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Creating a Contact with a Basic CRM 2011 Dialog

Post Author: Joe D365 |

Want to learn how to create a prompt and response dialog in Microsoft Dynamics CRM? Then you're in luck, because today we'll walk you through how to use a dialog to create contacts in CRM 2011. Creating a contact via a dialog is handy because a dialog allows you to enter data efficiently without having to scroll down the contact record to fill in the fields. In this example below, you will learn a few tips and tricks that are helpful in creating a dialog.

  1. In your settings, go to Processes and select New to begin creating your dialog process.

    Create a basic CRM 2011 dialog

  2. Create a page that will collect information that you want to capture in the contact record.

    CRM 2011 Dialog

  3. Choose the Prompt and Response option to put in the details for the page.

    CRM 2011 Dialog

  4. For fields that are just single line text fields, you'll need to fill in the statement label, the prompt text, and also set the response type to single line. The prompt text is the title of the field that shows up on the dialog page.

    CRM 2011 Dialog

  5. For fields that are part of an option set, you'll have to follow different steps. Set the response type to be option set (picklist) and the data type to integer. The most critical part about this step is to make sure to match the response values on the dialog's page to that of the field on the contact record.

    CRM 2011 Dialog

  6. For option set fields that have two radio buttons, you have to pick the response type to be option set (radio buttons) and match the response values to that of the contact record.

    CRM 2011 Dialog
    CRM 2011 Dialog

  7. After creating the page, you'll have to add a step to create the contact and set the properties for that step by matching the responses on the page with those on the contact record.

    CRM 2011 Dialog
    CRM 2011 Dialog

  8. As for the radio buttons, you'll have to add a few additional steps. You need a condition to see that the response values on the page matches the ones on the contact record as well as update the contact record. At the end of this step, you can save the dialog and activate it.

    CRM 2011 Dialog
    CRM 2011 Dialog

  9. To test the dialog, first check for contacts and select one of them. Then run the dialog.

    CRM 2011 Dialog
    CRM 2011 Dialog

  10. Once the dialog is done running, you will find the contact on the Active Contacts list.

    CRM 2011 Dialog

So there you have it—now you can create all your contacts with a dialog in CRM 2011!

If you want to learn more about dialogs, or about processes in general, a good blog to reference is Workflows and Dialogs: What's the Difference? And as always, if you get stuck or confused while working with Dialogs, contact PowerObjects.

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.

3 comments on “Creating a Contact with a Basic CRM 2011 Dialog”

  1. Hi,

    Thanks for the post; but the issue with this dialog is that you have to have to select an existing contact to to enable the dialog menu which is used to create a separate contact, which is not very intuitive.

    Is there any way with Dynamics to use a dialog to create a new contact without first having to select an existing contact?

    Many Thanks

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