One of my customers occasionally runs into the following error when attempting to renew a contract:
This is a very strange error given that the contract was created correctly and has been in place for long time. Here is what causes this issue:
Here is an example of the Contract Start and End dates:
If you have never worked with Contracts, you will find that you need to have at least one Contract Line, which is a detail-level record (with the Contract itself being the master record).
Here are the Contract Start and End dates for the Contact Line:
Do you notice that the End Date of the Contract Line is not the same as the Contract End Date?
It turns out that Dynamics CRM doesn’t like the dates not being the same and the result is that error message above.
Root Cause of the Issue
This issue was caused by a piece of automation (plug-in) that was created and installed into the system. I incorrectly specified the Contract Line End Date field value and upon renewal, the error was generated.
Solution
To correct such an issue, perform the following steps:
1. Open the Contract.
2. View the Contract Lines.
3. Open the Contract Line with the incorrect dates.
4. Cancel the Contract Line.
5. Create a new Contract Line with the same values as the original one, but with Start and End Dates that match the Contract.
6. Return back to the parent Contract.
7. Click the Renew Contract button on the Ribbon.
8. When prompted for Include canceled contract lines?, uncheck the checkbox.
9. Click OK.
At this point your contract should be renewed with the next period’s dates.
