Chapter 19. Outlook Configuration

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has always offered users the ability to work within Outlook seamlessly. The Outlook integration provided by Microsoft Dynamics CRM tightly delivers CRM data in and through Outlook so that users can truly work in one place without having to navigate to separate applications.

Features provided with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 for Microsoft Office Outlook (known as the Outlook client) include the following:

Full MAPI integration

Customizable views of CRM data in Outlook

Ribbon enhancements

Data filters

Email enhancements

When accessing Microsoft Dynamics CRM via a client (and not programmatically, such as through a custom interface or a portal), users have two options for accessing the application:

Browser/web client

Outlook client (Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook)

In addition, users can access the application directly by using the mobile client or custom solutions; however, the full client experience is limited to these options.

SEE CHAPTER 18, “Mobility,” for more information about the mobile client.

Although this chapter covers both client options for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016, with the exception of the next section, the focus of this chapter is on the Outlook client.

The following operating systems are supported for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web client:

Windows 10 (Internet Explorer 11 and Edge)

Windows 8.1 (Internet Explorer 11 only)

Windows 8 (Internet Explorer 10 only)

Windows 7 (Internet Explorer 10 and 11 only)

The following non-Internet Explorer browsers:

Mozilla Firefox (latest publicly released version)

Google Chrome (latest publicly released version)

Apple Safari (latest publicly released version)

All versions listed here must be running on Windows 7 or later, and Apple Safari must be on Mac OS 10.8 or higher.

To use several of the Office features available within the web client, such as exporting to Excel, the following minimum components must also be installed on the client computer:

Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 2016

Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Office 2010

When considering using the browser for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, there are a few pros and cons:

Pros:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is lightweight and almost always available (for example, on guest computers).

Little or no configuration is required to use it.

Cons:

The ability to correlate (or track) emails to CRM does not exist without using Outlook.

You must u use another application (instead of just using Outlook).

There is no offline availability/access; using a browser requires an Internet connection.

If you click the Get Apps for CRM button at the top of the browser interface, you are directed to the Apps for Dynamics CRM page, where you can download the CRM for Outlook client and other CRM applications for phones and tablets, as shown in Figure 19.2.

Click the Download CRM for Outlook button, and you see a dialog box that lists the steps necessary to download and configure the Outlook client, as shown in Figure 19.3.

You can turn off the Get Apps for CRM message by clicking the X on the far right. In addition, you can set the system to not display this message in System Settings > Outlook, as shown in Figure 19.4. This is helpful for organizations such as help desk operations that have no need for the Outlook client.

Unlike other applications (or competitors), users can use Microsoft Dynamics CRM within Microsoft Outlook. Additional benefits include the following:

Integrated email tracking options are available.

You can quickly convert emails to cases, leads, or opportunities.

You can add connections.

It is possible to visualize data quickly and easily.

Figure 19.5 shows Microsoft Outlook with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 for Outlook client installed.

Processor—2.9GHz or faster (3.3GHz or faster for offline enabled)

Memory—2GB or more (4GB or more for offline enabled)

Hard disk—1.5GB or more (2GB or more for offline enabled)

Display—1024 × 768 resolution

In addition to the hardware requirements, the following software requirements apply:

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

Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 (64-bit and 32-bit versions)

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (64-bit and 32-bit versions)

Windows Server 2012 (when running as a Remote Desktop Services [RDS] application)

In addition, one of the supported web browsers must be installed and running:

Internet Explorer 10 or later

Mozilla Firefox (latest publicly released version) running on Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7

Google Chrome (latest publicly released version) running on Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Android 10 tablet

Apple Safari (latest publicly released version) running on Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or Apple iPad

Because Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook is supported in both 64- and 32-bit versions, you can install either one on your computer if you are running Windows 64-bit. However, you must have a 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2013/2016 in order to install the 64-bit version of the client. (Otherwise, you will see a compatibility error.)

Client installation

Client configuration

The following sections describe these processes.

1. Ensure that Outlook has been run at least once on the client computer. Running Outlook once creates an Outlook profile for the user, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook uses that profile for installation.

2. Download the client installation file and double-click it to start the installation. The executable is CRM2016-ClientOnlineInstaller-ENU.exe, and you can find it by searching Microsoft.com for “Dynamics CRM Outlook Client” or by clicking the yellow notification on the web client, as shown at the top of the screen in Figure 19.1, to download the files to your computer.

The installation process checks for and installs missing components. If Offline Access is selected, Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP2 Express Edition is installed as well.

3. Accept the license agreement shown in Figure 19.6 and click Next to continue.

4. Click Install Now to install the client (as shown in Figure 19.7) or click Options to change whether to install the offline capabilities and the installation location, as shown in Figure 19.8.

5. When the install is completed, click Close and restart Outlook (see Figure 19.9).

Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook is now successfully installed on the client computer and is ready to be configured.

