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CRM Customization - Import Leads from Excel via Email into MS CRM
Build a process to import Leads records from Excel into MS CRM via email.
Introduction
This article shows how to setup a process to import/upload Leads from an Excel file into a Microsoft CRM via email.
See other Siccolo articles about working with Excel and SQL:
and another article showing MS CRM customization:
1. Transfer Leads from Excel into CRM Leads
Let's say, we have an Excel file, for example, like this:
To access it from SQL:
...
select first_name
, last_name
, company
, number
, street
, city
, state
, zip
from
OpenRowSet('MSDASQL'
,'Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls)};' +
'DBQ=c:\inetpub\wwwroot\sfa\leads\leads_to_be_imported\leads.xls',
'SELECT * FROM [excel_data$]') tmp
...
where c:\inetpub\wwwroot\sfa\leads\ is a folder on the CRM server. First, I'll load the Leads records from Excel into a temp table:
if not exists (select id
from [MSCRM].dbo.sysobjects
where name = 'tmp_leads_to_be_imported' and type ='U')
begin
-- create temp table:
create table [MSCRM].dbo.tmp_leads_to_be_imported
(
number varchar(150) null -- phone number
, first_name varchar(50) null
, last_name varchar(50) null
, company varchar(100) null
, street varchar(50) null
, city varchar(50) null
, state varchar(50) null
, zip varchar(50) null
)
end
else
begin
delete [MSCRM].dbo.tmp_leads_to_be_imported
end
insert into [MSCRM].dbo.tmp_leads_to_be_imported
(
number
, first_name
, last_name
, company
, street
, city
, state
, zip
)
select number
, first_name
, last_name
, company
, street
, city
, state
, zip
from
OpenRowSet('MSDASQL'
,'Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls)};DBQ=c:\inetpub\wwwroot\
sfa\leads\leads_to_be_imported\temp_leads.xls',
'SELECT * FROM [excel_data$]') tmp
-- to handle possible "oops":
select @err_code = @@error
select @records = @@rowcount
if @err_code<>0
begin
set @err = 'Failed to insert into temp table. error=[' +
convert(varchar(10),@err_code) + ']'
set @message = 'Failed Process Excel Leads Records' + char(13) + @err
exec master.dbo.xp_sendmail @recipients ='CRM Person in Charge'
,@message = @message
,@subject = 'Failed Process Excel Leads Records'
RAISERROR (@err, 16, 1)
return
end
if @records=0
begin
set @err = 'Failed to insert into temp table. error=[no records inserted]'
set @message = 'Failed Process Excel Leads Records' + char(13) + @err
exec master.dbo.xp_sendmail @recipients ='CRM Person in Charge'
,@message = @message
,@subject = 'Failed Process Excel Leads Records'
RAISERROR (@err, 16, 1)
return
end
-- get number of Leads records from the original Excel file
set @file_count = (select count(*) from [MSCRM].dbo.tmp_leads_to_be_imported )
where [MSCRM] is the name of the CRM database. Usually, it looks like: [company name]_MSCRM; for example, Siccolo_MSCRM.
After that, we can transfer records from the temp table into the Lead view. As you may know, CRM has an extra layer between the underlying data and the CRM user interfaces - views. For example, the underlying table for storing the leads information is LeadBase; but CRM interfaces work with the Lead view object.
