RSMUS.comFor all of us that use Microsoft Dynamics CRM on a daily basis, we have at some point or another dealt with performance issues whether Dynamics CRM is hosted or on-premise. There are a variety of factors that affect performance like the age of the computer, windows version and network speed just to name a few. There are a few quick fixes that you can try to speed up Dynamics CRM that you can try before you have to resort to more pricey options.
First, run a speed test for the Dynamics CRM Server. This works for on-premise deployments only and you need to be on rollup 4 or later. For Dynamics CRM Online customers you will have to use a tool like Fiddler WebDebugger to track response times http://www.fiddler2.com/fiddler2/ .
- Put this URL into your Internet Explorer Browser
- http://<serverUrl>/tools/diagnostics/diag.aspx
- Change the <serverurl> are to the full name of your server i.e. http://www.mytestorg.com/tools/diagnostics/diag.aspx
- When the speed test page comes up click RUN and the Results will be displayed shortly
Now that we have a baseline we are ready to start making some changes to see if we can speed things up.
For Laptop Users:
Typically laptops have very conservative power usage settings unless they have been changed. This can cause issues with performance because the computer will scale the processor speed back in favor of battery life. If you are plugged in this is really not necessary and pretty easy to change.
- For Windows 7 Users you can type “Power Options” into the bottom of your Start Menu Quick Search and press Enter
- For Windows XP Users you have to click Start, Control Panel, and then select Power Options
Once you are in the settings you will see a screen like this:
If you click “Show Additional Plans” you will notice that High Performance is available. This is the ideal setting for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and will offer the best performance but at the expense of battery life.
For Desktop and Laptop Users:
Since Internet Explorer is the main gateway to Dynamics CRM there are some settings that can be tweaked to help speed up the page load times.
First, click on “Tools” on the menu bar in Internet Explorer then click on “Internet Options” and a new window will be displayed.
- From the General tab, look under Browsing history, and then click “Settings”
- In the Temporary Internet Files and History Settings dialog box, under Check for newer versions of stored pages, verify that Automatically is selected
- In the Disk space to use box, specify a value from 50 to 250 megabytes (the closer to 250 MB, the better) of disk space for temporary Internet files
- In the Internet Options dialog box, on the General tab, under Browsing history, verify that the Delete browsing history on exit check box is unchecked to prevent deletion of temporary Internet files each time that the browser is closed
- On the Advanced tab, under Settings, scroll down to Security settings and verify that the Do not save encrypted pages to disk check box is unchecked
- Apply all changes then click “OK” to close all the windows
Now you can rerun your speed tests to see how much of an effect the changes have on your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Performance.
Next time I will dive deeper into how customizations and system design can affect the speed of the pages and forms. If you are looking for assistance with Microsoft Dynamics CRM you can reach our professionals via email at crm@mcgladrey.com or by phone at 800.274.3987.
By: John Annunziato – Pennsylvania Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner
