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MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Patrick Doolan, founder and CEO of our sponsor, Integrity Data. Integrity specializes in HR and payrolls solutions for Dynamics 365 Business Central and GP. He shares an update on this team's latest solutions and their plans at Community Summit including the opportunity to have casual face-to-face conversations about solving customer problems.
Patrick also shares some observations on how the industry push to embrace AI lines up against customer realities and he offers some advice for getting the most out of Summit.
More from Integrity Data:
Recent Blog post AI+HR 101: How to Use AI for the Best Results - Integrity Data (integrity-data.com) Recent webinar: Microsoft Copilot + Integrity Data HRP: Maximize your HR Software with AI” Information about Integrity Data HRP for GP & BC Information about our BC-embedded payroll and HR solution -
Running better events means making them accessible to more people, and our guest on this episode, Microsoft MVP and HR expert Ana Inés Urrutia, joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom to discuss how conferences can do more to be inclusive by design. Both Ana Inés and BAC co-host Julie Yack will be participating in Scottish Summit 2024 in October, and they share some of ways that event's organizers have been improving both inclusivity and accessibility.
We also discuss what it's like to build a career in enterprise software for someone with a non-conventional professional history. Both Ana and Julie share some of their professional background and what it's meant for their time in the Dynamics and Power Platform space. Before her work with Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, Ana was a psychologist, while Julie started her software career after years as an educator and a stay at home parent. Julie and Ana also share some experiences in getting the most out of education and how in-conference experiences are evolving to accommodate more attendees.
Resources:
See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
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MSDW is a media sponsor of Power Platform Community Conference 2024. Get $100 off your registration with the code MSDW100.
Microsoft MVP Lisa Crosbie has spent plenty of time and effort understanding Microsoft's rapidly expanding set of Copilot offerings for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. While she has documented many of those discoveries and insights on her popular YouTube channel, she has also been developing new in-person presentations and workshops for the upcoming event season.
Lisa joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom on this episode to preview the AI-centric session and full-day workshop she will be presenting at the upcoming Power Platform Community Conference 2024.
Lisa has historically focused a lot of her presentations on model-driven Power Apps, but for #PPCC24 she wanted to do something different, she explains. A lot of questions from the community are about the broad concept of Copilot within Microsoft solutions. Her workshop aims to look at the Copilot experiences across the various business apps and how different people can use them in their roles. Topics will include prompting skills, hands-on demos, interactive questions, and more. She wants people to come away understanding the range of possibilities and the skills they will need to use those.
See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/
Resources: -
Microsoft MVP and founder of AlexaCRM George Doubinski joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom to talk about his recent experiences hiring an intern to learn what Power Platform services and solutions development are all about. As this person's internship experience nears an end, George shares several lessons and observations that others may want to consider if they set up a similar program.
George talks about the importance of insulating an apprentice from customer scrutiny, finding the balance between teaching and discovery, catching and correcting bad habits, and how to know when a new learner is ready to become a true working professional. Other topics discussed include:
What skills do students need coming into the Microsoft channel workforce? Why interns and apprentices have trouble focusing on the right challenge or task. The role of writing code as a Power Platform consulting intern Why a mentor must provide an environment where apprentices are safe to make mistakesLinks & Resources:
George on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgedoubinski/ George's Power Platform Community Conference discount code: ENABLER100 Julie's Power Platform Community Conference discount code: JYACK100 See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
This episode is sponsored by Upland Software.
In a world where the next revolutionary contact center technology is always just around the corner, the reality is that agents still need real solutions today. Computer-telephony integration (CTI) is the real game-changer, says this episode's guest, Denis Francoeur, Director of Product from Upland Software, and he explains why.
The contact center needs better connections between systems and people, Francoeur says, and CTI holds a fascinating place among IT assets. It has proved its worth over the years as an evolving technology, and the latest generation of tools, like InGenius from Upland, shows its relevance by serving as both a productivity tool for agents and as a vector for AI-driven insights, recommendations, call routing, and more. We discuss what trends in AI messaging have meant for positioning CTI, recent feedback Upland has had from Dynamics 365 customers and partners, and what users can do today to cut through the noise when deploying CTI in their organizations.
InGenius customers see an average of 50% uplift in agent call handling when integration D365 with their telephony system. Schedule a 1:1 product demo by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3M7ttW8
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This episode is sponsored by insightsoftware.
The rapid increase in attention on AI has generated lots of new conversations at insighsoftware, a global provider of comprehensive solutions for the Office of the CFO. Their customers in the Microsoft ecosystem want to bring AI and ML to bear for better performance, but challenges around data often become a hurdle.
