Sharing BCM - is it possible?????????

[LauraR]

I was so excited when I got my new PC with Office Pro 2007 (which I paid a
lot extra for) installed, because I had seen the demo of BCM 3.0 and it was
exactly what my business needed.
BUT
It appears from reading a few other discussions in here that it is not
shareable via MS hosted Exchange. I do not want to invest in upgrading my
other 2 worker's office programs from 2003 to 2007 if BCM cannot be shared.

Here's my scenario:
I have 3 people working in my business (including myself). We work with
over 200 contacts every day and need to be able to constantly update info we
each got from phone calls etc. If I call a client, I need to be able to pull
up the contact and see the call history and details from my 2 colleagues.
And when I make a notation about that call, I need to be able to enter it
into the contact and they should be able to sync it into their contact list.
Two of us are in one office on the east coast. The third is in his own home
office in the midwest. Obviously a network solution will not work here, and
the business is too small to justify buying a server.

Is there any way to share BCM (including details and history) and sync BCM
among multiple users?
Exchange? - looks like it's not possible, but I called MS and they said it
is...can't get a straight answer anywhere
Sharepoint? - seems like it could work. I know you can put regular old
Oulook stuff on sharepoint, but what about BCM?
CRM? - works, but I only have 3 employees and it is an extremely expensive
solution for such a small operation as my own.
Office Live Essential? - doesn't seem possible, altho the program does have
its own built in BCM and it looks like you can sync with Access...again info
is sketchy here.

Please advise ASAP. My whole business is being held up by this.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

LauraR,

Your scenario is exactly the situation that MS continues to miss the boat on .
.. specifically, remote user access to a shared db in real time. Here are
your options for sharing BCM.

1. You can create a Workgroup network where the Master SQL db is installed
on a users machine that is then shared out and synchronized among up to 5
other networked users. This usually requires everyone's machine to be
located within the same physical location in order to be part of the network.
If you come and go with a laptop as part of this type of network
configuration, you can work on BCM in offline mode and then your changes will
synch with the master db upon your return and reconnection to the workgroup
network.

2. You can create a Domain network which is server based and the SQL db is
installed there with centralized access for all other machines in the domain
to access to. Domain BCM networks also allow for coming and going via
offline mode usage. I believe that this type of configuration can also allow
for a VPN connection for a remote user to access and sync BCM data. I could
be wrong but I don't believe that VPN access is supported in a workgroup
network.

The main thing to keep in mind when asessing your overall Outlook and BCM
data network sharing options is that a server based BCM SQL db will ONLY
share BCM data. It will not also share native Outlook data. In order for
you to also share native Outlook data such as email, calendar, etc. you will
also need to ADDITIONALLY include exchange as part of your network
configuration in order to have full sharing of ALL of your data. This is
where the confusion often lies as folks often do not fully realize that BCM
is a SEPARATE added in component to Outlook. BCM has a SEPARATE db and
SEPARATE sharing requirements. No matter how much MS marketing BS that you
read about BCM being seamlessly "integrated" with Outlook, the devil is
always in the details and they are significant. Outlook and BCM conveniently
share a UI that cleverly disguises many important matters that lie "under-the-
hood" so to speak. These details are not always readily apparent until you
start to actually use BCM with Outlook. This is where the fun and hassle
usually begin.

Outlook has a dominant status as a the most ubiquitous email client utilized
by most of the world. Everything revolves around that and MS (in my humble
opinion) has done a lousy job of dancing around this apparently untouchable
reality with some lame attempts to improve Outlook's feature set at great
expense to end-user experience and overall functionality and ease of
configuration.

Am I discouraging you from adopting BCM? Not necessarily. Just be certain
to do as much advance research as possible in order to minimize your
surprises. This forum usually has some good information available but it
usually appears (like most things) reactively rather than proactively.

Don't even ask me about the hassles involved with attempting to easily
integrate BCM data with a handheld Windows mobile device!

Best regards,

-THP

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Additional comment:

IMO, the reason there is such a mish-mash of different options as outlined in
your first post above is reflective of the various MS divisions and
departments evolving their releases often in a vacuum. There is little
apparent empathy for the end user who must then attempt to sort it all out
before committing to a platform. Bureaucracies (both public and private
sector) often function in such a non-empathetic way. Keep this in mind
whenever you are pulling your hair out wondering how the mighty Microsoft
could ever release such confusing, non-intuitive crap like this.

