Steve Endow's Business Central Podcast

Hosted by Steve Endow

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121

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

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I talk about Dynamics 365 Business Central! More resources at https://links.steveendow.com

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August 22, 2026Episode 2171 hr 6 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 217 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 217 - Weekly BC Review! (July 17, 2026) - Neighborhood animal chaos Helped trap a stray cat with severe mange for the local shelter (TNVR process). Separately, a pack of large collared dogs has been roaming the area twice in two months, drawing multiple sheriff’s cars, motorcycle cops, and even a helicopter after one of the dogs bit someone. - ERP Academy launch Created a full 18+ month Business Central / ERP training curriculum that starts from zero knowledge and goes through manufacturing plus a hands-on practicum. Built primarily with Claude/Fable (roughly 400 pages of material). Aimed at nearshore talent in El Salvador (Edgar, Fabricio, Jazelle, Melvin, Ronald, Fatima, and others). LMS is set up; first lesson and call start Monday. Goal is to have people job-ready for a large company seeking nearshore resources in 18–24 months. Plan includes periodic AI-assisted refreshes as Microsoft updates Business Central. - Grok privacy issue Reports that Grok was uploading entire local repositories—including untracked files, credentials, and environment files—despite users being opted out. Speaker is avoiding Grok for now. - Microsoft tenant billing confusion Received an unexpected invoice for Business Basic on a newly created isolated tenant used for GitHub Enterprise + Azure Key Vault. Tracking down the correct tenant ID took significant time. - Custom PTE proposal & sales friction Sent a proposal for a custom Business Central extension. Will present at Vibe 2.0 in September on making the sales and proposal process more efficient. Noted how hard it is to scope custom work on short customer calls; prototypes are often required first. - Dynamics GP ISV trial lesson A partner purchased the highest-capacity version of a high-volume posting product for a customer that only posts about 35 transactions per day. Strong reminder to always run a proper trial before buying the top-tier license. - Marketing & website work Call with Daniella on marketing campaigns. Used Claude to add prominent pricing (including a $1,000-off promotion) to a product page in minutes. Also refreshed the five-year-old Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, added modern legal clauses, and switched to fully cookieless analytics (Cloudflare + exploring Umami) so no GDPR cookie banner is needed. - Claude Code CLI tip Disabled accidental mouse-click selections with the environment variable CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_MOUSE_CLICKS. - Automated documentation site Built a dedicated docs / user-guide site for the marketplace apps using Astro + Starlight. It is fully automated: every night it checks the app repositories for updated user guides and publishes them. Already live for the first two apps. Described as previously feeling like an unrealistic “super yacht” project that is now running with almost zero ongoing effort. - Standardizing the AI development process Inspired by Waldo’s article on top-down AI frameworks. Pushing the small team toward one consistent process instead of each developer inventing their own approach to documentation, PRDs, user guides, etc. Current pain points include excessive Git branching by Claude, PR overload, and constant manual approval of actions. - Local voice-to-text Settled on Open Whisper running locally (Nvidia model) on both the main machine and a Windows VM for RDP sessions. Basic transcription works well with only a short delay. - GPT deletion incidents Multiple reports of GPT aggressively deleting files (including an entire home directory via rm -rf), production databases, and even all customer subscriptions on a Shopify store. OpenAI attributed some cases to full-access mode without proper sandboxing. - Microsoft Marketplace (formerly AppSource) Official rename. App update was submitted and finally published around midnight, allowing a same-morning install for a customer. Removed trial record limits after they caused incomplete test data; now relying on online registration and license validation instead. MVP status renewed for the 13th year. - App logic improvement Payment-to-invoice matching logic changed from invoice date to due date; Claude suggested adding a plus/minus tolerance window, which was accepted. - AI project-management experiment Forwarded a real proposal email to an agent (OpenClaw) with instructions to create a Teams Planner opportunity, attach the document, summarize hours, assign it, and set a follow-up date. It worked in one shot. Next step is exploring Microsoft Work IQ + Teams Planner MCP server so Claude can handle richer multi-step project tasks. - Upcoming events - Vibe 2.0 – September in Provo, Utah (speaking on marketing with zero budget/team). - Summit NA – October 11–15 in Nashville (book early; hotels and flights are expensive). - Important warnings - Do not fully outsource critical thinking or bug hunting to AI; it is weak on edge cases, multi-step workflows, and external data. - Customer claims of “we only ever have one simple scenario” are frequently wrong when real data appears. - One company standardized on Microsoft AI tools and blocked everything else before licenses were ready, grinding work to a halt. - SonicWall SMA VPN appliances have a critical unauthenticated RCE (CVSS 10.0) that fully rootkits the device beyond recovery—hardware must be destroyed. Similar risks exist on other SonicWall SSLVPN products. - Cursor automatically executes any file named git.exe when a project is opened (known issue for many months). - Team updates - Ronald – posting the ERP Academy curriculum. - Franklin – enhancing the partner dashboard (auto-pushing minimum supported BC versions) and investigating a hard-to-reproduce transaction error. - Fatima – helping with the academy, August meetup agenda, and testing project-management processes. - Daniella – building the marketing plan and campaign; learning UTM parameters and Umami analytics. - Joselyn & David – studying for the MB-800 exam (fixed assets, posting groups, and deferrals are hot topics). - Active MCP servers in use: Business Central, Microsoft AL Code, and Stefan Maron’s AL dependency server.

