Microsoft Dynamics Certified Software Advisor (CSA) Program

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1 Microsoft Dynamics Certified Software Advisor (CSA) Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Partners General Information What is the Microsoft Certified Software Advisor (CSA) program? The Certified Software Advisor program compensates Microsoft partners that assist Microsoft in selling Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX. What is the objective of the program? The objective of the Certified Software Advisor program is to create a competent ecosystem of partners that assist in the pre-sales evaluation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX. The program is designed to help offset partners cost of marketing and selling Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX. How does it work? Partners can earn CSA fees by providing software evaluation and deployment services for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online (when commercially available) and Microsoft Dynamics AX. As a Microsoft software advisor that assists in pre-sales assessment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX and is retained as the primary post-sales implementation partner for the deployment of Microsoft Dynamics software, partners become eligible to claim a Certified Software Advisor payment. A partner does not need to be the ordering partner of the software to be eligible for Certified Software Advisor payments. Where do I find information about the Certified Software Advisor program? Partners can read detailed information regarding the CRM or AX market opportunity on the Microsoft Partner Network Portal. Additionally, specific information about the CSA program can be found on the dedicated Microsoft Dynamics Certified Software Advisor page on MPN Portal. Is the CSA program a worldwide program? Yes. Any partner in any country where Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX is sold can participate in the CSA program. Sales of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX in the eligible Volume Licensing programs are entitled to CSA fee claims, unless otherwise noted in the CSA documentation. Partner (June 2012) Page 1

2 must meet the requirements of the CSA program and the transaction must occur in order to be eligible to receive fees. How do I sign up for the CSA program? Solution providers can begin the signup process by navigating to the Certified Software Advisor signup page. Important Link CSA Signup Process Do sales of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX licenses count towards Inner Circle, President s Club and other sales recognition programs? Yes. Partners can make CSA claims and receive payment while also receiving revenue credit towards recognition. CSA Program Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX On Premises Software Regarding on-premise software, how does the CSA program compensate partners? Microsoft compensates partners based on flat rate. In the flat rate model, for each eligible CRM or AX transaction, partners will receive CSA payments based on estimated retail price (defined below) of licenses multiplied by the percentage. How does the model work? CSA payment for Licenses or Licenses with Software Assurance will continue to be based on the total estimated retail price for each deal; on each individual deal partners will receive the total of: 17%% for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 25% for Microsoft Dynamics AX Software Assurance Renewal: Partners will receive a flat rate of 5% for total value of contract renewal. Deals closed under the Enterprise Application Program (EAP) count as Software Assurance and earn 5% in advisor fees. Sales of CRM or AX licenses to the same end-user customer within a 365 day period (from date of first claim) will be considered part of the original sale and paid at the marginal rate. Microsoft reserves the right to change the percentage payouts at any time with notice to partners. This means that a percentage payout (i.e. 17%) could change in the future. Page 2

3 What is Estimated Retail Price? Estimated retail price is the total estimated price in USD for CRM or AX licenses purchased by a customer. It is calculated based on Microsoft s invoice price (to the partner) for licenses multiplied by an uplift factor that is used to estimate the market price. Uplift factors may vary by region. Estimated Retail Price = Microsoft Invoice Price x Uplift Factor What are some typical CSA claim scenarios? Scenario 1 A CRM Software Advisor in the United States assists the direct marketing reseller (DMR) for XYZ Corporation with a Microsoft Dynamics CRM evaluation and is retained to deploy the software. The customer purchases the CRM licenses from the DMR. The estimated retail price of the CRM licenses is USD 100,000. The CSA partner will receive USD 17,000 in CSA payment. CSA Calculation: USD100,000 * 17%= USD 17,000. Scenario 2 A CSA partner in Australia assists XYZ Corporation with a Microsoft Dynamics AX evaluation and is retained to implement the software. The partner orders the AX licenses from a distributor and resells them to XYZ Company for an estimated retail price of AUD 250,000. The partner will receive AUD 56,029 in CSA payment. CSA Calculation: AUD 250,000 *25% = AUD 62,500 Page 3

