CMRUG Summit 2018 Takeaways

Next week, CRMUGDC is meeting for the last meeting of 2018. Part of our agenda includes sharing our top tips and takeaways from CRMUG Summit in Phoenix. This means it's about time for me to review my notes. My Summit experience is below and if you want to hear from others, then get registered for the Washington, DC CRMUG Meeting on November 14th!

Summit Phoenix was a great event! I spoke in 4 sessions and threw an awesome chapter party in partnership with Cobalt!

CRMUGDC 2018 Chapter Party in Phoenix

Now, let me share the top takeaways from these sessions I attended. There were lots of great sessions but there is limited time in the day! Be on a lookout for these sessions and more as future webinars on CRMUG.

5 Ways to use Flow to Improve Dynamics 365
Aiden Kaskela, Mallory Lawhorne

• Demo session featuring several ways that you can start using Flow quickly. We were able to build and test these Flows in just a few minutes
• Flow allows you to integrate multiple systems
• This can be used to create approvals via Email. This allows non-CRM users to quickly approve items and this can be updated automatically inside CRM.
• You can use Flow similar to a PowerApp and make available in a mobile app to create an easy way to enter data and keep working
• You can also even schedule workflows using flows

Workflows and Business Rules vs Custom Code
Ryan Rademann, Andy Potasek

This was a great introduction to the capabilities of workflows and business rules. I really appreciated this flow chart on how to decide which method to use.

Credit: Ryan Rademann, Andy Potasek

Enterprise D365 CRM On-Prem to Online Migration Lessons Learned
Jeff Meister, Megan Gomez

• It was very important to ensure the customer understood what it meant to move to online and what would and would not be possible
• What to do about unsupported customizations? Ensured these items were thoroughly documented. This was an exercise in change management to see if these items were still needed or not.
• Large deciding factor was seeing all the new features available online that were not available because they were on-premise
• Reporting using an Azure replicated database for SSRS reports plus PowerBI

How I Spent My First Year as a New D365 Admin
Peter Gulka

• Find resources that help you learn (such as XrmCoaches, CRM Dynamics)
• Spent time with staff to watch them doing their work so you can effectively advocate for and support them
• Set personal learning goals for the year to keep yourself accountable
• Spend time learning what has been used or tried in the organization so you do not spin your wheels on things that previously failed
• Check your attitude!

Be Sherlock Holmes Investigating Problems

Gustaf Westerlund

• Download the slides and be on the lookout for a repeat of this presentation! This is great for anyone who works with users and troubleshoots issues.
• "Whatever the specific issue, you must formulate it in your mind as specifically as possible - and then you must fill it in with past experience and present observation"
• Don't start deducing until you have already gathered data. You may start going down an incorrect path.
• Steps
• Define problem as specifically as possible
• Gather as much data as possible (details!)
• Separate facts you have confirmed by things you have been told
• "Where" (not "what") is wrong
• Collect as much related information as you can
• Deduce based on data
• Be relentless
• Take a break - get some input
• Ask Watson for help
• Before asking for help - ask yourself: What is the first thing an expert will ask you when they see your problem description?
• Changing perspective