Missing maps found in MS CRM 4.0

In my last post, I talked about the missing mapping feature in Microsoft CRM 4.0 and the importance of maps for relationship management. The absence of this feature has been an issue for bloggers in the CRM community.

Mike Weber and John Horne have come up with a simple but elegant solution using the “Map with Live Maps” Accelerator in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8. Accelerators are a new feature with IE 8. You simply highlight an address and a map is displayed on the same page. MS CRM 4.0 is browser based but the problem with Accelerators is that they do not work in the normal editable fields in Contacts and Accounts, where the addresses are displayed. You must add a text box to a blank area on the page and make it non-editable, read only. Then add a simple JavaScript to put in the address. When you highlight this field, you see the blue Accelerator icon. Click and you have mapping! You can also display driving directions and a birds eye view.

Additionally, I have found that MS CRM 4.0 runs faster and has had no lockups or freezes so far with IE 8, a problem with IE 7. It seems that many of the bugs are gone. Maybe this was Microsoft’s plan all along but so far, they have not mentioned it. What ever, I am a much happier camper now.