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Conditional Formatting in Dynamics CRM Outlook Client

Post Author: Joe D365 |

One handy feature often overlooked is conditional formatting in Dynamics CRM 2011 Outlook Client. So just what is conditional formatting?

Have you ever asked yourself the question “Is it possible to ‘highlight’ or ‘bold’ certain records in CRM, or make records stand out from one another?” You can by defining Conditional Formatting rules.

How do we set Conditional Formatting in Dynamics CRM 2011? Let’s look at an example first, then go through the steps.

In my CRM I have a list of my Companies—let's say I have over 10,000 records. On my Company form, among other things, I track my clients' Contract Renewal Date. (You could also create a new System View that displays All Companies That Have a Contract Renewal Date This Month, or even a Workflow that sends you an email notification.) But in this example, I would like to bring attention to my Companies that have a Contract Renewal Date in the month of August.

This is where conditional formatting in Microsoft Outlook can help you.

Conditional Formatting in Microsoft Dynamics Outlook Client

In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Outlook Client,

1. Go to Companies

2. In Active Companies view

3. Click on View

4. Click View Settings

5. Click on Conditional Formatting

6. Click on Add

7. Add the name 'Contracts Due This Month'

8. Click on Condition

9. Click on Advanced tab

10. Select Field

In this example, I’m going to select the ‘Contract Renewal Date’ field, then set the Condition for This Month.

11. Click OK

Next, I’m going to set the formatting – I want bold records where the Contract Renewal Date is This Month, and Change the Color to Green.

After you Click OK,...

12. Click on Font and select the color and font size

13. Click OK

And Voila!

That's how you do conditional formatting in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Outlook Client. How are you using conditional formatting? Please comment your experiences.

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.

6 comments on “Conditional Formatting in Dynamics CRM Outlook Client”

  1. Can we share views with conditional formatting rules , such that other users also see views with same conditional formatting.

  2. Is it possible to use conditional formatting with custom fields? I haven't been able to do this so far.

  3. hello - I used to use salesforce (another CRM) salesforce had a neat trick where it assigned itself a category colour - so you could use the dropdown and see at an instant if it was flagged for sync or not...

    I have read about your suggestion and instructions on using colour to show the appointment status - I set this and works ok. and as described. However, I actively use categories to show the type of appointment i am displaying eg red for client, green foe prospect, orange for lead etc...
    My problem is that the colour change / indication is over written or hidden behind the category colour of the status in CRM.
    basically, I have to turn off my category to see the status of the appointment.

    Can CRM dynamics do this ?
    or perhaps another work around so i can see the colour status as well as my catagory status?

    1. Hi Dean - Are you trying to see the color selected in outlook? If so my guess this will not be doable in a crm view. If the field is synchronized to crm then we can do a rule and change the color. Since we are talking about views and colors - take a look at our new powerGrid. It allows inline editing and we can color code rows (font color and background color).

      We have many clients that switched from the native outlook client conditional formatting to powerGrid.

      https://powerobjects.com/blog/guides/powergrid/

      1. Thank you Joe, Yes I am trying to see the colour in Outlook. I a, trying to get a visual cue at a glance to which appointments i have already flagged as tracked in CRM.
        I use categories to show the type of appointment ie; client, prospect, opportunity. this helps me define at a glance how i am spreading my workload during the week. my problem is when i look at a full weeks of work. I can not quickly identify which are being tracked and which are not.
        i have to actually turn 'off' the chosen category to 'see' the rule change colour.
        its a tedious exercise to do at the end of the week to around 40 appointments.
        I am sure power objects might do the job, I am also sure my administrators will not allow me to add this in as I work for a major company and this will not happen anytime soon.
        thanks for your help

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