Our guests, Warwick Leitch and Caria Collins of insightsoftware, follow up their recent MSDW webcast to talk in more detail about delivering AI-related features and planning for the data-related challenges that their clients are talk about today. Beyond data preparation and forecasting, consumers of financial and operational analytics want speed, accuracy, and the ability to configure AI models for their needs. Our guests explain why advances in forecasting, helped by AI and ML models, could prove to have the biggest impact on businesses and why new tools for anomaly detection and report suggestions could also add value.
Warwick and Caria tie these trends back to insightsoftware solution Jet Analytics and explain where AI and ML capabilities align with it. They also provide some insight into what other AI-related topics customers are thinking about for the future.
More from insightsoftware:
insightsoftware is a global provider of comprehensive solutions for the Office of the CFO. We believe an actionable business strategy begins and ends with accessible financial data. With solutions across financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, and operations, we transform how teams operate, empowering leaders to make timely and informed decisions.
Learn more about Jet Analytics and Microsoft Fabric.
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The Microsoft technology community in the Philippines has grown and evolved over the years along with the products and business opportunities in the space. Now, a group of community leaders have organized a new conference in Manila with a focus on Power Platform and Dynamics 365 training and learning for professionals and students alike. TechBayanihan 2024 takes place on August 2 and 3 and promises a full schedule of sessions and activities, from Microsoft product updates to customer panels to plenty of networking opportunities.
Our guests on this episode, Microsoft MVPs Kris Ruyeras, Doher Drizzle Pablo, Ahmed Salih, and Cecile Dinh, are all part of the globe-spanning organizing committee for the event. They explain how they came together along with the rest of the team to conceive of and plan the event. They discuss the event's priorities, the organizing process, and interesting characteristics of the Microsoft tech community in the Philippines.
And listeners can help sponsor the attendance of more students. Learn more about purchasing low-cost registrations on behalf of local students.
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This episode is sponsored by PayTrace.
Bringing embedded payments capabilities to a Dynamics ERP system can offer a range of benefits, but it is not always a simple transition. On this episode, our guests, Mary Miller and Sam Johnson of PayTrace, discuss what it means to accept payments within the context of ERP-driven business processes and how organizations are reaping the benefits.
Payment requirements in B2B scenarios are unique compared to the B2C world, and our guests discuss some of the goals that PayTrace clients seek when they invest in embedded payments. Mary and Sam tell us about the experiences of their customers that have expanded payments capabilities and insights into areas like AR, cash management, and analytics. And we discuss how conversations in the Dynamics channel between partners and customers are changing based on payments-related requirements. In short, partners need trustworthy tools that they can rely on to deliver supported solutions that meet client needs.
A message from PayTrace:
The B2B payment experts, PayTrace specializes in payment processing and automation that enables businesses to accept payments anywhere and increase cash flow. They provide solutions for accounts receivable, interchange optimization, surcharging, and more, all built on the solid foundation of a B2B payment gateway that’s trusted by 40,000 merchant businesses.
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Derik Bormann is president and director of learning at Myrium Technology Solutions, a founding principal and instructor at 365.training, and a Microsoft MVP.
Over the last few years, Derik has been doing a lot of work training and onboarding hundreds of new Microsoft technical specialists who needed the PL-100 and PL-200 skills as well as D365 Customer Service, Field Service, Sales, and Customer Insights. He explained why that particular training had to be tailored to the needs of Microsoft employees as opposed to other styles like classroom training.
But while he has been training others to get their certs some of Derik's own certifications have lapsed. He tells us about his work to prepare to re-certify on PL-200 and PL-600. PL-200 is one of the hardest certifications to get, Julie and Derik say, due to its broad range of knowledge across Power Apps, Power BI, and other services.
We also discuss some of the other Power Platform certifications that people can choose from, how Derik recommends people prepare to pass a cert, how quickly the Microsoft exams change over time, and the benefits of Applied Skills, which Derik says are challenging but offer a good way to prepare by testing understanding in real world scenarios.
Links & Resources:
Derik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikbormann/ See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
After a few years of relatively little change to certifications in the Business Applications space, Microsoft MVP Joe Griffin says he is encouraged by forward movement from Microsoft in new certs and new approaches.
In this episode, recorded live at DynamicsMinds 2024, Joe tells us about why he likes the Applied Skills approach through Microsoft Learn. He and Julie also share their experiences with the new incremental assessment capabilities of some certs and their opinion of the new D365 Customer Experience Analyst Associate cert that serves as something of a baseline for other more specialized areas.
