Yet another quarter begins with the announcement of newly awarded & re-awarded individuals as the Most Valuable Professionals. I’m sure it would be a New Year Gift for all the individuals whose names are mentioned below. Please join me in welcoming them in this elite technical group. We thank them for their past contributions and looking forward for their active participation in all future engagements.
New Awardees
Re-Awardees
Arnav Sharma - Windows Expert-IT Pro
Abhishek Sur - ASP.NET/IIS
Balaji Kundalam - Windows Consumer
Amardeep Singh - SharePoint
Devendra Velegandla - SharePoint
Amit Choudhary - Visual C#
Dinesh Bareja - Enterprise Security
Anil Pandey - ASP.NET/IIS
Mohit Gupta - Microsoft Integration
Balu Ilag - Lync
Prajwal Desai - System Center
Destin N Joy - SharePoint
Prasad Kulkarni - ASP.NET/IIS
Gaurav Khanna - Visual Basic
Satheshwaran IM - Exchange Server
Gaurav Mantri - Windows Azure
Sathyanarrayanan S. - SQL Server
Kranthi Vangala - Dynamics AX
Senthil Kumar - Client Development
Prabu Kesavan - Windows Embedded
Vidya Vrat Agarwal - Visual C#
Purnachandra Duggirala - Excel
Vijayasimha BR - Phone Consumer
Rami Vemula - ASP.NET/IIS
Rohit Srivastwa - Enterprise Security
Roohi Shaikh - Dynamics CRM
Sandeep Mewara - ASP.NET/IIS
Sarabpreet Anand - SQL Server
Shravan Kasagoni - ASP.NET/IIS
Shyam Sasindran - Windows Consumer
Sorna Muthuraj - SQL Server
Vasudev G. - Windows Consumer Apps
Vijai Anand - SharePoint
Vinoth Rajagopalan - Windows Embedded
Visakh Murukesan - SQL Server
With the above announcement, unfortunately few of our friends are also moving to the alumni state (seven in total). I’m sure all those individuals who are moving to the alumni state, would make a New Year Resolution today to come back soon in the active group.
Thanks again and have a fantastic year ahead!!
With best regards,
South Asia MVP Community
In this post, our Dynamics CRM MVP, Roohi Shaikh introduces the image attribute in Dynamics CRM 2013.
With Dynamics CRM 2013, you can now associate an image with a record. So you always wanted to add faces to contacts or pictures to products, well now you can do it OOB without any need for Customizations.
Yes with the introduction of image attribute you can now add fields to store images. Currently however you are restricted to being able to attach only one image per entity. On the entity design you can now specify the attribute to be used to display images for the records.
Once the entity is setup to accept images, the record form would show an image placeholder in the header area using which you can add/remove images from the record
You can add/update the image using the following code
//update the record with a new image
string path = @"C:\test.png";
byte[] uploaddata = null;
//download the image
using (System.IO.FileStream fileStream = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Open))
{
int size = (int) fileStream.Length ;
uploaddata = new byte[size];
fileStream.Read(uploaddata, 0, size);
}
Entity contact = context.CreateQuery("contact").Where(c => c.GetAttributeValue<Guid>("contactid").Equals(contactid)).First<Entity>();
//set the image data
contact.Attributes["entityimage"] = uploaddata;
context.UpdateObject(contact);
context.SaveChanges();
Now that images have been added, you might want to have them included in the reports too. The current preview option that displays a report of a record does not include the image. Let us check how we could display images on custom reports.
The image field is available for reading through queries executed using the RetrieveMultiple API call. The following code will let you read the image file in the image format.
//Retrieve and download the binary images
string binaryImageQuery =
@"<fetch mapping='logical'>
<entity name='lead'>
<attribute name='fullname' />
<attribute name='entityimage' />
</entity>
</fetch>";
EntityCollection binaryImageResults = _serviceProxy.RetrieveMultiple(new FetchExpression(binaryImageQuery));
foreach (Entity record in binaryImageResults.Entities)
String recordName = record["fullname"] as String;
String downloadedFileName = String.Format("Downloaded_{0}", recordName);
byte[] imageBytes = record["entityimage"] as byte[];
var fs = new BinaryWriter(new FileStream(downloadedFileName, FileMode.Append, FileAccess.Write));
fs.Write(imageBytes);
fs.Close();
But if this same code is executed using the ExecuteFetch API call, the results are returned in xml format and therefore the image attribute returns only a string “System.Byte[]” not the actual image binary data in Base64 string.