-- in order insert new records into Leads
-- we need SecurityDescriptor and ModifiedBy values:
declare @security_descriptor varchar(555)
declare @modified_by varchar(255)
select @security_descriptor = SecurityDescriptor
, @modified_by = ModifiedBy
from [MSCRM].dbo.SystemUser
-- find CRM user by using originator email address
where InternalEmailAddress = @user_email or ( isnull(PersonalEmailAddress,'')!=''
and PersonalEmailAddress = @user_email)
-- now, insert into Leads view:
insert into [MSCRM].dbo.Lead
(
Subject
, CompanyName
, FirstName
, LastName
, Telephone1
, Address1_Line1
, Address1_City
, Address1_StateOrProvince
, Address1_PostalCode
, Description
, OwningUser
, LeadId
, StateCode
, DeletionStateCode
, SecurityDescriptor
, ModifiedBy
, CreatedOn
, ModifiedOn
)
select company as Subject
, company
, first_name
, last_name
, number
, street
, city
, state
, zip
, 'This Lead was created automatically from Excel file' as Description
, @modified_by as OwningUser
, NEWID() as LeadID
, 0 as StateCode -- open lead
, 0 as DeletionStateCode
, @security_descriptor as SecurityDescriptor
, @modified_by as ModifiedBy
, getdate() as CreatedOn
, getdate() as CreatedOn
from [MSCRM].dbo.tmp_leads_to_be_imported
select @record_count = @@rowcount
select @file_count as 'original_file_count'
, @record_count as 'processed_record_count'
where [MSCRM] is the name of the CRM database. Usually, it looks like [company name]_MSCRM; for example, Siccolo_MSCRM.
And now, to make a stored procedure out of this:
CREATE procedure <code>p_Lead_Process_Excel_Leads_File
(
@user_email varchar(50)
,@leads_excel_file_name varchar(255)
,@file_count int =null output
,@record_count int =null output
)
as
set nocount on
...
...
-- insert into temp table from Excel
...
...
-- insert into Lead view from temp table
...
...
set nocount off
Side note:
MS CRM, to handle INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE, has a set of triggers on the Lead view:
Unfortunately, the CRM team at Microsoft did not plan for someone inserting more than one Lead record at a time, so I needed to make some changes to the t_create_lead trigger, and create a new function f_GetFullName.
Changes to the t_create_lead trigger:
...
declare @organizationid uniqueidentifier
select @organizationid = BusinessUnitBase.OrganizationId
from BusinessUnitBase
where BusinessUnitBase.BusinessUnitId = @owningbusinessunit
-- -----------------------------------------------------------
-- Before changes:
/*
declare @firstname nvarchar(50)
declare @lastname nvarchar(50)
declare @middlename nvarchar(50)
declare @fullname nvarchar(160)
select @firstname = FirstName, @middlename = MiddleName,
@lastname = LastName, @fullname = FullName
from inserted
if @fullname is null
exec p_GetFullName @organizationid, @firstname,
@lastname, @middlename, @fullname output
*/
...
...
insert LeadBase(
...
...
)
select
LeadId,
...
FirstName,
MiddleName,
LastName,
...
EMailAddress3,
-- -----------------------------------------------------------------
-- full name!:
dbo.f_GetFullName(@organizationid, FirstName, LastName, MiddleName)
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------
...
from inserted
...
...
Side note:
@@ROWCOUNT- Returns the number of rows affected by the last statement.@@ERROR- Returns the error number for the last Transact-SQL statement executed.
2. Process Email and Import Leads
So, at this point, I have a procedure to import/upload Leads records from an Excel file into the Lead view. Next step - create a procedure to process incoming emails and route them to p_Lead_Process_Excel_Leads_File. To process emails in/with SQL Server, we can use the xp_readmail, xp_findnextmsg, xp_sendmail, and xp_deletemail SQL mail extended stored procedures. Something like this:
CREATE procedure p_email_Process_Incoming_Emails
as
set nocount on
...
...
