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Microsoft CRM is designed to be customizable. Also the conception of Microsoft CRM – it is web-based application – sure it has MS Outlook client, but this is auxiliary – so think about MS CRM as your web front. We do, however understand that programmer should be given examples on how to modify MS CRM. We are trying to cover this in this small article.
Imaging something like this. You need to handle incoming email before it is committed to MS Exchange database. You need to analyze if incoming email doesn't have GUID in its Subject (GUID will allow MS CRM Exchange Connector to move email to Microsoft CRM and attach it to the Contact, Account or Lead) - then you still need to lookup MS CRM in case if one of the accounts, contacts or leads has email address that matches with sender email address - then you need to create closed activity-email in MS CRM, attached to the object and placed into general queue.
How to create MS Exchange handler is outside of the scope, please see this article: http://www.albaspectrum.com/Customizations_Whitepapers/Dexterity_SQL_VBA_Crystal/ExchangeHandlerExample.htm
Now the code below is classical MS CRM SDK and it will create activity email:

 
public Guid CreateEmailActivity(Guid userId, int objectType, Guid objectId, string mailFrom, CRMUser crmUser, string subject, string body) {
try {
        log.Debug("Prepare for Mail Activity Creating");
        // BizUser proxy object
        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser bizUser = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser();
        ICredentials credentials = new NetworkCredential(sysUserId, sysPassword, sysDomain);
        bizUser.Url = crmDir + "BizUser.srf";
        bizUser.Credentials = credentials;
        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CUserAuth userAuth = bizUser.WhoAmI();
        // CRMEmail proxy object
        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMEmail email = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMEmail();
        email.Credentials = credentials;
        email.Url = crmDir + "CRMEmail.srf";
        // Set up the XML string for the activity
        string strActivityXml = "";
        strActivityXml += "";
        strActivityXml += "") + "]]>";
        strActivityXml += "";
        strActivityXml += userId.ToString("B") + "";
        strActivityXml += "";
        // Set up the XML string for the activity parties
        string strPartiesXml = "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "" + crmUser.GetEmailAddress() + "";
        strPartiesXml += "" + Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otSystemUser.ToString() + "";
        strPartiesXml += ""+ crmUser.GetId().ToString("B") + "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ACTIVITY_PARTY_TYPE.ACTIVITY_PARTY_TO_RECIPIENT.ToString();
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "" + mailFrom + "";
        if (objectType==Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otAccount) {
        strPartiesXml += "" + Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otAccount.ToString() + "";
        }
        else if (objectType==Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otContact) {
        strPartiesXml += "" + Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otContact.ToString() + "";
        }
        else if (objectType==Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otLead) {
        strPartiesXml += "" + Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ObjectType.otLead.ToString() + "";
        }
        strPartiesXml += ""+ objectId.ToString("B") + "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ACTIVITY_PARTY_TYPE.ACTIVITY_PARTY_SENDER.ToString();
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        strPartiesXml += "";
        log.Debug(strPartiesXml);
        // Create the e-mail object
        Guid emailId = new Guid(email.Create(userAuth, strActivityXml, strPartiesXml));
        return emailId;
}
catch (System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException e) {
log.Debug("ErrorMessage: " + e.Message + " " + e.Detail.OuterXml + " Source: " + e.Source);
}
catch (Exception e) {
log.Debug(e.Message + "\r\n" + e.StackTrace);
}
return new Guid();
}

Now I would like to share the trick with you - there is no method to make this activity closed in MS CRM SDK 1.2 (if somebody knows the one - I owe you small pocket aquarium - smile!). Obviously Microsoft doesn't support if you do direct SQL programming bypassing SDK. However I would say this is not direct objects creation - this is rather flags correction. So here is what we have - this procedure will do the job and make activity closed:

 
public void UpdateActivityCodes(Guid emailId) {
try {
        OleDbCommand command = conn.CreateCommand();
        command.CommandText = "UPDATE ActivityBase SET DirectionCode = (?), StateCode = (?), PriorityCode = (?) WHERE ActivityId = (?)";
        command.Prepare();
        command.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter("DirectionCode", Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.EVENT_DIRECTION.ED_INCOMING));
        command.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter("StateCode", Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.ACTIVITY_STATE.ACTS_CLOSED));
        command.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter("PriorityCode", Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Types.PRIORITY_CODE.PC_MEDIUM));
        command.Parameters.Add(new OleDbParameter("ActivityId", emailId));
        log.Debug("Prepare to update activity code " + emailId.ToString("B") + " in ActivityBase");
        command.ExecuteNonQuery();
    }
    catch(Exception e) {
        log.Debug(e.Message + "\r\n" + e.StackTrace);
    }
}

Happy customizing! if you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

About The Author

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, New York, Atlanta, Miami, Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Germany ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.
akarasev@albaspectrum.com