The MSDW Podcast MSDynamicsWorld.com

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 employer  
Resources:
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. 

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 year  
Resources:
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/