoft Exchange or on a computer that has a connection to an Exchange server. In addition, because Exchange is not required, you can install the email router on any POP3-compliant email server. If you elect to install the email router later, leave the field blank and click Next.

For more information on how the email router works, SEE CHAPTER 20.

14. Fill in the Display Name and Unique Database Name fields (see Figure 29.32). The Display Name field is the long name or descriptive name of your organization, and it has a 250-character limit that can include spaces. The Unique Database Name field is the name of your organization, and it has a 30-character limit and cannot include spaces.

Click Browse, and you see the window shown in Figure 29.33 From it select USD. This information is necessary for Microsoft Dynamics CRM to create an organizational database. Click Next to continue.

15. Enter the Reporting Services server (see Figure 29.34). As indicated, make sure to specify the Report Server URL and not the Report Manager URL. If you’re unsure of the difference, you can open a browser window and enter the URL to verify that it is not the Report Manager URL. Click Next to continue.

16. Select whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) and click Next to continue.

17. The last step of the setup involves the system requirements (see Figure 29.35). This is where the proper installation, configuration, and status of each of the following are confirmed:

Microsoft Windows Operating System—Version and service pack status. Additional checks include pending restart status.

Microsoft CRM Server User Input—License, organization, and ISO specification.

Internet Information Services (IIS)—Version and accessibility.

Microsoft SQL Server—Version and service pack status.

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services—Version and service pack status. Also checks the specified URL entered because part of the setup can be resolved to the Report Server.

Active Directory—Whether Active Directory is accessible and whether the specified security account has the necessary permissions.

If any errors arise with these components, you must correct them before continuing with the installation. When everything is resolved, click Next to continue and, if necessary, click Next after you see a prompt to restart the port sharing service.

When you have completed the Microsoft Dynamics CRM setup, you can access the application by opening your browser and navigating to the URL you selected previously. Usually, this is http://localhost or http://localhost:5555, depending on the bindings selected.

When the setup completes, you are prompted to launch the Reporting Extensions for SSRS Setup (see Figure 29.36).

To install the Reporting Extensions for SSRS Setup, you can either run the SetupSrsDataConnector.exe file found in the SrSDataConnector directory from the extracted CRM Server setup or by clicking Finish after the CRM Setup completes, provided that you have SSRS on the same server on which you have CRM installed when you checked the option to install this component. Either way, follow these steps:

1. When Reporting Extensions for SSRS Setup Wizard prompts you to download installation files (see Figure 29.37), click the Get Updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Recommended) option and then click Next.

2. Accept the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions license agreement by clicking I Accept.

3. Specify the name of the computer that stores the Microsoft Dynamics CRM SQL Server configuration database (see Figure 29.38). (The configuration database for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is named MSCRM_CONFIG.) Click Next.

4. Specify the name of the SSRS instance (see Figure 29.39). The SSRS instance name is where you have the report server database installed. Click Next.

5. Select the location where you want the files to be installed and click Next (see Figure 29.40).

6. After the system requirements are verified, make any corrections needed and then click Next (see Figure 29.41).

7. Continue through the rest of the wizard, and when you’re finished, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Data Connector is installed and displays a completion screen. Click Finish. If you encounter any errors here, be sure to update the server with the latest Windows components before re-trying installation.

In order to launch Deployment Manager, you must be a member of the Deployment Administrators group; otherwise, you will receive an error when you try to launch it. By default, the user who performs the installation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is added to this group.

With the Deployment Manager, you can manage other members of the Deployment Administrators group and set up and manage organizations, your servers, and licenses (see Figure 29.43).

You add users to the Deployment Administrators group through the Deployment Manager. You add them by right-clicking the Deployment Administrators node and selecting New Deployment Administrator.

