Podcast and Overview: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7

We're proud to announce that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7 released Thursday, Mar. 22nd,2012! 

On Friday Mar. 23rd 2012, Ryan Anderson and Mike Gast from the Microsoft Premier Field Engineering team provided information about the recent release of Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. They also briefly discussed changes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 servicing during their:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7 Podcast

Note regarding Podcasts: You can make our CRM Premier Field Engineering podcasts available on Zune by using the RSS feed below.  In the Zune software, go to Collection -> Podcasts and click on the Add a Podcast button on the lower left, then enter the url for the RSS feed: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pfedynamics.rss. After that, you can adjust the series settings like any other podcast, so you can sync with your smartphone or Zune.

The "CRM Update Rollup Collateral Page"

For pointers to download locations, release dates, build information, and CRM Premier Field Engineering blogs and podcasts for all Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update Rollups, visit the "CRM Update Rollup Collateral Page"

Feature Addition in Update Rollup 7!

Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 introduces a new feature known as Read Optimized Forms. Read Optimized Forms allow a user to quickly open a read-only copy of a record form. Read Optimized Forms improve performance for users who have high network latency and users who spend most of their time consuming information instead of editing. Form loads are faster because of the removal of the ribbon, navigation pane, web resources, and form scripting. However, you can still open the standard editable form if changes have to be made. The ability to default to using the Read Optimized Forms can be set at the Organization level, but is also controlled per user to meet individual needs. For more information about Read Optimized Forms, see "Customize Entity Forms in Microsoft Dynamics CRM"

Update Rollup 7 Build number:
5.0.9690.2165

Note: Update Rollup 7 can be uninstalled, unlike Update Rollups 4-6, which could not be uninstalled.  However, you should always back up your databases and application servers before you install an Update Rollup.

Update Rollup 6 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 prerequisite for installation of future Update Rollups, starting with Update Rollup 7.

Note: As Update Rollup 7 is cumulative, containing all changes released in earlier Update Rollup releases, it also contains the Dynamics CRM Q4 Service Update features released via Update Rollup 5.  Some of these features include:

• Outlook Client Updates:
  • Enhancements to the Reading Pane
  • Asynchronous promotion for tracked emails
• Dialog Enhancements
• Data Visualization Enhancements:
  • Chart Designer Enhancements
  • New Chart Types
• Data Management Enhancements to:
  • Auditing
  • Duplicate Detection
• Activity Feeds
  • Listening in on important activities in Social Media that take place around the people, accounts, contacts, leads or opportunities that you care about, including a Windows 7.5 phone application: "Business Hub"
  • Update Rollup 5 does not install Activity Feeds:
    • New organizations on CRM Online will have this Solution automatically provisioned
    • Existing Online or On Premise organizations must download and import the solution from the Dynamics Marketplace

For more information about the Dynamics CRM Q4 Service Update features, consult:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM: The Road Ahead

Packages are available for download via:

• The Update Rollup 7 Microsoft Download Center page (on Mar. 22nd, 2012)
• The Microsoft Update Catalog (on Apr. 3rd, 2012)
• The Microsoft Update detection / installation process (on Apr. 3rd, 2012)
  • Note: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Updates will be pushed via Microsoft Update as Important updates
  • Client packages installed manually by downloading the packages and running install will require local administrator privileges. If the client packages are installed via Microsoft Update or SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager), they will not require local administrator privileges
  • Consider using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or similar software distribution technologies to distribute Dynamics CRM Update Rollups internally.  WSUS is a locally managed system that works with the public Microsoft Update website to give system administrators more control. By using Windows Server Update Services, administrators can manage the distribution of Microsoft hotfixes and updates released through Automatic Updates to computers in a corporate environment
  • For help with installation please see the Installation Information section of the Update Rollup 7 "master" Microsoft Knowledge Base article
  • Please review my teammate Shawn Dieken's superb blog posting "How to install Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 without an Internet Connection" which provides details on how to set up an install on a machine without access to the Internet
  • Please review my teammate Jon Strand's equally superb blog posting "CRM 2011: Silently Installing Update Rollups" which provides details on installing CRM Outlook client update rollups "silently" in order to limit end-user interruption

for these CRM components:

NOTE: As of Jan. 20th, 2012 these installation files have been updated to include CRM 2011 Update Rollup 6 (Build 05.00.9690.1992)

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Microsoft Office Outlook
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 E-mail Router
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Report Authoring Extension (Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 BIDS (Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2 Business Intelligence Development Studio) Fetch Extension)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Language Pack (aka Multilanguage User Interface, MUI)
• Note: the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 List Component for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 cannot be patched via an Update Rollup package.  Instead, it will be serviced (if necessary) via a new downloadable version from the Microsoft Download Center

 Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7 Prerequisites:

• Essentially the prerequisites listed in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Implementation Guide download or online versions for the various CRM components serviced
• You must have Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 6 installed (build 5.0.9690.1992) to apply this update rollup.

Note regarding Microsoft Dynamics CRM Stack Technology Compatibility:

Do you want to know if certain Service Packs or versions of a Microsoft product are supported with Dynamics CRM? Now we have all of this in one “living" Knowledge Base article: the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Compatibility List.  For example, you can use this KB to determine the latest Microsoft SQL Server major version and Service Pack that is supported. Microsoft will list new products like Internet Explorer 10 as TBD until testing is complete; generally near General Availability (GA) of that product.

Issues resolved via Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollups: 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7 is the seventh of a series of cumulative Update Rollups that include fixes for the issues that are or will be documented in the "Master Knowledge Base Articles" for CRM 2011 Update Rollups.  As they are cumulative, Update Rollup 7 will contain all fixes shipped via Update Rollups 1-7. 