4 What happens if I sell additional CRM or AX licenses to the same customer? CSA claims for sales of Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX on-premise licenses to the same end-user customer within a 365 day period (from date of first claim) will be considered part of the original sale and paid at the marginal rate. Does the Volume Licensing program (i.e. Open, Select, etc...) matter for CSA payment calculation? No. The choice of which Volume Licensing program to use for Dynamics CRM purchases is completely the decision of the customer. The CSA payment amount will be exactly the same, regardless of which Volume Licensing program is used. Dynamics AX only qualifies with an Enterprise Agreement. How will renewals of Software Assurance be paid? There will be no change for payments on renewals of Software Assurance. Partners will continue to receive 5% of the estimated retail price for renewals of Software Assurance. CSA Program - Mobile Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Dynamics CRM Will subscriptions of CRM Online be eligible for CSA? Yes. How are CSA payments calculated for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Dynamics CRM Mobile? Partner fees are defined across two elements: sell and deploy and managed fees for your support of customers. Partners earn 12% of the first year s value associated with all new CRM Online subscription licenses purchased by the customer from Microsoft, and 6% ongoing fees for renewed subscriptions. Software Advisor fees on newly acquired CRM Online subscription licenses (12% fee) are paid out up front for the full year subscription. The managed fee of 6% is paid out monthly through the life of the subscription. NOTE: July 1, 2012 December 31, 2012 the managed fee = 6% / January 1, 2013 June 30, 2013 the managed fee = 4% CSA Fee payments are automatically processed upon being assigned partner of record (POR) for the subscription. Payments are disbursed monthly when the partner reaches a $100 Page 4

5 minimum payment threshold. If a customer purchases additional licenses throughout their subscription period, the partner will receive a fee based on the value of the newly added seats, prorated to the end of the 1 year subscription period. Please, see the scenario below for detailed explanation of calculations. Subscription Seats Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 POR Association POR Sold 100 Seats of CRM Online Total Seats Max seats sold Sell Fee 12% Sold 100 Seats 1,440 Promo Fee 14% Sold 100 Seats 1,680 Managed Fee 6% Partner Payment Monthly Manage Fee Total Monthly Fee $3,180 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 $60 Running balance $0 $60 $120 $60 $120 $60 $120 $60 $120 $60 $120 $60 Partner Payment Amount $3,180 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 Page 5

6 If standard Software Advisor fee rates for CRM Online are 12% + 6% (or 18%) on newly added licenses, why am I receiving a different percentage? Microsoft may offer partners a promotion as part of existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software Advisor program. We recommend that partners periodically check the Software Advisor community pages of MPN portal (here) and PartnerSource (here) to view most recent promotional announcements and documentation CSA Program Requirements and Certification What agreements are necessary to be a part of the Certified Software Advisor program? Partners must sign a Certified Software Advisor Agreement in conjunction with their Microsoft Partner Program (MPN) Agreement. Partners must be at least a Registered Partner in the Microsoft Partner Program and have a current Software Advisor Agreement on file in order to be eligible for CSA payments. In addition, certification requirements apply (see below). Please refer to the MPN web site for more details. For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile, a Microsoft Online Services Partner Agreements (MOSPA) is also required. How do customers register their CRM on-premise software? Customers will receive a Product Identification (PID) key to activate the product. This PID key should be used as part of the installation procedure. You still need to register your customer by going to the Self-Service Web Site ( in order to activate the Software Assurance benefits and CustomerSource account for your customer. This is a pre-requisite step before you can claim fees. Page 6

7 What are the CSA certification requirements for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX? For Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise, 2 or more employees or contractors from the partner organization are required to collectively pass the following exams to earn the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Certification for the Program. Exam requirements: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customization Microsoft Dynamics CRM Installation and Configuration Microsoft Dynamics CRM Applications Microsoft Dynamics CRM (on-premise) MB2-866 MB2-867 MB2-868 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Accreditation Implementation Methodology Exam MB5-858 For Microsoft Dynamics AX, 15 or more employees from the partner organization are required to collectively pass the following exams to earn the Microsoft Dynamics AX Certification for the Program: Exam requirements: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Development Introduction Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Trade and Logistics Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Financials Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Installation and Configuration Microsoft Dynamics AX Exam MB6-869 Exam MB6-870 Exam MB6-871 Exam MB6-872 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance or Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases Exam or Exam Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development Exam Please refer to the web for the latest exam requirements and your specific geography exams on PartnerSource Page 7

