Getting your Product Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CFMD)

Gayan Perera, 18 March 2011

Recently we went through the process of getting our Dynamics CRM 4 to Xero connector certified for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. It was a smooth process; we’ve gone through quite a few ISV platform tests before so we were familiar with what’s required which made it a painless process.

If you’re thinking about getting your product CFMD’d here are a few things to keep in mind.

Overview

The testing is carried out by VeriTest/Lionbridge. First you’ll need to register for the test, before that read the requirements. There are 2 pricing/testing options:

1. Software solution test - 2800 USD
2. Pre-certification software solution test - 3800 USD

The pre-certification test is a better choice even though it’s slightly expensive, the reason being that if a test fails for whatever reason the pre-certification option gives you a second chance to fix/workaround whereas the normal test will cost you another 1500 USD for a re-test.

Requirements Overview

The test itself is painless if your product is in good working condition; the other requirements are a little bit difficult to attain.

• Customer References
For CRM you need 8 references from at least 4 different customers, you have the option of using public references such as the solution finder or confidential VeriTest/Microsoft references which I found hard to understand so to be safe just make sure you have at least 8 different customers!

• Support Capabilities
You must show VeriTest that you’re capable of handling support requests along with a knowledge base, eg: FAQ
We used our support portal http://support.magnetism.co.nz and our help portal http://help.magnetism.co.nz

• Software Escrow
This is basically a re-assurance to customers that the add-on is a solid solution and if something does horribly go wrong a clause in the escrow service can be invoked for another party to take control of the source code and continue support.

Now that the paper work is out of the way the testing of the product begins, here are couple of tips & tricks to help you pass the test

*

Your product must have an installer and uninstaller, it’s a good idea to keep the installation and uninstallation process simple since the person testing the software will have no understanding of the product like you do.

If your product uses 3^rd party components make sure you let VeriTest know in advance, also let them know where those components live.

**

Make sure your product doesn’t touch the SQL database at all! It’s also a good idea if you use the Microsoft.Crm.Sdk* dlls rather than adding references to the web service directly.

Also avoid doing the following:

• Touching CRM registry keys for tweaks…etc
• Touching the CRM installation folders/files (eg: replacing images or aspx files)

Along with your installer send VeriTest a document explaining how they can test the functionality of the software, this is not a demo so make sure the demo gods don’t interfere with the test!

If everything goes well you’ll get a response within 24-48 hours of starting the test and the verification of customer references, supporting capabilities and escrow service will start, give that a week or two and you’ll have the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics CRM (CFMD) logo in your hands!

*Image from http://www.computertrainingpattaya.com/
**Image from http://www.notwiththatface.com/category/body-modification/