August 6, 2026Episode 2161 hr 1 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 216 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 216 - Weekly BC Review! (July 10, 2026) 1. AI Development Practices & Lessons Development Process Improvements: Uses PRD → Detailed Design Doc → Comprehensive Development Plan (52 pages in latest example). Adds wireframe walkthroughs for early validation. Implements review gates, proofs of concept, and phased execution. Key insight: One-shotting complex apps with AI is risky. Needs heavy guidance, nurturing (especially with Opus), and context. Experimenting with Fable for development. Learned hard lesson on prompting: Giving AI only code leads to hallucinations and poor root cause analysis. Needs full context (docs, rules, history, sample data). 2. Berlin ERP Academy Progress Full curriculum built: 10 phases, 22 documents, 441 pages. Timeline: 18–20 months for complete beginners (zero ERP knowledge) to become BC consultants + manufacturing experts. Includes training guides, quizzes, labs, gates (exams/practicums). Team (Fatima, Ronald) loading into LMS; using Notebook LM heavily for infographics, slides, and study aids. Daniela (new marketing associate) will also participate to gain BC knowledge. 3. New Side Project: AI-Powered Project Management Goal: Systematize project management using AI agents (OpenClaw, Claude, etc.) integrated with Teams Planner via MCP. Vision: Auto-generate tasks, risk assessments (ISO 31000 style), status reports, budget vs actual, blockers, etc. Fed by requirements docs, estimates, timesheets. Enthusiastic about the potential but notes tools are still janky/slow. Enlisting Fatima to help build this framework. 4. Business Central Development & Version Issues Multi-company demo tenant trick: Use evaluation company setup wizard in unlicensed demo environments to create multiple companies. BC Version Circus (28.x): Avoid developing on 28.1, 28.2, 28.3 — major issues (Application Test Library fails, symbol download problems, update date resets). Stick to 28.0 for stability. DevOps/GitHub pipeline struggles with complex dependency scaffolding. 5. Marketing & Daniela Update Daniela started as Marketing Associate. Learning fundamentals from scratch (value propositions, Business Central vs ISV differences). Will participate in ERP Academy for domain knowledge. Steve’s approach: Building marketing capability in-house with minimal budget instead of expensive agencies ($13k/quarter quotes). 6. Conference Updates Partner Vibe 2.0 (September 2026, Provo, UT): Steve speaking on two sessions: “Marketing Without a Marketing Team” and AI-assisted project delivery. Blue Dragonfly sponsoring (cocktail/mocktail + gamer prize). Summit NA – October 2026, Nashville. Other mentions: Dynamics Con Regionals (Ghana July, Columbus August). 7. Team Excellence Updates Joselyn: Heavy financials, config packages, data loads. David: Complex contacts migration (GP → BC). Ronald: Continia Document Capture expert; formal project plans; Academy curriculum support. Starting implementations soon (6–7 week timeline). Franklin: Sales Price List PTE + assemblies/kits; bug diagnosis; AI-generated user guides. Fatima: Academy LMS setup; planning El Salvador DUG meetup in August; project management initiative support. Daniela: Marketing fundamentals training. 8. Other Notable Items Customer thank-you for responsive support. Azure Foundry: Not recommended for frontier model dev work (quota, access, and model limitations). Windows hardening tool: “Harden System Security” by Violet Hansen (recommended, available in Microsoft Store). New Bill.com integration user guide in progress. Upcoming tasks: Vibe code new ERP Center of Excellence website, finalize proposal, enhance integrations. 9. Closing Thought Artwork highlight: “Fly Quietly” by Masaki Sasamoto (2016). Encouragement: Go build/vibe code something, but be aware of AI’s limitations and the need for strong processes.

