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The MSDW Podcast

The MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) podcast explores news, ideas, and events in the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM community.
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Now displaying: 2024
Dec 4, 2024

This episode is sponsored by emfluence.

 

Marketers frequently lead the charge for better data and more connected systems in an organization, especially as it relates to customer journeys.


On this episode, David Cacioppo, president and CEO of emfluence, joins us to share some of his team's priorities as it relates to marketing automation strategy, especially in the Microsoft ecosystem.

 

As a firm that delivers both technology and digital agency services, emfluence has been working to align their worldview with the strengths of Microsoft Power Platform, especially Dataverse, David explains. And he discusses ways that emfluence's clients are increasingly looking for ways to bring insights from first-party data to bear across more industry scenarios and in campaigns that blur the traditional lines between B2B and B2C.

 

More from emfluence:

Sign up for a free 14-day trial of the emfluence Marketing Platform: https://more.emarketingplatform.com/msdw

Nov 25, 2024

This episode is sponsored FYIsoft.

 

In the Microsoft customer ecosystem, companies with complex financial structures often struggle to give their finance professionals the tools they need to create, deploy, and use effective reporting.

 

Requirements like multiple locations, companies, currencies, or ledgers can quickkly put extra burdens on both finance and IT teams that impact organizational performance and increase risk , says our guest, Jeremy Schaab, VP of software development at FYIsoft.

 

Schaab tells us about some of the common requirements the FYIsoft team hears from Microsoft users today and what the Microsoft product roadmaps will mean for both customers and ISVs. And he explains how his team has solved key technology challenges in order to offer elegant solutions for customers of different sizes and with different levels of complexity.

 

And we also discuss FYIsoft's product roadmap, which has important details that align with Dynamics 365 ERP applications, both functionally and technically.

 

More from FYIsoft:

 

Nov 21, 2024

Microsoft MVP Kuldeep Gupta returns to the MSDW Podcast to help us understand some of the latest Copilot features coming to Dynamics 365 Project Operations. Kuldeep has a list of favorites and honorable mentions that he dives into, including an extra preview feature (they're all linked below).


He also tells us about his newly released digital course for organizations planning a move from D365 Project Service Automation (PSA) to Project Ops and the rapidly approaching deadline set by Microsoft for that transition.

 

Show Notes:

Nov 20, 2024

This episode is sponsored by PayTrace.

 

Community Summit North America 2024 offered Microsoft customers and partners a mix of education, networking, and the chance to contemplate the future of entertise software and solutions.

 

Our guests on this episode, Mary Miller and Sam Johnson of PayTrace, share their own highlights, observations, and experiences from Summit. This was PayTrace's second year exhibiting at the user-focused event. Their team heard from booth visitors about goals like increasing automation, decreasing complexity of multi-solution architectures, and planning for cloud ERP.

 

Mary and Sam also reflect on how different roles within a Dynamics customer organization are approaching their future technology needs. And they offered updates on what is coming next from PayTrace.

 

More from PayTrace:

Oct 30, 2024

When today's guest, Guus Krabbenborg, talks to Dynamics 365 partners and their customers, he likes to ask them about some of the more challenging topics in a typical ERP project: what does success really look like when each party is being honest about their goals and motivations? And why do so many projects fail to meet those goals?

Guus shares his perspective with us on customer project preparation, some of the continuing challenges of cloud ERP projects, and the role he believes Microsoft should be playing in today's Business Central partner channel. He also shares customer anecdotes and his outlook on Directions EMEA 2024.

Show Notes: 

  • 4:00 - What does project success really mean and why does the "on-premises way" still pervade partner perspectives?
  • 11:00 - Why customer happiness should be a driving metric of partner success
  • 13:30 - Presenting a direct message to customers and prospects - how Guus does it and why partners should get better at it
  • 15:45 - The real guidance that partners need to give clients for success
  • 19:30 - A story of an AX/F&O customer executive's mistakes
  • 29:00 - Why partner success at Microsoft is still largely  focused on sales and revenue

More information

Oct 23, 2024

This episode is sponsored by NMB Solutions.

