Customize your Dynamics 365 system

Change the color scheme or add a logo to match your organization’s brand

A feature provided in Dynamics 365 web application to change look and feel which suits your organization. For example, you can create your organization brand by adding company logo with different colors. This you can do by going to customization tools in the interface without writing any code. You can manage themes there, you can create, delete and change existing theses as per your organization suits. Themes customization is supported in the web forms in D-365 for Outlook. Despite you are having multiple themes, you can only set one theme as default.

Theme is a great feature in Dynamics 365 where you can enhance Dynamics 365 I look and feel, not drastically alter it. The color changes are applied globally throughout the application. For example, below are the visual elements of UI you can change for Theme:

• Change product logos and navigation colors to create product branding
• Adjust accent colors, such as hover or selection colors
• Provide entity-specific coloring

What can you change or adjust?

• Logo
• Logo tooltip
• Navigation bar color
• Navigation bar shelf color
• Header color
• Global link color
• Selected link effect
• Hover link effect
• Process control color
• Default entity color
• Default custom entity color
• Control shade
• Control border

Microsoft Dynamics 365 new features for developers

Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D-365) provides a single development environment for cloud-based and on-premises deployments. Also, it provides a feasibility to quickly create, package and distribute D-365 extensions and custom solutions for Partners, including independent software vendors, value added resellers and global system integrator.

New entities introduced in CRM 2016

Schema name	Display name	Description
KnowledgeArticle	Knowledge Article	Describes articles that are organizational knowledge for internal and external use.
KnowledgeArticleIncident	Knowledge Article Incident	Contains the associations between a knowledge article and incident.
KnowledgeArticleViews	Knowledge Article Views	Tracks the number of times an article is viewed per day.
LanguageLocale	Language	Contains information about the supported languages for translating a knowledge article.

New messages introduced in CRM 2016

Request class	Web API action	Description
CloneAsPatchRequest	CloneAsPatch Action	Creates a solution patch from a managed or unmanaged solution.
CloneAsSolutionRequest	CloneAsSolution Action	Creates a new copy of an unmanaged solution that contains the original solution plus all of its patches.
CreateKnowledgeArticleTranslationRequest	CreateKnowledgeArticleTranslation Action	Creates a translation of a knowledge article record.
CreateKnowledgeArticleVersionRequest	CreateKnowledgeArticleVersion Action	Creates a major or minor version of a knowledge article record.
DeleteAndPromoteRequest	DeleteAndPromote Action	Replaces a managed solution plus all of its patches.
FullTextSearchKnowledgeArticleRequest	N/A	Performs a full-text search on knowledge articles in CRM using the specified search text.
IncrementKnowledgeArticleViewCountRequest	N/A	Increments the per day view count of a knowledge article record.
SetProcessRequest	SetProcess Action	Sets the process that associates with a given target entity.
UpdateSolutionComponentRequest	UpdateSolutionComponent Action	Updates a component in an unmanaged solution.

New privileges introduced in CRM 2016

Privilege name	Name displayed in the security role UI
prv*AzureServiceConnection	Azure Service Connection
prv*DataPerformance	Data Performance Dashboard
prv*LanguageLocale	Language
prv*MobileOfflineProfile	Mobile Offline Profile
prv*RecommendationModel	Product Recommendation Model
prv*SimilarityRule	Similarity Rule
prvConfigureSharePoint	Run SharePoint Integration Wizard
prv*KnowledgeArticle	Knowledge Article
prv*KnowledgeArticleViews	Knowledge Article Views
prvApproveKnowledgeArticle	Approve Knowledge Articles
prvPublishKnowledgeArticle	Publish Knowledge Articles
prv*DocumentTemplate	Document Template
prv*PersonalDocumentTemplate	Personal Document Template
prvDocumentGeneration	Document Generation
prv*KnowledgeSearchModel	Knowledge Search Model
prv*TopicModel	Topic Model
prv*CustomControl	Custom Control
prv*CustomControlDefaultConfig	Custom Control Default Config
prv*CustomControlResource	Custom Control Resource

* This privilege is one of the following: Create, Read, Write, Delete, Append, AppendTo, Assign, or Share.

