This blog will share our recent discussion How to amplify your business with Sage CRM and Sage 300, explaining how your employees can work remotely, all while managing sales with a fully integrated web-based Sage CRM and Sage 300. Make sure to watch the live video to see the products in action; demonstrating how to bridge the gap with CRM so remote workers can access necessary financial data with ease.
Many of our customers use Sage CRM to help their sales, marketing and customer service teams build more profitable relationships every day. It is a full-featured, web-based CRM solution that is easy to use and quick to deploy. In this blog I will outline 10 things that you may not have known you could do within Sage CRM. Hopefully you can learn something new that will improve your user experience of Sage CRM.
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Why does it appear?
The can be several reasons why this message appears and it usually comes when there has been a change in the configuration of the system. This maybe as a result of an upgrade, or if the SQL password for the "sa" user has been changed, and the same change has not been affected in CRM.
There are some helpful questions to ask when this happens.
Does the error appear for all users?
If the system administrator can logon but another user can not, you will have to turn on the system logs and see what happens. Start looking at the SQL logs and see if the requests are getting to the database. It may give you enough information to sort out the problem.
Is your database running?
UnableToConnectToDB
[DBNETLIB][ConnectionOpen (Connect()).]SQL Server does not exist or access denied
Driver: MSSQL
Server: UKTRAINING
Database: CRM
LoginName: sa You may need to recreate views manually.
This is symptomatic of a database server that is not running. Can you connect using query analyser or other SQL tool?
If the database is already running.. stop and start the database service and retry.
Have you just restored a backedup database?
The error message can appear when you have a mismatch between database and CRM versions. For example you may get the message if you have restored a Sage CRM 5.8 database to an install of Sage CRM that is 6.0
Is CRM trying to connect to the correct database?
Go to start\run\regedit\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\eware\config click on the CRM beneath that and see the right panel see that default databaseserver name is exactly you have, if it is not, then change it manually. You'll need to do an IISRESET before you try and logon again.
Have you changed the database password?
UnableToConnectToDB
Login failed for user 'sa'
Driver: MSSQL
Server: UKTRAINING
Database: CRM
LoginName: sa You may need to recreate views manually.
This can be symptomatic of when the "sa" password was entered correctly but contains a special character, such as $, in the beginning.
Or more alarmingly it can be symptomatic of someone or something (e.g. a Virus, worm etc) changing the password on the database server.
Note:
The can be several reasons why this message appears and it usually comes when there has been a change in the configuration of the system. This maybe as a result of an upgrade, or if the SQL password for the "sa" user has been changed, and the same change has not been affected in CRM.
There are some helpful questions to ask when this happens.
Does the error appear for all users?
If the system administrator can logon but another user can not, you will have to turn on the system logs and see what happens. Start looking at the SQL logs and see if the requests are getting to the database. It may give you enough information to sort out the problem.
Is your database running?
UnableToConnectToDB
[DBNETLIB][ConnectionOpen (Connect()).]SQL Server does not exist or access denied
Driver: MSSQL
Server: UKTRAINING
Database: CRM
LoginName: sa You may need to recreate views manually.
This is symptomatic of a database server that is not running. Can you connect using query analyser or other SQL tool?
If the database is already running.. stop and start the database service and retry.
Have you just restored a backedup database?
The error message can appear when you have a mismatch between database and CRM versions. For example you may get the message if you have restored a Sage CRM 5.8 database to an install of Sage CRM that is 6.0
Is CRM trying to connect to the correct database?
Go to start\run\regedit\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\eware\config click on the CRM beneath that and see the right panel see that default databaseserver name is exactly you have, if it is not, then change it manually. You'll need to do an IISRESET before you try and logon again.
Have you changed the database password?
UnableToConnectToDB
Login failed for user 'sa'
Driver: MSSQL
Server: UKTRAINING
Database: CRM
LoginName: sa You may need to recreate views manually.
This can be symptomatic of when the "sa" password was entered correctly but contains a special character, such as $, in the beginning.
Or more alarmingly it can be symptomatic of someone or something (e.g. a Virus, worm etc) changing the password on the database server.
Note:
If you need to change the "sa" password, the correct thing to do is to logon to CRM, change the database password under Administration>System>Database first, then reset the password in MSSQL, and finally reset IIS and logon to CRM again.
But if the database " sa" password has been reset first, then it will not be known to CRM, so you will not be able to connect to the database. Then you'll need to reset the password in MS SQL to the previous password.