For businesses involved in exporting from the US, AES has become a key program that spans multiple government entities and enforces key regulations. Our guest, Michelle Frenier, a strategic consultant for NMB Solutions in the aera of global trade, introduces us to the role of AES in global trade, with a focus on the key role that technology like Dynamics 365 plays in managing the rules and staying compliant.

We discuss:

  • Common mistakes when filing export data in AES
  • Consequences of incomplete filings
  • How to prepare for potential audits
  • Country-specific requirements for AES filing information
  • Technology within Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management that can address AES, and where it falls short
  • NMB's solution to supporting AES filings in D365, including their partnership with AEB

More from NMB:

 

 

Oct 22, 2024

Learning new technology skills requires full concentration, but the task is even more challenging when it is being carried out in a learner's non-native language. Often in the business world, that training language is going to be English, and Microsoft MVP George Doubinski has seen firsthand the struggles that learners can face. George has had recent experiences training non-native speakers in an English language classroom. He explains why this is a common scenario and offers a range of suggested tools and techniques to help overcome typical headaches. We discuss vocabulary, pronunciation socio-political angles, and ways to gain comfort communicating in a business setting.

 

Resources:

Oct 8, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Mike DeGeeter and Sabrina Zimara from Velosio

With the recent end-of-life update for Dynamics GP, the Velosio team has ramped up their planning services and guidance for GP customers and will be offering Summit attendees 15 minute one-on-one consultations with specialists at booth 1452.

The team will also be showing off their Sales Velocity framework to provide comprehensive, pre-built integration of Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement apps and Business Central at no cost. 

Mike and Sabrina also reminded us of some of the firm's other recent news. Their new CEO, Robbie Morrison, has set a new vision for the firm focused on partnering with clients to create raving fans. The firm also has some new recognitions: they are once again Microsoft Inner Circle due to their sales success and they were named as a finalist in Microsoft's Partner of the Year award for Dynamics 365.

More information:

  • ClearPath Migration Consultation at Summit Booth #1452 – Schedule here: ClearPath Consultation at Microsoft Summit
  • Free BC + CE integration for Summit attendees who visit us at our booth! Mention the free integration to get signed up!
Oct 3, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Joe Christensen, founder of Aqueducts Consulting

The team at Aqueducts thinks a lot about how to help Dynamics 365 F&O and AX customers find success in their reporting and data management efforts, Joe tells us.  He has seen plenty of pain and frustration among customers over the years, and there are many good reasons why, from the technology to project planning to user adoption and organizational change. Reporting challenges often come down to a solution's reliability, Joe explains. When there's no reliability, a company’s reporting system often reverts to becoming little more than key people and tools, rather than something designed to deliver reports to everyone.  

We also discuss the evolution of the Dynamics 365 F&O data strategy, first with the introduction of Export to Data Lake and now Synapse Link. The Aqueducts Consulting booth at Summit will give attendees as unique "data factory" experience, and Joe explains what that will look like, blending concepts, technology, and operational process. 

More information:

  • See the Aqueducts Consulting teaw at Booth 1817
  • Partner Solution Showcase: Tuesday October 15th, 10:45-11:45 AM
    Come by to cover reporting out of D365F&O.  Hear from your peers on how they designed their reporting out of F&O, with a special focus on Synapse Link, and the lakehouse/data warehouse approaches.  And ask me about Report Factory!  It's our new way of making sure your team can survive when any of your key people leave the BI / reporting team.
  • Demo Zone: Wednesday Oct 16th, 4:45-4:55 PM 
    Where we run through how to get the most progress on F&O reporting, from 14 years of reporting in the field.
  • Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-christensen-aqc/
Oct 3, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with returning guests Mary Miller and Sam Johnson of PayTrace.

 

Mary and Sam update us on their preparations for Community Summit, running October 13 to 17 in San Antonio, and the types of conversations and connections the PayTrace team are planning for at the event at booth 1027.

 

One theme they expect to discuss with attendees is the way that payment technology is moving across organizations today. As they explain, PayTrace customers often deploy their technology in a specific point scenario first and then move into more structured Business Central use cases like invoicing. Sam and Mary also tell us about some of the attractions you can enjoy at their booth and offer tips on getting the most out of the event.

 

See also:

Oct 1, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Daniel Cai, founder and managing director of KingswaySoft.

