Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 User Mapping Error

12 July 2011

Core Solutions, your CRM Specialists

Microsoft CRM from Core Solutions

User Mapping Error Upgrading from CRM 4.0 to CRM 2011

I ran into a problem when doing an upgrade from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 to CRM 2011.  It took several hours to discover how to get past the error and I would like to save you the trouble if you run into a similar issue. To start, this is a company with a 5-User license and 10 users in the office, including 2 outside consultants as administrators.  As a result, it is typical for this company to enable and disable users as needed.  It is imperative at this point to make sure that the administrator account that you are logged into, that will be doing the import, is an active User. This was a Single Server environment, so the CRM 2011 program was going to replace the CRM 4.0 program.  This is not the best scenario but, as Consultants, this will be a fairly common occurrence among our clientele.
 
I backed up the database and uninstalled CRM 4.0.  I then installed CRM 2011 to the Server.  Everything looked good.  I was able to open Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 against the new company I created.  Now all I had to do was go into the Deployment Manager and import the 4.0 Organization.
 
The problem occurs when you try to map Users from the old database to the new database.  The error I got was:
You must map your Active Directory user account to at least one enabled Microsoft Dynamics CRM user who has the System Administrator role before the organization can be imported.
 
There was one pertinent article about this issue and how to solve it. The recommendation was to remove the Restricted Access Mode from the database, backup the database, restore it on the Server with CRM 2011 and you are all set.
 
Well, now I was in a pickle because I had already uninstalled CRM 4.0.  I could not just to go into CRM 4.0, access Settings/Users and take off the restriction.  Eventually, I did uninstall Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and reinstall 4.0 but for some reason Deployment Manager would not let me point to my database, so now what?
 
Here is where I discovered a workaround and, had I know about it ahead of time, I would have resolved the issue in minutes!  The secret is understanding the systemuserbase table.  There are 2 fields that we will possibly be updating.  The first is accessmode.  It looks like this on a User Record:
 
 
We will want all Users to be Full, not Administrative or Read-Only.  You might think that Administrative is more powerful than Full since you are the Administrator.  But you have to think of Access Mode in terms of an Administrative Staff and not an Administrator.  In the systemuserbase table the field is accessmode and a value of 0 is Full.
 
In SQL the table looks like this:
 
Simply run this query to update all Users to Full
Update systemuserbase
Set accessmode = 0
Where accessmode <> 0
 
Finished – right? Wrong! When I reinstalled Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and went to Deployment Manager I was still getting the same error!  Now what? It was hard to tell because of how narrow the columns were, but the User I was logged in as was actually a disabled user in CRM 4.0.  This is why I said at the beginning of this article that it is imperative to make sure that your Admin login is not disabled in CRM.
 
The field in systemuserbase that controls enabling and disabling Users is the isdisabled field.  A value of 0 means the User is enabled and a value of 1 means the User is disabled.   This was a bit tricky because I needed to first disable an enabled User so I would not exceed the maximum number of Users during Deployment. 
 
Here is the SQL query to accomplish this:
Update systemuserbase
Set isdisabled = 1
Where lastname = ‘SomeUserLastName’
 
I then set my Administrator User to Enabled in the Database and I was back on track. Here is the query:
Update systemuserbase
Set isdisabled = 0
Where lastname = ‘MyUserLastName’
 
When I went back into Deployment Manager and pointed to the CRM 4.0 database, I now easily passed through the screens for mapping Users and was able to complete the upgrade. I hope you find this article useful, maybe it will save you some time and you can leave work early. Right!

12 July 2011 @ 14:41 | Admin

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True Stories of Marketing with Microsoft CRM

7 June 2011

A premier event for marketers: True Stories of Marketing with Microsoft CRM

Register Here
 
This live workshop will include examples of real world campaigns where Microsoft CRM
was used to:
 
- Double a newsletter list in two weeks using a unique approach toward email marketing and lead scoring
- Develop an easy way to improve web traffic by understanding the quality of visitors by traffic sources
- Implement a strategy for creating great content that positions your firm as a leader
- Apply simple tips for search engine marketing and search engine optimization
- Provide sales with easy to use automated prospecting and marketing tools
- Identify how to best use the right social channels to drive business value

7 June 2011 @ 11:24 | Admin

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GOLDMINE PREMIUM EDITION 9.0.1 HOTFIX 1

31 May 2011

GOLDMINE PREMIUM EDITION 9.0.1 HOTFIX 1

If you have upgraded to GoldMine Premium Edition 9.0.1.49, and Outlook integration is important to you, installing this Hotfix may be a good move. We do NOT recommend upgrading to this build if you are already using a GMPE 9 release without problems. The Hotfix is currently available only through the NFR site and tech support. The fixes will become generally available with the release of GMPE 9.0.2.

