Microsoft SharePoint allows you to store your documents and manage them from within Dynamics CRM using the Dynamics document management capabilities of Microsoft SharePoint. By integrating Dynamics CRM with SharePoint, you can be able to access, share, and even collaborate more effectively and protect your documents in SharePoint from any unauthorized access and/or use. You can also avoid this by managing permissions for a list, list item, document, library, or folder.
Understanding Dynamics Document Management
Enabling document management on entities
Managing documents for an entity requires you to enable document management for that particular entity, which can be done on SharePoint. Normally, document management is auto-enabled (by default) on the following entities after enabling document management for your organization:
Account
- Lead
- Opportunity
- Product
- Article
- Sales Literature
- Quote
Define the entities that manage documents on Dynamics CRM in the dialog box: DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SETTINGS.
Documents related to Dynamics CRM entity records are stored in SharePoint and quickly accessed, shared, and managed from Dynamics CRM after enabling documents management on these entities.
1. Ensure you possess the System Admin security role in Dynamics CRM/ Read and Write privileges on all customizable record types.
2. Follows the right steps depending on the app (CRM web application or CRM for outlook) you are using
3. For the documents you wish to manage in SharePoint, select the entities
4. Specify the site’s URL to create documents locations and folders, then click NEXT.Under the corresponding document library for an entity, a folder for every record is created by default. For instance, for an opportunity record “200 Books”, a corresponding document library “opportunity” is instantly created. In it, a folder “200 Books” is created. The resulting path is ../opportunity/200 Books.
5. For the folders to be created in the parent account or contact section, click the BASED ON ENTITY check box. Find the list next to that check box and click ACCOUNT or CONTACT.
Remember that when selecting this option, the relevant folders are created under the relevant account/ contact folder.
The structure would be …/account/Tom’s Education/opportunity/200 Books where “account” is the document library for the specific document library for the referenced entity selected from the list, and “Tom’s Education” as the folder for the particular referenced record of the entity selected, i.e. opportunity.
6. Click NEXT
Dynamics CRM will create document libraries for the entities selected on SharePoint. Alternatively, Dynamics CRM also creates the relevant or corresponding document location records containing the links to the document libraries. In the DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT wizard, you can view the creation of these document libraries.
After you set up document management, document libraries &folder are created by SharePoint in the context of the Dynamics CRM entities and records.
How Does Dynamics Document Management Work?
On setting up document management, specify a SharePoint is site URL or site collection where the documents will be kept. Dynamics CRM uses the site collection to create document libraries on SharePoint for entities and records. For every document library and folder created automatically on SharePoint, a corresponding document location record is created on Dynamics CRM, pointing to the newly created folder.
For those who do not wish to use the automatic feature, they can create document libraries &folder (manually) on SharePoint, then proceed to create document location records in CRM, pointing to the document libraries & folder on Microsoft SharePoint, and then relate the document location records with the relevant entity records.
When the folder structure for storing the documents is put in place, you may start enjoying the document management capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics while ensuring that they are equally protected from unauthorized access and/or use.
How are Document Libraries Created Automatically?
A folder structure can be created in two ways:
- Create document libraries &folders manually in the context of Dynamics CRM entities and records, and then related these SharePoint folders with Dynamics CRM records
- Allow Dynamics CRM to auto-create the document libraries &folder in Microsoft SharePoint.
Dynamics CRM will automatically create document libraries &folder on Microsoft SharePoint if the specified URL if for any of the following:
1. A site collection that is on SharePoint Server 2010/ SharePoint Server 2013, and with the CRM List Component already installed
2. A site under a site collection that is on SharePoint Sever 2010 or SharePoint Server 2013, with the site collection having the CRM List Component already installed.
When choosing Dynamics CRM to create for your folders (automatically), specify whether they should be created based on the generic (default) structure or the entity.
1. Generic or default structure. For every entity record in the document library, a folder is created. This is the generic or default folder structure. For instance, if you have 200 Books and 320 Books opportunity records (opportunities for Tom’s Education), Dynamics CRM will create the following folder structure:
…/opportunity/100 Books.
In the structure:
- the document library is the opportunity
- opportunity record folders are 200 Books and 320 Books
2. Structure based on entity. In this structure, a folder is created for primary entities (to manage documents) and corresponding records created under the document library of the associated entity selected.
In order to create folders here, select the check box BASED ON ENTITY and an entity from that list (Account or Contact)
For instance, you have 200 Books and 320 books opportunity records associated with Tom’s Education as the parent client. Select account for the entity, i.e. resulting in this folder structure:
…/account/Tom’s Education/opportunities/200 Books
In the structure:
- The document library is the account
- The related records’ folder is Tom’s Education
- Related opportunity record folders (main entity’s) are 200 books and 320 books
Dynamics CRM will create the document library after setting up document management. But Dynamics CRM will create the various folders in its document library only after opening the DOCUMENTS list for a particular record.
Conclusion
Microsoft SharePoint will let you store and even manage your documents from within Dynamics CRM by taking advantage of the Dynamics document management capabilities of Microsoft SharePoint. Just integrate Dynamics CRM with SharePoint and you can be able to access, share or collaborate more effectively, as well as protect your key documents in SharePoint from any unauthorized access and use. o protect your documents from access or use by unauthorized persons, manage permissions for a list, list item, document, library, or folder. Managing document for an entity requires that you should enable Dynamics document management for that specific entity, of which you can do through Microsoft SharePoint.