Rajeev Pentyala – Microsoft Power Platform

CRM 2015 is the latest advent of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and its previously code named as “Vega”.

As you get lot of resources about CRM 2015 over internet, this article briefs you about major enhancements and new features.

Calculated and Roll-up Fields

Prior to Dynamics CRM 2015, to perform calculations or rollups, we had to write code.

In CRM 2015 its pretty much configurable at field creation level.

There is a new attribute called ‘Field Type’ where you can set when you create a new field.

Field Type can be Simple/Calculated/Rollup.

Calculated and Rollup Fields

‘Simple’ is same field type provided in previous versions of CRM

Calculated Fields

• Assume you have a Date field “Purchase Date” and you want to calculate “Estimated Close Date” value based on another option set field ‘Type’
  • If ‘Type’ is ‘Fruit’,   Then Estimated Close Date= Purchase Date + 20
  • If ‘Type’ is ‘vegetable’, Then Estimated Close Date= Purchase Date + 30

Calculation Field

• To achieve this before CRM 2015, we rely on code\script.
• With CRM 2015, you can achieve the same using ‘Calculated Fields’

Rollup Fields

• Rollup fields are used to perform record level aggregation from related records (With 1:N Relationship)
• You can display Sum or Average of Estimated Revenue of all Related Opportunities on Account form 

Note –

• Calculated fields store in the database and can be used in views / reports / charts / forms / Field Level Security.
• Record has to be saved before calculated field is updated when form refreshes
• If you choose a field type, you cannot alter to ‘Simple or Calculated’ fields
• The moment you choose the field as Rollup or Calculated, system automatically saves the field (Weird, you don’t need to click ‘Save’).
• Rollup using other rollup fields is not supported

Field Level Security (FLS)

• In CRM 2015, we can define Field Level Security(FLS) on both Out of the box and Custom fields
• In CRM 2013, its available only to Custom fields
• In CRM 2015, FLS extended for additional attribute types such as address fields (out of the box only) and email fields (custom or out of the box fields).

Hierarchical Security Model

• With Hierarchy security modeling, granular record level access can be granted for an organization without having to create and manage business units.
• It can be ‘Manager’ or ‘Custom position’ Hierarchy

Hierarchy Security Model

Global Search

• We can search records across different record types or configure specific fields on our preferred entities.
• Few things to consider as below

Quick Find – CRM 2015

• Refer this video from Dynamics team

Custom Help Pages

• Refer my article

Hierarchy Visualization

• Refer my article

Miscellaneous Enhancements

Disable Navigation Tour

• In CRM 2015, there is an option in Settings -> Administration -> System Settings whether to display Navigation Tour to User or not.

Display Navigation Tour

• Even if option set to not display, User can always get the ‘Navigation Tour’ by navigating as below

Open Navigation Tour

Nested Quick Create Form

• Quick Create Forms introduced in CRM 2013 but to create a new Contact from Account’s Quick Create form, we will get Contacts Create form instead of Contacts Quick Create Form.

Quick Create in CRM

• In CRM 2015, we will get Contact Quick Create form from the Account’s Quick Create form which is a ‘Nested Quick Create Form’

Nested Quick Create CRM 2015

Check out Dynamics CRM 2015 Release Preview Guide for more details.

🙂