This is my first post in a series of articles I’ll be publishing to help new comers into the Dynamics 365 domain learn the technology and the platform to become Dynamics 365 consultants, developers and Architects. This series is aimed at graduates looking to study and learn Dynamics 365 so they can become consultants or analysts in this striving and growing market. It is also aimed at other IT consultants who are moving into Dynamics 365 from other CRM and ERP platforms such as SAP, Oracle, SalesForce, etc. The series might also be helpful to junior consultants at the early stages of their career in Dynamics 365.
So, if any of the above applies to you, you must have wondered what are the first steps to learn Dynamics 365 so I can sell the platform, implement it or even just talk confidently about it.
My recommendation is that you should always focus on learning the functionality and studying the capability of the solution before trying to learn how to extend the platform with custom code and custom development, even if you are a seasoned .Net developer. The reason for this is that you should always try to use Dynamics 365 built-in functionality and features to its maximum (and there is a lot to utilise here) before you consider writing any custom code or extending the platform with .net plugins, custom workflow activities, custom actions or even JavaScript web resources. The organisation that has acquired Dynamics 365 licenses to utilise the platform is expecting to be get the best out of the built-in functionalities and capabilities before paying for expensive custom development that would require even more costs in the future to maintain, support and upgrade. Finally, with the Dynamics 365 Cloud has now become the norm, as opposed to Dynamics 365 on-premise option, you have twice a year upgrade to your Dynamics 365 instance so it’s best practice, Microsoft’s recommendation and for the benefit for everyone that your Dynamics 365 solution sticks to the out of the box capabilities and utilise built-in features as much as possible.
This is a long but really important introduction as the above could literally shape your career in Dynamics and you should start on the right foot by following the best practices and Microsoft recommendation for implementing Dynamics 365 solutions.
Now, the first ever step you should do to start learning Dynamics 365 is to get yourself a Dynamics 365 CRM Online (Cloud) instance. You can get this from your organisation / company where you work, or alternatively if this is not available, then you should subscribe to a free 30 (or 90) days trial Dynamics 365 instance. The simplest action is to get the 30 days free trial using the following link:
Dynamics 365 Free 30 days trial
If the above link doesn’t work, you can search online for Dynamics CRM Online Free trial and get the relevant page for the free trial in your country. If all of this doesn’t work, please comment below and I can send you an invitation for a 30 days free trial (subject to availability) from my Microsoft partner account.
The other option to the Dynamics 365 30 days free trial is to get a 90 days free trial Microsoft Dynamics 365 tenant with office 365 using the Microsoft Demos website. This option is only available for Microsoft Partners though.
In my next article, I will be taking you through the step by step guide on where to start your learning of Dynamics 365 and how to apply your learning onto a Dynamics 365 solution built on your new free trial instance you have.
Hope this helps!
Note: You can always register with the free Dynamics 365 Mentoring programme on CRM Boutique and get help from a Dynamics 365 expert as your career Mentor
Like this:
Like Loading...