Dynamics Fortnight Fridays Episode for 2019-02-15


Show Notes

What’s New:

* Complex Conditions, Remind Me, peek at your code JSON while designing, and new security graph connector in Flow – https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/build-more-powerful-conditions-in-flows-and-more/
* Beautiful symmetry in Canvas PowerApps using CDS as data source; relate and unrelate records in many-to-many relationships – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/relate-records-in-many-to-many-relationships/
* Make Flows from Visio – https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/beginner-flow-of-the-week-generating-flows-from-visio/
* Business Events Developer – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/business-events/business-events-dev-doc
* What’s New in Talent – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/talent/whats-new-talent-february-7 and https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/talent/whats-new-talent-feb14
* Data integration options for Talent – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/talent/data-integration
* Talent for UK Released – https://community.dynamics.com/365/talent/b/dynamics365fortalent/archive/2019/01/25/provision-talent-in-united-kingdom
* Talent solution update to version 6.149.0
* New Documentation for Integrations and Integration Testing – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/data-entities/odata and https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/data-entities/third-party-service-test
* Enable Change Management Tracking for F&O Entities – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/data-entities/entity-change-track
* Personalize Product Recommendations in Retail Using Azure AI – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/retail/personalized-product-recommendations
* Lifecycle Services February Update – https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/lcs/2019/02/05/lcs-february-2019-release-1-release-notes/
* PowerApps Tree view has an “App” item to make app building easier – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/tree-view-has-an-app-item-to-make-app-building-easier/
* Easier sharing of PowerApps with multiple users – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/sharing-powerapps-with-multiple-users/
* Microsoft Business Applications YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaxGoD1whB0A-MGxevef2fg

How do I operationalize this?

Featured Content:

* Cognitive Services Face Detection in PowerApps

Dynamics Fortnight Fridays Episode for 2019-02-01


Show Notes

What’s New:

* Canvas PowerApps using CDS connector get lots of goodies now by default – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/new-cds-capabilities-for-canvas-apps-enter-preview/
* Go BIG in Canvas PowerApps with SaveData and LoadData improvements – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/savedata-and-loaddata-unleashed/
* Canvas PowerApps start getting reusable “Components” (in Preview instances) – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/components-available-in-preview/
* Power Platform Data Gateway Management in Admin Center – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/on-premises-data-gateway-management-in-the-power-platform-admin-center/ or https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/on-premises-data-gateway-management-in-the-power-platform-admin-center/
* Upgrade your previous version Common Data Service database, apps, and flows – https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/upgrade-your-previous-version-common-data-service-database-apps-and-flows/
* Nice Flow enhancement to generate Word documents or PDFs of them – https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/generate-word-documents-in-your-flows/
* It’s even easier to share your work with others now when you send a Flow as a copy – https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/send-a-flow-as-a-copy/
* Big step forward in governance capabilities in Flow (pay attention to warning at bottom of blog post) – https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-http-and-custom-connector-support-for-data-loss-prevention-policies/
* First release of an Azure DevOps task in the Visual Studio Marketplace to support F&O ALM processes – https://community.dynamics.com/365/financeandoperations/b/newdynamicsax/archive/2019/01/18/first-azure-devops-task-released#pi62366=2
* Environment monitoring changes in LCS – https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/lcs/2019/01/24/lcs-january-2019-release-2-release-notes/
* What New in Talent (Core HR) – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/talent/whats-new-talent-january-23
* Career Sites for Talent (Attract) – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/talent/career-site
* Talent Solution upgrade to 6.144.0
* F&O Platform Update 24 – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/fin-and-ops/get-started/whats-new-platform-update-24 or for Version 10.0 – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/fin-and-ops/get-started/whats-new-changed-10
* Business Central Enhanced Cash Flow – https://community.dynamics.com/business/b/financials/archive/2019/01/25/enhanced-cash-flow-forecasting
* Business Central and Office 2019 – https://community.dynamics.com/business/b/businesscentraldevitpro/archive/2019/01/25/dynamics-365-business-central-and-office-2019
* F&O Business Events – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/business-events/home-page
* Retail Open URL in POS – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/retail/open-url-in-pos
* F&O Automated Entity store refresh – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/analytics/automated-entity-store-refresh
* Wicked easy sign in finally for CE IOS apps (in preview) – https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/crm/2019/01/30/preview-email-based-sign-in-for-dynamics-365-for-phones-app/
* Scheduling rooms or facilities of rooms with URS in CE – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-engagement/field-service/facility-scheduling
* Core CDS for Apps platform update to 9.1.0.1471 happened last weekend in NA – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4481953/service-update-14-for-microsoft-dynamics-365-9-1-0
* Core CDS for Apps platform update to 9.1.0.1661 expected this weekend in NA – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4484669/service-update-16-for-microsoft-dynamics-365-9-1-0
* CE AI for Sales solution update to 9.0.1.7041, now 9.0.1.7042 as of this
morning
* CE Partner Portal solution update to 9.0.12.11 (fixes issue with geolocation zeroing out some lat and long info)
* CE Portal Host code update for early upgrade instances (GA happening next Tues, Fed 5) to 9.1.1.22 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4488241/portal-capabilities-for-microsoft-dynamics-365-version-9-1-1-22-relea
* CE CafeX Solution update to 3.3.1.8
* Community webinars – https://community.dynamics.com/365/b/webinars/archive/2018/09/13/dynamics-365-release-and-update-cadence

