Microsoft Dynamics CRM system administrators can now offer users a choice of viewing options for records:
- Read-optimized: View records on forms built to open rapidly and to prevent accidental data entry. Read-optimized record forms do not display the Microsoft Office ribbon, related records, content generated by custom scripts, or web resources.
- Editable: Take advantage of rich editing functionality on forms displaying a Microsoft Office ribbon. In addition to ribbon commands, editable record forms display related records, content generated by custom scripts, and web resources. A record form that contains content generated by a custom script will always open in editable format, regardless of the system default or personal options.
People who want to view the data in forms as quickly as possible—rather than to create or update records—might prefer to use read-optimized forms. Instead of the usual ribbon commands, these users will see only buttons to edit a record and close a record, as shown in the following screenshot.
Illustration 1: Controls on read-optimized forms
Clicking the Edit button on a read-optimized form opens the record with ribbon commands, which include Save, Save & Close, with related records, and with content generated by custom scripts and web resources.
People who regularly edit records will prefer to use editable record forms as their default view.
Note
Security settings (form level and field level) for editable and read-optimized forms are identical.
Procedures
The record viewing defaults for Microsoft Dynamics CRM organizations are very flexible. System administrators control the system default for viewing records; they can set the default view for specific individuals to be different than the system default; and they can enable individuals to choose their own default view.
System administrators can change the default record view for all users, as well as give users the option to set their default record view as they wish. Change the system default for viewing record forms
System administrators can change the default record view for specific individuals in a Microsoft Dynamics CRM organization. Set record viewing defaults for the organization and individuals
If the system administrator has enabled this option, people in Microsoft Dynamics CRM organizations can set the default record view as they wish. Restore ribbon controls to forms
More information
Read-optimized forms are included in Update Rollup 7. For more information about Update Rollup 7, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: Update Rollup 7 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. (For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online customers, this update rollup will be installed automatically.)
Information about the development and future direction of read-optimized forms is available in this Microsoft Dynamics CRM blog: Read-optimized forms
Information for developers and administrators is available in the following Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Software Development Kit (SDK) topic: Design Considerations for Read-Only Forms