July 29, 2026Episode 21548 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 215 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 215 - Weekly BC Review! (July 3,2026) 1. Trip to El Salvador Highlights Flew to El Salvador office in Berlin. Airport experiences: Ate pupusas at 7 AM (heavy but good), used the SEPA/Ca Sepa lounge. Stopped at famous roadside Papuseria La Infia. Set up new office decor (Microsoft Dynamics 365 pillows). Morning walks around town, coconut tree maintenance (OSHA hazard – needs regular trimming). Team lunches/dinners with Joselyn, Franklin, Fatima, and English Academy students. Took professional studio photos in-office using Sony mirrorless + lights. 2. Personal & Website Updates Launched several new websites using Claude Vibe Coding (Astro + Cloudflare Pages): Blue Dragonfly site. Old Precipio site refresh. New personal site (steveendo.com) with terminal Easter egg (Konami code hint), contact form (Resend + Turnstile). Praises vibe-coded sites for easy maintenance — agents can update icons, sections, etc., in minutes. 3. Marketing Strategy & New Hire Submitted conference talk: "Marketing Without a Marketing Team". Created a 6-month zero-budget marketing plan using AI. Hired Daniela (E4CC English Academy scholarship recipient) to execute the plan. She starts next week. Will handle CRM setup, newsletters, outbound marketing, webinars, etc. Plans to follow successful patterns from Ben Cole (ERP Connect / Ruck Software). 4. Major Technical Project Success (Agentic Engineering) Completed a massive, complex customization for a customer: Reverse-engineered a 1,600+ line SQL stored procedure from Dynamics GP. Built extensive design doc (~44 pages), wireframes, and 41-page development plan. Result: 38 AL files, ~3,800 lines of Business Central code. Used Fable (AI coding agent) to diagnose and fix a subtle decimal rounding bug (down to ~28th decimal place). Emphasizes the need for strong prompting, design docs, and oversight to prevent AI from hallucinating in complex apps. 5. Berlin ERP Academy Launch (Big New Initiative) Goal: Train 4 locals (including university students) to become Business Central consultants (MB800 certified) + manufacturing experts in 18 months. Target completion: ~Feb/March 2028. ~10 hours/week study schedule with light weeks for holidays/exams. Curriculum covers: ERP foundations, financials, sales, purchasing, inventory, APIs, manufacturing practicum, etc. Team teachers: Joselyn, Ronald, Fatima (experienced with Google Classroom). LMS platform being set up. First lessons: BC navigation, tenant setup, admin center (by Ronald). 6. Team Updates (Excellence Report) Joselyn: Crushing financials & workflows (38 workflows completed). Discovered strange disappearing records issue in one environment. David: Working on messy GP → BC data migrations (contacts) and new customizations. Ronald: Completed Continia Document Capture implementation plan; helping with Academy content. Franklin: Refined Sales Price List PTE (assembly explosion handling). Fatima: Leading Academy LMS setup and structure. 7. Upcoming Events Partner Vibe 2.0 – September 21, 2025, Provo, Utah. Summit NA – October 11, 2025, Nashville, TN. BC Bash – Nashville (big party during Summit). Dynamics Con Regionals 2026: Ghana (July 25), Columbus (August 25). 8. Cybersecurity Lesson Story of a 19-year-old hacker arrested after Microsoft traced him via Global Device Identifier (GDID) + Windows telemetry. Key takeaway: Windows emits telemetry that bypasses VPNs/proxies. Don’t use Windows for serious cybercrime. 9. Closing Wisdom / AI Reflection AI dramatically lowers the cost of building (apps, websites, complex customizations, curricula). The real challenge remains getting users/customers — building ≠ success. Incumbents with technical debt and complacency will also face disruption. Encouragement: Try Fable on hard projects before it potentially changes.

