This is starting to feel like the good old days 😊

Power Platform Conference Las Vegas NV October 3-5.  I’m not attending or presenting, but plan to be in town for a short time that week.  Feel free to grab some time to catch up.  https://365l.ink/MeetMeInVegas

365CommunityDays Knoxville TN- October 13^th.  I’m giving two talks at this free community event.  Come join us! https://www.communitydays.org/event/2023-10-13/knoxville-m365-community-day#schedule

Community Summit- October 15-20 Charlotte NC- I’m on a few panels and helping deliver a session for CRM/D365 Sales users.  Details here https://connect.summitna.com/8_0/sessions/speaker-details.cfm?speakerid=724

Denver Dev Day October 27 Denver CO- Not currently planning to deliver a session, but that might change.  It’s free, join us anyway.  https://denverdevday.github.io/oct-2023/

I’m always thinking about what new courses the community needs.  I recently went through my library of courses at 365.Training and keep coming back to the fundamentals.  But curated fundamentals.  Courses specifically targeting practical skills. So, instead of making new courses, I’ve re-paved my most popular (and I feel most valuable) courses.

What does that mean?  First all the labs have been updated and fully retested.  Second, I’ve streamlined the talking parts, reduced it to what you need to know to understand what you are building in the labs.  And third, I’ve added summary videos of the labs, and made this video available as a preview. You don’t have to subscribe, or purchase the course before you know more about what you are doing in these courses.

You’ll see that nearly all of these include something called 365Ai.  That’s our training copilot that is there with you while you train.  You can ask 365Ai topical questions without having to leave your training dashboard.  Give it a try, I think it’s pretty swanky.

Experience Power Platform- This course takes you through a series of hands-on exercises all designed to give you practical experience building with the tools of Power Platform.  This course includes 365Ai.

Zero to model-driven- This is a hands-on labs-based course to build a model-driven Power App.  In this course you'll learn how to build a functionally complete model-driven app for Happy Tails doggie daycare. You do not need any prior Power Apps experience. This course includes 365Ai.

Zero to canvas- This is a hands-on labs-based course to build a canvas Power App. In this course you'll learn how to build a functionally complete canvas app for Happy Tails doggie daycare. You do not need any prior Power Apps experience.

Zero to Power Pages- This is a hands-on lab-based course to build Power Pages. In this course you'll learn how to build a functionally complete site for Happy Tails doggie daycare. You do not need any prior Power Apps experience. This course includes 365Ai.

You can buy any of these courses ala carte…or subscribe and get all of these and more included.  Use my link for a 30% discount on your annual subscription.  https://365l.ink/365Julie

Some people learn best on their own.  But many prefer to learn with a group.  We’re launching training cohorts to give our subscribers access to a training community to help them on their professional journey.

You will be assigned learning each week to help you complete the courses in an order we’ve determined is logical to gain the skills of the particular cohort.  You’ll be free to take any of our courses at the same time, or before, or after. You can join additional cohorts also. 

You will be part of a community.  Each cohort has a private Teams available with dedicated channels for each course in the cohort.  Our instructors will be available for questions and discussions throughout the cohort. We’ll also have office hours for interactive conversations along the way.

Our goal is for quarterly cohorts, but will schedule more often if we need to.

First up is our cohort for beginners in October, then one for developers in January.

Keep an eye on this page for other cohorts as they get scheduled.

What does it cost?

Joining a cohort is free to our paid subscribers.

How big are the cohorts?

To be honest we’re not exactly sure.  We need enough students to encourage great conversations, but not so many that you’ll get lost.  We’ll keep an eye on enrollment and do our best to keep the numbers right.

Interested in subscribing?  Have a look here.

Got a group?  Want a private cohort?  Have a look here.

Когорта навчання "Професіонал з біснес-додатків". Версія для українців.

