Renaming Active Directory and Redeploy CRM

20:26 3/31/2009, noreply@blogger.com (Darren Liu), Darren's CRM Blog

I came across an issue today that the client would like to rename their AD because of some business decisions. They are wondering how to move CRM under the new domain.  Well to move CRM from old domain to the new domain, here are the steps that you can follow:

1. Backup the [Organization]_MSCRM database.
2. Backup the custom reports if you have any.
3. Uninstall CRM 4.0 from the CRM server.
4. Remove the MSCRM_Config database.
5. Reinstall CRM 4.0 and choose to setup a new Organization option during the install.
6. Restore the existing [Organization]_MSCRM database.
7. Logon to the CRM server and launch CRM Deployment Manager.
8. Import existing organization and then follow the wizard to remap the users in the new AD.
9. Verify that you can logon back to the CRM environment.

That’s it! If you run into any this issue in the future, now you can follow the steps above to redeploy CRM.

How to change CRM 4.0 organization's database name

Sometimes you may have to change the CRM organization database name on SQL Server. It is possible in CRM 4.0 and is quite easy, in fact. To accomplish this task you will have to follow these steps:

1. Run Microsoft CRM Deployment Manager (Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft Dynamics CRM Deployment Manager).

2. Go to "Organizations" node, press right mouse button on the organization that uses the database whose name you want to change. Choose the "Disable" option.

3. Repeat all the activities described in point 2, but this time select "Delete" option.

4. Connect to your database server (for example, using Microsoft SQL Management Studio) and rename your [OrganizationName]_MSCRM database to the desired name. Sometimes you may get the information: “The database cannot be exclusively locked to perform this operation”. In such a situation the SQL Server restart will help.

5. Use the CRM Deployment Manager to Import Organization (Deployment Manager -> Organization -> “Import Organization” option). It will run the wizard which allows for importing an organization from an existing SQL database

6. Choose SQL Server and new database names.

7. Specify the "organization name", "display name" and report server network location.

8. Select appropriate method for mapping CRM users.

9. Finally, import new organization.