Overview
Document Management can be set up in Microsoft CRM using SharePoint and a List component which you have to add.
This blog shows how to set up this useful component using online trial instances of the software.
IMPORTANT – The first thing to know is that both of these must be operating under the same Office 365 instance to work.
Setting Up a CRM Trial
If you want to try this out first using trial versions you need to first take out a trial version of Microsoft CRM.
Setting Up a SharePoint Trial
Log onto the Office 365 portal created for Microsoft CRM and go to the Admin Page and select “Purchase Services” from the left hand menu…
Add a trial version of a product that incorporates SharePoint (SharePoint itself is not available as a trial) e.g.
Downloading the CRM List Component for SharePoint
Download the List Component to your PC…
This list component can then uploaded to your SharePoint solution once you are ready.
Enabling Solutions Uploading in SharePoint
Unfortunately the ability to upload solutions is not available as a default in SharePoint and you need to enable it first.
In Office 365 go into the SharePoint Admin Center and select ‘Settings’…
In the settings page scroll down to the custom scripting options as shown below.
IMPORTANT – enabling custom scripting required to upload solutions takes 24 hours for SharePoint Online, so you will have to wait a day before you can actually see this option and upload the list component.
Uploading and activating the CRM list component solution in SharePoint
Now that you have enabled custom scripting (and you have waited the 24hrs) additional setting options appear that allow you to upload a solution.
Select Site settings as shown below…
Then in Web Designer Galleries select Solutions…
Choose the solution from the download location you specified for the CRM list component…
Select the .wsp file…
And activate the solution so it can be used…
Activation is confirmed…
Configuring Microsoft CRM to use SharePoint
In Microsoft CRM select Settings, Document Management and Enable Server Based SharePoint Integration…
Select the default ‘Online’ and Next…
Type/cut and paste in the URL of your SharePoint instance and select Next…
If you have set it up properly your SharePoint site set up will be validated and confirmed…
On the “Congratulations” page tick the Open Document Management Settings Wizard check box…
Select the entities that you want to be associated with documents, some are defaulted already…
Define which entity the folder structure will relate to, the default is Account…
That’s is you all set up and working with SharePoint document management!
Using Documents in Microsoft CRM
Assuming that you have associated documents with the Accounts entity select a sample account…
Then click on the selected account and Documents in the top menu bar…
Confirm that you would like to create a folder for the account ( this is only required once when you set up the account)
Then you are free to upload your documents, add a few to see how this works…
You can add additional locations to create a folder structure (note this needs to be done independently for each client)
Confirm folder creation…
You can now save documents to this location and view them within CRM…
If you alternatively want to view the document(s) in SharePoint select the open location option…
This functionality is great because it also means that non CRM users can interact with the document library. However, careful consideration needs to be given to giving appropriate access to client records.
Uploading a document to a specific location…
You can then view documents as if they were in the CRM system itself…
Automatic Folder Structure Creation
Use the steps outlined in the following link to automatically create folder structures when a new base folder structure is created…
Use SharePoint Workflows to create MS CRM/ SharePoint Sub-Folders