| Author |
Message |
Karin
Guest
|
 Posted:
Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:09 pm Post subject:
Customizations - how to deploy on multiple servers |
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Here's one to think about:
If you import an xml configuration file in Deployment Manager, you will
overwrite any other customizations made on that installation.
You can't create a file with e.g. some new fields you want to add. Or a file
with a new configuration for a certain area of MS CRM.
The only supported alternative seems to be to sit down at the server in
question and type in your changes in Deployment Manager and/or System
Configuration (with the usual risk of making typos that will mess everything
up.
It's not a very pleasant way of deploying if you have a general update that
you want to install on several CRM servers.
Is there really no way to create an automated install process?
Or to make just some steps automatic?
Karin
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Stephen Redmond
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:32 pm Post subject:
Re: Customizations - how to deploy on multiple servers |
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|
Karin,
Think of it like this:
If you apply an attribute from XML file 1, then apply a second file (XML
file 2) with other attributes, the old attribute will still be there
(because you can't remove attributes).
Now, if you have a really cool Account view in one implementation and a
really cool Contact view in another implementation, there is nothing stoping
you (except of course for the fact that it is completely unsupported!) from
taking the XML for the Contact view from XML file 1 and then pasting it over
the Contact view in XML file 2 - you now have a combined implementation!
Stephen
"Karin" <Karin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FF1E262A-DEE2-407B-8F62-D647AAF01DF5@microsoft.com...
| Quote: | Here's one to think about:
If you import an xml configuration file in Deployment Manager, you will
overwrite any other customizations made on that installation.
You can't create a file with e.g. some new fields you want to add. Or a
file
with a new configuration for a certain area of MS CRM.
The only supported alternative seems to be to sit down at the server in
question and type in your changes in Deployment Manager and/or System
Configuration (with the usual risk of making typos that will mess
everything
up.
It's not a very pleasant way of deploying if you have a general update
that
you want to install on several CRM servers.
Is there really no way to create an automated install process?
Or to make just some steps automatic?
Karin |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Karin
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:13 pm Post subject:
Re: Customizations - how to deploy on multiple servers |
|
|
True. So you'd export from your target system, and add the xml for the parts
you want to splice in (you'd of course need to check for conflicts in the two
setups first) - and then import.
.... but as you say, completely unsupported...
And you'd not let just anyone do it, either. You'd have to have some
knowledge about the contents of the xml file. Or some tool to help you.
Hmmmm...
Karin
"Stephen Redmond" wrote:
| Quote: | Karin,
Think of it like this:
If you apply an attribute from XML file 1, then apply a second file (XML
file 2) with other attributes, the old attribute will still be there
(because you can't remove attributes).
Now, if you have a really cool Account view in one implementation and a
really cool Contact view in another implementation, there is nothing stoping
you (except of course for the fact that it is completely unsupported!) from
taking the XML for the Contact view from XML file 1 and then pasting it over
the Contact view in XML file 2 - you now have a combined implementation!
Stephen
"Karin" <Karin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FF1E262A-DEE2-407B-8F62-D647AAF01DF5@microsoft.com...
Here's one to think about:
If you import an xml configuration file in Deployment Manager, you will
overwrite any other customizations made on that installation.
You can't create a file with e.g. some new fields you want to add. Or a
file
with a new configuration for a certain area of MS CRM.
The only supported alternative seems to be to sit down at the server in
question and type in your changes in Deployment Manager and/or System
Configuration (with the usual risk of making typos that will mess
everything
up.
It's not a very pleasant way of deploying if you have a general update
that
you want to install on several CRM servers.
Is there really no way to create an automated install process?
Or to make just some steps automatic?
Karin
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Stephen Redmond
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:42 pm Post subject:
Re: Customizations - how to deploy on multiple servers |
|
|
You may not necessarily have to export from your target system, instead have
2 exports from dev systems and splice those together. You definitely need
to know what you are doing!
One thing that I have noticed - you do not need to have every section in the
file. For example, I have removed the whole attribute sections if I just
wanted to do a quick reimport of customizations (because it insists on
trying to reapply the attributes even though they are there and it takes a
while).
There are lots of tools out there to edit XML - me, I prefer a notepad
(although I do like the Ctrl-K + Ctrl-D feature in Visual Studio for
reformatting XML - makes those big long strings easier to manage).
Stephen
"Karin" <Karin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:7B84F5E6-9516-45B9-B9FC-EDA66E66155B@microsoft.com...
| Quote: | True. So you'd export from your target system, and add the xml for the
parts
you want to splice in (you'd of course need to check for conflicts in the
two
setups first) - and then import.
... but as you say, completely unsupported...
And you'd not let just anyone do it, either. You'd have to have some
knowledge about the contents of the xml file. Or some tool to help you.
Hmmmm...
Karin
"Stephen Redmond" wrote:
Karin,
Think of it like this:
If you apply an attribute from XML file 1, then apply a second file (XML
file 2) with other attributes, the old attribute will still be there
(because you can't remove attributes).
Now, if you have a really cool Account view in one implementation and a
really cool Contact view in another implementation, there is nothing
stoping
you (except of course for the fact that it is completely unsupported!)
from
taking the XML for the Contact view from XML file 1 and then pasting it
over
the Contact view in XML file 2 - you now have a combined implementation!
Stephen
"Karin" <Karin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FF1E262A-DEE2-407B-8F62-D647AAF01DF5@microsoft.com...
Here's one to think about:
If you import an xml configuration file in Deployment Manager, you will
overwrite any other customizations made on that installation.
You can't create a file with e.g. some new fields you want to add. Or a
file
with a new configuration for a certain area of MS CRM.
The only supported alternative seems to be to sit down at the server in
question and type in your changes in Deployment Manager and/or System
Configuration (with the usual risk of making typos that will mess
everything
up.
It's not a very pleasant way of deploying if you have a general update
that
you want to install on several CRM servers.
Is there really no way to create an automated install process?
Or to make just some steps automatic?
Karin
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Karin
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:49 am Post subject:
Re: Customizations - how to deploy on multiple servers |
|
|
"Stephen Redmond" wrote:
<clip....>
| Quote: | One thing that I have noticed - you do not need to have every section in the
file. For example, I have removed the whole attribute sections if I just
wanted to do a quick reimport of customizations (because it insists on
trying to reapply the attributes even though they are there and it takes a
while).
|
Now THAT is really useful. Unsupported again, of course.
I sort of hoped that I had missed a supported way of doing things, but hopes
are approaching zero rapidly. They were never very high anyway. Oh, well.
Thanks, Sthephen.
Karin |
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