Dynamics CRM 2015 was the first online version, and since then we haven’t had a single partner driven way of going to the cloud without using special software like SSIS and Scribe etc.
Good news is that Microsoft is planning to release the LCS tool the fast track team uses for partners later this year 2018. It’s only been more than 3 years with customers waiting for a solution, and Microsoft not understanding why the cloud transition isn’t going faster.
It’s amazing to see how little effort Microsoft is putting into doing this smoother. At the time they finally release the tool, it might be a little to late.
Ever wondered why Fast Track is limited to 250 users only? I decided to ask Microsoft at Ignite, and they had absolutely no idea why this was the issue. I even asked if I could buy the services standalone, and the answer was “NO”.
So I asked them about manipulating my user count for 1 – 2 months and they said “it doesn’t affect my budget, so sure” 😉
If you have 100 users on CPS, you buy an extra 150 licenses for 1 month. Then you start the Fast Track program, and you migrate to the cloud. The best thing is that this is a migration without data loss, because of database copy. When you are done, you cancel the 150 licenses and you return to normal use.
In most cases you will save lots of money and have no dataloss.
Because I am sick and tired of Microsoft being so flaky with their licenses. It is impossible to be a good consultant these days with so many changes and unclear direction.
PS: since I wrote this post and made a video, it seems Microsoft is accepting this behavior. That is of course until they restrict the usage as they always do.
The Hack
This is for the simple users requiring some simple custom entities and opportunity. Case not included. And because of the Team Member with P2 you have no issues using the outlook app and so on.
CE full plan
115$
Sales Professional*
56$?
PowerApps P2 + Team Member**
40 + 8 = 48$
*Sales professional releases now in October, and not sure what the exact price will be
** Restricted entities that can’t be used with the combo.
Background
Is licensing for Dynamics 365 really that complex?
Well, not if you are willing to pay 115$ pr month for a user in CRM. This license includes everything you might use and more.
So what about the customers in the SMB/SMC space?
Here is where the interesting discussions begin. Microsoft has never been an SMB/SMC product. They have been trying to compete against Salesforce to become leader of the magic quadrant. This is why consultants always have figured out how to navigate around the license model to find the best possible fit.
First there was BASIC. A great license for small needs that even covered Case. Shure this might be a little to much to ask for a company like MS to give us free Case management, but at the time Microsoft didn’t realize that Case was about the only really useful entity in the system. Proven later when they admitted that they were loosing many cases to direct sales CRM solutions because they were simpler.
Then we got Team Member without the option for Case, but still a pretty strong license because of the custom entities without limitations.
So what happened October 1 2018?
Out of the blue Microsoft now decided to remove access for Account in Team Member license. I wish they would inform us why they did this, but who knows. Back to the drawing board for our solutions, but here comes the temporary hack
I am writing this as a therapeutic exercise. After being with Microsoft CRM for over 10 years, I am left with so much frustration from time to time, that I have to get it out.
CRM Keeper 