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Microsoft publishes Dynamics CRM roadmap site; preps Spring CRM Online release

Microsoft now has a roadmap site for its Dynamics CRM wares, and is readying its Spring Dynamics Online 2016 release for Q2 availability.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

As it does with Office 365 and its Edge browser, Microsoft now offers a roadmap listing many (but not all) of the coming and recently released features of its Dynamics CRM product.

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The new Dynamics CRM Roadmap page provides listings of features that are new; in preview; in development; postponed; and previously released for Dynamics CRM on-premises, Online, Marketing and Social Engagement wares.

Officials also announced this week that Microsoft will be rolling out its Spring wave some time during the second calendar quarter of 2016. (If Microsoft execs are trying to time this to coincide with the Envision conference -- a showcase for Dynamics partners and products formerly known as Convergence -- the coming wave might crest in early April 2016.)

The Dynamics CRM Spring wave will integrate technologies from two of Microsoft's recent acquisitions, FieldOne and Adxstudio, into Microsoft's CRM platform. FieldOne provides field-service technology and Adxstudio, a portal for community engagement.

The Spring wave also will include a new project service for tracking project sales, delivery and other related components, as well as two new machine-learning scenarios, adaptive learning and automated triage, for Microsoft Social Engagement.

The downloadable Spring Wave Release Preview Guide provides more specifics about the three pieces Microsoft will roll out, namely, Dynamics CRM Online 2016 Upddate 1; Dynamics Marketing 2016 Update; and Social Engagement 2016 Update.

For a more complete list of features coming in CRM 2016, which includes a handy breakout of features unique to the CRM Online vs. On-Premises versions of the 2016 release, check out this Koen VdV Dynamics Community blog post.

From a quick comparison I did between the Release Preview Guide and the new CRM Roadmap page, I believe the features that are listed as "in development" on the roadmap page may mostly be what are on tap to be released as part of the Spring wave.

In other Dynamics news, Microsoft is holding a virtual event on March 9 to officially launch the next version of Dynamics AX. This release of Dynamics AX will be an Azure-hosted service, Microsoft execs said previously.

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