Auto Numbering for MS CRM 2011

Implementation Procedure

 

1.     Import Auto-Number solutions and publish customisation

2.     Go to setting > Auto Number

a.     Create entity record ( Make sure you create new record for each entity for which you want to use AutoNumber )

                              i.    Make sure all the required field is completed and entity name and field name is correct (us name not schema name, usually all lowercase)

This is an example:
            
Target field is a field which will hold the auto number which is generated

 

            

For adding criteria to generate AutoNumber you need to add the XML in “field Mapping” column.

The format of the XML has to be as below

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<Fields>

    <Field>

      <fieldname>ownershipcode</fieldname>

      <parameter>

        <value>1</value>

        <prefix>PUB</prefix>

        <suffix></suffix>

      </parameter>

      <parameter>

        <value>2</value>

        <prefix>PRV</prefix>

        <suffix></suffix>

      </parameter>

      <parameter>

        <value>3</value>

        <prefix>SUB</prefix>

        <suffix></suffix>

      </parameter>

      <parameter>

        <value>4</value>

        <prefix>OTR</prefix>

         <suffix>INT</suffix>

      </parameter>

    </Field>

  </Fields>

 

 

In the XML above, the field is “ownershipcode” and for each different type of ownership of organization different prefix and suffix can be added.

 

 

For creating AutoNumber without any criteria you need to add the XML in “field Mapping” column.

The format of the XML has to be as below

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<Fields>

    <Field>

      <fieldname>NA</fieldname>

      <parameter>

        <value>1</value>

        <prefix>COMM</prefix>

        <suffix></suffix>

      </parameter>

      </Field>

  </Fields>

 

Use the same format and in fieldname use “NA” and add your prefix and Suffix if required

This will generate not conditional Auto Numbers

 

3.     Launch plug-in register(available in CRM SDK) and connect to your deployment

4.     Add trigger in plug-in register – you will find an assembly name (Assembly) counter. Just select it

 

 

 

a.     Then under register, select new step

b.    Make sure you have created the record in Auto Number entity before you register any steps

c.     Make sure you register it as Post-operation pipeline

d.    Make sure you register step for each entity for which you want to use autonumber

 

PS : Solution and Plugin code available at codeplex

https://autonumbercrm2011.codeplex.com/

 

 

CRM 2011 Timeouts and Limits

Timeouts

• Single SQL query timeout
  • Defaults to 30 seconds
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSCRM\OLEDBTimeout
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918609
• ASP.NET timeout
  • Defaults to 1,000,000ms
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSCRM\ExtendedTimeout
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918609
• executionTimeout
  • Specifieds the maximum number of seconds that a request is allowed to execute before being automatically shut down by ASP.NET
  • Defaults to 110 seconds
  • web.config – <httpRuntime executionTimeout=”300″ maxRequestLength=”8192″/>
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918609
• maxRequestLength
  • Specifies the limit for the input steam buffering threshold, in KB. This limit can be used to prevent denial of service attacks that are caused, for example, by users posting large files to the server.
  • Defaults to 4096 KB
  • web.config – <httpRuntime executionTimeout=”300″ maxRequestLength=”8192″/>
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918609
• Sandbox Isolation timeout
  • Defaults to 2 minutes
  • http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en/crmdevelopment/thread/1bae17ca-9a69-41a4-a85c-358a87f32c26

Limits

• Fetch Limits
  • Link-entity limit
    • 10
    • http://community.dynamics.com/product/crm/crmtechnical/b/elblogdedynamicscrm/archive/2012/09/28/fetchxml-error-crm-2011-number-of-link-entities-in-query-exceeded-maximum-limit.aspx
  • Filter limit
    • 2097 per <filter> element
    • http://blog.halan.se/post/CRM-Fetch-XML-Size-Limit.aspx
  • Fetch Aggregate Limit
• • Specifies the upper limit of records that can be aggregated
  • Default is 50,000 records
  • Can be updated with UpdateAdvancedSettingsRequest
  • http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.xrm.sdk.deployment.updateadvancedsettingsrequest.aspx

