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Table of Contents

Introduction

This document has been written for IT professionals who are responsible for deploying server-side components into their Microsoft Dynamics CRM environments and who need to know the procedures to follow in order to successfully implement Mobile Express. This document also provides additional information for system administrators who need to know how to customize their users' Mobile Express views.

This guide focuses on the deployment of Mobile Express and assumes that you either already have a functioning Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment or will be installing Mobile Express at the same time as a new Microsoft Dynamics CRM system.

To install Mobile Express, you must have administrator permissions on your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server. To configure Mobile Express, you must have the System Administrator or System Customizer security role.

The ability for Mobile Express to access information through the Internet depends on your Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment being configured as an Internet-facing deployment (IFD). If your current system is not exposed to the Internet, users will be limited to accessing Mobile Express from within your corporate network.

Mobile Express is a new feature in Microsoft Dynamics CRM that lets your users access CRM data and capabilities from a mobile device. Mobile Express runs in a mobile Web browser, such as Internet Explorer Mobile or Safari, on a Web-enabled mobile device. Because Mobile Express lets users stay connected remotely, they can access and use Microsoft Dynamics CRM when they are in the office, travelling, or at a customer location.

Mobile Express works well for:

• 
  Occasional access to your organization's Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment.
  
• 
  Always-connected environments.
  
• 
  High-speed networks.
  
• 
  Completing a broad range of common CRM tasks.
  

A few things to note that Mobile Express does not do:

• 
  Mobile Express is not a smart client and does not store data locally; it is mobile Web browser-based and users must have an Internet or intranet connection to access customer information. There is no locally stored data option for offline use.
  
• 
  Mobile Express does not synchronize. Changes you make to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment through Mobile Express are immediately stored in the CRM database.
  

Planning Your Deployment

• 
  Install Mobile Express on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server that is configured to allow connections from outside the corporate firewall. This installation is based on an Internet-facing deployment (IFD), which enables Mobile Express users to access their Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment through the Internet.
  
• 
  Install Mobile Express on a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server that resides within your corporate network. Updating an internal Microsoft Dynamics CRM server with the Mobile Express feature will give Mobile Express users access to their CRM data only when their mobile Web browsers are connected to the corporate network.
  

As illustrated in the following figure, when the Mobile Express feature is added to an IFD Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment, users can securely access their CRM information anywhere their mobile Web browsers have an Internet connection.

An IFD enables a Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation to maintain a secure connection to the Internet while being deployed within a private corporate network. The IFD option can be used entirely within a private network, but it is primarily designed to enable access to Microsoft Dynamics CRM from across a public network. There is no risk of data being stored on an unsecure mobile device because Mobile Express does not support offline access.

Internet-facing deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM support authentication via Active Directory as well as through forms-based authentication. Because Mobile Express is a feature of the main Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, whichever authentication technology you are using for Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be used by Mobile Express.

Note

If you are using Active Directory for authentication, you will need to confirm that the mobile devices you want to use Mobile Express can support Windows Authentication.

When Mobile Express is added to an internal Microsoft Dynamics CRM server, access to the CRM data is available only through the corporate network, as shown in the following figure. Because this type of installation restricts Mobile Express access to those users connected to the corporate network, it should be used only for deployments where Mobile Express users will not need access through the Internet.

Mobile Express leverages all the Microsoft Dynamics CRM security tools to help ensure secure data transmission in an IFD.The IFD authentication process uses the following steps:

1. 
   Creates an instance of the CrmDiscoveryService Web service proxy: Obtains a list of available organizations from the CrmDiscoveryService Web service.
   
2. 
   (Optional) Finds the target organization in the list.
   
3. 
   Obtains a ticket from the CrmDiscoveryService Web service: Creates a CrmAuthenticationToken instance and sets its AuthenticationType, OrganizationName, and CrmTicket property values.
   
4. 
   Creates an instance of the CrmService Web service proxy and calls Web service methods.
   

When you are moving customizations from a pre-production environment to a production Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment, be aware that the import and export commands automatically manage both Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Mobile Express customizations.

If you have made customizations to Mobile Express forms and then perform an import of customizations from a server that does not have Mobile Express installed, your Mobile Express customizations will be removed.

Entities Available in Mobile Express

• 
  Accounts: Enter a new account or review an existing account, which contains information about companies that do business with your organization.
  
• 
  Addresses: Enter a new address or look up information for an existing account or contact.
  
