Monday 28 July 2014

Use Rights by Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 CAL

Deciding which Microsoft CRM license you require based on features?  The following table lists the use rights corresponding to the Client Access Licenses (CALs) that are available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 and User Subscription Licenses (USLs) available in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.



In the  Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Licensing and Pricing Guide found here.

Regards,

Struan Hijner, Infrastructure Services Practice Manager
Myriad IT
03-8530-8600

Thursday 17 July 2014

CRM Case History not updating accurately in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0


In JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications release 9.0 (without ESU JL61235 applied), CRM case history is not time stamped correctly.  The manifestation of the problem is that case history is incorrect and does not accurately reflect when cases were updated, which can be very important if you are tracking cases to SLAs.

To understand the issue we need to understand how information is held in the F1755.   The primary keys on the table are:
  • ZASTAW (status) – is set to 2 for the active record and 1 for historical record
  • ZAUPMJ (Date – Updated)
  • ZAUPMT (Time – Updated)
  • ZADOCO (Document Number)
Data for a particular case is held as follows:
  •  When a CRM case is created, a new record is created in the F1755 table with a new document number assigned (ZADOCO), date and time stamped with current time (ZAUPMJ and ZAUPMT) and status (ZASTAW) is set to 2. 
  • When the record is updated, the existing record should just be changed to STAW = 1 and write the new line created with ZASTAW = 2 an updated current time in ZAUPMJ and ZAUPMT. 
Simple really, but this is not the case without ESU JL61235 applied.  Prior to this ESU the record updates incorrectly by setting ZASTAW to 1 and the ZAUPMJ / and ZAUPMT to current date / time.  Therefore it looks like the historical record was written today and tracking cases and status changes (ZACLST) is meaningless to the user.

ESU JL61235 fixes the problem with new P90CG50x applications and associated business functions.  There are no Special Instructions listed for the ESU.  When I applied the ESU and tested the functionality it worked perfectly for new cases.  However when updating existing cases I received an error:

CAUSE: ERROR: File can not be accessed.
Solution. . . Change IBM security or authority using the IBM EDTOBJAUT command.
This file can not be accessed with the current IBM authority
for the User executing this request.

This occurs because there are (old) invalid records which cause a primary key violation when updating the case.

For example, if I create a case on January 1 and update it on January 2.  Without the ESU it time stamps the original and new record as January 2 (and identical times) and therefore the active and original records’ primary keys are identical with the exception of ZASTAW for all existing cases in the database with at least one historical record.  When the case is updated (correctly with the applied ESU) JDE tries to change the current record to a historical record (setting ZASTAW to 1 and not re-stamping dates and times) and hence the violation.

To work around this issue I need to adjust the records so that ZASTAW is not the only difference.  But I have no way of knowing what the existing historical record (ZASTAW = 1) should be therefore as a work around I subtract one second from the records (assuming it is not midnight) using the following SQL:

update F1755 o

set o.ZAUPMT = (o.ZAUPMT - 1)

where o.ZASTAW = '1' and exists (select *

from F1755 i

where i.ZADOCO = o.ZADOCO and i.ZAUPMJ = o.ZAUPMJ and i.ZAUPMT = o.ZAUPMT and i.ZASTAW = '2') and o.ZAUPMT != 0

If you are doing this, you probably want to check for records that are at midnight (ZAUPMT = 0) and add a few seconds to the active record rather than worrying about a changing the date as the information is wrong anyway.

Tip: F1755 records are time stamped adjusted for your time zone.  So even if you don’t work 24 hour shifts, the ZAUPMT could be 0 depending on your time zone.

Struan Hijner, Infrastructure Services Practice Lead
Myriad IT
03-8530-8600

Monday 7 July 2014

Taking the leap into managed services


Oracle Vice President, Mark Hurd recently posted an article on LinkedIn entitled Five Reasons Why CEOs Should Love the Cloud. 

He writes that cloud computing can help CEO's transform their businesses by enabling them to devote more of their IT budgets towards growth opportunities rather than the "maddeningly complex and expensive in-house IT environments that can't keep up with the modern business world".


The reasons Mr Hurd gives are compelling:

1. Simplify IT
2. Re-engineer the economics of IT spending
3. Accelerate and optimize your business processes.
4. Drive innovation
5. Enjoy world class security and compliance.


So what happens once you've decided to take the leap? How do you choose a managed services provider? 

It's an important but daunting task. In this blog post, I'll set out some factors to take into account when choosing a managed IT service provider.

Define your scope -   In order to maximise the benefits of managed services, it is important to clearly define the scope of your requirements. Being clear about what is required minimises costs and prevents problems arising later.

Flexibility - Above all, you need a provider that can respond to your changing needs. Chances are your organisation won't be the same 5 years from now.

Expertise - Do you trust that your provider has the necessary expertise? A good provider should communicate clearly and make it easy for you to understand the service being provided.

Reliability - A good managed services provider will work actively with your IT to minimise disruption to your business during the transition. Clear roles should be established and your service provider should implement and comply with service-level agreements (SLA's) tailored to meet your organisation's needs.

Quality & Support - Does the service provider use a well established data centre? Are you able to visit it to see for yourself? Does the provider offer a premium service and proactive support?

Customised - Once you have established the above, you should understand whether the provider can customise its service to meet your organisation's specific needs. The flexibility to customise means you only pay for what you need.

Location - For many companies the physical location of data is important for compliance reasons so it is important to understand where will the data be physically stored (e.g. within Australia vs outside of Australia).

Key takeaway:

There are many business benefits and savings that can be generated by managed services. The most successful models involve open communication between the company and a trusted provider to ensure the services provide not only meet your business needs but can also evolve as your business does.

Myriad IT
03-8530-8600