But what if you don't know the database " sa" password? You will first need to reset the " sa" password to something you do know. Then you will have to reset the password in the CRM registry. (Backup the registry before doing this!!!).
In the registry browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SOFTWARE | eWare | Config | [ CRM], where [ CRM] is the name of the CRM instance.
You can set the DatabasePassword to the new database password in plain text. Do an IISRESET, then you should be able to logon to CRM. Once you have logged on to CRM go and reenter the new password and it will be saved back into the registry in encrypted form.
But how do I recreate views manually?
There is a view in the Sage CRM database called " vsentinel". When CRM first starts up (after an IISRESET) and it finds that vsentinel is not present, it will use this as the trigger to force the recreation of the views based on the definitions stored in meta data. Once the other views have been recreated it then creates the trigger view " vsentinel" again.
To force the recreation of the views do this:
1. Do IISRESET from the Run prompt.
2. Go to the SQL Manager. Take a backup of your CRM SQL Database first.
3. Now through SQL Manager itself, select the CRM SQL Database instance. There you will find an option Views which lists all the Views against it.
4. Select the user view " vsentinel". All CRM views are prefixed with ‘v’.
5. Press the Delete key from the keyboard and drop the view.
6. After the IISRESET, try to login to CRM and see whether you are able to log in to CRM now or not.
There is a view in the Sage CRM database called " vsentinel". When CRM first starts up (after an IISRESET) and it finds that vsentinel is not present, it will use this as the trigger to force the recreation of the views based on the definitions stored in meta data. Once the other views have been recreated it then creates the trigger view " vsentinel" again.
To force the recreation of the views do this:
1. Do IISRESET from the Run prompt.
2. Go to the SQL Manager. Take a backup of your CRM SQL Database first.
3. Now through SQL Manager itself, select the CRM SQL Database instance. There you will find an option Views which lists all the Views against it.
4. Select the user view " vsentinel". All CRM views are prefixed with ‘v’.
5. Press the Delete key from the keyboard and drop the view.
6. After the IISRESET, try to login to CRM and see whether you are able to log in to CRM now or not.
Have you been editing the Themes CSS files in Sage CRM 6.2?
Sage CRM 6.2 has introduced a new way of generating this message. This can seem surprising as it has nothing to do with the database and everything to do with a corrupt CSS file being in the Themes folder.
Sage CRM 6.2 introduced the idea of themes. There is some training material that covers this within the Resources section of this website that development partners can
download and there are also additional
sample themes
available.
As part of developing a theme a cascading stylesheet will have to be created and edited that contains the style settings for the new look and feel that is being constructed. But there is a section of the stylesheet that has to be preserved. This is clearly marked in the existing stylesheets.
e.g.
C:\Program Files\Sage\CRM\CRM\WWWRoot\Themes\default.css
C:\Program Files\Sage\CRM\CRM\WWWRoot\Themes\neutral.css
C:\Program Files\Sage\CRM\CRM\WWWRoot\Themes\sage_green.css
/*
CRM GREEN CUSTOM SETTINGS
DO NOT CHANGE FORMAT BETWEEN 'CRM SETTINGS' TAGS
[CRM SETTINGS]
[INITIALIZATION]
//theme file version
VERSION = 1.0
[COLORS DEFINITION]
//wsEmailclient
COLORCAPTIONBLUE=#6795C3
//TSearchEntryGroup.GetEditHtmlFromContent
...
CRM GREEN CUSTOM SETTINGS
DO NOT CHANGE FORMAT BETWEEN 'CRM SETTINGS' TAGS
[CRM SETTINGS]
[INITIALIZATION]
//theme file version
VERSION = 1.0
[COLORS DEFINITION]
//wsEmailclient
COLORCAPTIONBLUE=#6795C3
//TSearchEntryGroup.GetEditHtmlFromContent
...
[FONTS]
//WrbTriPage, WsEmailClient
FONTFAMILY=MS P-Mincho
...
//WrbTriPage, WsEmailClient
FONTFAMILY=MS P-Mincho
...
[CRM SETTINGS]
*/
*/
The values within this section maybe changed BUT the structure must be preserved. If this section is corrupted or is absent in
any
css file contained in the Themes folder
C:\Program Files\Sage\CRM\CRM\WWWRoot\Themes\
then it will generate the 'You may need to recreate views manually' message when someone tries to first logon after IIS has been reset. It does not matter is the CSS file is not referenced in translations. All CSS files in the folder are scanned. The origin of the error may be shown in the system log in this case.
