SharePoint Archives - GUJRAT INDIA

Microsoft CRM Integration & Customization: SharePoint Document Gateway

MS CRM is very close to document workflow automation, including Microsoft Office documents: Words, Excel, etc. The document workflow was perfectly automated about 10 years ago in Lotus Notes Domino. In this small article we describe the solution based on MS CRM integration with MS SharePoint.

Microsoft CRM is new player on CRM applications market and it is gaining its market share. Having different paradigm in its design (it stakes on Microsoft OS and technologies and completely disregards alternative platform, such as UNIX, Linux, Oracle, etc. based). Microsoft CRM market is very diversified: from small (5 users) to large (several hundred MS CRM User licenses) and it serves variety of industries: Transportation, Logistics, Lawyers, Pension Funds, High-Tech, and many others. Deploying technologies, like Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange 2003/2000, SQL Server, Crystal Reports Enterprise, Biztalk, Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Great Plains and Navision in close future – makes CRM a beloved system for Microsoft oriented IT departments.

Let’s go right to the topic.

Major issue with storing documents in MS CRM in the form of attachments to Activity is inability to work on these attached files in cooperation with other colleagues, who do not have to use CRM. When several service people serve requests from the same client this is required. Currently you can use alternative way when you store office documents in the folders of your file system and when modifying document, you save it and reattach to CRM. This is inconvenient, because first it requires all your editing users to have CRM licenses, which delays CRM implementation.

We seem increasing popularity of document storage systems, like Microsoft SharePoint, Oracle Files, etc. Such systems, being implemented gives you time savings, related to documents revisions and versioning, approval cycles and workflows, web access through web-portals systems and the like.

The target of our product is Microsoft SharePoint integration with MS CRM for document storage. Let’s take a look at the high level technical realization details:

oMain modification from the MS CRM side is standard system behavior change when you open attachment in Activity. Standard unmodified CRM suggests you to store documents in the file system. Modified version sores document in SharePoint Document Library (the required library is subject for setup by MS CRM system administrator) or keep it in MS CRM as is (for documents of minor importance). From the moment of saving the document in SharePoint Document Library it is not stored in MS CRM – CRM will now store only the link/reference to the document. Also you are given the ability to open and modify the document at the place of opening, which speeds up MS CRM user performance substantially.

oTable, storing the links to the documents sits in separate database and doesn’t deal with MS CRM tables (you know that you are banned to do structure changes in MS CRM db)

oDocument saving into MS SharePoint process occurs in MS CRM and with its assistance – SharePoint bridge, which does addition and update for the existing document into destination Document Library with MS SharePoint Web Services calls

oUpon the addition into Document Library, MS CRM – SharePoint bridge registers the document in the special table for the future data extraction or notification mechanism registration

oThen, interested users can work with the documents just using MS Office 2003 or other programs/editing tools, assuming these tools have access to MS SharePoint

oFeedback is provided by MS SharePoint Event Handler component. This is special handler, inspecting document change status, transferred from MS CRM to document storage (SharePoint), and report Activity owner on the changes with home page notifications (User home page in MS CRM). User in turn can review the history of the document editing – who, when and where is the change

oOpening Activity, where document is “attached”, and in fact placed into MS SharePoint Document Library, and pressing opening button, MS CRM user gets live version of the data

oThis approach allows you seamless work with MS CRM document in the whole informational space of your company

oAdditional enhancements to this product might be document library management directly from MS CRM (web interface – meaning remotely), administrative interface for MS Sharepoint documents revision, ability to create reports on the document storage status, rights/access management (Author, Reader, Contributor etc) from MS CRM, portal pages integration into MS CRM to name a few.

Happy programming, implementation, customization and modification! If you want us to do the job – call use 1-630-961-5918, 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

How Can SharePoint Help in Business Management?

Microsoft SharePoint is a web application platform that has been created by Microsoft for the purpose of document and content management. It has been created for managing heaps of data, and comes with huge flexibility as well as support for various add-ons. With every SharePoint version, you can find enhanced features and capabilities that can help in easier management of business operations. Read on and find out how SharePoint can aid in business management.

Complete management
According to SharePoint consultants, this web application platform works as an Intranet that allows workers to perform a wide range of functions, including document management, collaborating on new ideas or projects etc. You can also use it as a portal for posting key metrics and performance indicators. It can also be used for workflow applications.

