How To: Importing Outlook Contacts into Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online using Add Contacts Wizard

 

This is a guide for importing contacts that you have stored in Microsoft Outlook into the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online system using the Add Contacts Wizard. This guide will go over the simple steps to import and will answer some questions about duplicates and methods to control it.

 

Notes & Requirements:

-          Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online account access

-          Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Microsoft Office Outlook installed

-          Appropriate user security roles to create CRM Contact and Account records

 

Steps to Import

 

  1. First you need to open the Outlook Client and allow it to connect to CRM Online.

 

  1. Once connected, you should see the CRM toolbar loaded as well as the CRM menu, click the CRM menu to find Add Contacts to CRM…

 

 

  1. The "Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Add Contacts Wizard" window should open and display the overview process of importing the contacts. Click Next to continue.

 

  1. The next window should allow you to select which contacts you wish to import as well as some options to change the parent, which is the Account that it will be associated with.

 

  1. There are two modes when you want to add contacts: an Advanced mode and the default Basic Import mode.

 

 

  1. Basic mode will be simple, just review which contacts you want included in the import and click next. Contact records will be created and also Accounts will be created if necessary based on the Outlook Contacts’ Company Name column.

    You will also notice different colors for each of the contact groups, green means that they have already synced into the CRM system and red usually means it is not able to sync (you can use this to troubleshoot). Yellow means there are mixed results with the multiple contacts. You can always import first and try to re-import to see the color scheme appear.

    With Advanced, instead of automatically binding existing or new Accounts, you can manually set an Account to associate it to. This means that by default it may not create the account for it, or bind it unless you set it yourself. Also you can choose to include Communication with the contacts which are selected by default.

 

  1. Just hit next to import after you feel everything is correct and it will automatically import the contacts for you – there might be errors, and you can view them by clicking the link provided at the last page.

 

Duplicate Detection

The import wizard works with the Microsoft CRM Duplicate Detection rules; by default, it will check contacts for matching email addresses. You can of course turn these rules off or add new ones within the CRM system to adjust to your preferences.

 

Here is a deployment approach we often use:

 

Pre-processing:

-          Categorizing Contacts to Import

-          Checking for consistency of Company Names With CRM

-          Check the Outlook Client to make sure the version has the importing wizard

-          Preparing CRM with options to adjust for any preferences (Duplicate Email Addresses)

o   Check or add additional rules for duplicate detection

o   Clean the accounts, make sure you minimize duplicates

 

Importing and Post-processing:

-          Complete the Add to Contact Importing Wizard

-          Troubleshoot duplicates

-          Check for duplicate Accounts made by the Importing Wizard in CRM

-          Merge / Sync Accounts and Contacts if duplicates are found.

 

 

Harold Lee
Workopia, Inc.



 

www.workopia.com

 

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