Retaining History in Business Contact Manager

[spencemeister]

When I copy my Outlook Contacts to the Business Contacts in Business Contact Manager, all the activity history that I had in Outlook disappears. How can I retain the activity history in Outlook in the Business contact and account history? I'm not interested in recreating it all.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Outlook and BCM use different methods for maintaining activity history. If
you want BCM to keep it for existing entries, you'll have to recreate it by
linking each item to a BCM contact.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

When I copy my Outlook Contacts to the Business Contacts in Business

Contact Manager, all the activity history that I had in Outlook disappears.
How can I retain the activity history in Outlook in the Business contact and
account history? I'm not interested in recreating it all.

 

[Spencemeister]

So, you're saying that I copy a contact to the business contact manager and all the emails and journal entries and documents that are currently associated with that contact are no longer associated? Somehow, that doesn't seem reasonable at all. Even if they use different linkage methods, there should be some way to convert from one linkage method to another. Not providing one is incredibly short-sighted and makes the product essentially unusable.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Correct. The copy in the BCM folder does not use the same linking mechanism
as the copy in the original Contacts folder.

You can send your suggestions to (e-mail address removed) and
(e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

So, you're saying that I copy a contact to the business contact manager

and all the emails and journal entries and documents that are currently
associated with that contact are no longer associated? Somehow, that
doesn't seem reasonable at all. Even if they use different linkage methods,
there should be some way to convert from one linkage method to another. Not
providing one is incredibly short-sighted and makes the product essentially
unusable.

 

[Spencemeister]

Thank you for the information. At least there is a tool to link existing email. That worked pretty well

There is some internal email about a client that I've been trying to link to a business contact. I open the email, click Actions/Link to History/Business Contact and double-click the individual I would like to link the email to. The name appears in the "Selected Business Contacts" list, but the linkage does not occur. Subsequently, when I attempt to link the email again, the contact's name is already in the "Selected Business Contacts" list, but not in the Business Contact History Log

I figured out how to link the documents, but not my old journal entries

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I can't duplicate the problem you're having linking email messages. It
always works for me. Did the "link existing mail" tool not pick it up?

I asked about linking journal entries and was told that it's not possible.
Send your feature requests to (e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Thank you for the information. At least there is a tool to link existing

email. That worked pretty well.

There is some internal email about a client that I've been trying to link

to a business contact. I open the email, click Actions/Link to
History/Business Contact and double-click the individual I would like to
link the email to. The name appears in the "Selected Business Contacts"
list, but the linkage does not occur. Subsequently, when I attempt to link
the email again, the contact's name is already in the "Selected Business
Contacts" list, but not in the Business Contact History Log.

 

[spin]

Sue

I am having what appears to be the same problem as spencemeister - not being able to link existing email to a "account" or a "business contact". From installing the BCM I was hoping to go back over a few emails and link them doing the same as spencemeister - doesn't work. Linking is no problem for "files" or "new emails". You make mention of the "link existing mail" tool picking it up - where is this tool

Another question - when I open a business account the "business contacts" window will list all the contact names for the account. For each of the contacts, the "business phone" and "business fax" appear in the window (I would imagine this is a default view). How do you change the view? For example, for my purposes I would like the "business phone" and "email address" to appear

Comments and suggestions would be appreciate

----- Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] wrote: ----

I can't duplicate the problem you're having linking email messages. I
always works for me. Did the "link existing mail" tool not pick it up

I asked about linking journal entries and was told that it's not possible
Send your feature requests to (e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MV
Author o
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart fo
Administrators, Power Users, and Developer
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.asp

Thank you for the information. At least there is a tool to link existin

email. That worked pretty wellto a business contact. I open the email, click Actions/Link t
History/Business Contact and double-click the individual I would like t
link the email to. The name appears in the "Selected Business Contacts
list, but the linkage does not occur. Subsequently, when I attempt to lin
the email again, the contact's name is already in the "Selected Busines
Contacts" list, but not in the Business Contact History Log

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Business Tools | Link E-mail | Link Existing E-mail scans all your folders
to make BCM history links.

When you try to link manually, what are the exact steps you are following
and what are the symptoms?