July 24, 2026Episode 2141 hr 4 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 214 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 214 - Weekly BC Review! (June 19, 2026) 1. Opening & Casual Notes Morning coffee: Good Beans Guora Pakamara Washed (milder than natural process). Light-hearted joke about project managers and PMP exam struggles. Audio troubleshooting at the start. 2. AI & Development Wins Missed Anthropic’s short-lived Fable model (high-cost, advanced AI that was pulled quickly). Created high-fidelity wireframes + narrative walkthrough with Claude for a complex GP-to-BC migration project. Excellent for customer reviews. TRDP (The Really Difficult Project): Complex financial reporting with beginning balances, period subtotals, restrictions, etc. Using incremental agentic development approach (tables → UI → code units with review gates). 3. Hardware & Troubleshooting Multimeter tip: Need capacitance mode (curved line symbol) for capacitors — not available on cheapest models (~$70–90 range). Mac Mini M4 (ARM64) issues: Windows 11 VM on Parallels. x64 tools (Process Monitor) fail; need ARM64 or 32-bit emulation versions. FastKeys utility had a helpful 32-bit workaround. 4. Website Redesign (Major Win) Replaced ancient 2013-era WordPress site (security issues, expensive hosting) with a new static site. Built in <1 day using Claude + Cloud Code CLI, Astro 6, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Actions, Wrangler, Turnstile, Resend. Result: Fully functional, mobile-responsive, contact form working. Switched from $31/month hosting → essentially free. Estimated savings: $5k–$10k vs. hiring a professional. 5. Media Processing FFmpeg optimization via OpenClaw/Claude for Teams recordings. Reduced 218 MB MP4 → 54 MB with no noticeable quality loss for analysis/training. Used btop to monitor CPU; leverages full cores on M4. 6. Business Central / ISV Topics Registration Dashboard: Internal tool to manage licenses, trials, renewals, and automate extensions upon payment (via iSolutions integration). Permission Sets workaround: Use the “Permission Set by User” page for bulk(er) assignments instead of the user card. Email issues: Microsoft 365 Defender quarantine overly aggressive — blocking legitimate BC invoices and even internal Teams notifications. 7. GitHub Migration Challenges Migrating from Azure DevOps to GitHub Enterprise. Pitfall: Choosing “Managed Users” creates a ghe.com isolated tenant that ALGO for GitHub does not support. Recommendation: Use Personal Accounts option for compatibility. Reverted to DevOps temporarily due to this. 8. Productivity & Prompting Tips Claude Opus 4.8 acting “dumber” recently → bump thinking effort (High → Extra/Max or X High) for better coherence on complex tasks. Incremental development with agents is preferred over one-shot prompts. 9. Security Alerts Fortinet massive breach: ~74,000 firewalls compromised via credential stuffing + hash cracking (45-GPU cluster). VS Code 1.25+: Enable extension auto-update delay (24–72 hours) to mitigate supply chain attacks. 10. Personal / Misc Replaced Intermatic whole-house fan timer switch (easy DIY electrical work). New tires (“llantas” in El Salvador Spanish — not “neumáticos”). Cost-sensitive customer reminder on estimates. 11. Team & Business Updates Joselyn & David progressing on MB800, reports, data exchange, check layouts. Ronald: Continia project planning + new English Academy cohort. Franklin: Registration Dashboard + new PTE (multi price list selection). Fatima: Learning partner/registration dashboards + PTE testing. 12. Upcoming Events Partner Vibe 2.0 – Sept 21–23, Provo, UT. Dynamics Summit NA – Oct 11–15, Nashville, TN. Dynamics Con Regional – Ghana (July 25), Columbus OH (Aug 25–26). 13. Q&A Explained DevOps → GitHub migration rationale and current ghe.com blocker.

July 14, 2026Episode 21357 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 213 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 213 - Weekly BC Review! (June 12, 2026) 1. Personal & Fun Updates - Served as part-time caterer: Grilled veggies and steaks for a 20–30 person potluck. - Discovered Loupe app (by @myk_co) — reveals extensive iOS device fingerprinting (copy/paste count, activation timestamps, reboot history, SSIDs, etc.). Highlights near-impossible anonymity on mobile devices, especially with roadside Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/ALPR tracking. 2. Major Achievement: New Website Launch - 100% vibe-coded (500% AI-assisted) using Claude Code CLI. - Tech stack: Astro + TypeScript, Cloudflare Pages (free hosting), GitHub Actions for auto-deploy, Wrangler, Turnstile (CAPTCHA), Resend for contact forms. - Process: AI helped with design research, brief, full build, and maintenance. - Saved ~$7,000 compared to professional quote. - Easy ongoing maintenance (e.g., adding products, logos, summaries via AI). 3. AI Usage & Proposal Workflow - Consistently uses AI for rapid deliverables: Record Teams call → transcript → combined FRD/PRD (10–15 pages) + 2–3 page executive summary proposal. - Total time: ~30-min call + 1 hour AI work. - Challenges with AI estimating hours (inconsistent task lists and ranges). - Claude 4.8 issues: Bizarre/abstract language, gibberish phrases, overconfidence, refusal to decide ("I am not deciding this for you"), hallucinations, and compounding design errors (e.g., unnecessary fields for 20-char Code constraints). 4. Development & Product Updates - Multi-Entity Management (MEM) oversight: Forgot to check for MEM in a new sandbox; may require app adjustments. - Business Central 28.2 rollout: Frustrating upgrade date control — new versions become default without easy delay options. Using internal Partner Dashboard tool to bulk defer upgrades. - New Marketplace app: BAI2 Direct Debit Import (US-focused, Bank of America initially). Handles automated vendor payments via bank files, matching, exceptions, etc. - Ongoing monster project: Migrating 1,260-line SQL stored procedure → BC. Created 40-page design doc; now doing high-fidelity wireframes (excellent with Opus) and detailed development plan for potential sub-agent orchestration. 5. AI Model News - Anthropic released powerful Mythos → downgraded/guard-railed as Fable 5. Heavy data logging (30+ days) by Anthropic, so avoided for customer work. - Microsoft (major investor in Anthropic) reportedly restricting employee use of Fable 5 due to privacy concerns. - Prompting remains difficult; even multi-agent setups risky without strong human oversight. 6. Cybersecurity Updates - MS Nightmare (formerly Nightmare Eclipse) releasing zero-days after MSRC conflict: - Rogue Planet: Windows Defender bypass (race condition). - Great XML: BitLocker drive encryption bypass (second after Yellow Key). - Warning of more zero-days coming due to MSRC's poor handling of researchers. 7. Team Updates (El Salvador) - Joselyn: Financial reporting expert; studying Fixed Assets & Posting Groups for MB-800 retake. - David: RDLC/Word layouts, Data Exchange, customizations; part-time MB-820 study. - Ronald: Completed BAI2 app testing; BC email setup; helping with Partner Dashboard. - Franklin: Partner Dashboard refinements; workflow approvals study. - Fatima: Taking PMP exam today (tough 4-hour exam); learning Partner Dashboard. 8. Upcoming Events - Partner Vibe 2.0: Sept 21–23, 2026, Provo, Utah (submissions open until June 15). - Summit NA: Oct 11–15, Nashville (presenting with Brad on AI for PTEs). Avoiding expensive on-site hotel. 9. Fun / Misc - English contronym: "Peruse" means both "examine in detail" and "skim casually." - Opsec fail story: NSO Group (spyware) left a cup of noodles photo with their logo visible in WhatsApp testing — used as evidence in court.

