Growing up in the wilds of Arkansas gave me a natural inclination towards fishing, and I took clear advantage of any opportunity that came along.
One Saturday, my Uncle Forest and I decided to take a trip out to my Uncle Emmett's ( his brother ) pond to try our luck. As with most fish and game, you need to get there early to catch them when they start feeding at the beginning of the day. This placed us at the pond around 6:30am or so.
This was not a huge deal of a pond, maybe three or four acres if you pushed it. Regardless, it had your typical dispersal of fish as found in most places in the Southern United States: bass, bream ( sunfish ), crappie, and catfish. Not after anything in particular, we usually hauled in just about anything that made the mistake of putting a hook in their mouth.
Uncle Emmett kept a Jon Boat on the bank that gave us easy access to the entire pond. You generally store your boat upside down to keep it from filling with water should it happen to rain. When Uncle Forest and I arrived, we flipped the boat over, loaded up our gear, and pushed off into the breaking dawn. I took the bow and Uncle Forest took the stern, both of us using wooden paddles for propulsion.
As I recall, there weren't a huge number of fish being caught that day, but the weather was mostly pleasant and the company was good. We fished the pond in a clockwise motion from our jumping off point and by 9:00am or so, we had reached the far side of the pond and were attempting to coax some bream from beneath the willows along the bank.
It was about that time that I happened to look down and found, much to my shock and surprise, a three-foot long water moccasin between my feet.
Now I don't care if you're from Arkansas or New York City, but having a water moccasin of any length between your feet is a bad thing. Very bad thing. And I tend to have very diverse and adverse reactions when I encounter a very bad thing. This occasion was no different. I can't exactly remember what happened next, but somehow I was standing amidships on the seat. I figure that either 1) I teleported there; or 2) I went Ninja and performed one of my patented triple-somersault-180-degree-turn maneuvers that I have since become famous for, but no longer do. Either way, I was now standing completely upright on the middle of the seat on a Jon boat in the middle of the pond. Uncle Forest, of course, had no idea what in the heck was happening; not having seen the snake, and not really seeing me move to the middle seat.
Still in my highly-excited state, I grabbed a paddle in each hand. Facing the bow, and bending my knees into a squat, I proceeded to play the part of steam-powered paddlewheel and rowed me, Uncle Forest, the boat, and the snake to shore as quickly as I freaking could.
And that was then end of our fishing expedition, for that day.
Oh, I guess you want to know what happened to the snake.
Well, as soon as I vacated the bow seat, he slithered underneath and remained there until we reached shore. It also happens that I have some type of pheromone that makes water moccasins are extremely allergic to me, and this one was no exception. Shortly after we beached, after being in my presence for what couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, he passed on to the afterlife. Poor thing.
But I bet in the next life, he thinks twice before attacking a Ninja, with a paddle, on a boat, in the middle of a lake.
And how did the snake get in the boat in the first place? Well, it turns out, he was there the whole time. He had been sleeping in the middle seat while the boat was upside down. Since snakes are cold-blooded, and since it was rather chilly that morning, he had remained as he fell, upside down on the floor of the boat. Young water moccasins have a yellow belly and that was what was upturned. My Uncle Forest had been looking at it all morning but thought it was a piece of rope and paid it no attention.
When the air temperature rose enough to warm up the snake, it "woke up" and decided, post haste, to leave the boat. Fortunately for us, but not for him, he came forward as opposed to moving aft. My Uncle, who was in his 60's at the time, would probably have had a heart attack or jumped out of the boat and things would have turned out much differently.
In a comment posted in the article, Sharing Information with Teams in Dynamics CRM 3.0,
Rajat asked:
Can we do customization for Roles of Users in such a way that he should be able to view some records and should not be able to view other records.
Let me explain this with an example, suppose a company deals in both Imports and Exports. Then the Users in Exports Team should be able to view records related only to Export Activities. He should not be able to view records related to Import Activities. How can we do customization for such a thing?
Here's how you would accomplish this task:
1) Create two business units: Import and Export.
2) Under Settings, create two new security roles called Import and Export.
3) Set the access level for the Core Records ( and any other entities they need to use ) to Business Unit.