Workflow Improvement
Microsoft SharePoint can also assist in the improvement of workflow. The cloud solutions of SharePoint can deal with almost any type of business workflow. It can be integrated very well with Microsoft Office stack and Outlook. Other than this, SharePoint can also be natively integrated with an SQL server, which makes data more purposeful for workers.

Collaboration in the workplace
The use of SharePoint can also promote greater collaboration within the workplace. Traditionally, any task is executed individually and then transferred to the employee who is next in line. However, with the help of SharePoint, all that you have to do is uploading on the SharePoint server the procedure manual. On a single platform, a document can be edited by different individuals.

Easy customization
You can also easily customize SharePoint, and eliminate the traditional email attachments, files and folders. You can easily store files on the website of SharePoint, and also restrict or grant access to other users to see a file. You will not need to worry about the business phone directory getting public either. Whenever anyone needs the directory, you can just send a mail containing the link that would take the recipient to the SharePoint server.

Security
It will be assuring for you to know that every individual SharePoint team website can be set up on the server of SharePoint. In case you want your management team website to have all the information related to management stored in a proper way, you will need to be in charge of the management in order to get access to the website. Not being in the management team will not let you even know about its existence. Only the management team members will be able to see that specific website while others will be incapable to view the same. In this sense, SharePoint websites are extremely secure.

Support services
Every company has the need to maintain its information, documents, data and records in a proper way. Microsoft SharePoint support services can be very useful in these situations. These are especially helpful for companies without any document management system or formal automated workflow. Various small and mid-sized organizations lack a business automation system. SharePoint can benefit such companies, and if your business is similar, you will get obvious advantages.

Understanding What a Well-Balanced SharePoint Intranet Solution Can Offer Your Business

Business organizations all over the globe choose to use SharePoint as their major collaboration tool hosting employees’ workplaces and corporate teams. Since great collaboration is the main source of successful business, it is also very important that startup companies use good collaborative tools. A good collaboration tool helps to maintain document management, records management or the web management very easily.

In simple language every intranet should offer two major groups that should help the employees to complete their daily tasks easily and enable to carry out the departments and team specific activities smoothly thereby contributing better performance of staffs.
Secondly, SharePoint development and intranet solutions often help to support the employee’s social life and make them feel a part of the company and to foster corporate values.

Some benefits from a well-balanced intranet solution and SharePoint development:

As a business organization, if you can manage to get the perfect balance between intranet solution and SharePoint, then you will be able to reach the 4 important goals.

Both formal and informal collaboration on a single platform:

It is true that SharePoint intranets often host work that are related to the content, while the users turn to any third party solutions in order to discuss any upcoming event of the organization. A well balanced intranet helps employees to find a place where both formal and informal collaborates, bringing in at least two major advantages.

Saves the time of the employees and prevents them from moving between various solutions and getting distracted.
Reduces the risk that employees will manage their working activities in some non-corporate messengers and share sensitive business data in an insecure environment.

Attract some rare visitors:

At times it becomes very difficult for an organization to provide all its users with job specific features of SharePoint. Let us take for example, if your procurement executives work on an ERP system, then they might not need task specific features of SharePoint. But in case they travel a lot, then it is likely that they become a frequent intranet visitor. Such balance often helps your people or team to remain updated with latest business news, updates and conversations.

Benefits from SharePoint capabilities:

Often it is seen that SharePoint is used by companies in a very limited manner like just as a document storage, support only a few collaborative sites or as a project management system for a specific team. But let’s be very clear of the fact that SharePoint is not a cheap solution. So any underuse mean wasting initial investments. Balancing various features will let you open up SharePoint’s full potential, thereby benefiting from your solution at the best.

Develop corporate identity:

Large organizations often struggle with developing the sense of belonging from their people. When the organization becomes too big, the teams often stop feeling a strong sense of place in the company. They often tend to jump for any better opportunity elsewhere and have reduced hunger to improve the business. SharePoint intranet solutions offer the ability to share company news and communications and help to develop a stronger corporate industry.

Managed workflows:

Workflows are the basis of most daily activities of employees. While they may have certain tasks to do without any dependency on others, but there are also activities that needs completion of task before it is passed to the next person. But in most corporations, the workflow often breaks. SharePoint helps here with some added third party tools.