Several enhancements to CRM for Outlook (Outlook Client) diagnostic scenario

Overview

• Verifying CRM for Outlook is the same major version as your CRM Online instance
• Running the CRM Configuration Wizard with a custom configuration file
• Additional connectivity checks
• Uninstall/reinstall action
• CRM registry info collected
• Diagnostics surfaced in case submission process

Details

• Verifying CRM for Outlook is the same major version as your CRM Online instance

A common solution to many issues is updating CRM for Outlook to be on the same major version as your CRM Online instance.  Here are a few common scenarios we now detect related to a version mismatch:

• • CRM for Outlook is 1 major version older than CRM Online instance

Although it is supported to use CRM 2015 for Outlook with a CRM 2016 instance, we recommend updating CRM for Outlook to the same major version if you are encountering issues.  This backward compatibility is mostly intended to allow more time to upgrade CRM for Outlook after your CRM Online instance is updated to a new major version. 

• • CRM for Outlook is more than 1 major version older than CRM Online instance

We have also seen many customers who were using CRM 2013 for Outlook with a CRM 2015 instance.  After their CRM Online instance is updated to CRM 2016, they are now in an unsupported state having CRM for Outlook more than 1 major version behind their CRM instance version.    

• • CRM for Outlook is a newer major version than CRM Online instance

Users might download the latest version of CRM for Outlook (2016) but their CRM Online instance was not CRM 2016 yet.  CRM for Outlook either needs to be the same major version or it can be 1 major version lower than the CRM instance.      

To compare the versions, we now make a remote call to retrieve your list of CRM Online instances. If you have multiple CRM Online instances, you will see an option to select the one you are trying to use with CRM for Outlook. 

The version of your CRM Online instance is compared to the version of CRM for Outlook you have installed.  If they are not the same major version, it is recommended that you install the same major version.  A direct link to the appropriate install is provided. 

• Running the CRM Configuration Wizard

If CRM for Outlook is not installed, we can run the Configuration Wizard for you.  We use a configuration file to default the option to CRM Online.  The CRM Online option may not be what you previously had as the default if you downloaded the install files from Microsoft Downloads.  Instead, you may have seen a prompt to type the URL manually.        

The screen shown above will display your CRM Online URL if we could retrieve it successfully.  We also log this configuration attempt to a custom configuration log and will collect that log file (ConfigUsingSaRA.log) if you choose to share your configuration files with Microsoft. 

• Additional Connectivity Checks

Because we now retrieve your CRM Online instance information, we are now able to add your unique CRM Online instance URL to the list of connectivity checks.  Prior to this, we were only able to test the URLs that are used by all customers.  We have also added connectivity checks for the newly introduced data centers in Canada and India.    

• Uninstall/reinstall action

If all other checks and fixes fail to resolve the issue, a final suggestion to try an uninstall/reinstall is suggested.  The uninstall portion is automated and a direct link is provided to the recommended CRM for Outlook install files (based on the version of your CRM Online instance).  Because installing CRM for Outlook requires administrator privileges, this suggestion only appears if you are a local administrator on the computer.   

             

• CRM registry info collected

Prior releases already included the collection of log and event log files you could send to Microsoft. The CRM for Outlook registry key info is now included. 

• Diagnostics surfaced in case submission process

Because this diagnostic is also designed to help Microsoft solve your issue if you need to open a support case, we now suggest this diagnostic during the case submission process.  If you submit a CRM Online case and choose "CRM for Outlook (Outlook Client)" for the Feature and any of the following Symptoms, the Support and Recovery Assistant will be suggested:

• • Cannot connect (Configuration Wizard)
  • Installation
  • CRM toolbar is disabled or missing

    

NOTE:  If you already ran the diagnostic prior to submitting a support case, it is not necessary to run it again.  This is surfaced during case submission as a suggestion for those who may not be aware of the diagnostic yet.  

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