To configure the client, either open Outlook after installation or make sure you have the Outlook application closed and select Start and type CRM in the search box, open the Configuration Wizard, and follow these steps:

1. Configure the organization by entering the server URL in the first drop-down box (see Figure 19.10) and then clicking Connect. (With CRM Online, you log in, and the organization tries to self-configure based on the login.)

Figure 19.11 shows a properly configured On-Premises configuration

2. If you have an Online deployment (that is, you are connecting to Microsoft Dynamics Online), select CRM Online from the Server drop-down shown in Figure 19.12) and then click Connect. When you click Connect, you are presented with an authorization option that stores and caches your connection information for your CRM Online provision (see Figure 19.13).

3. Enter your Office 365 online credentials information and click Sign In to continue. Figure 19.14 shows the proper configuration for a CRM Online instance.

4. Select the organization from the drop-down shown in Figure 19.15. If you only have one organization, this option is automatically skipped, as shown in Figure 19.14. If you have multiple organizations (or in the case of CRM Online, where you have multiple associations with the same Online credentials), you need to select the organization with which you want to integrate.

5. Optionally change the display name, by clicking the Rename button, and set whether to synchronize with the organization. You should set the synchronization option if you have multiple organizations attached to a single Outlook instance.

Although you can have multiple organizations attached to Outlook, you can have only one synchronizing organization. This is especially important considering the fact that when you track an item in CRM from Outlook, it tracks to the synchronizing organization, regardless of how many different CRM organizations you have in Outlook.

Now the Microsoft Dynamics CRM client is loaded and configured for use with Microsoft Outlook and CRM navigation, and you can access records via the navigation area on the left.

This tool is helpful if you ever face problems connecting the Outlook client. There are a variety of reasons you might not be able to connect the Outlook client to Dynamics CRM, depending whether you are trying to connect to CRM Online or Dynamics CRM On-Premises. The challenges are greater when connecting to On-Premises as some requirements and configurations might not be in place there, whereas they are automatically configured in CRM Online deployments.

Some of the common issues are not having Internet-Facing Deployment (IFD) configured properly for On-Premises deployments.

SEE CHAPTER 28, “Forms Authentication,” for more information about IFD.

Another factor might be that the user doesn’t have the necessary roles and rights to use the Outlook client.

SEE CHAPTER 17, “Settings,” to learn more about how to configure the roles and rights in Dynamics CRM.

Whatever the issue you are facing, CRM Diagnostics will help you. To use it, you start by enabling tracing; to do this, go to the Advanced Troubleshooting tab (see Figure 19.17), click Delete to delete temporary files that the Outlook client may have installed to start from a fresh configuration, and enable or disable the Outlook add-in. (You do not have to remove it by uninstalling the application from the Windows operating system.)

Set Personal Options—You can set personal and local data options.

Synchronize—You can perform a manual synchronization (instead of waiting the default 15 minutes) for data between CRM and Outlook. In addition, you can use this option to set the data filters, as shown in Figure 19.19.

Go Offline—You can take the data offline and set the filters for doing so.

Import Contacts—This option allows you to import data as contacts.

Manage Records—You can perform duplicate detection or perform bulk updates.

Sign Out—You can sign out of your CRM session.

Track/Untrack

Set Regarding

Convert To

Add Connection

View in CRM

The following sections describe how to use these operations.

After you click Track to track an email, you can set a Regarding record, as shown in Figure 19.21, by clicking Set Regarding.

The changes made in Dynamics CRM 2016 to improve the performance experience when using the Outlook client may mean that it takes a little while to see the email created in CRM. After a few seconds, you should see the email in CRM, with a special icon in the email list of Outlook which notes that the email is tracked (see Figure 19.22). When the email is actually in CRM, you also see the Convert To, Add Connection, and View in CRM buttons enabled (also shown in Figure 19.22).

Once an email is tracked you can set a Regarding record to associate the email to a CRM record by either clicking the None link next to Regarding in the bottom panel of the email or by clicking the Set Regarding button in the ribbon, as described in the next section.

When you click this button, you are asked to select a CRM record, as shown in Figure 19.23. In the Look For field, you can specify any entity that is email enabled, such as Account, Contact, or Lead.

Figure 19.24 shows a tracked email in Outlook, with the Regarding record highlighted.

Opportunity

Lead

Case

Converting to an Opportunity entity requires that you enter the customer record, which can be either an account or a contact in Dynamics CRM, and you can optionally enter a campaign, as shown in Figure 19.25.

The Set Regarding field automatically changes to the new opportunity created from the conversion process.

If you choose to convert to a Lead entity, you need to enter first name, last name, company, and email address, as shown in Figure 19.26. Doing this creates a new lead record in Dynamics CRM and automatically changes the Regarding field to the new lead created from the conversion process.

If you choose to convert to a Case entity, you need to enter the customer record, which can be either an account or a contact in Dynamics CRM, and you can optionally enter a subject for the case, as shown in Figure 19.27. Doing this creates a new Case record in Dynamics CRM and automatically changes the Regarding field to the new case created from the conversion process.

Add to Another

Add to Me

If you click Add to Another, a new dialog appears, where you can select the record you want to connect with the connection role, as shown in Figure 19.28.

