One of the buzz words at the Microsoft Partner Conference last week was XRM. What does that mean? Harkening back to highschool algebra, the X is a variable that can stand for any word that you’d care to put in front of Relationship (or Resource) Management. Examples include Customer, Enterprise, Sales, Supplier, etc. This was specifically in the context of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product, of course, although the concept is broader than that.

Why does it matter? The observation is that the same software tools that businesses use to establish and automate sales processes – such as MS Dynamics, Oracle, or Salesforce.com – have broader applicability. These tools are workflow engines that often can just as easily be used for point-of-sale as for supply chain management. In other words, they’re what software vendors like to call platforms, as opposed to just applications.

In the Microsoft world, XRM refers to the use of the Dynamics CRM product as a platform that offers record storage, customizable workflows, role separation, and scalable performance. An example of an XRM application is our Secure Sales Order System.

Generally, XRM implies a three-tier architecture, including a web- or desktop-based client application (the top tier) that has been customized and tuned for specific user scenarios. The second tier is Dynamics CRM, exposed to the client via XML web services. The bottom tier is Microsoft SQL Server. Finally, ideally, authentication and policies are integrated with Active Directory.

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