1. Right-click Organizations and select New Organization, as shown in see Figure 29.44.

2. Complete the required fields in the New Organization Wizard by entering the display name, unique database name, selecting a base currency via the Browse button, and selecting a currency from the displayed currency options. When you’re ready to continue, your form should look similar to the one in Figure 29.45. Click Next to continue. (For more information about these fields, see step 14 in the “Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup” section, earlier in this chapter.)

3. Select whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program and then click Next to continue.

4. Enter the location of your SQL Server computer (see Figure 29.46), which by default is the computer specified during the setup where the MSCRM_Config is located. Click Next to continue.

5. Enter the URL for your SSRS server (see Figure 29.47) and click Next. The system performs a system requirements check on the organization information, SQL Server, and Reporting Services information entered.

6. If there are any problems (such as an incorrect SSRS URL), correct them and then click Next. The entered information is presented for a final review.

7. If any corrections need to be made, you click Back and make them. Click Create to create the organization. The system provisions the new organization (which can take several minutes), and when complete, returns a confirmation that the new organization has been created. It can then be managed in the Deployment Manager.

Within the Organization node, you can also delete, edit, disable, or enable an existing organization. Note that an organization must first be disabled before it can be deleted. In addition, a deleted organization has its organization information deleted only from the configuration database; the organization database remains and must be removed manually via SQL tools.

The Edit options enable you to easily change an organization’s display name, the SQL Server, and the SRS Server. This is usually done when a database is moved to a new server.

The Server option displays information about the server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM version, and the role (see Figure 29.48). The License option displays information relevant to the Microsoft Dynamics version and users.

If you select the root node that says Microsoft Dynamics CRM and click Properties, you get a summary of the licenses allocated within the License tab (as shown previously, in Figure 29.7).

The Deployment Manager is also used to configure claims-based authentication and IFD. For information about how to perform these configurations, refer to CHAPTER 28.

Regardless of which client you choose to work with, you should add the CRM website as a trusted site on client computers to avoid any security messages or prompts for authentication. To do this, complete the following steps:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options.

2. Select the Security tab.

3. Click Trusted Sites and then click the Sites button.

4. On the Trusted Sites dialog, enter the URL for your CRM website. Be sure to include the http:// or https:// if your server uses a secure (SSL) connection. Uncheck Require Server Verification (https:) for all sites in this zone if you are not running CRM over a secure connection.

5. Click Close and OK to close the Internet Options dialog.

You are now set to install or configure one of the Microsoft CRM clients.

Refer to CHAPTER 28 for more information about how to access the CRM server when IFD is enabled.

CRM for Outlook

CRM for Outlook with Offline Access

As explained earlier in this chapter, the versions are essentially the same, and only one installation package exists for both.

For more detailed instructions about installing and configuring the CRM Outlook client, refer to CHAPTER 19.

You must be on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 Update Rollup 1 or later.

If you don’t upgrade, you will not be able to use the Go Offline feature due to the changes in the database.

When upgrading the client, an in-place cross-architecture upgrade is not supported and requires that you use existing architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) to upgrade or do an uninstall and then a reinstall.

Migrate by using a new instance of SQL Server—We recommend this option for upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016. Although this option requires a different computer for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 and a different instance of SQL Server, it provides the least amount of potential downtime for Microsoft Dynamics CRM users because the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 deployment can remain functioning until the upgrade is completed and verified.

Migrate by using the same instance of SQL Server—This option requires a different computer for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2016 but upgrades in-place the configuration and default organization databases, using the same instance of SQL Server. If issues occur during the upgrade, you must roll back to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 to avoid significant downtime.

In-place upgrade—Although this option does not require a different computer for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2016 or a different instance of SQL Server, it poses the greatest risk if upgrade issues occur because a rollback and reinstall of Microsoft Dynamics CRM are required to avoid potential downtime.

Attributes—If you have more than 1,023 attributes (fields) for any entity, you must remove any above that threshold.

JavaScript—Run the Custom Code Validation tool (available for download from Microsoft.com) to test where and how your code might need to be refactored.