Joe also offers a few predictions on the importance of Copilot Studio and role-based copilots and he discusses getting a broader and more diverse group of people involved with Power Platform.
Links & Resources:
Joe's Blog: https://crmchap.co.uk Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joejgriffin/ Joe on X/Twitter: https://x.com/joejgriffin See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
The Biz Apps Classroom travelled to Slovenia last week for DynamicsMinds 2024, the Dynamics and Power Platform community conference in its second year, and we caught up with Microsoft channel expert Joe Corigliano to talk partner training and skills. Joe wears several hats in the Microsoft channel community, helping build connections, plan events like the partner track at DynamicsMinds, and working with firms on their Microsoft strategy via his role at Ciellos.
Joe talks with Julie and Jason about his work, his experiences at DynamicsMinds 2024, and his plans for future events and projects. He explained that partners face a range of challenges today in their Microsoft businesses, from administrative hurdles like optimizing the use of Partner Center to achieving the solution designations needed for maximum channel benefits. Certifications play an important role in those Microsoft designations, along with sales, utilization, and other metrics.
We also discuss other ways that partner firms are findings success with non-traditional business models that don't involve the solution designations and may not align with Microsoft's incentives. Regardless of the strategy, relationships between firms will continue to drive a lot of the success partners achieve, Joe believs.
Julie and Joe also talk about how community connections have evolved in the Microsoft biz apps channel. Developing a richer set of relationships will fall to people who work in this space directly, they believe, and it will require a range of efforts. Joe's outlook for the year includes his own podcast, organizing July's Biz Apps Partner Summit, and Community Summit.More Resources:
See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
Julie and Jason took the Biz Apps Classroom to Denver to talk training and learning at DynamicsCon Live 2024. Our guest on this live, in-person episode is Nick Doelman, a Microsoft MVP and former Microsoft employee.
AI was all over the conference, and we start by taking on the question of Microsoft Copilot's role in developing Microsoft technology training. Nick shares his perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of today's tools for creating learning plans, classroom training, and self-learning activities. His experiences point to Copilot as a tool, not a solution, and he explains why he still has trust issues with the technology.
Nick also shares a recent experience of asking Copilot to develop a syllabus for a client. He had to balance the potential time saved, the skills a Microsoft consultant needs to properly review such AI output, and the risks of some people leaning too heavily on these tools.
Resources:
Power Platform Boost Podcast: https://powerplatformboost.buzzsprout.com/ MSDW's DynamicsCon Live 2024 coverage: https://msdynamicsworld.com/tags/dynamicscon-may-2024 See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
What can Copilot do for the average business user? Julie and Jason turn on screen sharing in this video-enabled episode to examine some of the basics of interacting with a Microsoft Copilot.
Conference season has begun, and attendees will find a bounty of sessions focused on AI. But organizations will have to consider two key questions as they decide to embrace AI and Copiilot in general: how to identify useful AI-enabled scenarios and how to use them effectively and responsibly.
As Julie shows us in this walkthrough, great results are not guaranteed with an AI copilot interaction. Prompts matter, as does the user's critical eye toward the results. In this episode we explore not only prompts and responses, but the importance of language choices and how to adapt your approach during an AI interaction to get the ideal outcome.
Resources:
See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here: https://msdynamicsworld.com/biz-apps-classroom Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
This episode is sponsored by Evenica.
Public sector organizations use Microsoft Business Applications for a broad range of solution needs, and the latest advances in Dynamics 365 Commerce have empowered municipalities and other government entities to transact and interact online in a compelling new ways.
In a recent panel discussion, Kelly Mazur of Microsoft partner Evenica led a discussion about what’s possible for municipalities today when they leverage the full capabilities of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, including commerce.
Topics include:
Evenica's outlook on Commerce in public sector How well Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations apps (including Commerce) fit in public sector organizations Unique commerce-related challenges of public sector and local governments Commerce in portals scenarios Easing the pain of RFPsA message from Evenica:
Over the past 20 years Evenica has defined Commerce as a category and become one of the leading implementers of Dynamics 365 Commerce. They work with Microsoft customers across each major industry to create synergy between transactions and interactions. You can learn more about them at Evenica.com
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Microsoft MVP and MCT EY Kalman joins us in the Biz Apps Classroom to discuss Microsoft's Applied Skills and Applied Labs, his view on the employment landscape, and some tips on making yourself a more attractive candidate.