ExecuteFetchRequest fetch = new ExecuteFetchRequest();
fetch.FetchXml = binaryImageQuery;
_service.Execute(fetch);
As a result of this, reports designed using FetchXML (reports in CRM Online) would not be able to include images on the report.
The sql queries executed from FilteredViews would however provide you access to the binary data of the image and you can attach this field to an image control in SSRS to display the image.
Use the following query to generate the DataSet
select con.FullName, con.Parentcustomeridname,con.entityimage from FilteredContact con
Add the image control to the report and bind it to the entityimage field
The result would be
Conclusion:
1. Images can be read through queries executed through Retrieve Multiple calls
2. You need to explicitly specify the image attributes to be included for it to be returned through API calls.
3. Images for now can only be added to reports through SQL queries for On-Premise installs.
About Guest Blogging
South Asia MVP Award Program introduces Guest Posts by the MVPs from the region. These posts would help readers to be in touch with the recent trends in technology and be up-to-date with knowledge on Microsoft products.
Author
Developers
Building Store Ready Apps for Windows Phone
By Mayur Tendulkar published on 12-09-2013
With mobile device proliferation, there is a large number of mobile devices available in the market, exceeding even laptops & desktops….(more)
Getting Started with Basic Github Shell Command Operations
By Rami Vemula published on 12-10-2013
In my continuous journey I was learning some basic Shell commands through which Git management can be easily….(more)
JavaScript Functions is a Statement or Expression?
By Dhananjay Kumar published on 12-17-2013
Answer of above question is JavaScript functions can be used either as statement or expression. JavaScript functions can be treated….(more)
Compass APIs for Windows Phone
By Kunal Chowdhury published on 12-19-2013
Before using the compass in your game, make sure to check whether the device supports it or not. The SDK provides APIs to check….(more)
IT PRO
Configure delegates for call-forward and call-ringing on Lync 2010 and Lync 2013
By Balasaheb Ilag published on 12-08-2013
Recently one of client asked about delegate his Lync calls. Actually when the client is unable to attend call then they can delegate….(more)
PowerShell and Active Directory: Active Directory Users Password Expiry Email Reminder Script
By Aman Dhally published on 12-09-2013
Are you a System Administrator and managing Active Directory too? If yes, then i know what is the most annoying problem we do face almost daily….(more)
How to Enable SSO For Web Services Used in InfoPath Form in SharePoint 2013
By Destin Joy published on 12-10-2013
To use SharePoint Web services in an InfoPath form configured using Claim based SharePoint sites we need to create a SSO for the Web Service….(more)
Mobile Client for Dynamics CRM 2013
By Roohi Shaikh published on 12-10-2013
Mobile app for Dynamics CRM is out for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platform. When you navigate to CRM….(more)
Enter your credentials to connect to the following web service: InfoPath 2007
By Amardeep Singh published on 12-12-2013
While submitting the credentials user can open the form, however, when he try to pull some of the information from the drop down menu which….(more)
Error while executing web part
By Amol Ghuge published on 12-14-2013
Recently I was working on user ticket in which we have restored one site collection from development environment to production one. This site has been heavily customized….(more)
Exchange 2013 Migration checklist
By Ratish Nair published on 12-17-2013
Use various tools available and create a plan as to how many users should be active on a server at any given point and how many users will be active during….(more)
Generating Nested XML Structures with FOR XML PATH
By Visakh Murukesan published on 12-17-2013
This blog gives you some insight on how nested XML structures can be easily built using FOR XML PATH construct….(more)
Consumer
Fail Safe Presentations: Best Practices
By Dr. Nitin Paranjape published on 12-08-2013
The more important the presentation, more things will go wrong. If you want to prevent that, you must be….(more)
Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: 3-D Rotation Options For Shapes
By Geetesh Bajaj published on 12-09-2013
PowerPoint 2013's 3-D options that allow you to rotate or bevel shapes are surprisingly powerful. In fact, some of these options….(more)
How to find what is in the hidden cells?
