Easily Find and Add Data in Dynamics CRM 2016 with the ‘Recently Viewed’ and ‘Quick Create’ buttons

Posted on: October 21, 2016 | By: Craig Thompson | Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Two very useful feature updates in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 are the Recently Viewed and Quick Add buttons. When in CRM, often times you will want to navigate back to a record that you were previously working on or add a new record with only a few clicks. That is where the recently viewed and quick create become incredibly helpful. The buttons are found on the top ribbon bar next to the Global Search text box. These buttons will always be visible no matter where in CRM you are which means you can click these buttons from any page at any time. The recently viewed button, which is shown below and looks like a clock, allows you to navigate to your recent views and your recent records. The quick add button, which is located to the right of recently viewed and looks like a plus sign, allows you allows you to add new activities and records.


Using the ‘Recently Viewed’ button 

One of the greatest benefits of using the recently viewed button is that it allows you to jump around to different types of records in which you have been frequently working. Many users in the course of a day, week, or even month will only be working with a certain set of records and want to get back and forth to each one quickly. When you click the recently viewed button a dropdown will appear with the recent views and recent records the user has opened. This means that in 2 clicks a user can move to a record or view they have recently touched. Once a view or new record is opened, it will move to the top of the list and every other record will move down one. The recent views are limited to display the previous 10 views and the recent records list will display the previous 40 records.

The user also has the ability to ‘pin’ these views and records to their list if they would like to keep them there. By clicking the pin icon to the right of the view/record name, the record will move to the top of the list and appear there each time you click the recently viewed button. To remove or ‘unpin’ the view/record from the top of the list, simply click the pin again and the record will return to just being a recent view/record.


Using the ‘Quick Add’ button 

Often times you will need to enter information on-the-fly or add a few pieces of information very quickly, just to get them in the system. This is where quick add comes in. I like to use the example of being on the phone, and needing to add a contact or account while still engaging with the caller. With quick add you can click the activity or record you need to create, enter the basic information and click save.

For example, if you click the quick add for Account it will display a small form with only basic account and address details to enter. Note though, that this comes with the assumption the user will come back to the main account form and fill in the rest of the information later. A good CRM user should work to form habits that ensure they come back and fill in the remaining account details. 

Records can also be removed from the quick add dropdown by unchecking the ‘Allow Quick Add’ in the entity customization form. This may be useful if you want to ensure users will not forget to enter all the information because they were using the quick add.

If you think that a CRM system is your next best step for your business, contact Logan Consulting your Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner of Chicago.



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