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Extensions to the Microsoft Outlook User Interface

Siebel CRM Desktop is a composite application that displays Siebel CRM sales data in Microsoft Outlook. To store and render Siebel CRM data, the Microsoft Outlook add-in framework deploys Siebel CRM Desktop to Microsoft Outlook and extends the Microsoft Outlook data model and user interface.

Extensions to the Microsoft Outlook user interface allow the user to display Siebel CRM data. The following are some examples of these extensions:

• Custom toolbar buttons
• Custom menu items
• Custom forms that display Siebel CRM data
• Custom controls that are embedded in Microsoft Outlook forms that display Siebel CRM data
• Personalization options dialog box
• Predefined Siebel CRM views in Microsoft Outlook folders. For example, the Opportunities by Account view.

To allow the user to perform a variety of work, Microsoft Outlook uses these extensions. The following are some examples of work that the user can perform:

• Create new Siebel CRM data in Microsoft Outlook.
• Mark a Microsoft Outlook item to share with Siebel CRM data and associated sales data. Siebel CRM Desktop shares accounts and opportunities by default. As an option, it can also share or unshare calendar appointments, tasks, contacts, and email messages.
• View and edit sales data.
• Initiate a standard Microsoft Outlook action, such as sending an email or scheduling a meeting in the context of a sales item.

Siebel CRM Desktop performs a variety of validations on data entry. The following are some examples of validation that Siebel CRM Desktop performs:

• Confirm that the data type is valid for a given field.
• Make sure each required field includes information.
• Make sure certain fields are disallowed, depending on the access rules for conditional data.