Після вдалого старту нашого пілотного проекту, ми із задоволенням розширюємо реєстрацію. Якщо ви чи хтось з вашого оточення шукає підтримку при зміні професії, приєднуйтеся. Наші фахівці працюють з передовими технологіями та знанням мов, щоб ваше навчання було максимально комфортним. Цей курс є адаптованим варіантом англомовних груп і містить матеріали на двох мовах: англійській та українській. Навчання самостійне з контрольними етапами. І, до речі, це абсолютно безкоштовно. Якщо ви бажаєте вчитися, але не готові зобов'язатися на 6 тижнів відразу, немає проблем. Матеріали основані на ресурсах Microsoft Learn, https://aka.ms/BAPskilling. Можете розпочати з цього сайту, а потім приєднатися до нас. 

Щоб дізнатися більше про курс, перейдіть за цим посиланням.

Для реєстрації в групі, клікніть сюди.

Biz App professional skilling cohorts-Ukrainian edition

After our successful pilot we are happy to open registration more broadly.  If you or someone you know is looking for help transitioning to a new career, join us.  Our team of professionals includes native speakers and some good technology to make this experience as smooth as possible.

This cohort is a modified version of the English-language cohorts.  Content is presented in both English and Ukrainian.  Learning is self-directed with checkpoints.  It is free.

If you’d like to learn but can’t commit to a 6-week cohort at this time, not to worry.  The program is based on the official collection from Microsoft Learn, https://aka.ms/BAPskilling . You can start there, and join a cohort later.

For more information about the training, visit here

To apply for a cohort, visit here 

You’re trained.

You’re eager to work.

You’re not getting hired because you have zero experience.

We’ve heard this story over and over again.  And it’s tough.  It’s hard to go through all the training, get excited about new tech and new beginnings.  And not be able to get the job because you lack “real-world” experience.

We’ve launched a new initiative at The Pivot Program to help address this.

Our volunteers will be accepting applications for new candidates to be project resources, specifically targeting people new to Power Platform and Dynamics 365. 

We know that everyone deserves to be paid for their work, and we will continue to seek paid apprenticeships for those new to the industry.  But we are hopeful this program can help you keep that forward momentum you’ve gotten from your training. 

You’re excited and ready to work, let’s keep you moving forward.

To learn more about our efforts, visit our Projects page. 

If you want to support us with paid opportunities, reach out to me directly and let's make it happen.

In the beginning of my MVP tenure, there were not very many of us in my chosen area of expertise.  We all knew one another, all knew spouses of one another (well, let’s be honest, there were two women, we all knew the wives of the others), knew about the kids.  We became a family with not only a common love of technology, but for each other.  We jokingly call the guest room at our house the MVP suite because so many have come to stay while in Colorado, even more came for a homemade dinner.  I have enjoyed visiting countless MVPs on my world travels.  Made so many memories together.

It was this feeling of family, of unwavering support for each other, that made me determined to stay part of this group.  Even in the years where it was tough. And I will be honest that some years are easier than others.  I always love the community work, I always hate the tracking of it.  Sometimes it’s tough to see where you can make a difference.  There was certainly a year or two that I was going through the motions because it’s what I knew, but was unsure of my motivation. This past year some paid projects reignited my passion for this community. 

There were two times we all auto-renewed for various reasons (program realignment and COVID).  One of those years I was actually really struggling with my health and had thought for sure I would lose this family because I just couldn’t keep up.

Over the years the family has grown, and so has the technology.  I hear from so many old-timers that we just can’t keep up with all the new growth of our beloved CRM and Power Platform.  My immediate thought is, same here.  I cannot keep up with the tech, or these new MVPs.  Then I realize I don’t have to be an expert on everything.  I can still make an impact on the community.  I compare myself to prior versions of me, not to someone else.  While it might not be daily growth, or daily learning, am I better today than before?  Do I know more today than before?  As long as that answer continues to be yes, then I am good with myself and feel that I still belong in this MVP family. There’s room for all of us to succeed.

I see friends deciding to step back from being an MVP after they lose their passion, redefine their own priorities. I am so happy for them that they followed their hearts.  I’m not there yet.  When I think it’s time, I’ll follow my heart too.  I don’t see that happening soon, but we’ll see.

There are now hundreds of MVPs in my chosen specialty.  I do not know all of them.  I try to know as many as I can.  And while I professionally respect your technology expertise and your community commitment, I’m more likely to ask about your family or your dog than I am to chat about your most recent blog post.