So what happens if I still can't log on?
Remember this was not an exhaustive article. Don't panic. Think about what has just changed in the system? Have you applied a new component? Can you restore to the prior state? Have a good look through the forums and knowledge base and then log a case with support.
I hope that this article has helped.
With all of the excitement over the release of Sage 300 ERP v2012 and its new features, it’s easy to forget how many amazing tools you already have at your fingertips. One of the handiest tools for those of us in administration is also one of the more under-utilized features in Sage CRM – Document and Email Templates.
Every now and then I like to reflect on the beauty of Sage CRM and voice my appreciation. Sometimes I, (perish the thought) try to contemplate my position without it in my life and that…that takes me to a dark place.
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BAASS Business Solutions has been using Sage CRM to manage staff schedules for several years now. It has powerful scheduling features for recurring appointments, conflict notification, email and on screen reminders and more.
One of the Key Performance Indicators I use as a predicative indicator of our capacity and revenue forecast is an adhoc report I export from CRM on a weekly basis. The report takes me about a minute or two to export but once exported it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to manipulate so that it provides the number of days in the month that are booked as compared to those that are not, and the number of days that are booked for non billable vs billable activities. It also requires some sorting to check for double bookings. The report is critical to predict future revenues, lead time, and resource allocation.
I knew this report could be automated with some work but it was beyond my expertise. One of my staff saw the request on our CRM wishlist and decided to take it on. As I was creating the adhoc version of the report in Excel he felt that Sage Intelligence was the best option as it is an Excel based BI tool that can look at any data source including our CRM data. In a few days he designed a report that not only gives me the data I want with the click of a button it allows for easy configuration if we add employees or make other changes to our organization. It now takes less than 15 seconds to get a report that formerly took a half hour to prepare. I can also run the report hourly or more frequently if I want, as opposed to weekly.
We have even set the report to be sent to my email so it is waiting for me every morning.
I now have valuable information at my fingertips when and where I need it.
Thanks Mitch!!!
If you would like us to see if we can help your business get access to data in a more effective manner or get access to data you can't get access to now, give us a call. You might be surprised what your software is capable of doing.
It has been a while since I last updated you on my executive dashboard so I thought I would take this opportunity to let you know where we are at today. I have spent most of the time since we last spoke enhancing the Dashboard within Sage CRM. I check this dashboard almost everyday as it updates me on where BAASS Business Solutions is at from several different departmental perspectives.
Read More > I recently met with the President of BAASS to determine the best way to get data from our Sage ERP 300 (formerly Accpac) and Sage CRM. Sage 300 and CRM are two independent, but synchronized systems. All customers, vendors and their respective contact details are updated live between each. It’s an out-of-the-box solution provided by Sage. The limitation that we were up against was that the customization nature of CRM was leaving Sage 300 behind.
In CRM we keep many additional details about our customers in addition to the standard details that you might find in any typical ERP. CRM is designed to be able to handle these extra details by allowing us to add extra fields to a company’s details. In this case, SIC codes. In Sage 300, there is no place for a SIC code without creating an optional field. Optional fields are a powerful addition to Sage 300 that allows for the creation of custom containers of information, like a SIC code. Although Sage 300 and CRM are synchronized, you can’t expect two independent systems to be able to automatically keep up with structural changes made by the end user.
When the conversation started, we were talking about how are we going to get this piece of information reliably from CRM to Sage 300. So I proposed a little piece of custom software that would check for changes in each and make the same change to the other, a common approach to address this type of functionality gap. It’s not a difficult thing to create, but like anything else, it was going to take a bit of time. However, I then asked the magic question which should have been asked at the beginning...
“Why do you want to do this?”
To which he responded; “I want to be able to get a sales report that groups by SIC code”
SIC codes are in CRM and sales numbers are in Sage 300. It seems logical that if you want to report on two pieces of data, to put one where the other is. In this case, put the CRM data in Sage 300.
But wait! There is an easier solution! Just because data exists in two different places, does not mean we can’t combine them into one report. Using any number of techniques, we can create a single report that would give all the required results in far less time than creating a tool that moves data around. Solutions like Sage 300 Intelligence are designed exactly for this purpose.
If you have Sage 300 5.6 or 6.0, you already own Sage 300 Intelligence and that is a great starting point. If you have multiple sets of data that you would like to combine, let's see what we can do for you.
Contact us for more info and subscribe for more Sage 300 Tips & Tricks.
