Microsoft moves toward Dynamics CRM 5 release later this year

Microsoft is releasing on March 25 a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build of the next version of its Dynamics CRM product, which is codenamed CRM 5.

Today's release is the third CTP of CRM 5, according to a press release from the company. Micrsosoft is making it available to 400 selected partners (which includes independent software vendors, system integrators, VARs and hosters). It sounds like the CTP is not aimed at end users.

The CTP is available both as on-premises software and via a pre-release version of Dynamics CRM Online.

Microsoft recently provided a video interview with some of the folks involved with CRM 5 workflow on its Channel 9 site. Microsoft also is hosting an XRM acceleration lab in Redmond in May, where partners will be able to get a jump start on building applications and services around the CRM 5 core. (xRM is Microsoft's relationship-management platform, upon which Microsoft CRM, Microsoft-SAP's Duet and other third party applications are built.)

Microsoft officials have been talking up CRM 5 since late 2008.  Today, Microsoft officials said that CRM 5 (both the software and services versions) is due out in the second half of 2010