PieSync: 
[Example] Connecting to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Draft 0.1   Nov 11 2020


Background

These instructions assume that the customer already has a Pinpointe account, a PieSync account and an account for the other application to be connected (Microsoft Dynamics CRM).

Piesync is a contact synchronization tool to keep contacts in 2 or more systems in sync. This product is best used when you want to keep records between multiple systems up to date in real-time. Setting up a connector to sync contacts takes only a few minutes.

Piesync pricing is based on the number of contacts to be synchronized.  If one application has 10k contacts and the other system has 100,000 contacts and you only want to keep the 10k contacts sync’d between systems, then you will need PieSync for up to 10,000 contacts.


Sign up at: www.piesync.com



Syncing with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft Dynamics has many different versions. This document summarizes setting up a connector to sync between MS Dynamics CRM and Pinpointe. The steps should be the same for other Dynamics products. Setting up and configuring a connector takes only a few minutes.


The steps are:

  • Select the apps to connect (Pinpointe + MS Dynamics CRM)

  • Authenticate each app

  • Configure data to sync; set field mapping and options. Save to sync



Select Applications

On the Piesync home screen (“Connections”) click ‘New Connections:



This will give you the menu option to add the first application to connect.  We’ve entered “Microsoft Dynamics” to find the matching application:




Next, select the application to connect to.  We’ve entered Pinpointe to search applications:

Authorize the Applications to Connect

Next, we’ll authorize PieSync to connect to each of the applications. Select ‘Add a New Account’



Start with Pinpointe. Piesync will display the instructions to connect -- you’ll need the following information to connect to your Pinpointe account:

  • Pinpointe application url (without the https://), 

  • loginID and 

  • API key. (* In Pinpointe, navigate to Account Settings -> API & Connectors)





Next, authenticate your Dynamics account. Follow PieSync’s on-screen instructions.


Once the accounts are authenticated, you’ll connect the applications. Start with Pinpointe. 

When you select Pinpointe, you’ll select the database to connect to. 





Once both applications have been authorized, configure the sync between the apps:




Configure Sync Options

Select the data types to sync (Pinpointe Contacts, and either Contacts or Leads in Dynamics:





Next select the sync type (A to B, B to A, or bidirectional sync), select the connection rules, then optionally add filters



Map the fields. Because Dynamics CRM stores dartes in text format, date fields in Dynamics cannot be mapped to a Pinpointe date field.  See ‘Limitations’ for more information. 



Once done, you can either save for later, or start the sync now.

Synchronization will take a minute or a while based on the number of contacts you have. There will also be a 1-2 minute delay before the contacts show up in Pinpointe under the database.

Known Limitations

  • Date Fields. Dynamics stores date fields in a text format, so they must be synchronized with fields of type text. Pinpointe’s default format for dates, is a field of type ‘date’. Since there is a field type mismatch, Dynamics date fields can’t be mapped to a Pinpointe date field. 


  • Once a connection is set up between PieSync and Pinpointe, the database selected cannot be changed.  If you want to change the database that PieSync is connected to, you’ll need to create a new connector and select the new database. The initial connector can be deleted if you wish.


  • Record Mapping - Unique by Email Address. Pinpointe de-duplicates contacts by email address  within a database, so no 2 contacts in a database can have the same email address.  Many CRMs including Dynamics, allow multiple contacts to be entered with the same email address. When data is sync’d, if there are multiple contacts in the CRM that have the same email address, only the last record sync’d will end up in Pinpointe. We recommend ensuring that your CRM data does not have duplicate email addresses. 

  • Consider mapping the DynamicsCRM custom field [Account]Account Number’ to Pinpointe’s field ‘CRM-ID’. This will ensure you know exactly which CRM record ends up in Pinpointe: