what are the different ways to share my business contacts with other users?

[James]

what are the different ways to share my business contacts with other users?
do i need a sql server on a server machine?

 

[Luther]

With bcm v2 sharing, you use one MSDE (sql server) database on a single
client.

The database on a server machine is not supported.

You can also export your contacts to other users.

 

[James]

how do you prevent other users from reading attached emails to business
contacts?

 

[James]

also why can't i host the db on a server?

how do you prevent other users from reading attached emails to business
contacts?

 

[Luther]

With emails you have the option of attaching them to Contacts or not. I
believe BCM explicitly asks you if you want it to attach emails when
you turn on sharing, and then asks each user the first time they attach
to the shared db.

 

[Luther]

Hosting the db on the server works, but is not supported. That means
you'll have to figure it out yourself. There are no wizards to help you
and Microsoft won't help you when you run into problems.

My understanding is that with each release Microsoft makes a list of
the desired features, and ranks them by resources required to implement
and number of users asking for it. Db on a server didn't make the cut
for V2.

 

[Anne Stanton, CRM-MVP, MBA/ACC]

BCM was not designed to originally be multi-user. The request came in
later.. It really was designed to pull all those contacts OUT of a .PST file
on machines not associated with Exchange Server.

If you want full blown multi-user watch for MS CRM v3.0 releasing soon for
the Small and Medium size business (soon as in it is in beta and they are
talking December)

 

[James]

whats differnt about crm v3 than bcm v2? does it support the pocket pc?

 

[Anne Stanton, CRM-MVP, MBA/ACC]

Totally different applications. MS CRM 3.0 is being released in 1st Quarter
of 2006 and is in Beta testing now. MS CRM 1.2 is available.

BCM 2.0 was upgraded to support the request for multi-user mode. It is a bit
new however and my understanding is that configuring the database for
multi-user is not easy. For instance the database is on a local drive as
opposed to the server.

Mostly however I think it is a lack of distributed instructions more than
anything