Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution architecture. My thoughts around the solution architect role and the typical design considerations when it comes to Dynamics CRM.

1. Platform Overview and Architecture 101
Salim Adamon, CRM Consultant & Solution Architect, MVP

2. Salim Adamon
▪ Independent CRM Consultant & Solution Architect
▪ 10+ CRM Deployments
▪ CRM Blogger @ http://salimadamoncrm.com
▪ Microsoft User Group regular speaker (Ottawa, Montreal, Online)
▪ Microsoft Dynamics CRM MVP

3. Presentation Plan
▪ Platform Overview
▪ What is CRM? What is XRM?
▪ Demonstration: System views, Configuration
▪ CRM Solution Architecture
▪ The Architect’s role
▪ The Architect’s tools
▪ Design Considerations
▪ Q & A

4. Platform Overview

5. What is CRM?
▪ Customer Relationship Management
▪ Microsoft Dynamics CRM
▪ Account & Contact Management in a context
▪ Default Modules:
▪ Service (case, incident management)
▪ Sales (lead, opportunity, products, invoices)
▪ Marketing (activities, emails, campaigns)
▪ COTS product
▪ Cloud (Office 365 or Private)
▪ On Premise (local installation)

6. What is xRM?
▪ Represents extending an application on the CRM platform
▪ ‘x’ is a variable that means ‘any’
▪ Example: Citizen RM, Student RM, Dealers RM, etc.
▪ Also referred to as “Extended CRM”
▪ Not a COTS product
▪ “One Platform: Many Applications”

7. What’s new in CRM 2015 ?
▪ Hierarchy visualization
▪ Search across multiple record types
▪ Business Process improvements
▪ Create custom help for users
▪ Sales Product Taxonomy
▪ CRM Online Administration experience
▪ Lots of additional new features for developers

8. The CRM Solution Architect

9. What is the CRM Architect’s role?
▪ Subject Matter Expertise
▪ Deep knowledge of ALL ASPECTS of the platform
▪ Provide guidance and best solution design
▪ Troubleshoot unexpected issues
▪ Provide long term vision and strategy for solution
▪ Speak both “business” and “technical” languages

10. What is the CRM Architect’s role?
▪ Delivery Methodology
▪ Project implementation methodology (Agile, Waterfalls...)
▪ Delivery Modules Management
▪ CRM Solution evolution framework
▪ Configuration, Dev, QA, Prod environments
▪ Deployment model
▪ Tool Box
▪ Configuration tools
▪ Development tools
▪ Debugging tools
▪ Accelerators

11. What is the CRM Architect’s role?
▪ Solution Planning  PMO Support, Workforce Management
▪ Project Delivery Strategy
▪ People involvement (who, what, when)
▪ Mentor and guide junior resources

12. The Architect’s Tools

13. CRM Architect Tools
▪ Knowledge is POWER
▪ Learning resources
▪ Online Resources
▪ Microsoft Community Blogs
▪ Training, User Groups Conferences
▪ Practice – Use trial organizations
▪ Technical Architecture
▪ Extensibility points
▪ Implications of design decisions

14. CRM Architect Tools
▪ Knowledge is POWER
▪ Technical Architecture
▪ “The Ripple Effect”
▪ xRM Platform Components
▪ Data Modeling
▪ Entities, Fields, Relationships
▪ User Interface
▪ Forms, Views, Lookup
▪ Web and Outlook (including offline)
▪ Process Automation
▪ Workflows, Dialog, Business Process Flow
▪ Queues and Teams
▪ Plugins, Web Services
▪ Reporting
▪ SSRS, Excel
▪ Charts and Dashboards
▪ Security
▪ Roles, Organization-based
▪ Field Level
▪ Auditing
▪ Data Management
▪ Data Import/Export
▪ Duplicate Detection
▪ Web & Integration
▪ Portals
▪ SharePoint Integration
▪ Enterprise Service Bus
▪ Custom Integration (API, SDK)

15. Typical Design Considerations

16. Typical Design Considerations
▪ Using the appropriate functionality
1. System Configuration
2. System Customization

17. Typical Design Considerations
▪ Automation Design – Client Side
▪ Form Scripting & Business Rules
▪ Ribbon customizations
▪ Sitemap customizations
▪ Business process flow
▪ Custom UI development
▪ Automation Design – Server Side
▪ Workflows, Custom Workflow Activities
▪ Plugins
▪ CRM Web Services (REST, ODATA)
▪ SQL Server
▪ SSRS Reports

18. Typical Design Considerations
▪ CRM Online vs CRM On Premise
▪ Different integration consideration
▪ Different security considerations
▪ Scalability control
▪ CRM Solution Components
▪ Consider ease of deployment
▪ Build automated deployment tools
▪ Limit the number of external elements in your solution

19. Typical Design Considerations
▪ Data Integration & Migration
▪ Dynamics CRM provide SQL views to READ CRM Data
▪ Create, Update, Delete must be done through Web Service
▪ Understand CRM Web Service limitations
▪ Retrieve Multiple Record Limit
▪ Using Third Party Software for Data Integration and Migration Jobs
▪ SSIS + CRM Add On (Kingsway Soft, others)
▪ Scribe Soft, Instance Adapter etc.
▪ Decision making for data integration and migration (technology, performance, immediacy
etc.)

20. Typical Design Considerations
▪ Buy vs Build?
▪ Lots of CRM Solution Add-Ons :
▪ Portals (ADX Studio, Parature)
▪ Mobility
▪ Project Management, PSA, Field Services Management
▪ Can you build it internally?
▪ Should you build it or buy an existing add-on?

21. Typical Design Considerations
▪ Infrastructure Design
▪ CRM Access points
▪ HTTP vs HTTPS
▪ Active Directory, Claim Based Auth, Internet Facing Deployment (IFD)
▪ Portal(s)
▪ Solution Sizing
▪ Single vs Multiple Server Infrastructure
▪ SQL Server features
▪ SQL Indexes

22. Salim Adamon
salim.adamon@outlook.com
http://salimadamoncrm.com
Q&A