WHAT IS FIXED IN GOLDMINE PREMIUM EDITION 9.0.1 HOTFIX 1

* Error message appears when opening Outlook calendar if forecasted sales are displayed in Outlook, and there is a forecasted sale related to a contact with a null value in contact field
* GoldMine toolbar does not appear in Outlook when using Terminal Services
* Outlook sync profile does not retain contact group setting if the contact group has a RecID value ending in a space
* When synchronizing with Outlook using a contact group or filter, other users recurring activities are synchronized to Outlook
* Paging of contact records in the Contact Search Center can cause entire database to be selected for different workflow operations
* Memory leak in Outlook.exe process
* Performance issues in Outlook add-in
* AddinExpress error message appears in Outlook
* Object Reference error when reading GoldMine settings from Outlook
* Object reference error in Outlook when no record types are set up in GoldMine
* GoldMine creates Accountno values with less than 20 characters when the contact name is abbreviated as first initial with a dot
* When sorting opportunities by actual close date, the sort is not chronological
* Activities synchronized from Outlook produce one alarm per attendee in GoldMine
* When editing an activity, the Opportunity/Project selection is not available if the Accountno for the corresponding contact contains less than 20 characters
* E-mail filed on the remote is not filed on the server after sync
* When entering an address for additional contacts, the Zip field does not auto-complete as expected

If you think this Hotfix will help with an issue you are experiencing, contact Core to schedule an upgrade.
 

31 May 2011 @ 14:27 | Admin

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After the Migration, Check Your Data

2 May 2011

After your data has been migrated, it is important for you to take a closer look, to ensure your data has been migrated accurately. Here are a few suggestions to make this data check more productive. First, perform this data check as soon as possible. Identifying and fixing any migration issues right away will ensure that newly entered data will be properly recorded and will save you time and money. Next, select a short-list of high-level accounts as your Test Set. Then run the following data check steps:

1. Is all related information like History, Calendar and Linked Documents present?
2. Is data in the primary contact fields properly formatted?
3. Are items like Title, Address and Phone Numbers in the right place?
4. Are the data fields properly cased?
5. Are custom settings for items like telephone number formatting or zip code validation working properly?
6. Are your reports present and delivering the expected data?
7. Do you have fields in the system to trigger Automated Processes, and are they working?
8. Are your territories properly aligned?
9. Are your Filters and Groups working in the manner you expect?
10. Are there any field restrictions that are not working properly?

 

2 May 2011 @ 10:48 | Craig Mael

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Is It Time For Your CRM To Be In The Cloud?

14 February 2011

Why Buy a Server?

For years CRM Online organizations have been marketing their solution as a “cost effective” way to get into an enterprise application.  Usually, the only way their argument works is if an organization had extremely high IT costs.  Most SMB organizations do a good job controlling IT costs, so the primary cost benefit touted by Hosted CRM vendors does not necessarily hold up to the key analytical eye of the CFO. 

For many SMB organizations, Hosted applications such as CRM solved non-economic issues.  Companies did not have to be concerned about connectivity, server up-time, a distributed workforce, ease of start-up, etc. Organizations that based their purchase decision on one (or more) of the aforementioned reasons, found Hosted CRM the way to go.

As a consulting organization that has spent the last 10 years selling and implementing On-Premise CRM, Core Solutions takes a different approach to framing the CRM purchase decision.  We know that most organizations already have the infrastructure to support a CRM implementation, and that the substantial costs savings achieved by bringing the solution On-Premise would usually outweigh the ease-of-implementation argument.  

What Has Changed?

Microsoft has aggressively changed the landscape as it relates to Hosted CRM.  The new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a full-featured product that can go toe-to-toe with any product on the market.  But the real game changer is the price.  At $34.95 a month per user*, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 alters the On-Premise/On-Line argument.  Now, the annual cost per user is approximately 1/3 the software purchase price, as opposed to competitive offerings that have annual costs per user approximately equal to the first year purchase price.

Clearly, there are still valid reasons to bring software On-Premise.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 can be deployed either way.  But if you’re on the fence, or are thinking that a Hosted CRM application is worth a try, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 you can start hosted and move to On-Premise without the loss of data or the need for data conversion.  If you’re a current On-Premise customer and want to move to Hosted, no problem, your data can similarly be moved without conversion from On-Premise to Hosted.

To learn more about On-Premise vs. Hosted options, contact Core Solutions. We’ll be happy to help you decide which is right for you.

* Promotional pricing expires June 30, 2011. Non-promotional price is $44.00/user per month.

14 February 2011 @ 10:00 | Admin

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