Center of Excellence from the field with Keith Whatling

FULL SHOW NOTES:  https://podcast.nz365guy.com/460 Discussion about the separation of Dynamics 365 and the creation of Dataverse, enabling app and automation development at scale. Keith shares his perspective on the initial challenges and how the platform has evolved since then. Keith’s own experience and journey on the Power Platform and gain insights into his current role in app development. Keith shares his experience working with CDS version one and the transition to the current Dataverse. The role of the COE in enabling these app makers and promoting excellence within the Power Platform.Keith highlights the significant overlap between Power Apps and Excel. He also points out about Excel's capabilities are available in Power Apps, with no support for macros. Keith discusses the challenges of configuring and deploying automated architectural pipelines for Power Apps, emphasizing the need for extensive meetings and discussions rather than the actual technical configuration. Keith compares his experience with VBA in Excel, where he could perform tasks like screen scraping, handling cookies, and implementing RPA-like automation. Discover how Excel, Access Databases, and Fox Pro systems emerged as makeshift solutions within organizations to meet specific needs when IT products were unavailable. Keith emphasized Power Apps' power to streamline processes, automate tasks, and unlock opportunities, but it requires careful configuration and deployment planning. Keith explains the benefits of building an ecosystem on top of a data platform like DataVerse. The importance of education and comparison when evaluating technology options. Talks about the challenge of adapting to changing roles and skill sets within IT organizations. Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith