The presentation discusses leveraging the Nintex platform to integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SharePoint. Several use cases are provided that demonstrate how Nintex workflows can synchronize data and metadata between CRM and SharePoint documents. Best practices for the integration are also covered such as provisioning user access and maintaining a folder structure that corresponds to the CRM data model.
Leveraging Nintex for CRM and SharePoint Integration
1. Leveraging Nintex for CRM
SharePoint integration
Syed A Ali
IPP Solution Architect (Contractor)
Center for Disease Control & Prevention, CDC
Cell: 214-208-2158
Email: xxq6@cdc.gov (work), syedanwar.ali@outlook.com (personal)
2. Agenda
• About me
• Challenges
• Why Nintex
• Use Case example
• Integration best practices
• Nintex workflow examples
• Q&A
3. About me
• Working as a CRM SharePoint architect at CDC for over 3 years
• Worked as technical/functional architect and SME at Microsoft and
several other fortune 50 companies
• Served as a member of customer advisory board for Dynamics CRM at
Microsoft Corp
• Served as a member of the advisory boards for CRM and AX at
Dynamics Communities
• Served as chapter leader of CRMUG and AXUG of Dallas area chapters
4. Business solution challenges responded by Nintex
• Solution design
• Solution integration
• Keep up with dynamic needs
• SharePoint & Dynamics CRM
• Leveraging Nintex
5. Use Case
• Update SharePoint metadata in CRM record when document is
uploaded in SharePoint from CRM
• Update SharePoint metadata when a CRM record has been
updated
• Create workflow task (s) with email notification in SharePoint
when a record is created or updated in CRM
• Create or update record in CRM when a task in SharePoint is
updated
• Analyze data and generate report in CRM on activities and
metadata changes in SharePoint
6. Integration best practices
Technical summary:
• Activate CRM process from SharePoint
• Activate SharePoint process from CRM email
• Synchronize document metadata in SharePoint and Dynamics CRM
CRM access:
• Create users in CRM for SharePoint users with Full Control
• Create contacts in CRM for all other SharePoint users
• Create a contact in CRM for each SharePoint document library email address
SharePoint access:
• Provision temporary SharePoint Access to the document users for
collaboration and training
• Provision read only access to all users for all SharePoint documents in a library
Group access:
• Provision groups to assign permission corresponding to SharePoint activities
7. Integration best practices continued…
Folder structure:
• Dynamics CRM natively creates a list item in SharePoint for each CRM entity
• CRM Entity => Content Type => List => Library (enabled for Email) => Folder
(Category)
• Folder (Sub Category): Provision group permissions
Metadata structure:
• Create and maintain entire metadata as data fields in CRM and only required
columns in SharePoint
• Maintain CRM record name as a common column in SharePoint list items
• Maintain a column in SharePoint to capture the updates of CRM record
• Maintain document URL as absolute URL in related CRM record
14. Nintex example: Update CRM
Trigger Nintex workflow to update document URL in CRM when a
document is uploaded:
15. Nintex example: Update columns from CRM email
Trigger Nintex workflow to extract the CRM email body and save as data in
columns in SharePoint
16. Nintex example: Move document in SharePoint
based on record status in CRM
Trigger Nintex workflow to copy the document to a different folder
when a record change captured from CRM Email meets certain criteria
and then delete the original document
17. Nintex example: Update Document Location &
URL in CRM
Trigger Nintex workflow to update the document URL in corresponding
CRM record and Document Location in CRM when document has been
moved to a new folder
18. Nintex example: Create task with notification
email from SharePoint
Trigger Nintex workflow to create task related to the document for the
user or the user group name updated from CRM email