Although Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 supports an in-place upgrade, the following steps are recommended as part of the upgrade process:

1. Back up the existing Microsoft CRM 2015 databases. This includes the SQL Server configuration CRM database and all the organizations’ databases for CRM. The database names are formatted as organizationname_MSCRM and MSCRM_CONFIG.

2. Back up all reports, including any custom and modified reports from the existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM application. This can be done by performing a backup of the Report Server database.

3. Export and back up all customizations from the Microsoft CRM 2015 application. This needs to be done from the CRM web interface by going to Settings > Customizations > Export Customizations.

When you have completed and verified these steps, follow the steps previously outlined in the “Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup” section of this chapter to upgrade the Microsoft CRM 2015 server to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 server. After the installer completes its system check and installs any missing components, it automatically recognizes that Microsoft CRM 2015 is installed.

By default, Microsoft CRM 2015 is upgraded with both application and platform server roles as part of the upgrade.

In a multi-tenant environment, when upgrading a Microsoft CRM 2015 Enterprise version with multiple organizations, only the default organization is migrated, and other organizations are disabled, and you have to go to the Deployment Manager and upgrade them one by one.

Organizations—When considering working with your organization, consider the hierarchy of your organization as well as how it is structured. Within Microsoft Dynamics CRM, there are options to break out your organization by business units, territories, and sites. When thinking about how to configure your organization, it is helpful to spend some time preparing how it should be structured within the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 framework—both how it is now and how you believe it will be in six months to two years in the future.

Business units—Business units are important and can be used by even the smallest organizations to easily control access and divide records. Although business units can be changed or deleted after they have been created, it is ideal to define what is needed during initial deployment.

Users—Because Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 employs user-based licensing, determining who will need access to the system is important because it will affect not only the cost but also how users in the system will work together. For example, if only customer service people are using the system, it is unlikely that you’ll be using the Leads functionality because that is mostly a function of salespeople. Another example is having both customer service representatives and salespeople in the system but not marketing staff; then the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketing functionality is likely to be underutilized.

Customers—Microsoft Dynamics CRM defines customers in two ways: as Account and Contact entities. These entities can easily be renamed if your organization requires it (for example, Company and Customer instead of Account and Contact). Working with customers is explained fully in Chapter 6, “Working with Customers.” However, at this point, it is important to consider the accounts and contacts structure when migrating from other CRM applications because other systems might use a different hierarchy, and data will need to be migrated using this structure. If this is your case, consider referential accounts and contacts where accounts have a parent/child relationship or work with business units instead. (For example, there might be an account called Joe’s Auto that has two subaccounts called Joe’s Auto–Retail and Joe’s Auto–Commercial, and there might be contacts that report directly to either of these, but none to the master parent account of Joe’s Auto.)

In addition, although both accounts and contacts are considered customers, you will likely have a mix of records contained within these entities. For example, your Account records might have supplier/vendor records, as well as their contact information.

Roles—Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 is role based, and every user must have a valid role to work within the system. This is outlined in Chapter 17, “Settings”; however, it is important to recognize the difference in roles that might exist between a user on the network and the same user in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016.

The roles that come by default with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 are well defined; however, be sure to review the permissions carefully when utilizing them. The most common cause of users having problems working within their system is permissions issues. In addition, be sure that the role you set for your users has the level of control that you expect.

Queues and teams—Using queues and teams is a powerful way of setting up your system to ensure that record loads are leveled and records can be shared when required.

Email—When setting up email with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016, a number of new options easily extend functionality, regardless of what you’re using for your email server.

Auditing—Auditing is an extremely powerful feature for managing and reporting data manipulation. This feature is configurable and needs to be enabled because it is disabled by default.

SharePoint integration—SharePoint integration requires configuration of the system to a SharePoint server and provides an easy way to manage documents.

For a complete list of all settings and configuration options, as well as more information related to everything in this list, refer to CHAPTER 17.