June 23, 2026Episode 21258 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 212 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 212 - Weekly BC Review! (June 5, 2026) 1. AI Tooling & Claude Frustrations - Claude continues to use overly abstract, meaningless phrases (e.g., "first class citizens", "casting nets", "rung scaffolds"). - Steve wrote a blog post on blog.steendendo.com with a style guide to force better, literal English. - Significant hallucinations still occurring (Opus 4.8 criticized heavily). - Example: Claimed it could extend standard BC Web API v2.0 pages (incorrect). - Positive: Claude's Mermaid diagram generation has improved significantly after follow-up prompts. - Recommendation: Jeremy Visa’s Agentic Development Training (jeremyvisa.com/blog). 2. Personal & Family Updates - Daughter graduated high school (now 18, heading to college). - Hosted a large rooftop graduation party (40–50 people) in Huntington Beach — Steve smoked 9 racks of ribs. - Attended wife’s dance performance and did photography. 3. Business & Operational Updates - Claude Teams Plan: Surprised by sales tax (Utah ~9.55%) on top of 25% higher business pricing → ~35% premium vs. competitors. - Website work: Using Resend for contact form emails (easier than SMTP). Major domain/DNS cleanup and transfer to Namecheap (praised for excellent support). - OpenClaw SMTP authentication bug (quotation marks in credentials file). - New PTE for minimum order quantity / sales multiples based on "inner pack" / case pack quantities (using Item Units of Measure). 4. Development & Proposals - Cost-sensitive customer PTE proposal: Heavy emphasis on overhead (design, project setup, Git, pipelines) even with AI. - AI dramatically reduces pure development time, but design/review/cleanup remains essential. - BC Quality new Microsoft repo: Expanded AL guidelines with focus on agentic/AI-readable knowledge base, design patterns, and anti-patterns. 5. Cybersecurity Highlights - Major incident investigated by Vlexity: MSP compromise via pfSense firewall → full access to customer networks (including NAS). Signs of compromise for 18+ months (web shells, crypto miners, etc.). - MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) drama: Poor handling of researchers leading to withheld responsible disclosures. Expect wave of zero-day exploits in June for Microsoft products (BitLocker, Windows, etc.). 6. Other Notable Items - Flight to Summit NA (Nashville, Oct 11–15) expensive; LA → Buenos Aires roundtrip is comparably priced. - OpenAI security notice: Update apps due to Tanstack npm supply chain vulnerability. - Webinar (South Africa Doug Meetup): "Leverage AI to be the best Dynamics consultant" — level playing field argument; advice on transparently telling customers you use AI. - Red dyed gasoline in El Salvador (different from US dyed diesel). - Bad field naming in BC APIs (e.g., "Custom Purchase Order Reference" for "Your Reference"). 7. Team Updates (El Salvador) - Joselyn: Took MB-800 exam — did not pass (strong on most areas but weak on Fixed Assets scenarios and Posting Groups). Retaking after more study. - David: Working on reports, Data Exchange Framework, EFT/Safe Pay. - Ronald: Leading Continia Document Capture implementations (now also for other partners); helping with app/PTE testing. - Fatima: Retaking PMP exam soon; managing internal Partner Dashboard (bulk environment upgrade deferral tool). - New internal tool for managing customer tenants and upgrades. 8. Upcoming Events - Partner Vibe 2.0: Sept 21–23, 2026, Provo, Utah (submissions closed June 15). - Summit NA: October 11–15, Nashville (Steve presenting with Brad on AI-accelerated PTEs). - Dynamics Con Regionals: Toronto (June 18), Ghana (July 25), Columbus (Aug 25). 9. Fun / Misc - Recommended video: Rabbit Hole channel — deep dive on the history of Lorem Ipsum placeholder text. - Generator maintenance training for El Salvador office (fuel, carburetor, self-sufficiency).

