XrmToolCast

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to Matthew Devaney, fellow BizApps MVP, and chat about Power Apps custom pages, AI and various topics.

Some of the highlights:

• MVP Summit newbie stories
• Matthew's first podcast experience
• What is a custom page for model-driven apps
• When you stick with a model-driven app vs creating a custom page.
• How to make a custom page consistent with a model-drive app.
• Creator Kit Controls vs Modern Controls
• Points vs Pixels
• Chicken Burgers vs Chicken Sandwich
• When to or when not to use AI
• Matthew and Scott share their canvas apps/custom page wishlist

Matthew's Info and other links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-devaney-6499271b7
• @mattbdevaney
• Blog: https://www.matthewdevaney.com
• Overview of custom pages for model-driven apps : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/model-driven-apps/model-app-page-overview

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to a Product Manager at Microsoft, Mankirat Kaur Bajwa, about the developer environments in Power Platform.

Some of the highlights:

• Developers, Developers, Developers
• Personal Trash Can Environment
• License requirements
• Dataverse is like a drug, and the first dev env is free
• Limitations of dev env
• Treating dev environments as "cattle"
• Power Platform pipelines and dev env
• Governance of dev env
• Development environments of power

MK's Info and other links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mk-bajwa
• About the Power Apps Developer Plan: https://learn.microsoft.com/power-platform/developer/plan
• Making Dataverse available for all makers: https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/making-it-easier-to-work-with-dataverse

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to Michael Megel about the PowerApps Helper VS Code extension and its new features.

Some of the highlights:

• History of PowerApps Helper VSCode Extension
• Where can we get this tool
• Features of the tool
  • Creation of Custom Connectors
  • Visualization of Environments
  • Visualization of Solution Dependencies
• Scott and Michael talk about bearer tokens
• Advice on writing a new VS Code extension
• Michael suggests splitting your custom connectors from your canvas apps
• A deep dive Power Platform ALM
• ChatGPT writes a VS Code extension to connect to Dataverse
• When you're dead, it's hard to learn more
• The joy of preview

Michael's Info and other links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmegel
• @MMe2K
• Blog: https://never-stop-learning.de
• PowerApps Helper (VSCode Marketplace): https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=megel.mme2k-powerapps-helper
• PowerApps Helper (GitHub): https://github.com/megel/powerapps-helper

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to a Global Blackbelt Senior Technical Specialist at Microsoft, Carsten Groth, about the Power Platform pipelines.

Some of the highlights:

• What does Global Blackbelt do
• Why ALM, Pipeline, DevOps, etc. become a hot topic lately in Power Platform
• How long have Power Platform pipelines been available
• What are people using it for
• A typical cycle of projects from beginning to moving into production
• What are the recommendations before even starting the pipelines
• Not to close down the creativity of the makers
• Elevated pitch for Power Platform pipelines
• What kind of user-friendly error messages do Power Platform pipelines show for missing artefacts
• How easy it is to set up the Power Platform pipelines
• How do Power Platform pipelines handle some of the prompts during the solution import process (Connection Reference, Environment Variable, etc.)
• Best way to set up Power Platform pipelines
• What happens once we enable managed environments for a particular environment

Carsten's Info and other links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/carstengroth
• @carsten_growth
• Blog: https://carstengroth.wordpress.com
• Pipelines in Power Platform is Generally Available (GA): https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/pipelines-in-power-platform-is-generally-available-ga
• Power Platform pipelines blog post series
  • https://carstengroth.wordpress.com/2023/03/07/power-platform-pipelines
  • The Admin View: https://carstengroth.wordpress.com/2023/03/08/power-platform-pipelines-the-admin-view
  • Makers & Environment Variables: https://carstengroth.wordpress.com/2023/03/13/power-platform-makers-environment-variables
  • The Security Model: https://carstengroth.wordpress.com/2023/03/20/power-platform-pipelines-the-security-model

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode of XrmToolCast, the hosts Daryl and Scott welcomed Kristine Kolodziejski, a Microsoft MVP and a Technical Architect, to talk about ChatGPT-3, Bing Chat, and other AI-powered tools. Kristine shared her experience using these tools to enhance personal productivity and save time.

