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Microsoft Dynamics CRM or SharePoint

Post Author: Joe D365 | April 29th, 2009

We have been asked the question a lot recently why should I use Microsoft Dynamics CRM instead of SharePoint? SharePoint is a great tool for managing lists of data. But it does not allow you to define relationships of this data. You can write code to model your business and you can use many of the features in SharePoint to surface data from other systems. There are many common features between both solutions.

The first common features is collaboration. Out of the box SharePoint supports better collaboration then Microsoft Dynamics CRM, but CRM allows you to quickly model various relationships allowing you to leverage role base security and user relationships to allow very robust collaboration. But both solutions allow teams to manage tasks, implement workflows and share information.

Next is the ability to surface information in Portals. Both solutions allow you to expose data to a web portal. Again this can be done in different ways with each solution, but using the solution API we can build secure robust Portals to expose any data or relations ship defined in the solution.

Both solutions offer robust search and business intelligence.

The major difference is Microsoft Dynamics CRM ability to create relationships between lists of data. SharePoint have fantastic tools in place to build, manage and collaborate on the lists of data, but it does not have built in ability to build relationship between the various data.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed from the ground up to model your business and build relationships between the various data. Out of the box we have many lists of data example accounts, contacts, opportunities etc. You could easily create this same data in SharePoint, but in CRM these lists are also setup with relationships. An account has contacts and contacts are related to accounts. An opportunity can be related to an account or a contact. This is a very simple example of how data is related. Using Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows you to leverage existing lists (Customer Relationship Management), or build any lists and any relationship required to support your business. This is where you see the term XRM.

While comparing SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics CRM you should not be assuming CRM is simply a customer relationship manage solution. Microsoft Dynamics CRM a platform that allows you to model your business, define your entities and how these entities relate. Then you can leverage security, workflow, reporting, business intelligence and much more to build a solution that truly supports your business. Also this can be done quickly allowing you to change as your business changes.

When you look at SharePoint verses Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Think "Relationships", Think "XRM", Think "PowerObjects".

Joe CRM
By Joe D365
Joe D365 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 superhero who runs on pure Dynamics adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe D365’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics 365 and bring the application to more businesses and organizations around the world.

6 comments on “Microsoft Dynamics CRM or SharePoint”

  1. I like to talk about the difference between structured data (CRM) and unstructured data (SharePoint). SharePoint is great at unstructured data, but not great at structured data (not a lot of depth there) and vice versa for CRM.

  3. I agree but please post some examples where you use both. It's common on project to use SharePoint to manage documents in CRM solutions. How do you leverage both?

    Also it's important to know how a person works. When you come into the office what do you do? Login to e-mail? Login to CRM? Login to SharePoint? Most likely you don't do all three. The goal is to create a work space to make your office the most productive. Surf information where a user works.

  4. The correct answer is it depends. It depends on a number of factors, like the business objectives of the solution, licensing, infrastructure available, capability to develop and maintain and alignment of the solution with the technology that has the features that compliment it or provided out of box. Long and short of it, use both.

    Howerver this does raise a good question to debate. It’s too easy or high level to say SharePoint is great at unstructured data but not great at structured data. Talking about data at all in relation to SharePoint shows here the easy misconception.

    SharePoint is not only about data and therefore not designed to be good at structure or unstructured data. SharePoint is a platform that can be used to bring together people, process and information. Information in a variety of formats (html, word, powerpoint, excel, pdf), structures (unstructured, semi structured, structured) and locations (other LOB systems). People from a variety of origins and processes that fit for purpose. Plus it also has pretty handy WCM and Search capabilities.

    My suggestion is to chose the right horse for the right course. For some things it will be CRM, others SharePoint and for many more both and a whole lot more goodness.

  5. Deon - I agree with your basic position, but your comment that SharePoint is not only about data, goes on to point out it brings together people process and information. I would argue that everything you list is data, structured and unstructured.

    I'm not saying CRM and SharePoint do not work well together. They do. I'm point out that CRM has relationships. It allows you to relate contacts with accounts, cases with contacts, projects with accounts, invoices, hours etc.

    My point of this blog is to get organizations to look at how they use the different solutions, and the pros and cons of each.

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