June 22, 2026Episode 21153 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 211 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 211 - Weekly BC Review! (May 22, 2026) 1. Recent Conferences - Attended Dynamics Con in Las Vegas at the Fontainebleau Hotel. - Flew in same morning, presented a session immediately after landing. - Accidentally booked/upgraded to the Emerald Suite ($550+/night) — luxurious but noisy (party pool + bright LED signs). - Hosted the "Doug" (El Salvador) meetup table. - Assisted at the GP + BC superhero station with John Krauss. - Noted heavy use of AI-generated slides (recognizable colored box layouts). 2. AI Usage in Client Proposals - Used Claude to create: - 21-page combined Functional + Product Requirements Document (FRD/PRD) with traceability, field mappings, scope, etc. - 15-page Statement of Work (SOW) including warranty and hypercare. - Key Lesson: Comprehensive AI-generated docs are high quality but overwhelming. Clients often don't read long documents. - Solution: Provide a 2-page executive summary first. - Outcome: Customer declined the $12k project (4 custom file integrations for GP → BC migration) citing complexity/volume; may try configuration packages instead. 3. Tech & Development Updates - Andre Karpathy joined Anthropic (positive for the company). - Uncle Bob Martin (Robert C. Martin) encourages applying formal software engineering principles to "vibe coding" / agentic AI development. - Built a functional control add-in prototype (expandable/collapsible tree view for sales lines) using guidance from Sasha Herman. - VS Code now supports Mermaid diagram rendering in Markdown preview. - Experimenting with Obsidian Canvas vs. Mermaid diagrams for simple workflow visuals. 4. Support & Operational Challenges - Customer environment issue: Approval workflows show documents pending but tiles/counter is zero (unable to reproduce in sandbox). - Major fire drill: Third-party consultant's Entra app registration secrets expired (max 2 years). Poor documentation led to panic emails. - Emphasized need for proper secret management and documentation. 5. Cybersecurity Session & Insights - Co-presented with Alexis Shabau (cybersecurity student) at Dynamics Con on SMB cybersecurity (limited budget/staff). - Recommendations from audience: - Huntress (includes SIEM capabilities). - ThreatLocker for endpoint detection/response. - Mariplex (SOC service) impressed with post-login risk analysis using Entra P1 logs. Government Fail Highlight: - CISA (Cybersecurity agency) contractor leaked highly privileged AWS GovCloud credentials on a public GitHub repo. - Agency has a $3 billion budget and prior controversies (e.g., disinformation efforts). 6. Current Technical Project - Reverse-engineering a 1,258-line SQL stored procedure (essentially a full application) for migration to Business Central. - Challenges with AI analysis (Claude produced 13-page summary that still requires heavy verification). - Considering AL implementation over Power BI due to complexity/maintainability. 7. Team & Company Updates (El Salvador Center of Excellence) - Joselyn: Studying for MB-800 exam; working on Data Exchange Framework (EFT integration). - David: Studying MB-800; working on reports and Data Exchange. - Ronald: Continia Document Capture expert; multiple implementations queued. - Franklin: Application support + internal Partner Dashboard (bulk upgrade deferral tool). - Fatima: Organized Doug Meetup; studying PMP; learning page scripting; managing partner dashboard. - New professional in-house photo studio for headshots. 8. Upcoming Events - Dynamics Minds — May 25–27, 2026 (Slovenia). - Partner Vibe 2.0 — September 21–23, 2026 (Provo, Utah). Call for submissions closed; focus on partner challenges (not product-specific). - Regional Dynamics user groups (Toronto, Ghana, Columbus). 9. Fun / Misc - Starship Flight Test (IFT-12) expected soon — new launch stand, flame diverter, etc. - Tip: To politely exit unwanted conversations, say “I work with business accounting software.”

June 20, 2026Episode 21047 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 210 - Directions NA Recap!

