MCSA Microsoft Dynamics 365 Certification Tests

I recently took the MB2-715 and MB2-716 to achieve my Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) so I wanted to share my study methods to help you! I do want to preface this by saying that I am a test taker. I enjoy taking tests and do not have any kind of test anxiety. This means that my study methods could be very different from your study methods.

I am more comfortable with the customization and configuration (716) material so I planned to take that test first. I used the two courses on CustomerSource to review. These courses are "Customization in Microsoft Dynamics 365" and "Configuration in Microsoft Dynamics 365". These courses are each 7+ hours long but each section has a "Test Your Knowledge" quiz. So for the sections I already felt comfortable with I would take the quiz first then go back and watch any areas that I struggled with. For areas I was not feeling as prepared for (Interactive Service Hub, Mobile), I watched the videos first and spent extra time reviewing the questions.

In the last module of all of these courses you can download the course material. This file contains the PowerPoints and the transcript of all of the videos. In this transcript document it also has the "Test Your Knowledge" questions with explanations on the answers. This is really helpful especially on the items I got wrong and couldn't figure out.

So next I studied for the deployment (715) exam. This exam also has a course on CustomerSource called "Deployment in Microsoft Dynamics 365". I am not as familiar with these topics because most of my experience is On-Premise not Online. So I watched the full training (about 2 hours) and again spent a lot of time reviewing the "Test Your Knowledge" questions. (Funny thing: when you watch the training the questions are easier!)

Finally I read through several of Neil Parkhurst's 715 prep blogs. These are broken down by topic so you can review the areas you need help with. It was a great way to clarify some confusion and iron out all the details in my mind.

I'm also one of those people who doesn't study the day of a test. So I got a good night's rest and then just tried to relax and do my best. You can do it too!

What other ways do you have of studying?

July 2016 Blog Review

Let's catch up on the CRM blogs of the lovely month of July.

For those who love to pursue certifications - check out Hosk's overview of Tips on Passing the MB2-712 Customizations and Config exam.

Ledgeview Partners shared a quick tip on Removing an Entity from Quick Create in Dynamics CRM. Remember that Activity types cannot be removed from Quick Create.

Ledgeview Partners also shared: On-Demand Workflows for Closed Opportunities in Dynamics CRM. Closed Opportunities can still be edited via workflow so this can be a good way to populate the necessary data points.

PowerObjects shared some great content this month:

• Don't Delete Your Configuration Data! Use Real-Time workflows Instead - Walks you through using synchronous workflows to prevent the deletion of key data
• Setting Up Recurring Workflows in Dynamics CRM 2016 - Use child workflows and waits to create a recurring workflow system
• Boolean Blitz: When Two Options Are Actually Three - Don't forget about that pesky NULL value

Finally, Sonoma Partners shared Microsoft Announces Dynamics 365 Integrated Cloud Platform. This gives a quick overview of the announcement. There is still lots of information to come.

Thanks for tuning in!

February 3 Blog Review

This blog review will encompass the updates for the weeks of January 29th and February 5th. Let's jump right in to it!

PowerObjects posted about Business Process Flows: Conditional AND Statements in Branching Logic. This explains how to properly use branching logic in Business Process Flows.

PowerObjects also shared Who Wore it Best: System Views vs. Personal Views. This gives some comparison information about the types of views and where they can be used and accessed.

Adam Vero added a post on the Exams for Dynamics CRM 2016 and 2015 Update 1. This talks about the exams that are available and some information about each.

CRM Tip of the Day posted Avoid Cherry-Picking in the Queues. This discusses some solutions for people grabbing easy items out of queues. This talks about several routing and automation ideas.

For those using the Social components in CRM please check out the CRM Team's blog video: Exciting New Features in Microsoft Social Engagement 2016 Update 1.2.

That's all for today folks. Enjoy!

Two Year Blogaversary!

Today, May 3^rd, is my Two Year Blogaversary! I am so happy for this opportunity to have a small voice in the CRM Community. Over the past few years I have come a long way. I have gone from no certifications to five with another one in the works. I used to just attend CRMUG Chapter meetings and now I lead the meeting in Washington, DC (so save the date for May 13). Before, I did not know what a CRM MVP was and now some of them know my name!

In this short time frame I have created 96 blog posts (this will be 97) and had over 16 thousand page views. This may not be a whole lot in the grand scheme of things but it is far from nothing! I am so thankful to all of you for following and reading each week. I couldn’t have done any of this without the great CRM and CRMUG Communities!

I wanted to take this opportunity to review some of my top posts.

#1 – Tools for your CRM Success – This walks you through how to prepare to take your Microsoft CRM certifications. It discusses the resources to use and how to really learn the material.

#2 – Field Level Security vs. Not Searchable – A common point of confusion I run into is the difference between removing a field from the form while also making it Not Searchable and using Field Level Security. This has a handy chart to explain the differences. Even though this is an older post the material applies to all versions.

#3 – Real Life CRM – This is more of a funny post describing how I would use CRM if I had it for my regular life.

Finally, my Summit takeaway blogs have also been fairly popular. Check out Summit 2013 and Summit 2014. I look forward to being at Summit in Reno this year and continuing the tradition!

That’s all I have for you tonight. Thank you again for all your support that got me here!

