Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customization: Multi-value selection

Updated March 22, 2021 · Originally published February 16, 2015

Microsoft Dynamics CRM customizations transform an already powerful out-of-the-box software solution into a tailor-made CRM solution that fits every need of your business. The technical team at InterDyn Artis has worked with companies across the Southeast to improve unique processes with advanced Microsoft Dynamics CRM customization. These include (among many others) adding an easier way to record attendance against an event, making system alerts "pop" so users don't miss critical information, capturing why a particular field in CRM is changed, and enabling a user to choose multiple values from a pre-defined list. This blog post will explore this last Dynamics CRM customization in greater detail.

If you want the user to choose multiple values from a pre-defined list, there’s not really a good way to accomplish that out-of-the-box in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

> Interested in customizing your CRM? Let us help.

Below is an example of ways that the advanced Dynamics CRM customization capabilities can be used to improve this process:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM customization:  Choosing multiple values from a pre-defined list

Let’s say, for example, that you’re tracking the games a person likes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Because Option Sets don’t allow you to select multiple values, you have to create a new entity (Game) and relate it to the Contact with a many-to-many relationship. You could then add a sub-grid to the Contact form, yielding (depending on your version of Dynamics CRM) an interface that looks like this:

To add multiple selections, you have to cycle through clicking the new button and either type the correct value (sight unseen) or use the look-up to discover the list and choose the appropriate value.

An alternative is a custom web resource to display the list of options as check boxes and to add relationships as the user marks each check box. This leaves a much cleaner interface and a much greater ease of use:

For tips on improving your CRM user adoption, click here for a free eBook.
If you currently use Dynamics CRM and are interested in a free CRM check-up, click here.