Setting up a free 30-day trial of the Polaris Release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Part 1

Colin Maitland, 18 February 2013

The Polaris release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online was recently released. 

The Polaris release web application supports multiple web browsers and operating systems. A new process-flow user experience for guiding users through Sales and Customer Service related business processes using pre-defined and configurable process flows has been added. Compatibility with Microsoft Office 2013 is now provided.

The following instructions describe how you can setup a free 30-day trial.

1.  Navigate to http://crm.dynamics.com and locate the CRM Trial logo:

  

2. Click Get Started! to navigate to the Get Started on Your 30-Day Online Trial Overview page. E.g. http://crm.dynamics.com/en-nz/trial-overview.

3. Locate and click TRY NOW!. Recommended: Before doing so read the information on this page to get an overview of what to expect from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 trial. 

 

4. Complete the following form on the Microsoft Online Services sign-up page. In this example I have used 01-02-2013 as the Organisation name and jscrm (i.e. Jane Smith CRM) as the Domain name. 

The Organisation name you choose will be used for the creation of your trial Microsoft Dynamics CRM Organisation. If you will not be converting your trial to a paid subscription then it is recommended that you do not use your company name. 

The Domain name you choose will be used for the creation of the URL (web address) for accessing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. E.g. In this example the URL created will be https://jscrm.crm5.onmicrosoft.com. 

It is important to provide your phone number and e-mail address. The email address will be used for important service notifications such as those used to enable you to reset a password. 

 

5. Enter a new User ID and Password.

  

6. Enter the Verification information.

 

7. Configure your contact preferences.

  

8. Optional: Read the Microsoft Online Services Trial Agreement.

9.  Click I accept and continue.

  

10. The following message will be displayed.

  

11. After a short duration the following screen will be displayed. Enter your mobile phone number and then click Save and continue.

 

12. The following information will be displayed. Microsoft Dynamics CRM will take a few minutes to set up Dynamics CRM. When finished, a Manage link will be displayed instead of the Setting up Dynamics CRM message. When the Manage link is displayed click it to continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online settings page will be displayed. Click continue.

  

14. The following page will be displayed. Check the Currency and then click Configure CRM.

  

15. The following page will be displayed. Note: There may be a brief pause while your organisation is being made ready. The Getting Started with Microsoft Dynamics CRM video will provide you with a short 2½ minute getting started overview of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

The two URL’s displayed on this page are imported for you to bookmark. The first allows you to sign in directly to your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online organisation and the second allows you to manage users, licenses, and your subscriptions. E.g.

https://jscrm.crm5.dynamics.com

https://portal.microsoftonline.com 

 

16. When you are ready, click Launch CRM Online.

  

17. You will be logged into your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online trial.

  

You can now use your CRM trial.

If you logout you can logon again by entering the URL of your CRM trial Organisation such as https://jscrm.crm5.dynamics.com and enter the user name and password you configured when setting up the trial.

 

Finally, you should have received a Get started with your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trial e-mail message from the Microsoft Online Services Team.

 

 

  

In my next blog I will provide instructions on how to configure some of your Personal Options and System Settings for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 so that you get the best experience from your trial.