By Purnachandra Duggirala published on 12-11-2013
You have been there. ….(more)
Microsoft makes it easier to switch from Gmail to Outlook.com
By Vasudev Gurumurthy published on 12-13-2013
Outlook.com users earlier were allowed to import Gmail mails, but now Microsoft has made it much easier & convenient to switch from….(more)
WMP 12 Switches To ‘Now playing’ Mode Automatically in Windows 8.1
By Soumitra Sengupta published on 12-16-2013
Every time I try to open WMP 12 in Library mode it switches to “Now playing” mode immediately….(more)
Bug Check 0×124: WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR – How to Troubleshoot
By Shyam Sasindran published on 12-18-2013
Even though the proper way to troubleshoot BSOD is to use the Windows Debugger. The debugger will give you a bug check parameters which will give you further information….(more)
Story telling with Excel Power BI
By Ashish Mathur published on 12-21-2013
With Power Business Intelligence (BI) tools of Excel 2013, one can metamorphose raw data and/or results of complex calculations into stunning and interactive….(more)
Windows Azure Storage and Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) – Lets Have Some Fun
By Gaurav Mantri published on 12-01-2013
In this blog post, we will focus on CORS and that too for blob service. We will talk about how you can enable CORS for blob service….(more)
Adding custom buttons to iOS Keyboard in C# & Xamarin
By Nishanth Anil published on 12-02-2013
The area above the keyboard is an extra UIView known as Input Accessory View which you can customize to add your extra keyboard buttons. To add an accessory view….(more)
Creating Android Client for Team Foundation Server 2012
By Subodh Sohoni published on 12-03-2013
This article explores a unique scenario for TFS data access using an Android Client and presents an innovative use case….(more)
Product Review: Collabion Charts for SharePoint
By Karthikeyan Anbarasan published on 12-05-2013
Collabion Charts for SharePoint is a handy product which provides a quick and easy way to create insightful dashboards in SharePoint, without the need for MOSS….(more)
Using generic List as key in Dictionaries
By Amit Choudhary published on 12-05-2013
Dictionaries in CSharp are datastructure which represents hash maps. You can store key value based data easily also it prevents to insert….(more)
Logging Database Operations in Entity Framework 6 - EF6 New Feature
By Abhimanyu Vatsa published on 12-07-2013
In this blog post you will learn a new feature ‘Logging Database Operations’ introduced with Entity Framework 6. This features works for models….(more)
SharePoint: Unknown Error Accessing Storage Allocation Page
By Amardeep Singh published on 12-03-2013
After clicking on Storage Space Allocation (Site Actions, Site settings, Site Collection Administration), you get an "Unknown Error on page" error….(more)
How to solve Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 error "Unspecified error"
By Visakh Murukesan published on 12-03-2013
When trying to use Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 provider in a linkedserver or distributed query you'll get the….(more)
Exchange 2013 OAB troubleshooting: Task reported error (0x8004010F): ‘The operation failed. An object cannot be found.’
By Ratish Nair published on 12-04-2013
When you have an issue with OAB, first thing to check is whether you can see the address list you're trying to download in Outlook. If it's missing, outlook just can't locate….(more)
Lync Server integration with Exchange Outlook Web Access
By Balasaheb Ilag published on 12-05-2013
Recently I have deployed Lync integration with Exchange Outlook Web Access. Whenever you accessing Outlook web access….(more)
Office 2013
Long presentation with photos in few clicks
By Dr. Nitin Paranjape published on 12-01-2013
Needless to say, most of us take the laborious and inefficient path of adding one slide and inserting a picture repeatedly….(more)
Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Advanced Glow Options
By Geetesh Bajaj published on 12-02-2013
Applying a Glow effect adds a nice halo around a selected shape or most other slide objects. You may find that the Glow effect defaults….(more)
Making a slick on/off switch using Excel & little bit of VBA
By Purnachandra Duggirala published on 12-05-2013
As you know, there is a form control in Excel that behaves like on/off switch. It is called check box. Although they are easy to use….(more)
Compute configuration count using Set Theory and Venn Diagrams
By Ashish Mathur published on 12-07-2013
Assume a table which lists attendees for a Company's Annual day function. In this Table, data for every attendee….(more)
Table Manipulation using jQuery - Performance Tips and Best Practices
By Suprotim Agarwal published on 11-17-2013
HTML Tables can be pretty boring to look at! Although you can add a dash of CSS and beautify them, users demand more interactivity….(more)
How to launch the Map settings page to download maps in WP8