I Need Coffee - Episode 210 - Directions NA Recap (May 1, 2026) 1. Directions NA Conference Recap (Orlando) 1,400 attendees — largest ever. Excellent venue layout (compact, logical hallway design) enabled much better conversations and networking compared to last year’s chaotic Vegas setup. Noticeably more collaborative, humble atmosphere — partners openly sharing challenges and seeking help. Many GP partners attending to transition to Business Central. Highlight: AI shell shock creating a sense of shared uncertainty and openness. 2. Sessions Presented Modern Support / Rethinking Managed Services (with David Lasser) — Best session feedback so far; strong conversations on fixed-fee support vs. time & materials. “So You Think You Need a Dev?” — Pivoted due to rapid AI changes; explored evolving role of developers. Faster Path for Requirements, Design & Prototype — Demonstrated building functional PRDs + working prototypes in hours using AI. Received overwhelmingly positive (5-star) feedback; several attendees had “mind blown” moments. 3. AI Time & Skill Dilation AI creates massive perceived gaps: adopters feel like they’re moving at near-light speed while others lag years behind. Smaller partners/teams can adapt faster than large ones with inertia or resistant management. Story of an enthusiastic employee at a large partner whose AI insights were dismissed — potential for internal conflict or him leaving. 4. Vibe Coding & Tooling Updates Website: Initially built with Astro (via Perplexity). After review, sticking with Astro for its benefits (shared layouts, content collections, image optimization, etc.) rather than switching to pure HTML. Planning heavy vibe coding weekend: Business Central Control Add-ins (JavaScript) — inspired by conversation with Sasha (ex-Netronic). Improving Number Series prompting (consistent pain point). Table relation / lookup fixes. Camille Code Review refinement (and meta code review of reviews — too many false positives). Code orchestration workflows. User guide prompting improvements. Jeremy Visca’s Agentic Development training recommended (beginner to expert levels available). 5. Networking & Memorable Moments Met long-time GP customer Paul (8+ years using Postmaster) now working at an ISV. Met viewers (Sasha from Germany) and other partners (Alteora LATAM team, Sarah from Synak, Corey from iSolutions). Universal Orlando after-party (private section of the park) — impressive logistics. Marketing swag praise for Blue Moon (logo mints + clean product postcards) → Steve plans to steal the simple visual card idea for their own brochures. 6. Travel & Personal Notes Long travel day (11 hours back). Humorous comparison of Avianca vs. Southwest “first class” legroom expectations. Photography gear upgrade in progress (Canon R7 sniped on eBay). 7. Upcoming Events Summit NA Road Show – Chicago (May 5–6). Dynamics Con – May 12–15. Directions Asia – May 13–15 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — get tourist visa). DUG Meetup El Salvador – May 19 (likely in Spanish). Dynamics Minds – May 25–27 (Slovenia). Partner Vibe 2.0 – Sept 21–23, Provo, UT (Call for Speakers open until June 15).

May 22, 2026Episode 20953 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 209 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 209 - Weekly BC Review! (April 24, 2026) 1. Weekend Activities Vibe-coded a full new website in ~4–6 hours (Astro + Cloudflare). Learned a lot, but decided to scrap the complex architecture. Planning a simpler vanilla HTML + CSS version (cleaner, no heavy frameworks). Attended a Chinese dance performance and did amateur photography (technically challenging low-light conditions). Sniped a Canon R7 mirrorless camera on eBay (~$980) to upgrade photography gear. 2. Marketing & Business Development Received a $7,000 quote for a new website → decided to vibe code it instead. Vibe-coded a 35-page marketing plan for ~$4.35 in tokens (emails, blogs, webinars, conferences, brochures, etc.). Acknowledges marketing is outside his comfort zone but sees value in letting AI generate ideas and plans. 3. AI Tooling & Experimentation Opus 4.7 released (goodbye 4.6). GitHub Copilot / Pro subscriptions paused due to major changes in pricing model. FFmpeg mastery via AI: Compressed large Teams recordings (285 MB → ~150 MB), trimmed dead space using VTT transcripts, GPU acceleration (very fast). Training Session Analysis Prompt (based on Dimitri + Jeremy’s work): Fed 1-hour Teams video + VTT transcript. Produced a 32-page metric-based report with educational, psychological, and communication metrics. Examples: Words per minute (135.5, optimal range), filler words, speech clarity, jargon density, pause timing, CFU (Check for Understanding) rate, participant talk ratio, etc. Detected privacy issues (visible Outlook inbox, sensitive PDFs on screen). Recommended improvements (define terms upfront, presentation mode, remove distractions). 4. Business Central / Development Wins GL Account Filter foresight by AI saved a project: Predicted and solved 1 MB JSON payload limit in Flowcast integration. Complex support fire drill (issue since April 6th): Recorded troubleshooting call with customer. AI analyzed video/transcript → narrowed down root cause. Built and deployed a diagnostic PTE → fixed the edge-case data issue same day. Lesson: Record calls, narrate clearly for AI analysis — massive time saver on complex bugs. 5. Challenges & Observations Customer mindset frustration: Customer with 11-year-old shadow lot tracking PTE only wants one lot fixed, not the root bug or full cleanup. GitHub issues: Merge queue commits randomly reverting previous merges. AI font rendering bug in Perplexity (bad dollar sign font confused PowerShell $PSVersionTable). WordPress still hated (security vulnerabilities, complexity). 6. Upcoming Events Directions NA – Next week (prepare & pack). Dynamics Con – May 12–15. Directions Asia – May 13–15 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). DUG Meetup El Salvador (likely in Spanish). Dynamics Minds – May 25–27 (Slovenia). Vibe Partner Conference 2.0 – Sept 21–23, Provo, UT (Call for Speakers open until June 15). 7. Team Updates Joselyn & David: Continuing MB-800 study + config packages. Ronald: Document Capture training & implementation; guinea pig for training analysis. Franklin: Debugging + new PTE work. Fatima: PMP study + experimenting with Page Scripting + AI.

