There are different options for setting up Dynamics CRM for your development workspace. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a quick way for you to get a CRM instance running without installing any hardware or software, so that you can focus more on your project tasks. On the other hand, Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise allows you to control where to install the application and where to store your data. This makes integration with your existing application much simpler than CRM Online. Both have their pros and cons; you may select the option that makes the most sense for your organization.
Note
For development purposes, you can develop a CRM Online solution in an On-Premise development workspace, and then import the solution to CRM Online.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise
Because we are building a CRM environment for our development workspace, just to keep it simple, we are going to install and configure CRM in a standalone virtual server.
To perform a fresh install of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, follow these steps:
Log on to the server with a domain user account that has administrator-level privileges to Active Directory and that is also a member of the Administrator group on the local computer.
Navigate to the folder that contains the Microsoft Dynamics CRM installation files.
Click on SetupServer.exe to start the installation.
On the WelcometoMicrosoftDynamicsCRMSetup page, click Next to move to the next step.
Note
Note: It is recommended to get the latest installation file for Microsoft Dynamics CRM; however it is not required.
On the ProductKeyInformation page, enter your product key (you can use the MSDN/TechNet Plus license if you are a subscriber, or you can use the 90-day trail key) in the product key boxes, and then click Next to continue.
Accept the LicenseAgreement by selecting the Iacceptthislicenseagreement checkbox, and then click Next to continue.
Note
Note: Dynamics CRM 2011 detects the missing required components and it will display them in the InstallRequiredComponents page. You must install the missing components prior to moving to the next step. If you have already installed all required components, the InstallRequiredComponent page will not appear.
Browse to the location into which you want to install CRM on the SelectInstallationLocation page. Select FullServer on the SpecifyServerRoles page, because we are installing it in a single virtual server image. Click Next to continue.
On the SpecifyDeploymentOptions page, select Createanewdeploymentoption.
Select the required instance of SQL server, and then click Next to continue.
On the SelecttheOrganizationUnit page, select the location into which you want the CRM organization unit to be installed, and then click Next to continue.
Note
Note: It is recommended to create a new OrganizationUnit in ActiveDirectory for CRM.
On the SpecifySecurityAccount page, select the Securityaccount for the Microsoft CRM services and ASP.NET components, and then click Next to continue.
Select the CreateanewWebSite option on the SelectaWebSite page, and then click Next to continue.
On the SpecifyE-mailRouterSetting page, enter the servername where the E-mailRouter is installed, and then click Next to continue.
Note
Note: You may leave the E-mailRouter box blank. However, if you decide to install the E-mail router later, you have to add the computer where the E-mail Router is installed to the PrivUserGroup in Active Directory.
On the SpecifiytheOrganizationName page, enter the DisplayName, select the Currency and BaseLanguage for your organization, and then click Next to continue.
On the SpecifyReportingServicesServer page, enter the ReportServerURL and then click Next to continue.
On the HelpUsImprovetheCustomerExperience page, select whether you want to participate in the CustomerExperienceImprovementProgram and then click Next to continue. When everything passes the SystemChecks (as shown below) click Next to continue.
Review the ReadytoInstallMicrosoftDynamicsCRM page, and then click Install to start the installation of Dynamics CRM.
When the setup completes successfully, the MicrosoftDynamicsServersetupcompleted page appears. Select the LaunchMicrosoftDynamicsCRMReportingExtensionsSetup checkbox, and then follow the wizard to complete the installation.
Click Finish to complete the installation. Now that the server has been installed, try browsing the server at http://bps; you will see the default MicrosoftDynamicsCRM2011 user interface, as shown in the following screenshot:
After installing CRM, check the event log: Go to Start | Run, type in "eventvwr" and press Enter. Expand EventViewer | CustomViews | AdministrativeEvents. If you see any errors, please fix them before continuing.
Note
You might see an Error Event 17203, MSCRMTracing—Invalid Trace Directory.
That's because CRM has a default trace output directory: c:crmdroplogs, that doesn't exist. You can fix this error by creating the folder structure and granting permission to the Network Services account.
For more information about CRM tracing, please visit KB907490 - How to enable tracing in Microsoft Dynamics CRM: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907490.