Unsupported Customizations

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Modifications to Microsoft CRM 3.0 that are made without using either the Microsoft CRM 3.0 SDK or Microsoft CRM 3.0 tools are not supported and are not preserved during updates or upgrades of Microsoft CRM. Anything that is not documented in the Microsoft CRM 3.0 SDK and supporting documents is not supported. Additionally, unsupported modifications could cause problems when you update through the addition of hotfixes or service packs or upgrade Microsoft CRM. To minimize update and upgrade issues, do not modify any Microsoft CRM file that you did not create yourself. (The configuration files and Help files noted earlier are the only exceptions to this rule.)

The following is a list of the types of actions that are not supported:

  • Modifications to any .aspx, .css, .htm, .js, .xml, .jpg, or .gif files or addition of files in the wwwroot directories of the Microsoft CRM application, Microsoft CRM tools or Microsoft CRM files located at Program Files\Microsoft CRM. During upgrades and updates, these files are not checked for modifications and might be overwritten.
  • Modifications to the Microsoft CRM Web site (file and Web site settings). Custom solutions should be installed in a different Web site. This includes modifications to the file system access control lists (ACLs) of any files on the Microsoft CRM server.
  • Modifications to the physical schema of the database. This includes any actions performed against the database without going through System Customization. Modifying tables, indexes, stored procedures, or views in the database is not supported. Adding tables, indexes, stored procedures, or views to the database is also not supported because of referential integrity or upgrade issues. Note   This applies to all Microsoft CRM databases and the Outlook client MSDE.

When you change the database without using System Customization, you run a good risk of problems occurring during updates and upgrades. The recommendations in the "Optimizing the Performance of Microsoft CRM 1.2" White Paper are the only exceptions to this rule. https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e1a00070-2e5a-410a-881f-d859f8474933\&DisplayLang=en.

  • Referencing any Microsoft CRM dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) other than Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Callout.Base.
  • The use of application programming interfaces (APIs) other than the documented APIs in the Web services CrmService and MetadataService.
  • To achieve the appearance and behavior of Microsoft CRM, the reuse of any Microsoft CRM User Interface controls, including the grid controls. These controls may change or be overwritten during an upgrade. We do not recommend that you use or change the default.css file in the Microsoft CRM root installation folder. Only those customizations outlined, such as using the Template.css, are supported.
  • The reuse of any available Microsoft CRM installed JavaScript code. This code may change or be overwritten during an upgrade.
  • Modifications to any one of the Microsoft CRM forms or adding new forms such as custom .aspx pages directly in Microsoft Outlook or changes to .pst files. These changes will not be upgraded.
  • Making customizations outside the Microsoft CRM supported tools available offline in the Sales for Outlook client.
  • The use of custom HttpModules to inject HTML/DHTML into the Microsoft CRM Forms.

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