Microsoft released Update Rollup 8 for Dynamics CRM 2011 on May 8, 2012 and has not yet made it available via Microsoft Update.

Please note that Infinity’s best practice is to wait two to four weeks after Microsoft releases an Update Rollup to determine whether the rollup is stable and if it may affect other areas of CRM, including custom code and third party add-ons.

Infinity currently recommends Update Rollup 21 for CRM 4.0 and Update Rollup 7 for CRM 2011.

Installing Update Rollup 8 will bring your CRM 2011 system to version 5.0.9690.2243

Installing Update Rollup 7 will bring your CRM 2011 system to version 5.0.9690.2165

Additional points to consider about Update Rollup 7 are:

• Prerequisites – Update Rollup 6 (version 5.0.9690.1992) established a new servicing baseline. This will enable uninstalls of some future CRM 2011 Update Rollups, but this also means that Update Rollup 6 is a prerequisite for installation of future Update Rollups, starting with Update Rollup 7.
• Uninstall - Update Rollup 7 can be uninstalled, unlike Update Rollups 4-6, which could not be uninstalled.  However, best practice remains to back up your databases and application servers before you install an Update Rollup.
• Feature addition – Read Optimized Forms
  • Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduces a new feature that is called Read Optimized Forms. By using this feature, an organization can let users decide whether they want to view records using a form that is optimized to load quickly. The read-optimized form improves productivity for users who primarily consume data instead of editing records. It also helps prevent users from unintentional editing field values.
  • For more information about Read Optimized Forms, click the following link: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=246078
  • For more design considerations with Read Optimized Forms, click the following link to read the SDK topic:
  • Design Considerations for Read Only Forms
  • As with any new feature, Infinity’s recommendation is to ensure you have a thorough understanding of its functionality and implications before implementing it. Your Infinity consultant can work with you to determine if Read Optimized Forms might be appropriate in your environment.

For all the information about Update Rollup 7, please see this Microsoft Knowledgebase article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2600643 or leave a comment below.

On Thursday, April 26th, Infinity hosted a Microsoft Dynamics Breakthrough webinar on Go Mobile! Extending the Power of CRM Through Mobile Access. Infinity’s Mike Hammons (Solutions Architect) discussed the benefits of implementing a mobile CRM solution and how you can use Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile to work smarter, and more efficiently – anytime, anywhere! The session also covered: Why a mobile strategy is important to your business The challenges of implementing a mobile strategy Current mobile options available Microsoft Mobile updates (Roadmap and release and a Dynamics Service Update) And much more! Check out the recorded session below or download a copy of the presentation here.

By now you should be familiar with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM User Group (CRMUG). If your not, CRMUG is an independent community of Microsoft Dynamics CRM users, partners and experts who share a common goal: getting more out of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Members network, learn and swap ideas through a series of live and virtual conferences, continuing education programs, and online tools. Membership and active participation in CRMUG can make a huge difference in how effectively you use your Microsoft Dynamics CRM software - and how much you enjoy it! Explore the CRMUG web site to learn about membership benefits or register for one of the Mayevents below:

May:

5/1/12 @ 3:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: Upgrading to Dynamics CRM 2011
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugUpgrading050112?date=2012-05

5/3/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - Special Interest Group: Public Sector - State, Local & Federal
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugSIG050312?date=2012-05

5/8/12 @ 3:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: Using Dynamics CRM to Enhance Sales Effectiveness
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugSalesEffectiveness050812?date=2012-05

5/10/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - Academy: Taking Dynamics CRM Beyond Accounts & Contacts
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/CRMUGAcademyCRMBeyond051212?date=2012-05

5/15/12 @ 11:00am (ET) - Roundtable: Social CRM? Step #1 = Good Data
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugRT051512?date=2012-05

5/16/12 @ 9:30am (ET) - Convergence Encore: Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Its Full Potential
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugFullPotential051612?date=2012-05

5/17/12 @ 10:00am (ET) - Sales Force Automation Best Practices
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/SFA051712?date=2012-05

5/22/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Special Interest Group: CRM Administration - Report Builder 3.0 Deep Dive
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugADMINsig052212?date=2012-05

5/24/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Partner Showcase: Visionary Software Consulting
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmug-ps-visionarysoftware-052412?date=2012-05

5/31/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - How to Present & Sell CRM Internally
Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/sellinternally053112?date=2012-05

Microsoft released Update Rollup 7 for Dynamics CRM 2011 on March 22, 2012 and made it available via Microsoft Update on April 10, 2012.