By Kunal Chowdhury published on 11-18-2013
You might have used maps in your Windows Phone applications to help the user navigate from one place to another place. Windows Phone 8 supports downloading….(more)
Create your First MVVM based JavaScript App in two simple steps using Knockoutjs
By Dhananjay Kumar published on 11-20-2013
Okay purpose of this post is very simple to explain you why Knockoutjs. I will try to put it in simplest way that Why we need to work….(more)
Upcoming changes in ECMAScript 6
By Vasu Jain published on 11-20-2013
ECMAScript is a standard that scripting languages like JavaScript and ActionScript are based on. ECMAScript is owned….(more)
Customize User's Profile in ASP.NET Identity System
By Abhimanyu Vatsa published on 11-23-2013
In this post you will learn how to customize User’s Profile and add some more fields like FirstName, LastName, EmailID etc with….(more)
Building a Node.js Web Site on Windows Azure using Node.js Tools for Visual Studio
By Shiju Varghese published on 11-24-2013
In this blog post, I will take a look at Node.js Tools for Visual Studio and will demonstrate how to build a Node.js web site in Visual Studio….(more)
Code Optimization Tools in Visual Studio 2013
By Subodh Sohoni published on 11-26-2013
Development Productivity is always a matter of concern for the management of organizations that develop software. The biggest portion of spending in development process….(more)
Lync Server 2013 Deployment options
By Balasaheb Ilag published on 11-18-2013
There are many article found on Lync 2013 and they are explained the deployment process however did found the article where all Lync 2013 deployment combination….(more)
Unable to save site as template + unexpected error has occurred
By Amol Ghuge published on 11-19-2013
Here we go, it’s been a long time I didn’t publish an article which consist of hardcore troubleshooting! Yes, you are correct. It took some time to resolve….(more)
Exchange: Calendaring Items Protection
By Prabhat Nigam published on 11-21-2013
Microsoft Active Directory Right Management Services can only protect emails. So how will we protect Calendaring….(more)
Re-create OWA virtual Directories in Exchange 2013
By Manu Philip published on 11-22-2013
Sometimes, you may be fed up with some sort of issues related to ‘owa’, ‘ecp’ or any other virtual directories. Any repair or fine tuning….(more)
CodeTwo Exchange migration for Exchange 2003 to 2010/2013: Operational review
By Ratish Nair published on 11-24-2013
CodeTwo Exchange Migration needs a source server's MAPI profile to work under which you create while configuring the source server's connection. Therefore, if the profile is not configured, the program….(more)
Solution deployment stuck on deploying: SharePoint 2010
By Amardeep Singh published on 11-26-2013
Solution deployment is the task that we do on daily basis. This is the task in which SharePoint developer and administrator….(more)
New Changes to Windows Azure Storage – A Perfect Thanksgiving Gift
By Gaurav Mantri published on 11-28-2013
This has been one of the most anticipated changes in Windows Azure Storage. The support for CORS had been with other cloud storage providers….(more)
Implementing Multivalued Parameter Filtering Using Logical Operators
By Visakh Murukesan published on 11-28-2013
Being extensively involved in report development projects, I've come across numerous occasions where requirements asks for the ability….(more)
How to set up & use Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 8.1
By Anand Khanse published on 11-18-2013
Remote Desktop Connection technology helps you establish a connection between client computer and host computer from afar. The feature is not very popular….(more)
Fix: Broken libraries in Windows 8.1 | Restore Default Libraries
By Shantanu Kaushik published on 11-24-2013
This post will help you fix broken libraries in Windows 8, 8.1 & Windows 7 | Restore Default Libraries. This post also shows you the steps….(more)
Artificial Intelligence at work: Remove Background
By Dr. Nitin Paranjape published on 11-20-2013
This feature is available across Office tools from version 2010 onwards. It helps you remove unwanted parts of pictures….(more)
Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Shape Effects
By Geetesh Bajaj published on 11-20-2013
Effects are different than fills and outlines -- with the plethora of effects available in PowerPoint, you can make a shape stand apart….(more)
Find last day of any month with this simple trick
By Purnachandra Duggirala published on 11-21-2013
Assuming y and m contain the year & month for which you want to find the last day’s date, write….(more)
Move List-box Items up & Down
By Ashish Koul published on 11-22-2013
To move list-box item up and down. Try….(more)
Append data from two worksheets with different structures
By Ashish Mathur published on 11-26-2013
Assume a file with two worksheets. The first worksheet has data in column A:H (8 columns) and the second one has data from….(more)