MSCRM 2011: Conditional Formatting in Views in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Outlook

One of the new features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Outlook is the ability to apply conditional formatting to records in a view. In Conditional Formatting, you specify certain criteria for those records that should be displayed differently in a view. You can set the color and font of these so that the records that match the criteria setup are then displayed in a special way. Conditional formatting is only available with Microsoft Outlook 2010.

Conditional formatting is useful because the data is then shown in a way that makes it stand out. The ability to see important data in a different style allows users to see which records in the system take priority over others. Note: The formatting you apply is applied per view.

Below are the steps for configuring the Open Opportunities view in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Outlook with Estimated Revenue greater than $5000 in red bold text:

* In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Outlook, navigate to Open Opportunities. On the ribbon, click on the View tab and click on View Settings.
* Click on Conditional Formatting and then click on Add and give the conditional formatting rule a name.
* Click on the Font button to select the conditional formatting font style. Click on Condition to define the condition to use in the rule.
* In the Filter window, click on Advanced and then select the Field drop-down-list.
* In the list of options, select User-defined fields in folder. This will allow you to select fields from the Opportunity record. Select Estimated Revenue {number} as the conditional field, is more than as the condition, and enter 5000 into the value field. After we have configured our criteria, click on Add to List. Note: You can add multiple criteria to the conditional formatting rule.
* Click on OK in all windows. The conditional formatting will now be applied to the Open Opportunities view.