Create or edit an activity

Can I do this task?

1. Navigate to activity records.

   In the Navigation Pane, click Workplace, and then under My Work click Activities.

   - OR -

   To work with activities associated with a record, open the record and then click Activities.

2. To add new activities from the Activities list, on the Activities tab in the New group, click the type of activity you want to add.

   - OR -

3. To add a new activity from a record, click Add New Activity. Select an activity type, and then click OK.
4. Enter information in the following boxes:
   • Subject

     The subject field is required, since most Activities views are sorted by subject by default. This field is not related to Subjects, which are the hierarchical list of categories used to relate and organize information in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

   • Regarding

     This links the activity to another record. If you create an activity from another record, this is automatically filled out.

   • Owner

     By default this is set to the user who creates the activity.

   • Duration

     If this activity is related to a case, record the time you spend on the activity in this box. If the case is linked to a contract line, all durations are tallied automatically in the contract. You can adjust the total manually before billing the customer. The maximum duration of an appointment or service activity is 10 days.

   • Due

     You can sort on the Due field when you view activities to view them by time of completion.

   Tip

   • To automatically update the Regarding field with information from a record, click the Expand button in the right pane to open the Form Assistant pane A search pane that displays a list of filtered records. The records displayed are determined by which field that you are in and what data that you enter. In some areas of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can also create a follow-up activity from the Form Assistant pane pane. Using the Form Assistant pane is an alternative to using the Look Up Records dialog box., and then select a record.
5. Some activities also have the following optional fields:
   • Sender

     The sender must be a valid Microsoft Dynamics CRM account, contact, lead, or other Microsoft Dynamics CRM user. By default, this box contains the name of the user who creates the activity.

   • Recipient

     Typically an account, contact, lead, or Microsoft Dynamics CRM user.

   • Category, Sub-Category

     You can use these text fields to categorize tasks so that you can sort them easily.

6. Click Save or Save and Close.

   Tip

   If you are using the activity to track something that has already been completed, on the File menu, click Save as Completed.

   When you save an activity as completed, duplicates will not be detected.

Notes

• To create the same activity for multiple records, use a quick campaign A communication method that creates a single activity for distribution to a group of accounts, contacts, or leads, or to a single marketing list. Contrast with campaigns, which support end-to-end marketing programs that have multiple activities.. More information: Create a quick campaign
• You cannot edit multiple activities at once.
• You cannot schedule recurring activities.
• You cannot reactivate or edit a closed activity. However, you can add a note to a closed activity.
• You cannot change one activity into another type of activity.
• You cannot set reminders in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook for faxes, phone calls, e-mails, letters, or campaign responses activities created in the Web application The version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM that works in Microsoft Internet Explorer. or Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook.
• When the duration of an activity is more than 60 minutes, the time is converted into hours. When the activity is saved, the value is rounded up and might change when converted. Rounding is only observed on the hundredth of an hour, but the exact value for the duration is stored in minutes, and this value in minutes is used to calculate the total billing time when resolving cases.
• The letter and fax activities record when the letter or fax is sent or received. When you create the activity, you attach the letter or fax document, such as a Microsoft Office Word file, to the record. With the mail merge feature, you can write your letter and include Microsoft Dynamics CRM data. More information: Create Customer-Ready Documents and Messages