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.