If you click Add to Me, the same dialog appears as with Add to Another, only this time the name is prepopulated with your system user record, as shown in Figure 19.29.

You can see all your account records without leaving the Outlook client by navigating to Sales > Customers > Accounts, as shown in Figure 19.31.

Notice that the panel is divided into two areas—a list of records at the top and the selected record form at the bottom—so you can quickly see the selected record fields that are not displayed in the view. Notice that this is a read-only view of the selected record. To make edits or updates, you must open the record manually by double-clicking the selected record in the view.

Changing the view is different in the Outlook client than in Dynamics CRM. Instead of switching the view, you can open another view on a new tab when you select it by clicking the last tiny tab on the right. Figure 19.32 shows the views you can select for the Account entity.

You can see multiple views for the same entity in different tabs, and you can pin them (by clicking the pin to the left of the tab name). Pinning a view tells Outlook to open that view by default the next time you go to this entity. For example, Figure 19.33 shows three pinned views.

Views in the Outlook client are more powerful than the ones in the web client. For example, you can set rules to use conditional formatting on rows, such as if you want to show the highlight the account records that are from Redmond. You could use a bigger font with bold letters and a different color to make sure these accounts stand out from the others. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Address 1: City column header and select View Settings (see Figure 19.34).

You now see the Advanced View Settings dialog for the view you selected (see Figure 19.35).

2. Click the Conditional Formatting button, and the Conditional Formatting dialog appears, as shown in Figure 19.36.

3. Click the Add button to create a new rule and enter a name like Accounts in Redmond, as shown in Figure 19.37. Then click the Condition button.

4. In the Filter dialog that appears, select the Advanced tab, as shown in Figure 19.38.

5. Click the Field drop-down and select User-Defined Fields in Folder > Address 1: City, as shown in Figure 19.39.

6. Change Conditior (that is, the condition) to Is (Exactly) and enter Redmond in the Value field, as shown in Figure 19.40.

7. Click the Add to List button and then click OK to close the Filter dialog.

8. Back to the Conditional Formatting dialog, click the Font button. The Font dialog appears, as shown Figure 19.41.

9. Change the font color to Red, make it 14 points, and make it bold. Click OK to close the Font dialog. Your conditional formatting should now look as shown in Figure 19.42.

10. Click OK to close the Conditional Formatting dialog then click OK to close the Advanced View Settings dialog.

The view should refresh and display apply the conditional formatting to the records that have Redmond in the Address 1: City field. They should appear in the font size and color you selected earlier, as shown in Figure 19.43.

If you go to Settings > CRM App for Outlook, you see the configuration page shown in Figure 19.44.

You may not see any eligible user. To have eligible users, you must go to the mailbox configurations for the user and ensure that they are configured to use server-side synchronization (see Figure 19.45).

To learn more about the server-side synchronization and email router, SEE CHAPTER 20 “Email Configuration.”

The administrator must also install the CRM app for Outlook in Exchange. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Office 365 portal and then to the Exchange online administration site.

2. Click Organization and then select the Add-ins tab.

3. Click the + button and then click Add from the Office Store (see Figure 19.46).

4. Search for CRM in the Office Store and click the first application that says Microsoft Dynamics CRM (at this writing, this application is in Preview mode, as you can see in Figure 19.47).

5. In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM page that appears (see Figure 19.48), install the application, which will add it to all users in Exchange.

6. Click on Yes in the Add-In Installation dialog (see Figure 19.49).

7. Once the app is installed, the user must go to OWA, click the gear icon, and select Manage Add-ins, as shown in Figure 19.50.

8. Ensure that the Dynamics CRM check box is selected (see Figure 19.51).

9. Go back to the CRM web application and into Settings and then to CRM App for Outlook. You can now see the eligible users pending setup (see Figure 19.52).

10. Click the Add App for All Eligible Users button. This process might take a few minutes to complete. When it finishes, you should see the application added for the user, as shown in Figure 19.53.

11. Go to OWA, and you will see the Dynamics CRM link in each email message. When you clicks the message the first time, it takes some time to connect to Dynamics CRM. If the contact or account is not matched, you see a Create New Contact button, as shown in Figure 19.54.

12. Click the Create New Contact button, and you see a form inside OWA that helps you quickly create an account in Dynamics CRM.

13. Click Save button on the right-hand side, as shown in Figure 19.55.

14. Click the Track button (see Figure 19.56) to push this email to Dynamics CRM. Clicking Track helps you set the Regarding field.

15. Make a choice under Track This Email in CRM Regarding record (see Figure 19.57), and you see that the email is pending being tracked.

16. After a few minutes, when the email is being tracked, either change or untrack the email if you like, as shown in Figure 19.58.

Although the application can be accessed via either Outlook or a web browser (even after the client is installed), a supported browser is still required in both cases.

This chapter discusses how to install, use, and troubleshoot the Outlook client, as well as the CRM app for Outlook, which you can use in a browser, using Outlook Web Access.