Upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 365 in one step, with a minimum technological window (less than 2 hours)  

By 2021, the number of end users of the service has grown to 20 million, the number of services provided has expanded, and the use of an outdated version of the product has significantly slowed down communication with customers and partners. The system needed to be improved. The complexity of such an update is that it is possible only in stages, first until 2015, then until 2016, and only then 365. At the same time, OS updates occur on the application server and on the database server. In a normal situation, the technological window would be about 10-15 hours. In our case, this was not possible, since the system had to work around the clock. We have developed a one-step transition plan for the new version of the system using a number of additional servers and data migration. We managed to create exactly the same CRM circuit next to the “combat” one, on which all the required updates were installed, all testing cycles were carried out, including the load one. Thanks to the data migration mechanism we developed at the estimated time, we simply switched the NS addresses to the new server. For the end users of the system, everything went quickly and imperceptibly.

Implementation of a new authorization system into the existing infrastructure. It is important not to destroy the current working infrastructure, but to do this with minimal modifications from already working products.

Implementation of SSO login in all products of the company, when the user has the opportunity to log in once on a single resource using one account and subsequently remain authorized on all other resources. Implemented the possibility of SSO login and the ability to login by phone number with sending a one-time password to a mobile phone. A user authentication and authorization service was developed that meets all modern security standards (Oauth 2.0). A phased transition plan was also prepared for all products, events were separated by time, facade services were developed so that all products within the system were loosely connected to the new system. Thus, we managed to completely solve the vendor-lock problem, and ensure a safe and painless transition to the new authorization service.

Monitoring of the analytics system based on QLIK.

The monitoring system allows you to quickly respond to possible problems and errors of the entire QLIK architecture. The developed tools and accessories collect all the necessary information from the servers on which the BI system is installed. As part of the system, all tasks for updating each report are tracked, errors that occur are displayed online. The information is displayed to the support specialist in the form of a single dashboard page with indicators. The page is updated every 5 minutes. This solution is suitable for all industries and areas, significantly reduces the time to search for errors in reporting and allows you to quickly respond to infrastructure problems. The solution to the problem has been proposed the BI team.

In a short time, transfer all installations of the analytical system without loss of performance and with minimal resource costs.

At the time of the transfer, more than three hundred users worked simultaneously in the system, for whom the entire process had to go unnoticed. As part of the project, the team developed a sequential transfer solution for each of the 3 components of the analytical system without disrupting interaction and performance. When the first part of the component moved to new servers and domain, the other two worked normally and received the necessary data from the first. Also, the team used the servers left over from the previous analytical system to transfer the next one. A pipelined resource allocation method was implemented, which reduced the total resources needed to migrate more than 10 server installations.

Production, architectural solutions

Transfer of developed reports from QlikView to Qlik Sense. The project was carried out for 5 months and included the transfer of more than 10 applications of the ETL model with further processing of visualizations. The difficulty was that the developed applications in QlikView had complex relationships within and calculations that needed to be optimized. The team finalized the branched indicator model and introduced new indicators, the calculations of which were added to the transferred applications.

Reduce the burden on technical support

Development of a system of analytical indicators to provide the end business user with the opportunity to search for the indicators he needs, methods of calculation. A system of analytical indicators has been formed - a library of indicators, calculations, and sources used in analytical reports. The user can independently find all analytical panels (dashboards), where the indicator he needs is visualized. An advanced search for indicators has been implemented, the user is shown all the necessary information, including sources, calculation formulas, customers and information reports that contain these indicators. The system is implemented in the Web interface, can be installed as a separate solution or built into the corporate portal.

Deploy a corporate portal based on 365sharepoint in two weeks

Almost 2 years of work in a remote format required the creation of a common communication platform, and the preparation of a space for the introduction of personnel electronic document management was also required. In two weeks, a portal was assembled from the basic components of 365sharepoint, an organizational structure, a news block, birthdays, applications for vacations and business trips, timesheets (reports on daily loading on projects) were implemented.