• 
  Appointments: Review existing appointments. An appointment does not include service activities or check for conflicts, and you cannot search for available times.
  
• 
  Campaigns: Review existing campaigns.
  
• 
  Cases: Review existing cases.
  
• 
  Competitors: Review existing competitors.
  
• 
  Contacts: Enter a new contact or review an existing contact.
  
• 
  Contracts: Review existing contracts.
  
• 
  E-mail Messages: Review sent, received, and pending e-mail messages.
  
• 
  Faxes: Review faxes that have been entered into the system.
  
• 
  Invoice Products: Review products associated with an invoice.
  
• 
  Invoices: Review existing invoices.
  
• 
  Leads: Enter a new lead or review existing leads.
  
• 
  Letters: Track when a letter has been sent or received.
  
• 
  Marketing Lists: Review existing marketing lists.
  
• 
  Notes: Add a new note to an activity or a record, or review an existing note.
  
• 
  Opportunities: Enter a new opportunity or review an existing opportunity.
  
• 
  Order Products: Review products associated with an order.
  
• 
  Orders: Review existing orders.
  
• 
  Phone Calls: Track when phone calls have been received or made. You cannot dial a phone number directly from this form.
  
• 
  Quote Products: Review products associated with a quote.
  
• 
  Quotes: Review existing quotes for opportunities, accounts, or contacts.
  
• 
  Service Activities: Review service activities.
  
• 
  Tasks: Create a new task or review an existing task.
  
• 
  Users: Review or search for people who have an active user account in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
  

Installing Mobile Express

• 
  If your version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is not the latest version, 4.0, to upgrade your system, follow the instructions at: Upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=155335.
  
• 
  If you do not yet have a CRM environment, to perform a new installation, follow the instructions at: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=155336.
  

The installation instructions are the same for either deployment scenario. In both cases, you install the update onto your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server.

• 
  Install Mobile Express
  

1. 
   Log on to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server using an account that has administrative privileges.
   
2. 
   Use a Web browser to navigate to: Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 971874: Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=155338.
   
3. 
   Download the update installer onto your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server.
   
4. 
   On your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server, start the setup wizard. Follow the recommendations on the screen to confirm that you are ready to update your system, and then click Next.
   
5. 
   On the License Agreement page, review the information, select I accept this license agreement, and then click Next.
   
6. 
   On the Ready to Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update page, click Install.
   
7. 
   Installation has successfully completed when the Update (KB971874) Completed Successfully screen appears. Confirm the Restart the computer when the wizard closes check box is selected, then click Finish.
   

Customizing Mobile Express

The Go Mobile privilege allows a user to access Mobile Express. This privilege is enabled by default for all security roles. To prevent users from accessing Mobile Express, disable Go Mobile in all security roles assigned to that user.

If a user's security role gives them access to an entity in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, they will have the same permissions in Mobile Express.

• 
  Customize Mobile Express entities and forms
  

1. 
   In your main Microsoft Dynamics CRM application, in the Settings area, click Customization, and then click Customize Mobile Express.
   
2. 
   Select the set of entities you want to enable in Mobile Express from the Available Entities list.
   

As you evaluate which entities and attributes you want to make available to mobile devices, consider the screen size and usage goals for your users.

3. 
   Click Add.
   
4. 
   For each entity you selected, customize the attributes that will be available on the Mobile Express form:
   

1. 
   In the Selected Entities list, double-click the entity.
   
2. 
   Select the attributes you want to be visible on the Mobile Express form from the Available Attributes list, and then click Add.
   

3. 
   (Optional) Change the order in which the entities are listed by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
   

When you define and organize Mobile Express attributes, consider which are expected to be used most frequently and place them at the top.

4. 
   Click Save and Close.
   

5. 
   To publish all entities, click Publish All, or to publish selected entities, select specific entities in the Selected Attributes list, and then click Publish.
   

When you publish customizations, remember that there is only one "master" publishing mechanism that always publishes Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Mobile Express together. Using the Publish All button in Mobile Express will publish all changes to not only Mobile Express entities, but will also publish any pending changes to the same entities in the main Microsoft Dynamics CRM environment. The reverse is also true: publishing in Microsoft Dynamics CRM will also publish entities in Mobile Express.

6. 
   After you have customized Mobile Express, you need to provide the following access information to your users:
   

1. 
   Access Mobile Express by using a mobile Web browser to navigate to https:///m where is the path to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM server.
   
2. 
   Sign in using a valid Microsoft Dynamics CRM account.
   

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