 

Daniel tell us about KingswaySoft's newest offering, their JDBC Driver Pack for Dynamics 365. It first launched in July 2024 with Dynamics 365 CRM and Dataverse support, which they called JDBC 2024 release wave 1. At Community Summit they will be releasing release wave 2 for this product family to support D365 F&O and Business Central.


We discuss some of the most important use cases for the JDBC Driver pack and how Summit attendees can engage with the KingswaySoft team at booth 300 to talk data management, analytics, ETL, and more.

 

 More information:

Sep 27, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with David Little, leader of business development in North America for Formpipe.

 

As David explains, Formpipe has a big product announcement for Summit, the launch of Lasernet Essentials to the Dynamics market, a no-code solution for documentation embedded into Dynamics 365 environments.


Formpipe will also be cohosting a session with customer Steel Warehouse on their use of Lasernet in a self-service digital portal scenario for customer-centric documentation across their purchasing and delivery process.

 

More information:

Sep 25, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Nick Morea, manager of sales engineering at Leapwork.

 

Nick will be on site for the company at Community Summit, and he updates us on the new finding that Leapwork will be sharing with the Dynamics community in October. Their new AI report will be available, with new analysis of how to AI-based testing can best be used with in an enterprise software solution and how AI tools can actually be used to test other AI.

 

In addition, Leapwork's booth, 1432, will be offering attendees great coffee, educational experiences, prizes, and more.

 

See the company's session, Extreme Makeover – The Test Automation Edition, on Monday October 14 at 10:45 local time.

Sep 23, 2024

MSDW is previewing Community Summit North America 2024 with a new series of quick podcast episodes featuring exhibitors. In this episode, we speak with Fauwaz Hussain, Senior Director of Strategy at Nodus Technologies.

Nodus specializes in payment acceptance and accounts receivable automation solutions that integrate with all Microsoft Dynamics platforms, and Fauwaz tells us how that expertise aligns with some of the key themes that attendees can expect at Summit. AI conversations are increasingly important, he believes. And the future of Dynamics GP will continue to be a key talking point for users. Fauwaz is presenting with other GP experts on how to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the future of GP.

One of the key themes that Nodus will communicate to Dynamics ERP users, especially those who still have on-premises ERPs, is that they can still modernize their tech stack in a variety of ways without moving their core ERP to the cloud.

And Fauwaz's advice for a new show attendees: absorb as much information as you can from as many resources as possible. Take advantage of the deep networks that veterans in the community can offer to help you make valuable connection.

Nodus Technologies will have a team of experts at booth 415. Here are more details on their sessions and parties at Community Summit:

Sessions

PSS: Money Talks: Automate AR and Hear the Difference!

Tuesday, October 15 • 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM CT

Registration Link: PSS: Money Talks: Automate AR and Hear the Difference! - Community Summit NA 2024 

 

AR Magic: Tricks to Supercharge Your Accounts Receivable

Tuesday, October 15 • 2:45 PM - 2:55 PM CT

Registration Link: Premier Spotlight: AR Magic: Tricks to Supercharge Your Accounts Receivable - Community Summit NA 2024 

 

Mythbusters: Separating Fact from Fiction around future of Microsoft Dynamics GP

Wednesday, October 16 • 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT

Registration Link: Mythbusters: Separating Fact from Fiction around future of Microsoft Dynamics GP - Community Summit NA 2024 

 

Parties

First Annual BC Bash Party

When: Tuesday, October 15th, from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM CT

Where: 1902 nightclub in San Antonio

Registration Link: First Annual BC Bash Party Tickets, Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 8:00 PM | Eventbrite 

 

PowerGP Online Party

When: Wednesday, October 16th, from 9 PM to 2 AM CT

Where: 1902 nightclub in San Antonio

Registration Link: PowerGP Online Party - PowerGP Online

Sep 23, 2024

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:

Sep 5, 2024

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:

Aug 22, 2024

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.


Resources:

Aug 20, 2024

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 mistakes

 

Links & Resources: 

Aug 19, 2024

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

Aug 1, 2024

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.

Jul 10, 2024

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.

Jul 3, 2024

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.

Jun 17, 2024

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: 

Jun 5, 2024

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: 

Jun 3, 2024

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: 

 

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