Find the next available time within a specific time period

Can I do this task?

Use this procedure to find the next available time based on a specific date, or range of dates, within the next day, week, or month.

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Service, and then click Service Calendar.
2. In the Actions group, click Schedule.

   Note

   If you click New, and then Service Activity, you will create a service activity without checking for available times.

3. On the Schedule Service Activity form, you must enter the following information:
   • Service

     Locate and select the service you want to schedule. You can click the Lookup button to search for and select records.

4. Under Scheduling Information, select criteria for the times you want:
   • Start Date
     • To search for a time on a specific date, select Specific Date, and then enter the date you want.
     • To search within a range of dates, select Range of Dates, and then enter the On or After and On or Before dates. You can also select specific days of the week.
     • To search for times today, select Today.
     • You can also search for times based on dates relative to today, such as Tomorrow, This Week, or Next Week.
   • Start Time
     • To search for a specific time, select Specific Time, and then enter the specific time.
     • To search within a specific range of time, select Range of Times, and then enter the earliest and latest times you want the service activity to start.
     • You can also search for times based on the time of day, such as Morning or Evening.
   • Duration

     Do not clear the Use Default Duration check box and change the duration unless you want to schedule more time than the default duration of the service. The maximum duration of a service activity is 10 days.

5. Click Find Available Times. The next available times are displayed.
6. Under Available Times, click the start or end time of the time that you want to schedule, and then click Schedule. If you click the service or resource links, the related form opens.

   The Schedule Service Activity form closes, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM fills in the information from the selected time into the Service Activity form.

7. On the Service Activity form, enter any additional information about the service activity:
   • Subject (mandatory)
   • Customers
   • Resources
   • Location
   • Show Time As
   • Site
   • Notes

     For more information about adding service activity details, see Create a service activity without checking for conflicts.

8. Under Information, click Common, and then select and locate a record in the Regarding box to link to this service activity. You can also set a Priority for the service activity, and indicate a Category and Sub-Category.
9. Click Save or Save and Close.

   The service activity appears as a color block on the Service calendar, as well as on the calendar in the Workplace and Activities areas.

Tip

Important

• Changing any information in the Scheduling Information area after you have selected a time for the service activity is not recommended. Doing so might cause conflicts in the schedule.
• In the list of possible service activity search results, you can click the Page Back arrow to initiate a new search. Paging back does not display the previous page.