Topics of the discussion include:
Microsoft certifications and their value for landing a new job. Other ways EY's team evaluates candidates based on technology, roles, and other considerations. Why EY believes the PL-200 is a good starter exam for candidates, even if they are new to Microsoft Business Applications. Whether college matters when hiring for Business Applications consulting roles. How to interpret the completion of Applied Skills by a candidate. Why Applied Skills can be a headache for more experienced Microsoft professionals EY's recent experiences finding skilled candidates to fill his firm's open roles Tips for building your skill set without an employerResources:
https://thecrm.ninja See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here. Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
With DynamicsCon Live fast approaching, we check in with Dynamics User Group's Ryan Harris for a quick update on the event, which runs from May 13 to 16.
Ryan tells us about the planning and offers some suggestions on how to attendees can take advantage of the event's layout and features to get the most out of the week. He also previews some of the schedule highlights like the TechFluent Gala on Tuesday, May 14.
And listen closely to this short episode because at the end we explain how to enter to win one of MSDW's two free passes to DynamicsCon Live.
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Microsoft introduced three tiers of new partner benefits packages in January 2024 that were designed for partners to purchase to help meet different types of channel needs. Our guest on this episode, Microsoft MVP AJ Ansari of DSWi, has been looking closely at these benefit levels and joins us to share some of his observations about the elements of each offer, the value of different options, and how different kinds of organizations might be able to use them to their advantage. We also discuss what these offers say about Microsoft's channel engagement priorities today and how they differ from other programs and incentives.
Events and resources mentioned:
Comparing partner offerings Directions North America DynamicsCon Live DynamicsMinds Days of Knowledge Central BCTechDays -
Microsoft MVP Malin Martnes has spent considerable time exploring the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (Data) Specialist certification and its exam, MB-260, and she has discovered that the required subject matter is vast. In this episode, Malin tells us about her experience working with clients on the D365 Customer Insights Data application, her efforts to cover the topics of MB-260 on her blog, as well as more general Microsoft certification exam recommendations.
Show Notes
7:45 - Malin's view of with the MB-260 exam and certification: how it compares to others and whom it is for 10:30 - Who is well prepared to take it? 13:00 - How to organize your efforts toward preparing for the exam 16:00 - Why correct answers on Microsoft exams don't always seem logical 17:45 - Good entry points for this certification 23:00 - The challenge of getting customers motivated to use Customer Insights 27:30 - Malin's blogging plans for the yearResources:
Malin's blog - https://malindonosomartnes.com/ MaCoTra (Malin's firm) - https://macotra.no/ Malin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/malinmartnes/ Her book about D365 Customer Insights Journeys (Marketing) - https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Microsoft-Marketing-Functional-Consultant/dp/1803234601 See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here. Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ -
This episode is sponsored by Leapwork.
Microsoft has recently adjusted the update schedule and policies for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations apps, with the One Version strategy now driving the delivery for four service updates per year to customers, with limited pauses allowed. Given the regular cadence, the short testing windows, and the need to accept multiple updates per year, customers must reckon with the realities of testing efficiencies.
As our guest, Sune Engsig, Field CTO at Leapwork, explains, manual testing against regressions for an application like D365 Finance or Supply Chain Management can take a heavy toll on an organization, adding time and cost while preventing an organization from investing in rolling out new improvements and new solutions.
Sune tells us about his experiences working with Leapwork clients, how both partners and customers engage with the company on deploying automated testing for Dynamics 365, and how Leapwork thinks about the ideal ways to share responsibilities between functional testers and technical resources.
Resources:
Webcast recording: Navigating the Dynamics 365 One Version Policy: Automated Regression Testing for ERP Excellence Schedule time with a Leapwork test automation experts here -
TechFluent Academy is gearing up for a new class of students and the nonprofit expects a major increase in applications (the deadline is May 15) and participation. To learn more, the organization's founder and executive director, Liz McGlennen, spoke with Julie and Jason about their current enrollment, eliminating barriers to entry, and what it takes to prepare a student for a career in the enterprise software space.
Liz tells us about the origins of TechFluent, market demand for new hires with biz apps skills, the importance of mentorship and peer support, expanding to more Dynamics 365 solutions, and encouraging students embrace continuous learning.
Resources:
TechFluent - https://www.techfluentacademy.org/ See all Biz Apps Classrooms episodes here. Support the podcast and get a discount on an annual plan for 365.training by visiting https://365l.ink/MSDW. Keep up with community content at https://mydigest.365.training/ - Daha fazla göster