4) For each user in both the Import and Export groups, do the following:
A) Remove existing security roles.
B) Assign them to the Import or Export group, as necessary.
5) Test the process by creating one record from an Export user and one from an Import user.
How This Works
CRM 3.0 security is cumulative, which means that all of the security roles are combined and the highest level of access, for any of those roles, is granted to the user. This is why we performed step 4A.
Step 4B will allow each user to only see the records they create, or that were created by someone in their business unit. Since Import and Export are in separate business units, the records created by the other business unit will be invisible to CRM users who are not part of that business unit.
If anyone has any questions, just leave a comment.
Jim Glass of Microsoft released an article today describing how to increase your productivity within CRM by customizing your Workplace. Let's discuss other personal options that can be set on an individual basis.
To set personal options, select the Tools menu, then click on Options, as shown below:
As you can see below, the options are broken down into the following categories:
- General
- Workplace
- Activities
- E-mail Templates
General Settings
Set your default start page allows you to change which CRM Pane and Tab will be displayed when you start CRM. Changing the Default Pane will change the values of the Default Tab.
Set the number of records shown per page in any list of records allows you to set the number of records that will be returned when you click on Entities such as Accounts and Contacts. The possible values are: 25, 50 (default), 75, 100, and 250.
The default value of 50 is usually more than adequate for most people's needs. Increasing it will slow the display of the record list so you'll need to tweak it based on your data and CRM usage.
Select the default mode in Advanced Find will alter how the Advanced find page is displayed. Here is the Simple version of the Advanced Find:
and here is the Detailed version:
Set the time zone you are in allows you to set the CRM user's default time zone.
Workplace Settings
Is covered in this article.
Activities Settings
Allow you to modify settings related to your schedule and e-mail-related activities.
Default view allows you to set your default calendar view to Day, Week, or Month.
Set your default work hours allows you to set the hours that you generally work. This information is used by the various scheduling tools with CRM so that they know when you're available to be scheduled for a job or appointment.
Select the e-mail messages to track in Microsoft CRM allows you to track all messages you receive or only messages that have the CRM token in the subject.
E-Mail Templates Settings
Allows you to manage your personal e-mail templates.
So that's about it. As a normal CRM user, the most important setting that you need to check is your time zone. The other settings can be customized as your familiarity with CRM grows and your work patterns become known to you.
Nope. No trip to Arkansas would be complete without at least one trip to that there Wal-Mart.
Tonight, after a family birthday dinner with the folks, my Mom decided she needed to stop by Wal-Mart to buy my Grandmother ( Memaw ) some stockings.
So as we passed Wal-Mart, she asked my Dad and me, "Would you mind waiting in the car while I run in?"
To which, I replied, "Mom, I think we're a bit older than 12 and we can actually go inside this time."
So I wander around a bit and finally meet my Parents in the Women's section, where my Mom is looking for some hose.
I didn't realize this, but Leggs has a stocking line for those of us with black or brown complexions called, and I'm not making this up, "Brown Sugar."
I walked over and advised my Mom that I don't think Memaw had a skin-tone that would match anything she found in the Brown Sugar collection. She finally got to looking at the models on the packaging, realized her mistake, and shifted to the other side of the display before making her selection.
As it turns out, not only do I have two weddings to attend ( one down, one to go ), but unfortunately, I had two funerals to attend.
After 96 years, 15 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren, my Dad's last living aunt: Novie Pitts Gaskins, finally made the trip to the promised land. And according to Aunt Novie, it was about danged time! She was tired of waiting around. ( I'm not making that up. )
One of the really cool things I like about being from the rural South is the traditions that everyone who grew up likewise knows and understands. Funeral processions are one.
When you meet a funeral procession, as a sign of respect, you pull off to the side of the road until the entire procession has passed.
When you see people who don't, they are either: kids, city folk, or Yankees.
Tuesday however, I found something else that doesn't stop: a mile and a half-long freight train, mostly because very little stops a mile and a half-long freight train. Anyway, it ended up splitting the procession in half, and naturally, me and my Dad were in the second half.
Luckily the procession was only traveling about 40mph, so once the train passed, our little part of the procession only had to exceed the speed limit by 20mph or so to catch up. Which we did.
