Richard Knudson is well known and respected in the Microsoft Dynamics channel as both a writer and a trainer. I began reading his book, Building Business with CRM, with high expectations and am happy to say it did not disappoint. He focuses not only on the conceptual aspects of business process automation but delves into the practical and procedural as well.
Richard sets the stage for readers and nicely correlates common business concepts and examples from today’s business world with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011’s Process Automation features. Additionally, he succinctly introduces some of the basic Microsoft Dynamics CrM Process concepts for readers as they begin to engage the topic. For readers with a business background and some background with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, his writing style will be engaging and easy to understand.
In Chapters 2 and 3, richard does a phenomenal job of walking through the step by step instructions for not only creating simple workflows, but also explains the purpose of the process each step along the way. The voice the author uses in this book is one of an experienced trainer and consultant. To sit down with an instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and his book, you could get a very strong understanding of not only what to do but why you are doing it as well.
He goes on in these chapters to discuss workflow and dialog design concepts. The importance richard places on proper design upfront in the process is really appreciated. He takes a very pragmatic approach to the use of dialogs and workflows in that he does not present them as the end-all-be-all for any business problem. He clearly explains to the reader when dialogs and workflows are appropriate and when alternative approaches are desired.
In Chapters 4 and 5, richard provides one of the best explanations of dialog design, troubleshooting, and examples out there. I found the explanations and examples so effective that I plan on adding some of richard’s examples to my own arsenal and leverage how he explains certain concepts as well.
For users looking to learn how to use dialogs and workflows in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (even if you have done it in previous versions) all the way up to experienced consultants, this book is highly recommended. It is hands down one of the best business applications books on Microsoft Dynamics CRM available today.