-THP

LauraR,

Your scenario is exactly the situation that MS continues to miss the boat on .
.. specifically, remote user access to a shared db in real time. Here are
your options for sharing BCM.

1. You can create a Workgroup network where the Master SQL db is installed
on a users machine that is then shared out and synchronized among up to 5
other networked users. This usually requires everyone's machine to be
located within the same physical location in order to be part of the network.
If you come and go with a laptop as part of this type of network
configuration, you can work on BCM in offline mode and then your changes will
synch with the master db upon your return and reconnection to the workgroup
network.

2. You can create a Domain network which is server based and the SQL db is
installed there with centralized access for all other machines in the domain
to access to. Domain BCM networks also allow for coming and going via
offline mode usage. I believe that this type of configuration can also allow
for a VPN connection for a remote user to access and sync BCM data. I could
be wrong but I don't believe that VPN access is supported in a workgroup
network.

The main thing to keep in mind when asessing your overall Outlook and BCM
data network sharing options is that a server based BCM SQL db will ONLY
share BCM data. It will not also share native Outlook data. In order for
you to also share native Outlook data such as email, calendar, etc. you will
also need to ADDITIONALLY include exchange as part of your network
configuration in order to have full sharing of ALL of your data. This is
where the confusion often lies as folks often do not fully realize that BCM
is a SEPARATE added in component to Outlook. BCM has a SEPARATE db and
SEPARATE sharing requirements. No matter how much MS marketing BS that you
read about BCM being seamlessly "integrated" with Outlook, the devil is
always in the details and they are significant. Outlook and BCM conveniently
share a UI that cleverly disguises many important matters that lie "under-the-
hood" so to speak. These details are not always readily apparent until you
start to actually use BCM with Outlook. This is where the fun and hassle
usually begin.

Outlook has a dominant status as a the most ubiquitous email client utilized
by most of the world. Everything revolves around that and MS (in my humble
opinion) has done a lousy job of dancing around this apparently untouchable
reality with some lame attempts to improve Outlook's feature set at great
expense to end-user experience and overall functionality and ease of
configuration.

Am I discouraging you from adopting BCM? Not necessarily. Just be certain
to do as much advance research as possible in order to minimize your
surprises. This forum usually has some good information available but it
usually appears (like most things) reactively rather than proactively.

Don't even ask me about the hassles involved with attempting to easily
integrate BCM data with a handheld Windows mobile device!

Best regards,

-THP

I was so excited when I got my new PC with Office Pro 2007 (which I paid a
lot extra for) installed, because I had seen the demo of BCM 3.0 and it was

[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]

Please advise ASAP. My whole business is being held up by this.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

MS bureaucracy options for implementing CRM:

-Outlook
-BCM
-Server based Exchange
-Hosted Exchange
-Sharepoint
-CRM Dynamics
-Office Live Essentials

Anyone notice a pattern here? All of the above are
SEPARATE>SEPARATE>SEPARATE!!

How about a truly "integrated" approach MS? I am not necessarily talking
about a one size for all but rather a self scalable solution that blends the
best of all of these options together in a manner that is not so bewildering
for the MS Office based end user to sort out and be able to use in their
business.

Just some more well intended feedback from the balcony here!

-THP

Additional comment:

IMO, the reason there is such a mish-mash of different options as outlined in
your first post above is reflective of the various MS divisions and
departments evolving their releases often in a vacuum. There is little
apparent empathy for the end user who must then attempt to sort it all out
before committing to a platform. Bureaucracies (both public and private
sector) often function in such a non-empathetic way. Keep this in mind
whenever you are pulling your hair out wondering how the mighty Microsoft
could ever release such confusing, non-intuitive crap like this.

-THP

LauraR,

[quoted text clipped - 61 lines]

 

[Mani]

Hello,

This is Mani from India.
After creating database, then you need to create user and gice sharing to
those users.