Did I mention that the train was traveling at around 60mph, and that we were going in the same direction? No, I don't think I did.
This is important because after traveling 15 miles or so to the cemetery, the procession had to cross back over the railroad. And, you guessed it, we got caught by the same train during that attempt.
Only in Arkansas.
The second funeral, which we actually didn't get to attend because it was 1 hour and 50 miles away from the first, was that of Mansel Forbus, Jr. A friend of my Dad's since he was a kid.
Junior, who was also known by the nickname "Possum," was an avid outdoorsman who hunted and fished his entire life. To that end, he was buried in wearing a camouflage outfit and a fishing vest. In my mind, that was completely and entirely Possum and a fitting tribute.
So, let me tell you a story about me and Possum.
When I was growing up, we had an annual dove hunt every Labor Day weekend. One year we were hunting in my Dad's cow pasture. Since doves don't generally fly at mid-day, we brought supplies and equipment to have a fish fry at lunch. After lunch, Possum decided to take a nap. I thought it was be funny to pour cold water on his head to wake him up. It turns out that Possum didn't think it was that funny.
He jumped up and started chasing me across the pasture. I think that was the year after I got out of high school where I had played football my Senior year. I was still in pretty good shape and easily outran him.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Youth and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery?" Well, I hadn't at the time, and it would cost me. :)
I finally wandered back to camp and was keeping my distance from Possum. What I wasn't doing was watching him take off his boots. Dumass.
Once he got his boots off, he took off running at me and I high-tailed it back into the pasture. I was still wearing my game vest, which I had unzipped, and it was billowing in the wind behind me like a sail.
Possum reached out and grabbed my game vest and yanked really hard, throwing me to the ground. He then proceeded to pull me, by the game vest, back to camp.
As you can imagine, I never woke Possum up from one of his naps again.
Only in Arkansas.
Peace be with you both.
I am in Arkansas this week for the weddings of a couple of my cousins. And no, they are not getting married to each other. Anyway, since the weddings were a week apart, I decided it would be easier to just stay in Arkansas between weddings rather than to drive back and forth both weekends.
Now I don't know exactly how this happened, but about 2 and 1/2 hours out of Dallas, I happened to question whether or not I had packed my suit. I hadn't. Dumass.
Anyway, I made do and stopped and picked up a pair up slacks and wore one of my knit shirts.
The first wedding, my cousin John Jr., was a nice ceremony; held at the Baptist church in Vanndale, Arkansas. I know you know where it is, so I won't bother giving directions. :)
It was actually the first time that I've ever heard a preacher use the phrase, "Deer woods," in a ceremony. But he did. As in, "John, when you're out in the deer woods, all you have to do is look down at your ring and think about your wife" or some such.
The topper, however, was when the preacher said, "John, I reckon now would be a good time for you to kiss your bride."
Only in Arkansas.
I also didn't know that it was fashionable to wear flip flops to a wedding. My 14-year old niece walked out wearing them and when I questioned her choice, she said it was fine. Anyway, what the heck do I know about fashion? When we arrived at the church, I found two of my other cousins were also wearing flip-flops. So again, what the heck do I know about fashion.
Only in Arkansas.
Well, I guess it was only a matter of time, but my Mom finally found my blog. That's the bad news. Then she read it. That's where the worst news comes in. :)
As it turns out, she doesn't like me using "bad words."
"What bad words?" I asked.
"I don't know. Dumb-butt, or something." She said.
"Oh. You mean dumbass?" I replied.
"Yes. I didn't teach you words like that."
"I know you didn't Mom. I learned them in school."
"Why can't you use another word; like DoDo or something?" She asked.
So now I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I don't think that DoDo conveys the same meaning as Dumbass. It really just does't roll off the tongue as easily.
So, I think I'll go with a variation, that I will call "French" and start using the word "dumass."
By the way, my research has shown me the following:
dumbass (plural dumbasses)
Singular
dumbass
Plural
dumbasses
- (vulgar slang) An insulting term describing one as having less intelligence than a typical donkey.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dumbass"
dodo (plural dodoes or dodos)
- A large, flightless bird, Raphus cucullatus, related to the pigeon, that is now extinct and was native to Mauritius.
