Customize CRM 2013 for Tablet

Customize CRM 2013 for Tablet

Within the release of CRM 2013, one of the features are great UX and UI at the iPad or Windows 8 or Surfaces.

I was impressed this is very good UI.
But, please take note that they have many limitation to be customized, here I share you what can be done for customization and what cannot be done :

1. This feature only available for iPad and also Microsoft Surfaces or Windows 8 Apps, so for Android or iPhone or Blackberry, currently you might be access the CRM for Mobile Express, but cannot get this wonderful UI.

Tablet version Home :

Mobile version Home :

2. You can enable your custom entity to be accessed from Mobile through this Setting :

3. You cannot enable system entities that by default cannot be enabled, for example : Goal and Article

4. Only Javascript that be enabled, Web resources and iFrame will not be displayed.

5. You can customize Dashboard, but only one Dashboard can be shown, that called as 'Sales Dashboard'

The Sales Dashboard contains the following content by default:

• Pinned Tiles section
• My Activities (List)
• My Open Opportunities (List)
• My Open Leads (List)
• My Active Accounts (List)
• My Open Opportunities – Sales Pipeline (Chart)
• My Closed Opportunities in Current Fiscal Year – Top Customers (Chart)

Well, but you can rename it, maximum columns still same, that is 6.
Here, you should modify this Sales Dashboard system Dashboard.

You can rename this name as well

After renamed :

Then, you can still do same customization like you do in the Dashboard Customization for System Dashboard.



But, please back to the rule #3 dan rule #4, if you include any Web Resources or iFrame, those will not be displayed to your Sales Dashboard on Tablet. Only list and chart with limited 6 components that will be available in this Sales Dasboard and all user will see the same Dashboard Component, the data will be displayed based on the security role.

And back to rule #3 for example, if I put the sixth column as Goal Chart, I can access from here (from preview at the customization stage and also from Web), but this Goal Chart will not be displayed to your Tablet Dashboard pertaining its status : cannot be enabled for CRM for Tablet.

Like mine, it will be only show 5 columns of Dashboard since the sixth column is dedicated for Goal Chart.

6. Customize form sames as you customize the form, but only One Form that will be displayed, so that some javascript for getting form selector like that will not be enable.

Form Features not available

There are some features available in the web application that are not available in CRM for tablets. This includes the following:

• Yammer and Activity Feeds
• Bing Maps integration
• SharePoint Document Libraries
• iFrames - typically used for including web pages in a form.
• Web Resources
• The ability to switch to another form when there are multiple record types per form. The CRM for tablets app always uses the first form in the form order that you have privileges to use.

7. Business Process Flow

You can also have Business Process Flow in the CRM for Tablet and also can switch process.

8. Then, make sure that the user has security role privilege to access CRM for Tablet.
"Make sure that the Use CRM for Tablets permission is checked on in your security role"

And finally, when will the client get any changes of customization? When there is any prompt like this,

then the user should download the metadata changes.
"Metada checked each time app is opened or when app is inactive in background and reactivated (if last check was over 24 hours)"

SUMMARY :

Customization Limitations
- Only JavaScript web resources are supported (not all function)
- iFrames will not be displayed
- 5 Tabs on a form
- 75 fields on a form will display (this is hidden fields are included)
- 10 lists on a form
- Some default entities are read only or cannot be enabled, like Goal

Extensibility
Business Logic
- Bound by client SDK
- Business Rules and client API calls flow through
- JavaScript bound to events - supported
- Web Respurces and iFrames - not supported

Command Bar
- Rendered from ribbon XML
- Permiision checks will be honored
- Enable rules will be honored
- All commands will show except specified in dispay rules

JavaScript or SDK that are not supported :

Server Side Extensibility
Plug-ins and Workflow
- CRM for tablet calls standard SDK
- CRUD requests will trigger Plugin and Workflow also

Hope it is informative :)