Hi All!
I'm just wondering if anyone has attempted to create a connector between
Sharepoint 2003 (Services or Portal) and CRM? Sharepoint 2003 can be used
both internally (intranet), as well as externally (extranet or registered
internet portal user). The second scenario assume that someone has paid for
the corresponding Sharepoint External Connector licensing, which can be very
expensive. If anyone has worked on a project such as this, or knows of a MS
partner or group that has done something like this, then I would be
extremely interested. Thanks!
Cheers,
Rob Kszan
CRM Source, Inc.
rkszan@crmsource.com

Rob,

What are you trying to do? Writing a web-part that ties CRM into Sharepoint
is not a big deal. The big issue is the licensing. There is no licensing
currently that would allow you to use the CRM SDK to allow a user to see or
modify data unless they have a CRM License assigned to their userid.

Matt

"Robert Kszan" <rkszan@crmsource.com> wrote in message
news:%23cw4BRXtDHA.3656@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
Hi All!
I'm just wondering if anyone has attempted to create a connector between
Sharepoint 2003 (Services or Portal) and CRM? Sharepoint 2003 can be used
both internally (intranet), as well as externally (extranet or registered
internet portal user). The second scenario assume that someone has paid for
the corresponding Sharepoint External Connector licensing, which can be very
expensive. If anyone has worked on a project such as this, or knows of a MS
partner or group that has done something like this, then I would be
extremely interested. Thanks!
Cheers,
Rob Kszan
CRM Source, Inc.
rkszan@crmsource.com

Hi Matt!

Sorry for the long delay before replying to your post.



The reason I ask about the CRM webpart is that this would seem to be the
best way to allow for Sharepoint Extranet users to be able to update their
own information in order to keep their Sharepoint information synchronized
with CRM. Based on what I've seen of developing a WebPart, as well as from
working with the CRM SDK, I would agree with your assessment that this would
be pretty easy to develop. Regarding licensing, it would seem that we are
all bound to the Microsoft CRM 'named user' licensing model, although I
believe that the WebPart could be written to accommodate this licensing.
The analogy that I was thinking of is that we would not be required to
obtain a 'named user' license for each customer when a Customer Service
representative speaks to a customer in order to enter or check their
information, so why would you require a license if the customer were to
enter or check their own information on an Extranet site? If a component
was developed that acted as that Customer Service representative (running
under one 'named user' license in order to present information about a
particular customer that could be entered or updated), then this would seem
to fulfill both the spirit as well as the letter of the licensing agreement
(although I am only suggesting this as one interpretation of the licensing
agreement).

Now I'm not really looking to take on Microsoft's lawyers, so I will defer
to whatever conclusion that the CRM Team decides, although I feel that this
argument presents an accurate representation of how CRM could be used in the
context of the Sharepoint WebPart. Thank you.


Best Regards,
Rob Kszan
CRM Source, Inc.
rkszan@crmsource.com

"Matt Parks" <mattp65@removetoX_Xyahoo.Com> wrote in message
news:%23cUhmgCuDHA.1888@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

This is one of the problem I see with MS CRM licensing as it is today. I
think they need to add some type of Extranet connector licensing I know
SharePoint has any Extranet license.


Ryan


"Robert Kszan" <rkszan@crmsource.com> wrote in message
news:e9l6YFqzDHA.3496@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Sure Ryan, an Extranet connector license like the one with Sharepoint would
be one option, but I'm of the belief that it's possible to create a
component that acts like an individual (such as a customer service agent) as
an intermediary between customers on the website and between CRM. The main
idea is just to keep CRM information updated by the client, so I see this as
more of a facilitation role for gathering data rather than a direct
interaction by the client with CRM. Ultimately I'll leave it up to the CRM
Team to make this call.
Cheers,
Rob

"Ryan Finnesey" <ryan.finnesey@corpdsg.com> wrote in message
news:uLGTVN2zDHA.2240@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Rob,

There is a problem with your analogy. When the customer starts to "act like
a CSR", they become a user of the application. People have checked with MS
Legal on this and that is the way they have replied, thus an Extranet
connector license would be extremely welcome to make something like this
econmically feasible.

Matt

"Robert Kszan" <rkszan@crmsource.com> wrote in message
news:%23qz6Cs$zDHA.2396@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
Sure Ryan, an Extranet connector license like the one with Sharepoint would
be one option, but I'm of the belief that it's possible to create a
component that acts like an individual (such as a customer service agent) as
an intermediary between customers on the website and between CRM. The main
idea is just to keep CRM information updated by the client, so I see this as
more of a facilitation role for gathering data rather than a direct
interaction by the client with CRM. Ultimately I'll leave it up to the CRM
Team to make this call.
Cheers,
Rob

"Ryan Finnesey" <ryan.finnesey@corpdsg.com> wrote in message
news:uLGTVN2zDHA.2240@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Interesting. Thank god I'm not a lawyer. ;-)
Then my only other comment would be that I hope that the external connector
has a better price-point than $30,000 for the Sharepoint Portal Server
external connector.
Cheers,
Rob

"Matt Parks" <mattp65@removetoX_Xyahoo.Com> wrote in message
news:elSjWq70DHA.1760@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Can anyone comment on how other CRM program handle external users?


Ryan

"Robert Kszan" <rkszan@crmsource.com> wrote in message
news:ewxjIU90DHA.2448@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...