How do I operationalize this?

* Guidance for CE to prepare your organization for next release (how to think about new preview functionality lighting up today (Feb 1) – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/preview-april-2019-updates
* Enable Power BI for Workspace in F&O – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/analytics/embed-power-bi-workspaces?toc=/fin-and-ops/toc.json

Featured Content:

1 Have a Sandbox environment as a copy for the Production environment

We strongly recommend enabling the April 2019 release first in a Sandbox environment which is a replica or copy of the existing Production environment. This is to make sure that a customer has validated the updates in another environment prior to impacting the current Production apps and environment.

Also, once April 2019 updates are enabled for an environment, they cannot be turned off like any other setting. Learn more about it in #3 below.

Create a copy of the Production environment into a Sandbox environment

If you don’t have a Sandbox copy of your Production environment, you can create a copy in the Dynamics 365 admin center

Create a backup of the Production environment

For restoration, if needed.

2 Enable the April 2019 opt-in from the Power platform Admin center

Starting February 1, 2019,  you will be able to enable the April 2019 release for the environment. This option will be available in Environment > Settings > Previews and updates. Once enabled for an environment, you cannot turn this off for the environment. To remove the April 2019 updates for your environment, you will have to either reset the environment or restore the environment to a previously backed up version. We do not recommend doing any of those options unless necessary. It’s important to try the April 2019 updates in your Sandbox environment first prior to enabling it in your Production environment.

3 Any Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps installed on the environment?

If you have any Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps on your environment like Sales, Service and Marketing, then they need to be explicitly upgraded to the April 2019 version.

4 Update the applications from Dynamics 365 admin center

Once you have enabled the April 2019 updates for your environment, you can update your apps from Dynamics 365 admin center > Applications. For example, if you have the Dynamics 365 for Sales application installed on your environment, then the option to Upgrade will be visible in the admin center. Please note that upgrading the app might take a few hours and you might see a downtime for your applications going through the update process.

5 We recommend testing out all the scenarios exhaustively in this step.

If you have any Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps in your environment like Sales, Service and Marketing, then they need to be explicitly upgraded to the April 2019 version.

6 & 7 Report any issues found

As you verify the experience in your preview environment, if you find any regressions, functional, or performance issues related to the April 2019 updates that could impact your business, report them to Microsoft by opening a support ticket or through the Dynamics 365 forum.

8 Enable the April 2019 updates in your Sandbox environment

You should:

a. Update customizations to leverage or respond to new capabilities.

b. Update internal readiness materials based on new features or UX.

c. Prepare internal change management to run in April (training, communications, etc.)

9 Enable the April 2019 updates in your Production environment

We recommend enabling these updates during business downtime after you have validated your key scenarios are working as expected. Please note, once the April 2019 update is enabled this cannot be reversed. However, you can restore to a prior backup version of the updated environment if needed.