- As dead as a dodo.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dodo"
I guess I'd rather just be a donkey rather than an extinct bird.
In our previous article, we covered how to create a Team in CRM 3.0. Now we're going to put that Team to work.
I think most people start utilizing more of CRM's features as they become more comfortable how the product operates. One of the features that people have a tendency to discover after using CRM for a while, is the ability to save Advanced Find queries as custom views.
This is a simple process that really only involves clicking the Save button after you have completed the selection criteria for the Advanced Find query:
Once created, the newly saved View will be available to you on the Saved Views tab:
So, how does that tie into the use of CRM Teams, you may ask.
Well, let's imagine that you have a query that you created to show you all of the service requests that have been created by either our Affiliates or by Warranty repair requests from customers. As it turns out, most of your colleagues need to perform the exact same query on a regular basis. Rather than providing instructions to on how to create the query, you just decide to share it with them instead.
Again, this is a simple process that start by:
- Highlighting the view you wish to share,
- Clicking the More Actions button
- Clicking the Sharing menu item
As shown below:
This will display a dialog that will allow you to share your view with other CRM users:
Click on the Add User/Team Task to display the user/team selection dialog:
Change the Look for dropdown to Team then click the Find button. This will display all of teams within your CRM system.
Highlight Everyone, then click >> to move it to the Selected records list then click OK.
This will add the Everyone Team to the list of users and teams to share your View with, as shown below:
By default, all users are given Read-Only access to the Saved View.
If you would like to give them unlimited access, perform the following steps:
- Click the checkbox beside Everyone
- Click the Toggle All Permissions of the Selected Items task.
Click the OK button and CRM will now share your Saved View with the other users on the Everyone Team.
Using Teams vs. Individual Users:
The reason we shared our Saved View with the Team, and not with individual users, is to keep our maintenance costs low. If we had added each of your coworkers to the share list, each time there was a personnel change, you would have had to edit the Shared list.
What this is not really an issue if you only have one Saved View, what happens when you have 10, or 20, Saved Views?
By sharing our Saved View with the Everyone Team, we limit the maintenance tasks to only adding and removing members to the Everyone Team itself, which just a single maintenance task.
One of the things that I recently started adding to my CRM installation process was to create a team called Everyone.
And why, do you ask, do we need a team called Everyone? Well, it's rather simple. It is less maintenance in the long run to assign shared records within CRM to a Team, than it is to assign them to individual users.
Here is how the Team creation process works:
Creating the Everyone Team:
1) From the CRM Web Client, select Settings, Business Unit Settings, Teams.
2) Specify the Team Name as Everyone and give it a Description, as shown below:
3) Click the Save button.
4) Under Details, Click Members.
5) Click the Add Members button.
6) Enter any search criteria you wish, or leave the Look for: box blank.
7) Click the Find button to display CRM users that match your criteria.
8) Select the users you would like to add to the group ( generally all of them ) and click the >> button.
9) Click OK.
10) When you are returned to the Member List, click the Save and Close button.
That is how you create a Team in Dynamics CRM 3.0. In the next article we'll discuss how to utilize our newly created team.
Here is an example of how to use JavaScript within a CRM 3.0 form to combine the values of the First Name and Last Name fields and put the combined values into the Company field:
| var firstName = crmForm.all.firstname.DataValue; |
| var lastName = crmForm.all.lastname.DataValue; |
| var companyName = ""; |
| if (firstName != null) |
| { |
| companyName = firstName + " "; |
| } |
| if (lastName != null) |
| { |
| companyName = companyName + lastName; |
| } |
| if (companyName != null) |
| { |
| crmForm.all.companyname.DataValue = companyName; |
| } |
This code needs to be placed into the OnChange event of the First Name and Last Name fields.
Note 1: Remember that JavaScript is case-sensitive so you must spell the form field names correctly or your code will either not function properly or it will generate a JavaScript error.
Note 2: Remember to publish the Entity after you have made modifications to the form. Otherwise your users will not see it.
For more information on using JavaScript within CRM 3.0, please review the CRM 3.0 SDK.
Revised 9/8/06 to incorporate checks to ensure we have valid data to add to the company name. Thanks to Matt Wittemann for the suggestion.
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