/* get first message id */
declare @status int
declare @msg_id varchar(94)
declare @mapifailure int
exec @status = master.dbo.<code>xp_findnextmsg
@msg_id = @msg_id output,
@unread_only='true'
if @status <> 0
begin
set @mapifailure=1
select 'failed to execute xp..findnextmessage'
end
while (@mapifailure=0)
begin
if @msg_id is null break
if @msg_id = '' break
-- peek at incoming email message
-- and see if we need to process it:
declare @originator varchar(255)
,@originator_address varchar(255)
declare @cc_list varchar(255)
declare @msg_subject varchar(255)
declare @msg_message varchar(8000)
exec @status = master.dbo.xp_readmail
@msg_id = @msg_id,
@originator = @originator output,
@cc_list = @cc_list output,
@subject = @msg_subject output,
@message = @msg_message output,
@peek = 'true',
@suppress_attach='true',
@originator_address = @originator_address output
if @status <> 0
begin
select @mapifailure=1
break
end
/* get new message id before processing & deleting current */
set @current_msg=@msg_id
exec @status = master.dbo.xp_findnextmsg
@msg_id = @msg_id output,
@unread_only='true'
if @status <> 0
begin
select @mapifailure=1
end
print 'checking email [' + @msg_subject + ']'
declare @attachments varchar(255)
-- if message subject contains "magic" words:
if (lower(@msg_subject) = 'iMport Excel CRM Leads')
begin
print 'import excel CRM leads'
set @bad_input = 0
exec @status = master.dbo.xp_readmail
@msg_id = @current_msg,
@originator = @originator output,
@cc_list = @cc_list output,
@subject = @msg_subject output,
@message = @msg_message output,
@peek = 'false', -- this time no peeking, get email message
@suppress_attach='false',
@attachments = @attachments output, -- and get attachted Excel file!
@originator_address = @originator_address output
-- make sure user has rights to import CRM Leads!!!
/*
check user credentials bases on user email address
*/
-- also, check if user email is in CRM SystemUser:
if not exists ( select SystemUserId from [MSCRM].dbo.SystemUser
where InternalEmailAddress = @originator or
( isnull(PersonalEmailAddress,'')!=''
and PersonalEmailAddress = @originator)
)
begin
set @msg_message = 'User [' + @originator +
'] does not have access to CRM!'
set @msg_subject = @msg_message
exec @status= master.dbo.xp_sendmail @recipients = @originator
,@message = @msg_message
,@subject = @msg_subject
,@attachments = @attachments
set @bad_input = 1
end
if @bad_input = 0
begin
exec [MSCRM].dbo.p_Lead_Process_Excel_Leads_File
@originator
, @attachments
, @file_count output
, @record_count output
-- if number of Leads records in Excel file is different
-- then number of records inserted into CRM Leads,
-- let user know:
if (@file_count != @record_count)
begin
set @msg_subject = 'Processed ' +
@msg_subject + ' - !Totals Do Not Match!'
set @msg_message = 'Processed ' + @msg_subject + char(13)+ char(13)+
'File Record Count: ' + char(9)+
' convert(varchar,isnull(@file_count,0)) + char(13)+ char(13)+
'Processed Count: ' + char(9)+
' convert(varchar,isnull(@record_count,0)) + char(13)+ char(13)+
char(9)+ '!File Total Does Not Match Processed Total!'
end
else
begin
-- number of records in Excel is the same
-- as number of records inserted into CRM Leads:
-- simply let user know that Leads Excel file is processed
set @msg_subject = 'Processed ' + @msg_subject
set @msg_message = 'Processed ' + @msg_subject + char(13)+ char(13)+
'Record Count: ' + char(9)+
' convert(varchar,@file_count) + char(13)+ char(13)+
'Processed Count: ' + char(9)+ convert(varchar,@record_count)
end
-- and send email response back to user:
exec @status= master.dbo.xp_sendmail @recipients = @originator
,@message = @msg_message
,@subject = @msg_subject
,@attachments = @attachments
end -- end of if @bad_input = 0
print 'deleting - import excel CRM leads' + convert(varchar, @current_msg)
exec master.dbo.xp_deletemail @current_msg
end -- end of if (lower(@msg_subject) = 'import excel CRM leads')
end -- end of while (@mapifailure=0)
-- done with messages in Inbox
if @mapifailure=1
begin
raiserror(15079,-1,-1,@messages)
return(1)
end
else
begin
return(0)
end
set nocount off
So, in order to have SQL Server process Leads from an Excel file into the Lead view, simply send email message to SQL Server with the Excel file attached, and put import excel CRM leads as the email subject.
History
No improvements so far. Nearly perfect.
Points of Interest
If you would like to read more on this story - please take a look at Siccolo - Free Mobile Management Tool For SQL Server, and more articles at Siccolo.