8 ( ERPTechnicalExams) or the MPN Partner Portal For Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, one or more employees or contractors from the partner organization are required to collectively pass the following exams to earn the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Certification for the Program: Exam requirements: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customization Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online MB2-866 Microsoft Dynamics CRM Sales Accreditation Implementation Methodology Exam MB5-858 Please refer to the web for the latest exam requirements and your specific geography exams on PartnerSource ( _ERPTechnicalExams) or the MPN Partner Portal Page 8

9 Where can I find additional information on training and certification for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX? Information on training and certification requirements for Microsoft Dynamics Products can be found on PartnerSource ( or on the Microsoft Partner Program website ( ) Additional information on other training and events can be obtained by partners on MPN Training & Events Portal: (US only) Partners in other subsidiaries should contact their local subsidiary for training and certification information. Claims Eligibility When am I eligible for applying for the CSA Fees? As a Microsoft Certified Software Advisor, partners are eligible to apply for fees if they provide pre- sales software evaluation services and are retained as the primary post-sales implementation partner for Microsoft Dynamics CRM or Microsoft Dynamics AX software. Partners do not need to be the ordering partner to be eligible for Certified Software Advisor fees; customers can purchase licenses from any authorized source. Although partners may meet eligibility requirements, they will not be able to apply for fees until the transaction is complete and invoiced by Microsoft In what Volume Licensing programs can Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics AX be licensed and qualify for CSA payments? Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be licensed through many but not all of Volume Licensing programs and qualify for CSA. The list of applicable programs will be kept current in the Microsoft Dynamics Software Advisor Program Guide for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Microsoft Dynamics AX can only be licensed through an Enterprise Agreement to qualify for CSA fees. Are there any licensing programs that are ineligible for CSA payments? Yes. A list of licensing programs ineligible for CSA payments is available in the Microsoft Dynamics Software Advisor Program Guide for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Microsoft may update the exclusion list from time to time and pro vide notice to partners by updating the Guide Page 9

10 Claims and Payments Process Where do I claim CSA fees? For CRM or AX on premise sales, you can claim CSA fees at: For CRM Online sales, payments will automatically be processed upon being assigned as the Partner of Record (POR) for the subscription. Once assigned POR, an will be delivered with notification of the POR designation. Following month end, a statement will be ed outlining the CSA fees for the month. There is a 5 day deadline for disputes. At month end the payment will be disbursed via the chosen method (check or wire transfer). Note: There is a $100 monthly minimum threshold. If that is not met, the payment wil l be added to a running balance and paid once the minimum is met. In what currency will I be paid? Microsoft will pay you in the currency designated in your Software Advisor profile. How will I receive CSA payments? Partners can receive payment via bank wire transfer or check. Partners can choose their payment method at signup or change it later in their profile. When will I receive payment for a valid CSA claim? On Premise Sales: Day 9th & 22nd 10th & 23rd 11th & 24th Last day of the month/middle of following month Description Last day for software advisors to make claims for the monthly processing cycle Automatic fee calculations are executed Microsoft fee administrators begin reviewing and approving claims Fees are paid, software advisors can expect to receive claims during the following week. CRM Online and Mobile subscriptions: payments are calculated at month end and disbursed the following month upon reaching a $100 minimum payment threshold. Page 10

11 Additional Information and Resources Where can I find additional information? Please consult PartnerSource for frequently updated information. If PartnerSource does not answer your question, please contact your Microsoft Regional Operating Centers (ROCs) listed below. As always, you may also contact your Microsoft Partner Account Manager or the MBS Partner Resource Desk (US only) for additional information: PartnerSource Certified Software Advisor Information Important Link: Additional CRM Information Important Link: Microsoft Regional Operating Centers (ROCs) America, Europe, Middle East & Africa: o please, enter a new request here o view your existing request here Asia Pacific: please, contact mbslques@microsoft.com Page 11

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