Chapter 13. Microsoft CRM Integration and Data Conversion

In this chapter

Integration Basics

Integration Components

Integration Points

Integration Deployment

Integration Architecture

Integration Settings

BizTalk Document Tracking

Initial Data Migration

Use Case Corner—Scribe Migrate for Microsoft CRM: Data Migration

Summary

Integrating CRM to a company's back office functions has always been a daunting task. Inevitably, numerous questions arise regarding this type of integration. These include

• Can Account and/or Contact records originate in both systems?

• Are updates allowed in both systems and, if so, how do these updates get transferred to the other system?

• Do the data transfers happen in batch or in real time?

• How much latency can exist in an integration before it is no longer considered real time?

These are but a subset of the questions that we will attempt to answer in this chapter. Because of the extensive nature of the integration discussed in this chapter, we will stick to the functionality of the integration. Microsoft's own Integration Guide document that ships with the integration is over 100 pages long and deals with the various technical components of the integration.