This time my favorite features of Q2 2012 Service Update would be the multi-browser support, industry solution templates and SQL Server 2012 support.
The upcoming Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 service update represents Microsoft's commitment to improve agility where additional capabilities for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (both Online and On-premises) are delivered approximately twice yearly with releases targeted for Spring (Q2) and Fall (Q4) of each calendar year. These new capabilities provide better productivity and enhanced experiences for organizations using Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Below are some of the new features and enhancements.
MICROSOFT DYNAMICS CRM MOBILE
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 21012 service update brings a new cloud based mobile CRM service called Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile to customers of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. As part of this new mobile solution, Microsoft will provide a full range of rich native CRM applications (apps) for the most popular smartphones and tablets. These new applications allow a sales, service or marketing professional to access Microsoft Dynamics CRM both Online and On-premises. These apps allow organizations and individuals to be productive with their device of choice thereby enabling them to manage customer relationships anywhere.
BROWSER FLEXIBILITY
In addition to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 service update provides the ability for end users to access the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web Client across all modern Internet browsers on various platforms. This includes browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari running on PC, Apple Macintosh or iPad.
RAPID VIEW FORMS
In many organizations there are groups of users who typically use a CRM system to look up key information about their contacts, accounts, opportunities and cases but have no immediate need to modify that information. For example, many contact center employees or managers primarily use Microsoft Dynamics CRM to review business information before deciding whether any action is required. For these users the optimal experience is to load this information very quickly so they can immediately assess a situation and determine the correct course of action. In order to provide this type of user experience, Q2 2012 Service Update is introducing rapid view forms. The rapid view form is a read-only form that can be configured like any other form in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to display any record in the system.
ENHANCED SOCIAL
Organizations are constantly seeking new ways to facilitate simple and effective communication and collaboration between their employees. Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook provide a very simple micro-blogging user experience to post observations and information as well as ask questions and find expertize. More and more users are demanding these types of social experiences in business applications such as CRM. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM November 2011 Service Update delivered these capabilities through Activity Feeds which introduced micro-blogging and social collaboration capabilities within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With the upcoming Q2 2012 service update, Activity Feeds will be further enhanced to provide additional functionality and simplified access to relevant feeds.
INDUSTRY SOLUTION TEMPLATES
Across our product range Microsoft Dynamics offers many specific capabilities and solutions for a number of industries including distribution, manufacturing, public sector, retail and services. We are committed to broadening the industry capabilities and relevance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM through our core product as well as our extensive global partner network. For the Q2 2012 service update we will be delivering a range of templates that illustrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s suitability and flexibility for specific industry needs. Industry solution templates from Microsoft can consist of a number of components including a data model, pre-configured dashboards, workflow processes and sample data.
MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2012
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is built on the foundation of .NET and Microsoft SQL Server, a trusted platform that continuously leads in industry-relevant TPC-E and TPC-H performance benchmarks. Microsoft is soon to release SQL Server 2012 which takes it to new levels of performance, scalability and business intelligence.
Currently SQL Server 2012 is deployed in all Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online data centers to further increase performance and reliability for your mission critical customer data. Customers deploying Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premises will be able to take advantage of the performance improvements and mission critical capabilities provided by SQL Server 2012.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (BI) INSIGHTS WITH POWER VIEW
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 introduces a new Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 called Power View, previously code-named Project Crescent. Power View is a next-generation BI tool for interactive data exploration, visualization, and presentation. It provides intuitive ad-hoc reporting for business users such as data analysts, business decision makers and information workers. In short, Power View provides better business insights and collaboration for casual and experienced users alike. Power View allows a user to configure reports that connect to Microsoft Excel’s PowerPivot or SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS).
CUSTOM WORKFLOW ACTIVITIES IN CRM ONLINE
With the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 service update, developers can build custom .NET Workflow activity assemblies for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. These custom assemblies can be developed and deployed as part of a Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution package.
My above blog is based on Q2 2012 Service Update Release Preview Guide by Microsoft:
Read the above PDF to have full understanding of new features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 Service Update.
I hope this blog about 'Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 Service Update' was informative. Please feel free to leave your comments.
Will CRM Mobile work with an on premise deployment of CRM 2011?
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