Installing this Update Rollup will bring your CRM system to version 5.0.9690.2165

Please note that Infinity’s best practice is to wait two to four weeks after Microsoft releases an Update Rollup to determine whether the rollup is stable and if it may affect other areas of CRM, including custom code and third party add-ons.

Infinity currently recommends Update Rollup 21 for CRM 4.0 and Update Rollup 6 for CRM 2011.

Additional points to consider about Update Rollup 7 are:

• Prerequisites
  Update Rollup 6 (version 5.0.9690.1992) established a new servicing baseline. This will enable uninstalls of some future CRM 2011 Update Rollups, but this also means that Update Rollup 6 is a prerequisite for installation of future Update Rollups, starting with Update Rollup 7.
• Uninstall
  Update Rollup 7 can be uninstalled, unlike Update Rollups 4-6, which could not be uninstalled.  However, best practice remains to back up your databases and application servers before you install an Update Rollup.
• Feature addition – Read Optimized Forms
  • Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduces a new feature that is called Read Optimized Forms. By using this feature, an organization can let users decide whether they want to view records using a form that is optimized to load quickly. The read-optimized form improves productivity for users who primarily consume data instead of editing records. It also helps prevent users from unintentional editing field values.
  • More information on Read Optimized Forms can be found here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=246078.
  • For more design considerations with Read Optimized Forms, click the following link to read the SDK topic: Design Considerations for Read Only Forms

As with any new feature, Infinity’s recommendation is to ensure you have a thorough understanding of its functionality and implications before implementing it. Your Infinity consultant can work with you to determine if Read Optimized Forms might be appropriate in your environment.

For all the information about Update Rollup 7, please see this Microsoft Knowledgebase article.

To read more about all the latest Rollups, check out my other blog post! As always, if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below. 

 

If you are unaware of The Microsoft Dynamics CRM User Group (CRMUG), I recommend you checking them out! CRMUG is an independent community of Microsoft Dynamics CRM users, partners and experts who share a common goal: getting more out of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Members network, learn and swap ideas through a series of live and virtual conferences, continuing education programs, and online tools. Membership and active participation in CRMUG can make a huge difference in how effectively you use your Dynamics CRM software - and how much you enjoy it! Explore the CRMUG web site to learn about membership benefits or register for one of the April events below:

4/3/13 @ 3:00pm (ET) - Best Practices in Workflow

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugARESGRP040312?date=2012-04

4/4/12 @ 10:00am (ET) - Special Interest Group: Best Practices in Tracking Marketing Campaigns

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/CRMUGMarketing040412?date=2012-04

4/5/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - Special Interest Group: Public Sector

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugSIG040512?date=2012-04

4/10/12 @ 10:30am (ET) - Special Interest Group: Professional Services

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugPSsig041012?date=2012-04

4/10/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Special Interest Group: Financial Services

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugFSsig041012?date=2012-04

4/11/12 @ 7:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: MVP Chat for System Administrators

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugMVPchat041112?date=2012-04

4/17/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: Best Practices in Keeping Data Clean

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugCleanData041712?date=2012-04

4/18/12 @ 3:00pm (ET) - Partner Showcase: ClickDimensions

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugPSClickDimensions041812?date=2012-04

4/19/12 @ 12:00pm (ET) - User Group Information & Orientation

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/UGIO041912?date=2012-04

4/20/12 @ 12:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: Top 10 Most FAQ of the Support Team

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugTop10supportquestions042012.pdf?date=2012-04

4/24/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Partner Showcase: Broadlook

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/BroadlookPS042412?date=2012-04

4/25/12 @ 1:30pm (ET) - Partner Showcase: CRM + TARGIT Business Intelligence = Seamless Integration

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/CRMUGPSTargitBI042512?date=2012-04

4/26/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - Academy: Implementing CRM Online - A Roadmap for Success

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/CRMUGAcademyCRMOnline042612?date=2012-04

4/26/12 @ 2:00pm (ET) - Convergence Encore: Changes in CRM from 4.0 to 2011 - Developer's Perspective

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugChanges042612?date=2012-04

4/27/12 @ 1:00pm (ET) - Partner Event: CRMUG Partner Benefits & What It Means For You!

Register: http://www.crmug.com/events/crmugpartnerbenefits042712?date=2012-04