MVP Insights: Josh Knox on Data Migration Considerations, MVP Journey, Implementation Learnings
Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.
In this episode, John Siefert welcomes Josh Knox, Consultant, Cooptimize, Microsoft MVP to discuss Josh’s MVP journey, his areas of expertise, important data migration considerations, and details of his session at Community Summit NA.
This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.
Key Takeaways
- MVP journey: Josh describes his journey to becoming an MVP, a story that is captured in his book, “Letters to a Young ERP Consultant,” starting from his college graduation, through various job experiences, to becoming a successful ERP consultant with the help of great mentors. His mentor and close friend, who is also an MVP, instilled in him the foundations of good ERP consulting practices. This experience led him to start his own blog in 2019 to contribute to the community and document his learning journey. Nine months ago, he was nominated for his MVP award.
- Areas of expertise: ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is software that integrates various operations within large companies, such as accounting, timekeeping, and project planning. Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, formerly AX 2012, is Microsoft’s cloud-based ERP solution. Josh’s current role at Cooptimize involves data migrations, assisting clients in transitioning from old systems to Dynamics 365, and ensuring their successful adaptation and training for the new system.
- Considerations for data migrations: Josh shares key considerations he takes into account for data migrations. Data migration should be a repeatable process to ensure a smooth transition from one system to another. By continuously testing and mapping essential data, the final product’s quality is refined, leading to a successful launch of the new system. This approach minimizes pain points and provides a clearer picture of the expected outcome when switching to the new platform.
- Reporting considerations: Data migration is a critical phase in system implementation that goes beyond mere data transfer; it’s an opportunity to align reporting with the evolving data landscape. This process should be iterative, allowing for adjustments and refinements to ensure that reports accurately reflect the data’s current state, thereby avoiding the assumption that the new system will inherently meet all reporting needs.
- Summit NA session: The session Josh is leading at Community Summit NA 2024, “Treating ERP Implementations as Serious Data Projects,” is based on nearly a decade of experience in Finance and Operations implementations. Over that time, Josh has observed various approaches to data migration within these projects. Recently, with Cooptimize, he’;’s been exploring the use of Microsoft tools like Azure Data Factory and Logic Apps to automate data migration processes, finding it more rewarding and less error-prone than manual methods. As such, he’s eager to share his learnings with the community.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