• Query Result Limit
  • Default is 5,000 records
  • http://www.interactivewebs.com/blog/index.php/server-tips/turn-off-microsoft-crm-2011-5000-limit-on-data-retrieval-via-sdk/
  • *Excluding LINQ provider which will automatically query multiple times to retrieve all records
• Infinite Loop Detector
  • Stops a process due to the chance of an infinite loop occuring
  • Default is 8 child processes in one hour
  • Unsupported update through direct SQL on the Deployment Properties table (http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en/crm/thread/1b164a2f-d2a2-4a6a-813e-716c8771ee78 )
  • Supported via PowerShell, (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg328563.aspx ). Example, (http://blog.dorrekens.com/index.php/list/137-mscrm-infinite-loop-for-plugins )
• Duplicate Detection Rules
  • Default is 5 published rules per entity
• Excel Export
  • Default is 10,000 records
  • Can be modified by updating the Organization record and setting the maxrecordsforexporttoexcel field
  • http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg328408.aspx#attribute
• Managed Solutions
  • you cannot change your publisher if you share an updated version of a previous solution you´ve deployed under another publisher (so keep in mind your prefix)
  • you cannot start auditing for any of your entities just by providing them within a managed solution
  • you cannot set the default dashboard by providing a managed solution
  • you cannot set the default public view by providing a managed solution
• Data Import
  • CRM 2011 Online: single file must be less than 8MB ( To change it http://nishantrana.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/the-import-file-is-too-large-to-upload-error-while-importing-csv-file-of-more-than-8-mb-in-crm-2011/ )
  • you can zip many files to one .zip-file. This file has to be less than 32MB
  • when you upload the zip file, CRM 2011 unzips it on server and process the files individually. Because of the 8MB limit if any single file is greatet then 8MB limit this file will fail
• Sub-Grid
  • The first four sub-grids can be populated with data in a form when it loads (To auto load all the subgrids http://blog.customereffective.com/blog/2011/12/crm-2011excessive-sub-gridding.html )
  • If more than four sub-grids exist on a form, the remaining sub-grids require some user or form script action to retrieve data
• Outlook Reading Pane
  • Form events do not occur in the reading pane so form script event handlers are never called
  • If you are using multiple forms for an entity, only the default entity form will be used for the reading pane
  • The reading pane does not display IFrames, Subgrids or Web Resource.
• OData 50 records limit.
  • OData retireve response only allows maximum 50 records to be retrieved. However this can be tweaked.
  • http://blogs.msdn.com/b/crminthefield/archive/2012/03/16/how-to-increase-the-50-record-page-limit-on-odata-retrieve-responses-for-dynamics-crm-2011.aspx

Debug Plugins on your local PC without Remote Debugger

1.       Download Latest MS CRM 2011 SDK ( latest version has Plugin Profiler Implemented)

2.       Click on Install Profiler on Menu Bar ( if it is not installed in your plugin registration tool )

3.       You will find a new node added to your plugin registration tool

4.       Select your plugin step from your plugin and Enable Plugin Profiling

 5.       After enabling profile the screen will look like as below

 6.       Once your plugin step is in profile mode, start your MS CRM and fire the plugin from MS CRM, and Download and save the log file generated by profiling action at one location.

7.       In Visual Studio open your plugin and attach the to Process “Plugin Registration.exe” , and add breakpoint in your code where you want to start debugging.

8.       Then Click on Debug option in your plugin registration tool , you  will see the window as below

 

 

 

9.       In the Profile Location section please provide the file path which you have download at the time of firing plugin , also provide the name of the file in the path

10.   In the second option provide path of your Assembly file along with filename

11.   In the same section after providing the file name select the plugin you want to debug

 

12.   Click on “Start Plug-in Execution” button

13.   This will start the execution of your plugin and it will step into your code at the debug point

 

Your screen with debugging will look like as above

Happy debugging plugin for any MS CRM server without remote debugger or Visual Studio to be installed on MS CRM server