If you want to steps to follow, i wil mail to you.
Which OS r u working WinXP / WinVista...?
mail to me: (e-mail address removed)

BY,
Mani

 

[turk54]

I was so excited when I got my new PC with Office Pro 2007 (which I paid a
lot extra for) installed, because I had seen the demo of BCM 3.0 and it was
exactly what my business needed.
BUT
It appears from reading a few other discussions in here that it is not
shareable via MS hosted Exchange. I do not want to invest in upgrading my
other 2 worker's office programs from 2003 to 2007 if BCM cannot be shared.

Here's my scenario:
I have 3 people working in my business (including myself). We work with
over 200 contacts every day and need to be able to constantly update info we
each got from phone calls etc. If I call a client, I need to be able to pull
up the contact and see the call history and details from my 2 colleagues.
And when I make a notation about that call, I need to be able to enter it
into the contact and they should be able to sync it into their contact list.
Two of us are in one office on the east coast. The third is in his own home
office in the midwest. Obviously a network solution will not work here, and
the business is too small to justify buying a server.

Is there any way to share BCM (including details and history) and sync BCM
among multiple users?
Exchange? - looks like it's not possible, but I called MS and they said it
is...can't get a straight answer anywhere
Sharepoint? - seems like it could work. I know you can put regular old
Oulook stuff on sharepoint, but what about BCM?
CRM? - works, but I only have 3 employees and it is an extremely expensive
solution for such a small operation as my own.
Office Live Essential? - doesn't seem possible, altho the program does have
its own built in BCM and it looks like you can sync with Access...again info
is sketchy here.

Please advise ASAP. My whole business is being held up by this.

We are in a very similar situation. Whereas we thought BCM would have been
a good solution, it appears that there are many significant shortcomings. We
would appreciate you posting your final solution to your situation, since it
might help us with our evaluation as well. Thanks in advance, and good luck.

 

[Lon Orenstein]

Laura:

You CAN make BCM work in your environment but it will take some thinking...

1. You can get Hosted Exchange for about $10 per user per month. That gets
you email, tasks, and appointments synched up. You would put your BCM
"master database" in your office and the two of you can share it across the
LAN. The remote person would have an offline copy of the BCM database and
can synch every 30 minutes or once a day. All the changes made by the three
of you would synch to the master BCM db in your office. This seems to be
the easiest, once it gets setup correctly. You would need VPN capability
into your office and maybe increase your bandwidth coming in.

2. We're experimenting with a hosted Small Business Server for companies
like yours. This would run about $500 per month but you would have your own
dedicated server with Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint, and BCM all resident
on the same server. It would backup your data every night and all three of
you would logon using a VPN. It would give you the most room for growth and
flexibility, be the most secure, but it's more money than the other
solutions. It takes the hassle of running a server out of your hands and
into a world class hosting facility.

3. Office Live is made for a group like yours. All of you would work
online and any changes made would be instantly viewed by the others. [ BTW,
you can have your remote person "live" on the database in #1 above by having
an always-on VPN connection (that would require more bandwidth in each
location and a good router device) ]. This is based on SharePoint so you
have similar SP capabilities as #2 at a lower price. Your data is stored on
MS servers, not your own servers, which some people like and some don't.

4. MS CRM Live is coming out later this year and is similar in concept to
#3 -- data is hosted on MS servers and you all logon to there. If you have
more CRM-like functions you'd like to do, such as automated workflow,
customer service tickets and knowledge base, and more robust reporting, this
might be worth waiting for. Pricing is $39 per user per month and you can
grow into the software as you adapt.

Hope that helps...

Lon


___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
800.238.0560 x6104 Toll Free (U.S. only) +1 214.905.0401 x6104
www.pinpointtools.com

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Great info Lon for sorting out one's options as they curently exist today.

Thanks,

-THP

Laura:

You CAN make BCM work in your environment but it will take some thinking...

1. You can get Hosted Exchange for about $10 per user per month. That gets
you email, tasks, and appointments synched up. You would put your BCM
"master database" in your office and the two of you can share it across the
LAN. The remote person would have an offline copy of the BCM database and
can synch every 30 minutes or once a day. All the changes made by the three
of you would synch to the master BCM db in your office. This seems to be
the easiest, once it gets setup correctly. You would need VPN capability
into your office and maybe increase your bandwidth coming in.

