DC Digest – 2020 Edition 7

One of the reasons I joined sa.global as Power Practice Manager is our complete coverage of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools. There are so many nerdy tools to explore! The technology continues to quickly evolve; at Microsoft Inspire this week, Microsoft shared new concepts about Power Apps leveraged within Microsoft Teams. With so many options for businesses to utilize, I find the messaging gets confusing about proper use cases for Power Apps. For Dynamics CRM users, it’s simple – Power Apps is the core development platform. For Dynamics F&O, BC, and GP users, Microsoft makes it seem like the underlying development technologies are in competition with each other. The reality is we have a complementary set of tools to pick from for different use cases. All Dynamics products have some version of “Model-driven app” development. This is the essential ERP technology for building forms, databases, and code to display information in grids and detail forms. Many times, customizing these systems is best done using their native tools, as it is simpler to combine data and processes within the existing walls of the software. When does it make sense for F&O, BC, and GP customers to look at Power Apps for developing features unrelated to a CRM process? I have a few ideas… Back in the day, a lot of departments would leverage Microsoft Access for building stand-alone Model-driven apps. Power Apps can be used as a similar tool for small groups to collaborate in ways that are unrelated to company-wide ERP or CRM processes. A CDS Environment (renamed “Dataflex”) can be spun up to handle these stand-alone Apps, and your nerdy “Power User” employees can build whatever they want. Microsoft’s recent Teams integration options would likely fall into this category. Power Apps have built-in “Portal” technology that allows for users outside the organization to securely access their data stored in a CDS Environment. Portals can help reduce workload for staff who are manually extracting and emailing information from the ERP app or enable data entry workflows that originate from a customer or vendor. Power Apps also have a concept of a “Canvas app”. These apps are different than model-driven apps because the development experience begins with a blank page, and various user interface elements can be added anywhere. One common use case for a Canvas app is when a touch-first experience is required – most of us have seen Canvas style apps in point-of-sale systems in restaurants and stores. A Canvas app UI can also represent physical space – for example, the layout of an office or warehouse could be modeled in an app, allowing a user to intuitively find the correct location. Finally, Canvas apps are commonly built for mobile, to optimize for the touch user experience and to leverage cameras and sensors. There are many more possibilities – this blank page development is only limited by your imagination. No matter which platforms you’re on, sa.global can help you navigate all these technologies and find the ideal solution for your scenario. Joel Leichty, Power Practice Manager

News You Should Know

#MSDyn365FO: Protect revenue and reputation with Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection. Learn more here #MSDyn365CE: 2020 Wave 2 Release notes have been published. Lots of great new features coming! You can check them out here. #MSDynGP: Looking for updated help files?  Check out the docs for Dynamics GP!  You can learn a lot here! #IamDynGP #MSDyn365BC: You can still watch Business Central virtual sessions on demand! Catch up on every new feature, demo, and surprise that happened at the Business Central Virtual Event! #PowerPlatform: Microsoft introduces Dataflex, a new way of developing applications within Microsoft Teams based on Power App technology #Microsoft365: Microsoft’s Business productivity cloud platform packs a 1-2 punch to make your remote workforce safe, secure, and efficient. If you have any questions or would like to have a discussion with us about any of the topics above, please reach out to your Practice Manager, or fill out the Contact Us form.

Microsoft Inspire Update

Typically, this time of year, members of the Microsoft Partner community, including sa.global’s leadership, are often spending the week at the Microsoft annual Partner Conference “Inspire”.  Due to the Covid19 pandemic, this conference, like many others, went virtual.  Over the last 48 hours, over 50,000 partners from around the world listened to leaders at Microsoft outline the partner programs and new initiatives at Microsoft. A significant message was the accelerated shift to the Cloud.  Some of the top partner priorities discussed were remote work, business continuity, secure environments, and cloud migration.  We continue to assist our customers with these through the delivery of Business Application solutions. The 5 biggest takeaways from Microsoft, according to CRN, can be located here.  Microsoft has also published their “Inspire Book of News” to learn about the new initiatives.

Upcoming Virtual FREE Events

Leadership Goes Beyond | July 2020 Free Virtual Event Tuesday, July 28 8:00am PDT / 11:00am EDT Register Now Here   Mix it Up: A Community Event to Share Tips and Tricks on Dynamics Business Central Don’t miss the next Mix It Up – an insightful and entertaining approach to learning and sharing tips you can use immediately. Led by former users, it’s a great place to ask questions and share your insights – and cocktail recipes! Wednesday, July 29 1:00pm PDT / 4:00pm EDT Register Now Here DynamicsCon Free Virtual Event September 9-10 For the Community, By the Community Register Now: https://dynamicscon.com/

DC Blog Roundup

Living in a Virtual World

How has this world of the Covid19 Pandemic affected you?  How are you networking and handling meetings?   Read more

How M365 can help you work with your remote team

Microsoft has great solutions to help you enable and work with your remote teams. Learn More Here

2020 Sales Tax Changes: A midyear update

2020 has already been full of surprises for everyone, including those in the sales tax world. The big headliner is COVID-19; no one saw the pandemic coming, nor how strongly it would impact global, national, state, and local economies. Let Avalara, our tax expert partner, give you a breakdown of the most important changes related to sales tax over the past six months and provide insightful analyses and predictions for the future. Download the latest update today   Thank you for catching up with DC Digest’s July 2020 edition! Questions, comments, concerns? Contact us today!

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