BCM provides no way to change the fields for business contacts displayed in
the account form. That might be a good feature request to send to
(e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Sue -

I am having what appears to be the same problem as spencemeister - not

being able to link existing email to a "account" or a "business contact".
From installing the BCM I was hoping to go back over a few emails and link
them doing the same as spencemeister - doesn't work. Linking is no problem
for "files" or "new emails". You make mention of the "link existing mail"
tool picking it up - where is this tool?

Another question - when I open a business account the "business contacts"

window will list all the contact names for the account. For each of the
contacts, the "business phone" and "business fax" appear in the window (I
would imagine this is a default view). How do you change the view? For
example, for my purposes I would like the "business phone" and "email
address" to appear.

 

[spin]

update

I was able to find the "link existing email" tool - ran the tool for email in "inbox" and "sent" back to Jan. 1/03. I have tried again to link an email to a "business contact" using the link window. When I enter "ok" it generates an error report that I have sent to micrsoft. In addition, when I am in the link window it appears you can link to an "account" or an "opportunity". No selection is available within the 3 boxes

Again, suggestions appreciated

spi

----- spin wrote: ----

Sue

I am having what appears to be the same problem as spencemeister - not being able to link existing email to a "account" or a "business contact". From installing the BCM I was hoping to go back over a few emails and link them doing the same as spencemeister - doesn't work. Linking is no problem for "files" or "new emails". You make mention of the "link existing mail" tool picking it up - where is this tool

Another question - when I open a business account the "business contacts" window will list all the contact names for the account. For each of the contacts, the "business phone" and "business fax" appear in the window (I would imagine this is a default view). How do you change the view? For example, for my purposes I would like the "business phone" and "email address" to appear

Comments and suggestions would be appreciate

----- Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] wrote: ----

I can't duplicate the problem you're having linking email messages. I
always works for me. Did the "link existing mail" tool not pick it up

I asked about linking journal entries and was told that it's not possible
Send your feature requests to (e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MV
Author o
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart fo
Administrators, Power Users, and Developer
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.asp

Thank you for the information. At least there is a tool to link existin

email. That worked pretty wellto a business contact. I open the email, click Actions/Link t
History/Business Contact and double-click the individual I would like t
link the email to. The name appears in the "Selected Business Contacts
list, but the linkage does not occur. Subsequently, when I attempt to lin
the email again, the contact's name is already in the "Selected Busines
Contacts" list, but not in the Business Contact History Log

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Since you're getting that kind of error, you may want initiate a support
incident with Microsoft at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;incidentsubmit. You
will need a .Net Passport, but there should be no charge for filing the
request if you have a retail version of Office 2003.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

update -

I was able to find the "link existing email" tool - ran the tool for email

in "inbox" and "sent" back to Jan. 1/03. I have tried again to link an
email to a "business contact" using the link window. When I enter "ok" it
generates an error report that I have sent to micrsoft. In addition, when I
am in the link window it appears you can link to an "account" or an
"opportunity". No selection is available within the 3 boxes.

Again, suggestions appreciated.

spin

----- spin wrote: -----

Sue -

I am having what appears to be the same problem as spencemeister -

not being able to link existing email to a "account" or a "business
contact". From installing the BCM I was hoping to go back over a few emails
and link them doing the same as spencemeister - doesn't work. Linking is no
problem for "files" or "new emails". You make mention of the "link existing
mail" tool picking it up - where is this tool?

Another question - when I open a business account the "business

contacts" window will list all the contact names for the account. For each
of the contacts, the "business phone" and "business fax" appear in the
window (I would imagine this is a default view). How do you change the
view? For example, for my purposes I would like the "business phone" and
"email address" to appear.

Comments and suggestions would be appreciated

----- Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] wrote: -----

I can't duplicate the problem you're having linking email messages. It
always works for me. Did the "link existing mail" tool not pick it up?

I asked about linking journal entries and was told that it's not possible.
Send your feature requests to (e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed)
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

Thank you for the information. At least there is a tool to

link existing
email. That worked pretty well. trying to link
to a business contact. I open the email, click Actions/Link to
History/Business Contact and double-click the individual I would like to
link the email to. The name appears in the "Selected Business Contacts"
list, but the linkage does not occur. Subsequently, when I attempt to link
the email again, the contact's name is already in the "Selected Business
Contacts" list, but not in the Business Contact History Log.