Microsoft CRM Exchange Router

Question

Can someone help me out by explaining to me at a high level the use for the MS CRM Exchange Router over/with the Outlook Client?

I'm reading all this reference-style docs, but I just can't grok it.

Anyone?

Thanks.

Answer 1

You can use both but don't HAVE to use either.

The Router basically, at the highest level, routes email to the CRM server.

This means that the CRM server can display email in a user workspace, track campaign activity and report on it, and also it means that you can use incoming emails as triggers for Workflow.

The outlook client replicates the web interface inside outlook. Which some people prefer. It installs a local copy of SQL server and uses this to synchronise the CRM database (or portions) so that the user can use the Outlook client off-line.

You are also able to do some useful things from Outlook such as promoting any Outlook into the CRM, attaching it to an account or other entity in the process.