2. We're experimenting with a hosted Small Business Server for companies
like yours. This would run about $500 per month but you would have your own
dedicated server with Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint, and BCM all resident
on the same server. It would backup your data every night and all three of
you would logon using a VPN. It would give you the most room for growth and
flexibility, be the most secure, but it's more money than the other
solutions. It takes the hassle of running a server out of your hands and
into a world class hosting facility.

3. Office Live is made for a group like yours. All of you would work
online and any changes made would be instantly viewed by the others. [ BTW,
you can have your remote person "live" on the database in #1 above by having
an always-on VPN connection (that would require more bandwidth in each
location and a good router device) ]. This is based on SharePoint so you
have similar SP capabilities as #2 at a lower price. Your data is stored on
MS servers, not your own servers, which some people like and some don't.

4. MS CRM Live is coming out later this year and is similar in concept to
#3 -- data is hosted on MS servers and you all logon to there. If you have
more CRM-like functions you'd like to do, such as automated workflow,
customer service tickets and knowledge base, and more robust reporting, this
might be worth waiting for. Pricing is $39 per user per month and you can
grow into the software as you adapt.

Hope that helps...

Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
800.238.0560 x6104 Toll Free (U.S. only) +1 214.905.0401 x6104
www.pinpointtools.com

I was so excited when I got my new PC with Office Pro 2007 (which I paid a
lot extra for) installed, because I had seen the demo of BCM 3.0 and it

[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]

Please advise ASAP. My whole business is being held up by this.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Lon,

Your above post so inspired me that I got to thinking ...

You should submit a proposal to Wiley publishing to author something called
"Options for Running your Small Business using Microsoft Office for Dummies."

The reason for my suggestion is that at long last, someone (You) actually
"SPELL OUT" the mechanics of how to sort out and actually apply the various
available MS tools for data sharing configuration. Due to MS own
bureaucratic complexity, too much of this know-how seems to be just assumed
and ultimately left up for the bewildered business person end user (often
with limited time and tech background) to figure out for them selves.

-THP

Great info Lon for sorting out one's options as they curently exist today.

Thanks,

-THP

Laura:

[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]

 

[Lon Orenstein]

Thanks Tim! When I was at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference last
month, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way for BCM users
to share and synch all their data. The number one thing I learned is that
Exchange is the "killer app" now and will be even more so in the future.
I'd love to think that MS will configure BCM to be integrated into Exchange
but I don't know if/when that will happen. So, I'm working on what options
BCM users have now to share data.

I'll do another eBook on how to make all this work -- after I figure it out!

Take care,
Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
800.238.0560 x6104 Toll Free (U.S. only) +1 214.905.0401 x6104
www.pinpointtools.com

Lon,

Your above post so inspired me that I got to thinking ...

You should submit a proposal to Wiley publishing to author something
called
"Options for Running your Small Business using Microsoft Office for
Dummies."

The reason for my suggestion is that at long last, someone (You) actually
"SPELL OUT" the mechanics of how to sort out and actually apply the
various
available MS tools for data sharing configuration. Due to MS own
bureaucratic complexity, too much of this know-how seems to be just
assumed
and ultimately left up for the bewildered business person end user (often
with limited time and tech background) to figure out for them selves.

-THP

Great info Lon for sorting out one's options as they curently exist today.

Thanks,

-THP

Laura:

[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]

Please advise ASAP. My whole business is being held up by this.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Lon,

Your current ebooks are very straight-forward, no-nonsense well done. Your
next one will be very welcome! I agree that Exchange really is the sleeper
secret weapon with much untapped potential. Time will tell all.

-THP

Thanks Tim! When I was at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference last
month, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way for BCM users
to share and synch all their data. The number one thing I learned is that
Exchange is the "killer app" now and will be even more so in the future.
I'd love to think that MS will configure BCM to be integrated into Exchange
but I don't know if/when that will happen. So, I'm working on what options
BCM users have now to share data.

I'll do another eBook on how to make all this work -- after I figure it out!

Take care,
Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
800.238.0560 x6104 Toll Free (U.S. only) +1 214.905.0401 x6104
www.pinpointtools.com

Lon,

[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Additional thought:

The very fluid nature of today's business is what seems to be driving this
demand for more versatile and easy to configure data sharing. Gone are the
old physical plant days where even a small entrepreneurial entity uses only X
technology in only 1 certain predictable way. The increasing pervasiveness
of the Web has enabled all manner of incarnations for business to exist often
with colleagues scattered far and wide.

