News

Microsoft Rolls Out Spring '15 Update to Dynamics CRM Online

• By Gladys Rama
• May 04, 2015

The latest update to Microsoft's Dynamics CRM Online product became generally available on Monday.

Dubbed the "Spring 2015 release," the update affects Dynamics CRM Online, as well as its Dynamics Marketing and Social Engagement (previously called Social Listening) components. Microsoft released a major update to the Parature component of Dynamics CRM separately earlier this year, and issued another one last week.

Notably, this update does not apply to the on-premises Dynamics CRM 2015 product. Microsoft's announcement on Monday did not indicate whether the features being delivered to Dynamics CRM Online users with this update will also become available at a later point to on-premises users as a download.

This Dynamics CRM release preview guide refers to the Spring 2015 update as "2015 Update 1." In keeping with Microsoft's six-month update cycle for Dynamics CRM, a second update is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year, according to this slide from Microsoft's Convergence conference in March.

The release preview guide details new features and improvements included in the Spring 2015 update. Users now have access to Power BI dashboards and reports out of the box. They also have the ability to surface contacts' Dynamics CRM information from within Outlook via an app, and track Exchange e-mails from within Dynamics CRM.

In addition, the update delivers integration with Excel and OneNote, letting users work with those products from within Dynamics CRM without having to switch between application windows.

Other changes include enhancements to the user interface, a revamped smartphone app interface and the debut of the Social Engagement tool, which has been rebranded and updated from its previous iteration as "Social Listening."