Hotfixes and updates that were released as individual fixes before Update Rollup 7 release

The following issues were fixed and delivered to requesting customers prior to Update Rollup 7 release as Critical On Demand (COD) fixes:

• Assume that you have a solution that contains an option set attribute which has no prefix. When you import updates to the solution from an earlier version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you receive the following error message:
  • The schema attribute is not unique
• Mail items from Outlook Explorer are not promoted when the items are opened in the background
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You open Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 by using https protocol and do not specify the port number
  • You open an existing account or create a new account, enter a value in the Account Number field, and then click Save
  • You update the same form again, and then click Save
  • In this scenario, you receive the following error message:
    • Access Denied
• When you try to promote an item by using the Set Regarding function and the promotion fails, the item continues to have the regarding information set with only four user-defined fields. Therefore, when the promotion error is resolved, and then you try to promote the item again, the promotion still fails
• When you try to configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Outlook, you receive the following error message:
  • Cannot connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM server because we cannot authenticate your credentials. Check your connection or contact your administrator for help
• When you try to import a managed solution that contains a label change, you receive the following error message:
  • The evaluation of the current component (name=LocalizedLabel, id=631f30e6-1ebf-48c8-8ef4-f8000ee973dd) in the current operation (Update) failed during managed property evaluation of condition: Microsoft.Crm.BusinessEntities.IsRenameableCondition
• When you tab on a user domain name to retrieve user information from Active Directory in a large domain that contains multiple child domains, you experience slow performance
• Assume that you change the SiteMap in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 by linking to custom views as an html web resource. When you click the link to the views, you receive the following error message:
  • An error has occurred. Try this action again. If the problem continues, check the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Community for solutions or contact your organization's Microsoft Dynamics CRM Administrator. Finally, you can contact Microsoft Support
  • Additionally, the following error message is logged in the platform trace:
    • Error: CRM Parameter Filter - Invalid parameter 'layout=0' in Request.QueryString
• When you perform a quick search in Microsoft Dynamics CRM client for Outlook, you experience slow performance
• When you click Add Existing to associate more than 250 records to a record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Internet Explorer becomes unresponsive. Additionally, you receive the following error message:
  • Message: Stop running this script? A script on this page is causing your web browser to run slowly. If it continues to run, your computer might become unresponsive
• When you try to assign an entity to a team in a Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 workflow, you cannot select any existing team field value for the assignment
• Assume that an entity form is customized to have multiple sub-grids with auto-expansion enabled in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. When you move grids to a sub-area in the form, the grids are resized
• When you import a contact by using the Add Contacts wizard, the Company Name field for the contact is deleted in Office Outlook. This problem occurs when the Use Company Name to be the Account option is disabled
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You create a new email message in Office Outlook
  • You select Rich Text format on the Format Text tab
  • You add some text to the email message, and then add embedded images
  • You enter data in the To, From, and Subject fields
  • You click the Track button, and then click Send
  • You review the tracked Email activity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • In this scenario, the inserted image is not displayed in the Email activity. Instead, the picture is displayed as an attachment that has a zero size

Other fixes released via CRM 2011 Update Rollup 7:

• When you open a record directly from a bookmark or a link, an unusual padding appears. Additionally, when you try to browse away from the page, you receive a script error message that asks you to send an error report to Microsoft
• You cannot enter a backslash () in a text field in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 forms. This problem occurs when the system is set up to use a German standard keyboard
• When you open a record on an associated view, picklists become inactive in Internet Explorer 9
• After you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you cannot resolve cases that have contract lines associated
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You open a record, and then click Connect
  • In the Connect dialog box, you enter information into fields, and then click Save and New
  • In this scenario, the new Connect dialog box does not save the connection to the original record
• You cannot type special characters that require the right alt key (AltGr) on keyboard in some Microsoft Dynamics CRM forms
• When you open a record and then click the notes text, the width of the text area shrinks to the default size. This problem occurs when you do not have the Write permissions on notes for the record
• When you right-click a read-only field in a form in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you receive the following error message:
  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM has encountered an error
• When you merge accounts or contacts, the related connection records are not updated to point to the master record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
• When you try to add more than 50,000 members to a marketing list, you receive the following error message:
  • An error has occurred. Try this action again. If the problem continues, check the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Community for solutions or contact your organization's Microsoft Dynamics CRM Administrator. Finally, you can contact Microsoft Support. AggregateQueryRecordLimit exceeded. Cannot perform this operation
• When you create a new solution, and then export it as a managed solution, the xml is invalid. This problem occurs when you rename a subgrid control on an existing form for an existing subgrid. In this situation, the import wizard does not validate the xml and you receive the following error message:
  • The import file is invalid. XSD validation failed
  • Additionally, when you view the technical details, you receive the following error message:
  • Element 'control' cannot appear more than once if content model type is "all"
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You click File, click New activity, and then click Appointment
  • You enter a subject
  • You enter a date in the Appointment Activity field that is 2 weeks in the future, and then click Save
  • You click Recurrence
  • In this scenario, the date in the Start Range field displays the current date instead of the expected date of 2 weeks in the future
• Consider the following scenario:
  • You create a new account in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
  • In the Website field, you enter a URL that contains a quotation mark
  • You create a grid view on accounts and then add the Website column
  • You view the grid
  • In this scenario, the script is executed incorrectly and you receive an error message
• When you configure a bulk deletion job, and then you send the customer a link by using an email message to check the status of the bulk deletion job, the URL in the email message is incorrect