Online CRM supplier Salesforce.com has added customisation features to the next release of its application. 

The new features allow customers and developers to combine various data sources, from Salesforce and third parties, to create so-called 'mash-up' applications.

Data from the customised applications can then be displayed as Salesforce dashboards, or 'mashboards' as the company has termed them.

Business Objects, for example, showed a new addition to its Crystal Xcelsius reporting software that can now integrate with Salesforce.com. 

The analytics dashboard enables customers to create, share and manage business presentations directly within the Salesforce site.

The new release of Salesforce, called Winter '07, is scheduled for release later this year.

"We are now starting to preview a new version of Salesforce.com that will be released at the end of the year called Salesforce Winter '07," said Marc Benioff, chairman and chief executive at Salesforce.com.

The new software allows greater customisation through open web services, according to Benioff.

"This new level of freedom and flexibility is only possible through the power of mash-ups, open APIs and web services," he said.

Benioff also commented on how Salesforce.com's hosted service compares to traditional software-based applications.

"We have released 21 versions of our code in the past seven years," he said. "In the same period Microsoft has released two versions of its software-based CRM system. Two versions verses 21."

Previews of the new version can be found on the Salesforce.com Winter '07 Preview website. Visitors can also vote on which features they prefer and leave comments.