Working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

Mike Snyder

Jim Steger

PUBLISHED BY Microsoft Press A Division of Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington 98052-6399

Copyright © 2006 by Mike Snyder , Jim Steger

ISBN:0735622590

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Library of Congress Control Number 2005939238

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Acquisitions Editor: Ben Ryan

Project Editor: Valerie Woolley

Technical Editor: Joe LeBaron

Copy Editor: Crystal Thomas

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Indexer: Ginny Munroe

Body Part No. X11-89442

Acknowledgments

We want to thank all of the people that assisted us in writing Working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. If we accidentally missed anyone, we apologize in advance. On the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product team, special thanks to the following people:

• Bill Patterson Bill sponsored the book project, and helped make sure that all the pieces fell into place correctly, such as the trial version of the software bundled with this book. He also agreed to help us by writing the book's foreword.

• Irene Pasternack Irene was an unbelievable resource who acted as our point person tracking down and following up on various questions and details related to the book's content.

• Amy Langlois Amy provided great feedback and comments on the SDK-related chapters, and helped verify the sample code.

• Dave Porter Dave originally invited us to participate in the Microsoft CRM 3.0 Technology Adoption Program and helped connect us with the appropriate resources on the product team.

• Jim Daly Jim shared beta-versions of all the Microsoft CRM training materials with us which we used to help learn all the ins and outs of the new version of the software.

In addition, we want to thank these members of the Microsoft CRM product team that helped us at one point or another during the book project:

Mike Bishoff	Jesse Leatherman	Karen Smith
Rich Dickinson	Matt Magness	Norma Smith
Min Fan	Todd Merrell	Crystal Smithwick
Tony Frink	Terry Morris	John Song
Dave Garner	Greg Nichols	Betsy Stadick
Barry Givens	Michael Ott	Derik Stenerson
Corey Hanson	Matt Peart	David Thacher
Kate Harper	Neelu Ramisetty	Brad Wilson
Lisa Higginbotham	Wilfred Schmidt	Tao Yue
Scott Kostojohn	Alex Simons	Lan Zhang
Debbie Larson	Ilana Smith	Wan Li Zhu

Of course, we also want to thank the folks at Microsoft Press who helped support us through-out the book writing and publishing process:

• Ben Ryan Ben championed the book project, and was gracious enough to approve a larger page count than we originally estimated!

• Valerie Woolley Valerie helped us navigate the entire writing process and provided great support for us. As first-time authors for Microsoft Press, we really appreciated the incredible amount of patience that Valerie displayed with us.

• Crystal Thomas Crystal did a great job reviewing and editing the text for consistency and conformity, a very detailed and demanding task.

We also would like to thank Tess McMillan, Robert Lyon, and Charlotte Bowden for their assistance with packaging the sample download code. Linda Engelman also helped drive the marketing and promotions for the book.

In addition, we want to thank Microsoft Program Manager Brad McCabe who helped connect us with the appropriate people at Microsoft Press.

Last but not least, we want to thank Joe LeBaron. As the technical editor for the book, Joe worked around the clock to confirm the technical accuracy of the book. This included reviewing and testing all of our code samples and double-checking our facts.

Mike Snyder's Acknowledgments

I want to thank my lovely wife Gretchen who tolerated all the long nights and weekends that this book consumed over the past six months. Despite my frequent absence around the house, she supported me 100 percent from start to finish. Even though my kids won't be able to read this thank-you for years, I want to thank my children who provided me with the motivation to undertake this project. I also want to recognize my parents and my wife's parents who assisted my family with various babysitting stints. My mom Ann Snyder, a technical writer, also reviewed several of the chapters and provided great feedback from an outsider's perspective. In conclusion, I want to thank all of my coworkers at Sonoma Partners who helped pick up the slack created by my time commitment to this book.

Jim Steger's Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I wish to thank my loving wife Heidi for her unbelievable patience during this long and hectic process. I could not have completed this endeavor without her unwavering support, understanding, and encouragement. I want to thank my one-year-old son, Calvin, who was on his best behavior for his Mom during these past few months which allowed me the extra time required to write! I would also like to personally thank Amy Langlois of Microsoft who took the time to review code and answer my numerous questions. I know she received input from numerous members of the Microsoft CRM development team, and I want to extend my thanks to them as well. I wish to express my gratitude to my associates at Sonoma Partners who really stepped up their effort and understanding while I was forced to prioritize my writing over some of my day-to-day duties.

Mike Snyder

Mike Snyder is cofounder and principal of Sonoma Partners, a Chicago-based consulting firm that specializes in Microsoft CRM implementations. Microsoft awarded Sonoma Partners as the Global Microsoft CRM Partner of the Year in both 2003 and 2005. Recognized as one of the industry's leading CRM experts, Mike authors several popular newsletters and blogs about Microsoft CRM.

Prior to Sonoma Partners, Mike led multiple product development teams at Motorola and Fortune Brands. Mike graduated with honors from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management with a Masters of Business Administration degree, majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. He has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Notre Dame. Mike lives in Chicago, IL with his wife and three children. He enjoys ice hockey and playing with his kids in his free time.

Jim Steger

Jim Steger is also a cofounder and principal of Sonoma Partners. He architected and led multiple award-winning Microsoft CRM deployments, including complex enterprise integration projects. He's been developing solutions and writing code for Microsoft CRM since the version 1.0 beta. Jim also contributed to the Microsoft CRM 3.0 Technology Adoption Program and provided input for several of the Microsoft CRM 3.0 certification courses.

Prior to Sonoma Partners, Jim designed and led various global software development projects at Motorola and Acco Office Products. Jim earned his bachelor's degree in engineering from Northwestern University. He currently lives in Chicago, IL with his wife and son. In his free time, Jim enjoys playing beach volleyball and watching football with his son.