The main idea continues to be: Remote location, multiple user, real-time
access to a centralized db. Regardless of the scope and scale of an
enterprise, I believe that demand for an easy to use solution with this type
of configuration will only continue to grow.

MS would do well to catch this wave with greater integration and simplicity.


-THP

Lon,

Your current ebooks are very straight-forward, no-nonsense well done. Your
next one will be very welcome! I agree that Exchange really is the sleeper
secret weapon with much untapped potential. Time will tell all.

-THP

Thanks Tim! When I was at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference last
month, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way for BCM users

[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]

 

[Bob Oxford]

Just would like to weigh in here.

The basic problem here is that there is really no such thing as simple
solution to this issue. Small Business Server is marketed to businesses as
though the customer could just plug it in and go back to running their own
business. The truth is that the $700 people pay for Small Business Server is
only the tip of the iceberg!

Most Small Business owners don't have the time, knowledge or resources to
devote to learning everything they need to know to maintain such a beast, or
to hire the expertise to "Git 'er done." They have businesses to run.

If Small business Server were to live up to the marketing hype, we wouldn't
all be looking for ways to not have to install an Exchange server solution to
solve the needs of small business. Too big a hammer for the size of the
issue and more importantly, the client. But alas the "total cost of
ownership" of SBS is much more than your avreage Small Business can afford
and so we keep scrounging around for a cost effective way to share calendars
and email without the enormous overhead of Exchange Server.

Hosted Exchange Server is a solution that adds way too much complexity for a
small bakery or retail. These people don't understand MX records, domain
names, DNS Servers, RAID and the like. Nor should they have to. I want the
guy that makes my doughnuts to make the best damn doughnut he can. That's
his business. He shouldn't need to know how to configure a Netgear router or
maintain user privelidges! It is the job of the software company to develop
a solution the insulates the user from the underlying complexity rather than
to just release a product that requires a team of technical people to
install, support an adminsiter.

Lots of companies are trying to come up with a solution. The company that
finally gets it right will make a fortune. I was hoping that company would
be Microsoft. I have my doubts, but who knows, even a blind squirrel finds a
nut every once in while!

I'd be interested if anyone hears of a viable solution that could be
installed and maintained by a typical small business owner.

Oh well...of my soap box for now.


Bob Oxford
President
Software Wizards, Inc.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Excellent comments Bob!

-THP

Just would like to weigh in here.

The basic problem here is that there is really no such thing as simple
solution to this issue. Small Business Server is marketed to businesses as
though the customer could just plug it in and go back to running their own
business. The truth is that the $700 people pay for Small Business Server is
only the tip of the iceberg!

Most Small Business owners don't have the time, knowledge or resources to
devote to learning everything they need to know to maintain such a beast, or
to hire the expertise to "Git 'er done." They have businesses to run.

If Small business Server were to live up to the marketing hype, we wouldn't
all be looking for ways to not have to install an Exchange server solution to
solve the needs of small business. Too big a hammer for the size of the
issue and more importantly, the client. But alas the "total cost of
ownership" of SBS is much more than your avreage Small Business can afford
and so we keep scrounging around for a cost effective way to share calendars
and email without the enormous overhead of Exchange Server.

Hosted Exchange Server is a solution that adds way too much complexity for a
small bakery or retail. These people don't understand MX records, domain
names, DNS Servers, RAID and the like. Nor should they have to. I want the
guy that makes my doughnuts to make the best damn doughnut he can. That's
his business. He shouldn't need to know how to configure a Netgear router or
maintain user privelidges! It is the job of the software company to develop
a solution the insulates the user from the underlying complexity rather than
to just release a product that requires a team of technical people to
install, support an adminsiter.

Lots of companies are trying to come up with a solution. The company that
finally gets it right will make a fortune. I was hoping that company would
be Microsoft. I have my doubts, but who knows, even a blind squirrel finds a
nut every once in while!

I'd be interested if anyone hears of a viable solution that could be
installed and maintained by a typical small business owner.

Oh well...of my soap box for now.

Bob Oxford
President
Software Wizards, Inc.