April 17 Blog Review

Welcome everyone! It is a lovely spring day here and I hope all of you are enjoying the same luxury. Just take a few quick minutes to catch up on your CRM news and then you can go outside and frolic. That’s probably what I will be doing.

So we have 3 very important things to cover and then some other blogs and tips.

First of all, Microsoft has updated their naming policy see New Naming Conventions for CRM Updates on the CRM Team blog. The goal of this is to help the update numbers and the version numbers line up better and be easier to understand.

Second CRM 2015 Update 0.1 has been released see the Knowledgebase, Download Page and Blog. Note this is not the 2015 spring release, this is just the on-premise rollup. The spring online release is update 1. It looks like there are a lot of small fixes in here so make sure you review the list and determine if you want to look at doing the update.

Lastly, the 2013 CRM Field Guide is now available! This is a book written by a group of MVPs to provide you with everything you need to know to ensure your CRM system is set up in the best way possible.

The last few weeks we have been talking about the CRM Online Spring Release (CRM 2015 Update 1) and there were a few more blogs published about that this week.

PowerObjects discusses the CRM Spring Wave Update 1: Folder Level Tracking. This allows users to set up a new folder in their Outlook where the emails will always track to a specific Household. The user does not even need to have CRM for Outlook installed! It utilizes Server Side Sync and personal options within CRM.

Sonoma Partners talked about the CRM Online Spring 2015 – OneNote Integration. We have seen a few other blogs on this topic but this lists all the features as well as best practices to keep in mind.

A big topic of conversation in my CRMUG Chapter meetings is always certifications. This week Leon Tribe talked about Passing MB5-705: Managing Microsoft Dynamics Implementations. This goes over things to keep in mind for that exam but also some general tips for preparing for any of the Microsoft certifications.

Last but not least, CRM Tip of the Day posed Date Field Options in CRM Online 2015 Update 1. Now there will be new options for date and Time fields – User Local (takes into account time zone), Date Only (always the same), and Time-zone independent (includes time but always shows the same time).

That’s all I have to share today. Have a lovely weekend!

January 9 Blog Review

It’s time for the first blog review for 2015!

PowerObjects gave us some insight into The Art of Campaign Design: Marketing Automation in Microsoft Dynamics Marketing. This shows a little bit about how to set up campaigns in MDM and how to set up some automation.

PowerObjects also talked about Key Considerations for Writing Scripts for CRM for Tablets Application. This discusses what to keep in mind when your JavaScript will be executed on a tablet and how to test.

Adam Vero pointed out that the CRM 2015 Exams have been posted along with some training. Use his blog as a reference for all the information you need.

Along with the 2015 exams being posted, all of the 2015 documentation is available. Use this CRM in the Field guide for all the links to CRM 2015 White Papers & Technical Documentation.

Sonoma Partners discusses the CRM 2015 Outlook and Sync Enhancements. Check out all the new features that will be available to ensure you can sync exactly what you want and how you want to.

Finally, let’s see what the CRM Tip of the day had for us over the last few weeks:

• Living in the Past – this talks about the upgrade path from CRM 4.0 to 2015 along with considerations and things to keep in mind.
• What to Consider before Changing your CRM partner – lots of good tips and thoughts in here including how to mitigate some of the risks.
• New Entities and Attributes in CRM 2015 – this is a list of all the new attributes in CRM 2015 so you know if you ever run across them.

That’s all for today. Happy 2015!

May 31 Blog Review

The blog world was relatively quiet this week, seems like everyone was out enjoying the long weekend. Leon Tribe was reading over the weekend and posted a Book Review for an Applications Certification Guide. Personally, when I took the Applications exam I only used the Microsoft training. Since they wrote the test I assumed they knew what was on it. This worked very well for me. Although now studying for the Extending CRM certification I feel I could use a Certification Guide to fill in the missing pieces so I can understand the Microsoft training.

There were several good blogs from PowerObjects this week. First, Comparison: Using Workflows vs JavaScript vs Plugins in Dynamics CRM, this helps describe what processes when and how to decide the best tool for the job. Also, How to Create a Power View Report in Excel with CRM Data showcases how to use the Excel add-on, Power View to manipulate and analyze your CRM data. It is also cool to see the use of Excel 2013. It matches the design of the new CRM process-driven forms nicely. Note: Power View is an Excel Add-on from Microsoft not Power Objects, even though it has Power in the name.

Jukka Niiranen has a post on MS Dynamics World about Preparing for Orion. Some important tidbits (or Timbits for my fellow Canadians):

•           The left navigation bar is being replaced by the top navigation ribbon. This means that after Orion, there is no going back – only the new user interface will be available. You can no longer go back to the “classic” forms.
•           End user training will be required
•           Time will be required to map your business processes to the process-driven forms and test that this is the best layout
•           No more legacy support for CRM 4.0 APIs – start replacing these today
•           Remember forms will now auto-save – think about how this will affect your plugins, workflows, etc.
•           Be prepared for scripting changes
•           Upgrading to Orion most-likely will be necessary to use the new add-on features such as Yammer integration, Skype integration, MarketingPilot, Netbreese, Bing Maps, new mobile client
•           Partners will need to evaluate their add-ons for compatibility and modify to blend in with new UI – make sure your partner is ready!

Microsoft posted how to get started with your CRM surface Apps, complete with code and screenshots.

That’s all for today!