14 March 2011

SugarCRM: Working with Google Maps

There was a time when if you had to show how Siebel integrates seamlessly with the world outside, it was considered cool enough to create a mash-up with Google maps. Sad to say, I feel stuck in that time warp sometimes and this post actually confirms that.  The premise is simple - integrate with Google maps as seamlessly as you can, the problem simpler - I am still on page 21 of the PHP manual. That brings us to the next best thing - JJWGoogleMaps! Again, the best screenshots had been provided by the products that charge a fee (e.g this), they simply would have to wait :).
The steps to integrate maps using this connector is simple/not simple as it is demonstrated below:
  1. You install module in the standard fashion to see a new 'Maps' module showing up in the main menu
  2. Navigate to the Maps screen and select the entity to which you want to map 
  3. Select an existing map / create a new map 
  4. If you have not already done that, click on 'Geocode Addresses' in the Maps module. This will fetch geocodes for the addresses entered in Sugar CRM
  5. Finally, see the map in Maps screen and have a blast (while you can) 
  6. The catch before you begin the party - don't forget to check the statistics and keep your requests within limit of 2500 requests/day. Though this module claims to cache the geocoded addresses to limit these requests, you cannot start testing it prior to a customer demo (to avoid effects of Murphy's 101st law)

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