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Office 2013 & Microsoft Dynamics CRM on the Surface Pro

Post Author: Joe D365 |

As you may or may not know, the Microsoft Surface Pro is Microsoft's professional version of their new tablet. It comes complete with an i5 Intel processor, 2 GB's of RAM, a full HD (1080) screen AND… Microsoft Windows 8 Pro! (Not RT!)

Not only is the Surface Pro one of the most productive tablets on the market today, but it is also one of the only tablets capable of running the 2011 CRM Outlook client. The web client also works with the full version of Internet Explorer.

There are, however, a few items that you will need to know prior to installing and configuring the CRM for the Outlook client.

  1. The Surface Pro (Most Windows 8 Machines) does not have Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 enabled by default. This feature is automatically enabled with the CRM "Client" Update Rollup 11 and after. You can check to insure this feature has been turned on by accessing "Programs and Features," choosing "View installed updates" then scrolling to the bottom to make sure the box is checked next to "Windows Identity Foundation 3.5."

    Setting up Dynamics CRM on the Surface Pro

  2. Make sure your Surface Pro is completely up to date with all Windows Updates / Surface Updates by connecting to Windows Update. (Surface firmware is also updated through Windows Updates)
  3. When you run the configuration wizard—either manually from the program list or by launching Outlook for the first time after installing the CRM Client—you may see the following error after trying to connect to a CRM Organization: "Cannot connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM server because we cannot authenticate your credentials. Check your connection or contact your administrator for more help."

    Error - Dynamics CRM on the Surface Pro

    This error can occur in hosted or on-premise installations of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 using IFD/ADFS, but fear not, the resolution is quite simple.

Resolution: When you access CRM 2011 via the web, the authentication method uses the user@somewhere.com as your username. When you connect to a CRM organization through the CRM for Outlook configuration wizard, change the format to DomainUser_Domain when you are prompted for your credentials. (Note: Use only 20 characters or less for the user_domain)

So, for example, if my email address were Joseph.Smith@powerobjectsweb.com/stg, I would enter my user name as powerobjectsjoseph.smith_powerob

That's it!

And by the way...if you have a Surface Pro, you should check out our free Dynamics CRM companion app for Windows 8 tablets, Power8CRM.

Happy CRM'ing!

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.

4 comments on “Office 2013 & Microsoft Dynamics CRM on the Surface Pro”

  1. As surface Pro is new to me, this is great post. Thanks for sharing this information and also the installation and configuration of it.

    1. I installed CRM 2013 for Outlook on the Surface, but I do not see any of the CRM buttons in the navigation ribbon as I would see on the desktop version. For example, I do not see the option to track an email. Please advise!

  2. What is the biggest advantage of using Dynamics 2011 on the Surface Pro versus the ipad

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