09/09/2019

By Sunil Raheja

Microsoft Sharepoint and Dynamics CRM: A collaboration for success

Many times the customers who are implementing (or planning to implement) Dynamics CRM, enquire about a platform to store their files, documents, etc.  And another request that comes along with it (obviously) is the integration of that Document management system with the CRM system.

 

Now, although Dynamics CRM provides a way to store some files etc. (out-of-the-box, that is) the Notes and attachments feature. It usually does not serve the exact purpose of the client (unless they have a very limited need for files/documents storage).

In order to accomplish this requirement, there are a few solutions available. The major one that stands out usually, is from the Microsoft stable. You guessed it right!! It is the SharePoint integration.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 SharePoint - AhaApps

SharePoint has been around for a long time now, and it is a platform of choice for many companies for their document management needs. So, many of the clients we work with already have it in place. In which case they would prefer it to be integrated with Dynamics, so that they don’t need to switch to a different platform.

 

And looking at the integration point of view, it is the easiest one we can integrate with Dynamics. For obvious reasons. Both of the products are from Microsoft, and a few years back Microsoft did provide a seamless out of the box integration between the two.

Microsoft Sharepoint and Dynamics CRM - AhaApps

Based on if you are online or on-premise, there are 4 different integrations possible:

 

  • SharePoint Online + Dynamics CRM Online
  • SharePoint Online + Dynamics On-Prem
  • SharePoint On-Prem + Dynamics CRM Online
  • SharePoint On-Prem + Dynamics CRM On-Prem

 

In this blog, we would like to look at most of the aspects of SharePoint Online integration with Dynamics CRM (or D365, whichever you prefer) – Server-based SharePoint Integration.

 

If you had not already enabled, you would be seeing this alert on top of your CRM homepage, to enable the server-based SharePoint integration.

What you can do from within Dynamics:

  1. You can create, update, delete, upload documents to SharePoint from within Dynamics.
  2. Check-ins, check-outs
  3. Update document properties

 

Basically, anything that you could do from within SharePoint.

Setup:

You can go to Settings -> Document Management and go through the wizard to configure it. (You would need your SharePoint portal URL – this is where the folders would be created automatically once the integration is configured)

Microsoft Sharepoint and Dynamics 365 - AhaApps

Make sure that the SharePoint portal is in the same Office 365 tenant as your Dynamics is. The configuration above will only make sure that the SharePoint is enabled for Dynamics instance. However, we would need to configure separately, whatever entities we want to be enabled for Document management, through the Settings -> Document Management -> Document management settings.

 

An interesting and fun part of the Server-based SharePoint integration is that it uses the Entity Display name (e.g. Account, contact, etc.) to build the SharePoint library. And any documents related to an Account record would be under the Accounts Folder and further under the recordID folder.

 

Once you are done with configuring an entity for Document management, you should be able to see the “Documents” as a related link in the Related entities section of the entity record.

 

Bonus Tip: once you enable the server-based SharePoint integration, you are good to integrate OneDrive and OneNote with Dynamics as well.

Permissions required:

SharePoint side:

The primary thing to notice here is that this integration provides a window to your SharePoint portal from within D365, so you will have to have appropriate permissions to the SharePoint portal in order to access it anyways.

 D365 side:

Known Issues/Errors:

If Dynamics CRM receives an Unauthorized response from SharePoint, it could be because the device that is being used to access SharePoint is blocked using the Share point’s access restriction method. Make sure the Full Access is enabled for Unmanaged devices using the SharePoint Administration settings.

Microsoft Sharepoint and Microsoft Dynamics 365 - AhaApps

It is a known fact that Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft SharePoint are widely popular and contemporary solutions with strong features and functionalities. Many organizations around the world have deployed these solutions to meet business objectives, streamline operations and promote growth. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM SharePoint integration provides a lot of advantages for all business sizes. It helps end-users view, share and manage documents with ease, enhance employee productivity and make collaboration among sales, marketing and customer service support teams more seamless. Saving on additional licensing costs is another primary benefit of developing an app using SharePoint and integrating it with MS CRM, as you can store your documents and data in Dynamics CRM and view it using SharePoint platform.

Now as a business owner who is looking to fit with ease in the world of organizational development in today’s times understands that IT is one sector that cannot be run by underqualified individuals. It is constantly changing, and such integrations and collaborations need to be dealt with by experts. Experts, who aren’t there to reinvent the wheel, but to provide effective and timely solutions time and time again. When business is faced with mission-critical challenges, we at AhaApps know that it requires the intervention of an efficient and proficient consultant. Our consultants look at problems as an opportunity to find a permanent resolution. They do not believe in quick fixes for the sake of getting the job done. They strategize and do their homework well so that even if it takes a tad longer than usual, they are able to give the clients the best CRM solution. Our consultants are an answer to the staffing challenges that most companies encounter. They are not in a race to complete the tasks in the fastest possible manner ignoring red flags, but want to create the best solutions so that the client doesn’t have to spend sleepless nights anymore. AhaApps believes in getting it right the first time and our handpick consultants do not shy away from making a strong first impression based on their knowledge and expertise.

Staffing solutions and CRM Consulting are our forte. Talk to us for changing the way your business operates.

Author’s bio:

Sunil Raheja has been associated with AhaApps as a Dynamics Practice Head since 2019. He is extremely passionate about Dynamics and loves to solve the challenges posed in the domain using his logical ability and expertise. If he isn’t being a Dynamics superhero, in his spare time, he likes to take up a new hobby-currently it’s woodworking. Sunil is a meditator and is a staunch believer in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.