I grew up in a big family, with not a lot of money or opportunity.  I can’t remember being told I could do bigger or better things.  The people around me didn’t have that vision.  I will forever be grateful for marrying into a family who had that vision, who gave that support.  And then the continued support from this MVP family.

Do the things. 

Do all of the things.

Then find new things to do.

Love,

CRM MVP #23

My friend Joel wrote this up and offered to have me (or anyone, he wasn't picky) publish it.  He didn't think it fit his own blog.  But we couldn't keep this from the world.  

Power Apps, part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, is a suite of applications, services, and connectors that provide a rapid application development environment to build custom apps for business needs.

Використання перекладача браузера для матеріалів Microsoft Learn

I will show the steps in Edge browser, but Chrome has a nearly identical way to do this also.
Я покажу кроки в браузері Edge, але у Chrome є практично ідентичний спосіб це зробити також.

Navigate to the settings area of Edge browser.
Перейдіть до області налаштувань браузера Edge.

Add your preferred language.
Додайте бажану мову.

Prioritize your preferred language.
Встановіть пріоритет вашої бажаної мови.

When on the page that needs to be translated, right click and select translate.
Коли ви перебуваєте на сторінці, яку потрібно перекласти, натисніть правою кнопкою миші і виберіть опцію "Перекласти".

Your page will now be in the translated language.
Тепер ваша сторінка буде у перекладеній мові.

If you use the lesson’s navigation to page to the next page the translation continues.
Якщо ви використовуєте навігацію уроку для переходу на наступну сторінку, переклад продовжується.

If you navigate separately, you can simply right-click and translate again.
Якщо ви навігуєтесь окремо, ви можете просто клацнути правою кнопкою миші і знову перекласти.

Now your page is displayed in the translated language again.
Тепер ваша сторінка знову відображається у перекладеній мові.

When the time comes and someone needs to review and confirm your credentials, you may need to share your training transcript.  In Microsoft Learn, it’s pretty straightforward.

Navigate to your profile.

Select transcript.

Select share link.

Copy the link and send it to whoever needs it.  Be mindful that the transcript contains not only your certifications and completed learning modules, but also your MCID and program email.

Your transcript looks like this, sharing the details of your training and certifications.

365Ai is rolling out across courses in the portfolio at 365.Training.  365Ai allows you to ask questions while in the context of a course and get detailed responses related to that topic.

You can view more courses with 365Ai here

For example, in our Zero to model-driven apps course, you can ask:

What is the difference between a model-driven Power App and canvas Power App?

And 365Ai will return the following:

Model-driven Power Apps and Canvas Power Apps are two different types of Power Apps that serve different purposes and cater to different development styles.

Model-driven Power Apps:

1. Focus on the data and business logic, automatically generating the user interface based on the underlying data model and relationships.
2. Primarily built using Microsoft Dataverse as the data source.
3. Provide a responsive design that works well on both desktop and mobile devices.
4. Offer a more structured and consistent user experience, suitable for complex business applications.
5. Require less design effort, as the app's layout is determined by the data model.

Canvas Power Apps:

1. Focus on the user interface and user experience, allowing for pixel-perfect control over the app's design.
2. Can connect to various data sources, including Microsoft Dataverse, SharePoint, SQL Server, and more.
3. Offer more flexibility in terms of design and layout, suitable for custom and visually appealing applications.
4. Require more design effort, as the app's layout is built from scratch using drag-and-drop components.
5. May not be as responsive as model-driven apps, requiring additional effort to optimize for different devices.

In summary, model-driven Power Apps are best suited for data-centric applications with complex business logic, while canvas Power Apps are ideal for custom, visually appealing applications with a focus on user experience.

365Ai is fully integrated with the course and contained in a module.  Just look for it from the navigation while viewing the course.



Once there, simply ask 365Ai your questions.

We are rolling this out across several courses, and it is currently available as mentioned in our Zero to model-driven apps course, and also in our Power Fx Basics course. 

365Ai knows the topics that are relevant and will respond with answers from those topics only.  It uses that latest available technology, but it might still produce occasional inaccurate information.

Our Power Fx Basics course is free.  Our Zero to model-driven apps course is available for purchase or included in all of our subscriptions.