The discussion began with talking about ChatGPT-3, an advanced natural language processing model developed by OpenAI. Kristine explained how ChatGPT-3 and other AI tools could be used to save us time and spend more time gaming or chilling on the beach. She also talked about some of the challenges and limitations of using AI-powered chatbots, such as the need for typing correct spelling or providing more context to get more detailed responses.

The conversation then moved on to Bing Chat, a chatbot building platform provided by Microsoft. Kristine discussed how using a ChatGPT would not make someone a developer overnight and the more someone knows about the topics that are asked in ChatGPT, the more helpful answers will be generated. Then, Scott asked Kristine about ethics and AI.

Finally, the hosts and Kristine discussed other AI-powered tools that can be used for generating presentation slides, presentation videos, video creation and image editing. They talked about how these tools can be used to brainstorm, generate initial draft content, summarise content, etc.

Overall, this episode of XrmToolCast provided valuable insights into the world of AI-powered tools, and how they can be used to generate content and save a lot of time.

Some of the highlights:

• Games
  • Factorio
  • Age Of Empires
• ChatGPT
• Bing Chat
• Some of the highs and lows of ChatGPT
• Ethics and AI
• Tome - AI-powered tool to generate slide deck
• beHuman – AI yourself in presentations
• D-ID - AI-generated video creation platform
• Runway - content creation with artificial intelligence
• Nvidia Eye Contact AI from Broadcast 1.4

Kristine's Info and other links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-kolodziejski
• @kristinekk94
• Blog: https://www.kristinekolodziejski.com
• Github: https://github.com/misskristine94
• ChatGPT PCF Control by Danish: https://pcf.gallery/chatgpt-control
  • YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/qDMOvLGCzHM

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott interview Clément Olivier, fellow BizApps MVP, and chat about his original tools for the XrmToolBox, the Delta Plugins, and the new tool which allows you to rename the views in bulk.

Some of the highlights:

• Delta Plugins: Local Assembly vs CRM - to compare the plugins classes Plugin between the local vs the plugin assembly registered in the Dataverse environment
• Delta Plugin Steps between two environments
  • to compare plugin steps between two of your environments
  • export the results into an Excel sheet
• Daryl overwhelmed a new grad with a code review
• Using Preview features in production
• Pain points with the solution management
• View Renamer - bulk search and replace to bulk rename the views
• Homework for Clement from the hosts

Clément's Info and other links:

• • https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemolivier
  • @Clement0livier
  • Blog: https://stuffandtacos.azurewebsites.net
  • Delta Plugins: Local Assembly vs CRM: https://github.com/carfup/XTBPlugins.DeltaAssemblyvsCrm
  • Delta Plugin Steps between two environments: https://github.com/carfup/XTBPlugins.DeltaAssemblyvsCrm
  • View Renamer: https://github.com/carfup/XTBPlugins.ViewRenamer
  • Buy him a coffee if you appreciate his contribution to the community: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clementolivier
  • Previous episodes with Clément
    • The Business Process Flow Manager w/ Clement Olivier & Gus Gonzalez: https://xrmtoolcast.libsyn.com/the-business-process-flow-manager-w-clement-olivier-gus-gonzalez
    • The Quick Edit Form, A PCF Control: https://xrmtoolcast.libsyn.com/the-quick-edit-form-a-pcf-control
    • New XrmToolBox Tool PCF to BPF with Clément Olivier: https://xrmtoolcast.libsyn.com/new-xrmtoolbox-tool-pcf-to-bpf-with-clment-olivier

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, Nathan Helgren, about the Virtual Tables.

