That Time of Year Again

Each year I have to upload Projects / Tasks / Budgets into Dynamics SL. Every year it seems I get caught up in some formatting problems using the transaction import functionality of the Dynamics SL product. Do you think they’ll ever get a more sophisticated tool? The time required to analyze and format the .csv files is just brutal. Especially, again, this time of year; when we should all be taking a little more time off to relax with the family.

Anyway, just remember while you’re trimming the tree, I’m here using the finer points of the RTRIM T-SQL to remove trailing blanks, and then exporting queries to NotePad and opening the .txt files from Excel and running the text formatting wizard, and ensuring all the naughty numeric fields with leading zeroes are formatted as text…

Ah the joys…

Bing Chat AI for those Gnarly Excel Formulas

November 19, 2023 / Ian Smith / Data Migration, Dynamics 365 / AI, Data Cleansing, Excel / No Comments

I do a lot of data migrations, moving data from one system to another. Usually as part of a migration from a legacy system to Dynamics 365 CRM. Oftentimes I’m

handwritten passwords in a password notebook.

Password Managers: An Easy-to-Implement Tool for Boosting Small Business Security

November 6, 2023 / Ian Smith / Cybersecurity Basics, Password Manager / Business Risk, Data Protection, HIPAA Compliance, Password Manager, Small Business Security, SOC 2 Compliance / No Comments

In the digital age, the security of your business’s data is paramount. One of the most basic yet crucial aspects of this security is the use of passwords. This article

Require MFA

Multi-Factor Authentication is Great, but Don’t Sleep on Legacy Authentication Methods

October 24, 2023 / Ian Smith / Block Legacy Authentication, Cybersecurity Basics / Business-Email-Compromise, IT-Security, Microsoft-365, SMB / No Comments

For small business owners, managing IT is a challenge. Requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a great first step to protect against cyber-attacks. But be aware that legacy authentication methods don't

Dynamics 365 Mapping for Sales

Integration of Maps with Dynamics 365 CRM & Power Apps for Enhanced Business Goals

October 22, 2023 / Ian Smith / Dynamics 365, Maplytics / Dynamics 365 for Sales, Mapping / No Comments

Maplytics is the de facto leader in Dynamics 365 mapping integration. By geocoding CRM records, the affordable mapping add-in provides radius search, territory management, auto-scheduling, and route optimization.

How to Solve the 4 Main Challenges in Landscaping and Construction Marketing and Sales

October 7, 2023 / Ian Smith / ClickDimensions, PowerPack / No Comments

Working with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the fields of construction and landscaping, we’ve noticed that these types of organizations face unique hurdles when it comes to adopting sales

Overcome These 8 SMB Sales and Marketing Challenges to Grow Your Customer Base

October 3, 2023 / Ian Smith / ClickDimensions, PowerPack / No Comments

Having worked with numerous small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with a focus on sales, marketing and customer service, we’ve witnessed recurring challenges that impede these organizations’ efforts to acquire, retain,

4 reasons your B2B sales and marketing strategy is ineffective.

4 Reasons Your B2B Sales and Marketing Strategy is Ineffective

July 9, 2023 / Ian Smith / PowerPack / No Comments

If your organization is experiencing a lack of sales pipeline, an increase in missed opportunities, and declining conversions in your sales and marketing process, you’re far from alone. Many small

Dynamics 365 On-Premises Notes

July 8, 2023 / Ian Smith / Dynamics 365 / 8.2 to 9.1 Upgrade, Plugin Registration Tool / No Comments

Dynamics 365 8.2 to 9.1 Upgrade During the process of upgrading from Dynamics 8.2 to 9.1 we encountered plugins that worked in 8.2 but caused errors when trying to browse

SSIS ETL Process

Useful SSIS Expressions

June 19, 2023 / Ian Smith / SSIS / GUID / No Comments

Change Root Business Unit Name in Dynamics 365 CRM It is possible to change the root Business Unit Name in Dynamics 365 CRM using SSIS. We will get the GUID

Coffee Shop VPN

June 18, 2023 / Ian Smith / Cybersecurity Basics / No Comments

Reduce the risk of browsing the internet or working on a corporate-owned laptop on a public WiFi connection With more employees working remotely, and now back to traveling for business