May 21, 2026Episode 20859 min

I Need Coffee - Episode 208 - Weekly BC Review!

I Need Coffee - Episode 208 - Weekly BC Review! (April 17, 2026) 1. Weekend – World of Coffee Conference (San Diego) Attended with friend Gabe from San Salvador (his coffee business ranked #69 in North & Central America – huge achievement). Massive event: thousands of hardcore coffee nerds, huge convention center, top roasters (Onyx, Weber, Probat, etc.). Highlights: premium packaging, wild processing methods (double fermented, anaerobic, nitrogen infused, co-fermented lychee, etc.), latte art competition, high-end light roasts. Bought premium specialty coffee (~$30 per small box). 2. Customer AI Stories & Warnings Customer used ChatGPT to justify reusing check numbers in BC → team had to intervene with real risks. AI responses should be taken with a grain of salt — especially for ERP/accounting decisions. 3. Legacy PTE Nightmares (Inherited Lot Tracking) 11-year-old PTE (from ~2015, migrated from C/NAV) that bypasses all native BC lot tracking. Automatically assigns lot numbers to everything while keeping items as non-tracked. Causes quantity discrepancies and breaks standard inventory adjustments. Decision: Do not try to fully fix/migrate — just patch bugs. Classic “shadow system” horror story. 4. Hardware Upgrades Ordered Mac Mini (M4 base) for heavier AI workloads (replacing eBay tiny PCs). Used OpenClaw + custom “lobster shopper” script to monitor Apple refurbished store every 30 mins. New Human Scale G5 keyboard tray (Rolls-Royce of trays) — tilt/height adjustable, very happy. 5. AI Tooling & Vibe Coding Insights Stefan Moron’s AL Symbols/Dependency MCP + Jeremy’s BC Code Intelligence MCP installed but inconsistent tool usage in agents. Improving AI-generated user guides/documentation — Joselyn’s brutal (and valuable) feedback led to much better prompts. New strict grounding rules: no hallucination, tie everything to actual code/pages/fields. Corto vs Pandoc: Corto is mostly a wrapper; sticking with custom Pandoc + Word template workflow. AI is terrible at time/duration estimates — completely hallucinates. Added custom hooks for real timestamps. Claude Code + Tmux on Linux for running multiple agents efficiently. 6. Major AI Disruption Example (Survival Mode) Friend’s company: 2.5-year, multi-million dollar custom .NET project with 8 developers. Customer vibe-coded the entire system in 12 days (including missing features + improvements). Result: Laying off 6 developers, major contract renegotiation. Steve’s warning: Everyone should be in survival mode in 2026. The world is changing extremely fast. 7. Microsoft Account & Access Frustrations Microsoft login dialog hell (no account specified) → accidentally created personal account conflict with M365 business account. VPN/Conditional Access blocks for international team members (geolocation + other policies). 8. Open Source Contribution Fun Helped Stefan with ALRunner project (super-fast AL unit testing, no Docker/container). Ran multiple Claude agents via Tmux on Linux box → 100+ commits/PRs. Cleared 1,100+ issues with several people contributing agents. 9. Model & Tooling Updates Opus 4.7 released — even better, but very expensive on GitHub Copilot (7.5x → 15x multiplier). Local models (LM Studio, Qwen, etc.) tested on RTX 3080 → disappointing for BC work. Overlay VPN experiments (UniFi Teleport = garbage, Tailscale = okay but slow). 10. Team & Other Updates Team studying MB-800, working on Document Capture, PMP, weather cam project. Upcoming events: Directions NA, Dynamics Con, Dynamics Minds, Vibe 2.0 Partner Conference (Provo, UT – Sept 21-23).