Some of the highlights:

• Nathan's 25 years at MS
• What are Virtual Tables (VT)?
• Difference between a Connector and a VT
• Create virtual tables using the virtual connector provider
• Virtual Dad Jokes abound
• Virtualize all the things?
• Building Power Apps using 100% virtual tables
• What are the VT Limits?
  • No Audit functionality
  • No Rollup or Joins between VT
• How VT security works
• GUID column is still a hard requirement for VT
• Query through TDS endpoint from SQL VT
• Benefits of pulling through data in real-time in VT
• Making more data sources available for the virtual connector provider
• Reasons to re-visit VT again for those who have used it long ago

Nathan's Info and other links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhelgren
• Online documents:
  • Create virtual tables using connectors https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/data-platform/create-virtual-tables-using-connectors
  • Known limitations and troubleshooting with virtual tables https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/data-platform/limits-tshoot-virtual-tables
  • Setting up relationships with virtual tables with Power Apps https://learn.microsoft.com/power-apps/maker/data-platform/setup-virtual-table-relationships
• Videos:
  • Virtual tables overview: https://youtu.be/weyEDIKhi18
  • Create virtual tables: https://youtu.be/ttw4bF1mT3g
  • Integrate virtual tables with Dataverse: https://youtu.be/gjum546ycpg

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, Scott Sewell, about the Power BI Dynamics 365 Sales Templates.

Some of the highlights:

• Daryl's Europe trip
• Scott's superpower is working with Data, from SSIS/Kingswaysoft to SSRS to Power BI
• How Scott got into using the Titanic
• What not to do when starting with Power BI
• Scott explains a star schema for Daryl
• Scott walks through his Power BI Templates
• Using pre-GA Power BI Solution imports
• Scott shares his proposal story

Scott's Info and other links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mscottsewell
• Twitter: @scottsewell
• GitHub: https://github.com/mscottsewell
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MSFT_ScottSewell
• Power BI ❤️ Dynamics 365 Sales! Report Templates - https://github.com/mscottsewell/Power-BI-D365-Sales
• Power BI modeling guidance for Power Platform - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/powerbi-modeling-guidance-for-power-platform
• A "Solution" for Power BI with Dynamics 365 Sales - https://youtu.be/mcdpm_5skpA

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to a repeat guest and fellow MVP, Julian Sharp, about the study groups that he runs for the Microsoft certification exams.

Some of the highlights:

• Julian's impressive beard
• Study Groups
  • Meet twice a week, Thursday Evening and Sunday Morning
  • Run on Teams
  • 10 sessions over a couple of months
  • Ask users to show up, ask questions
• How do people decide where to specialize?
• Microsoft Power Up
• Julians Flow vs Logic Apps Preferences
• Julian's love for Goals in the Sales Exams

Julian's Info and other links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliansharp
• Twitter: @juliandynamics
• Blog: https://ukcrm.wordpress.com

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, Daryl and Scott talk to Microsoft employee Kartik Kanakasabesan about the Power Apps CLI.

Some of the highlights:

• The origin and history of the PAC
• New Tools to install using PAC
• Submitting a PR to PAC
• Using PAC in Azure DevOps
• PAC Canvas Create

Kartik's Info and other links:

• Kartik Kanakasabesan - LinkedIn
• @kkanakas
• List of Kartik blog posts - https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/author/kartikka
• Related blog posts
  • Power Platform Developer Tools monthly release blog - https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-platform-developer-tools-monthly-release-september-refresh
  • PAC Canvas Create - https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/automatically-create-a-power-app-from-a-rest-api
  • PAC CLI in Azure DevOps - https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/new-version-of-power-platform-build-tools-and-a-feature-packed-update-of-power-platform-cli
• Dataverse Service Client - https://github.com/microsoft/PowerPlatform-DataverseServiceClient
• NuGet Packages
  • PP CLI on Windows - https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI
  • PP CLI on Linux - https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Core.linux-x64
  • PP CLI on OSX64 - https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Core.osx-x64
• GitHub repository
  • Github Actions - https://github.com/microsoft/powerplatform-actions
  • VS Code extension - https://github.com/microsoft/powerplatform-vscode

Microsoft will be opening up the pac cli code on GitHub as read only soon for the time being please submit PAC CLI requests in these GitHub repos or send your feedback to [email protected].

Got questions? Have your own tool you'd like to share? Have a suggestion for a future episode? Contact Daryl and Scott at [email protected]. Follow us on LinkedIn and @XrmToolCast for updates on future episodes.

Do you want to see us too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view the last episodes. Don't forget to rate and leave a review for this show at Podchaser.

Your hosts: Daryl LaBar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryllabar | @ddlabar Scott Durow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdurow | @ScottDurow

Editor: Linn Zaw Win: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnzawwin | @LinnZawWin

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com