CRM Architecture

Dynamics CRM 4.0 is a three-tier server application that can help organizations manage front office processes, such as sales, marketing, and customer service, and serve as a development platform for other custom business applications.

As shown at the bottom of the diagram, CRM 4.0 stores business data (such as customer lists, information about marketing programs, product details, orders, and quotes) in SQL Server 2005 database tables. The schemas of these entities are contained in XML files, and Dynamics CRM supplies tools that workers can use to customize entities (adding or renaming attributes, for instance) or create new ones. The CRM database also houses predefined reports to help organizations track and measure customer relationship management activities, such as the performance of marketing efforts, sales histories, and customer service activities. Reports are based on SQL Server Reporting Services. Dynamics CRM can integrate with Exchange Server 2007 (or another supported e-mail server) to provide e-mail communication between users, customers, and system administrators.