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It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

Post Author: Joe D365 |

Generating documents, or Mail Merge, from Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a feature that has stood the test of time. The process, however, can sometimes be more time consuming than users might prefer due to the feature's reliance on the Mail Merge functionality of Microsoft Word.

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016, a new day has arrived in document generation. Say hello to the One Click Document Generation feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016! In today's blog, we'll show you how easy it really is to use this exciting new feature. Let's get started!

1. The first thing we need to do is create a template. To create a template, navigate first to the template section of Dynamics CRM.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

2. Next, create a NEW template.

When we click on the +NEW button, a pop-up will appear. In this window, we can select which type of document we want to create a template for. Notice here that we now have Microsoft Excel as a document type as well as the standard Microsoft Word document type.

For the purpose of this demonstration, let's select Microsoft Word. Additionally, we have an option to select the Dynamics CRM entity the document will be related to. Let's select Account in the "Filter by entity" field.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

We can now select the criteria for the data fields that will be used within this document. You can decide which relationships you want to include for your document. We have selected all for this demonstration. Then click Download Template.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

Based on your browser settings, you may or may not see a download prompt. If you do see the download prompt, it may look similar to the image below. If you do not get the prompt, navigate to your default download folder to find the template.

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Once the template is opened, you should see something like the image below. If you do not see the DEVELOPER tab, complete the steps below. If you do see the DEVELOPER tab, you can skip those instructions and move on to the next set of steps.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

To enable the DEVELOPER tab, follow these steps:

1. Click FILE.

2. Click OPTIONS.

3. Click the Customize Ribbon.

4. Click the checkbox for the Developer tab.

5. Click OK. You should now see the DEVELOPER tab.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

6. On the DEVELOPER tab, select XML Mapping Pane. This will open a pane to the right. There is a dropdown menu where we can select the template. Select the option that looks something like urn:microsoft-crm/document-template/account/1/.

Once selected, the entity name, Account, will be displayed, and when we expand the caret the available field names will be shown. Note: this will only display the schema names for the fields.

To add a data field to your document, follow these steps:

1. Move the cursor in your document to the correct place for the data field.

2. Navigate to the XML Mapping pane and find the desired field to add to the document.

3. Right click on the field. A pop-up will be displayed named Insert Content Control.

4. Select the content type for the data field.

5. Once selected, the data field will be displayed within the document.

6. Add additional data fields to the document as necessary.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

Once you have finished designing the template, save, then upload it to CRM.

To upload a template to Dynamics CRM, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Templates section in Dynamics CRM.

It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016

2. Click Upload Template. This will display a pop up window.

3. Upload the file either by dragging it on to the pop up window directly or through browsing.

4. Click Upload.

There you have it! You can now utilize this document template for creating documents. If you found this blog helpful, check out our blog on Exporting to Excel: Understanding the Difference Between Static Worksheet and Static Worksheet (Page Only).

Until next time, readers, 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.

2 comments on “It’s Never Been This Easy: One Click Document Generation in CRM 2016”

  1. This is a great feature. I have to be "that guy" and ask the question. Is this feature only available for use through the browser or will it work like this in the Outlook Client as well?

  2. The standard mail merge functionality in CRM is quite lacking and I was hoping that there was a way to email out the mail merged docs as PDF documents instead of the Word XML file type. Any ideas?

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