Summit 2021 is coming soon: Here’s what to expect

It’s time. Time to come together again, in-person, and bask in the connections and momentum that comes from being together and learning together. Community Summit North America 2021 will be held in Houston, Texas from October 12-15, and you’re invited. Summit organizers encourage you to come with questions, and you will leave with answers.

If Summit is new to you, or if it’s been a while since your organization has attended, here are the reasons why you should consider attending and how to make the most of Summit NA when you’re there.

 Why attend Summit NA?

Summit NA is an opportunity to network with other professionals in the Microsoft community. As isolated as the last year and a half has been, it’s refreshing to be reminded that you’re business is not alone in the pursuit of optimizing your use of Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform applications. While day-to-day activities seem siloed to just your business, there’s a host of experts and others in the Microsoft community to call on at Summit to answer your questions and discover how to approach the challenges of today’s changing landscape. Whatever your business needs to figure out and work on, there sessions and experts at Summit to help you. Come to Summit with a goal in mind, leave with the knowledge and motivation to achieve it.

What is Community Summit North America?

Community Summit North America, Summit NA for short, is “the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft ecosystem.” What does this mean? Thousands of people who use Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform applications at their organizations come together to share their knowledge and network.

Microsoft Partners and experts, like Syvantis, host sessions focused on sharing knowledge, tips and tricks, or advice on a specific topic. Summit will include over 600 informative and educational sessions relating to Dynamics and Power Platform applications from over 100 industry experts over the three-and-a-half-day conference. There are sessions for end-to-end learning for Dynamics 365 FO/AX, CE/CRM, BC/NAV, Dynamics GP and SL, and the Power Platform.

No matter what a Summit attendee’s job title or responsibilities, each will find an abundance of sessions that will apply to their business needs. Summit has sessions and learning for business and technology professionals, system admin, business analysts; developers who are using, recently implemented, or considering implementing Microsoft Business Applications; and any other positions who engage with these applications. Marketing, IT, Finance, Sales, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Business or Functional Analysis, Security Administration, CRM and ERP Admin and Project Owners…the list of job roles who benefit from Summit is extensive.

How do you connect with Syvantis at Summit?

Another reason to attend Summit NA is an opportunity to connect with your Microsoft Partner. Many members of Syvantis will be attending Summit, and we want to connect with you! While you’re soaking up all the information, atmosphere, and excitement Summit will hold, here are a few ways to connect with us:

• Come to our booth to talk to us one-on-one. Drop in just to say hello, stay for a while to chat, or ask us any and all questions you may have. We have at least one representative at our booth all day, every day of Summit.
• If you see us walking around Summit, wave hello! We’ll wave back, and if we’re not hurrying to a session, we’ll be happy to connect right there.
• Attend our sessions where our knowledgeable speakers share insight on their areas of specialty. CEO Janelle Riley will speak, as will other Syvantis professionals.

Syvantis Speaker Sessions

Come hear our speakers discuss a range of topics. Here’s our list of sessions this year:

What you need to know before migrating from Dynamics GP to Business Central

Presenter: Janelle Riley, CEO — Tuesday, October 12 @ 2:00-2:50 PM in room 350C

Does the thought of making the transition from GP to Business Central give you the cold sweats? It’s a big project, but if you are prepared, it is a lot easier. Join us for a detailed presentation and in-depth Q&A with people that know the good, the bad, and the ugly of GP to BC migrations.

At this session, you will get answers to these questions:

• The Dynamics GP – Business Central back story (What was Microsoft thinking?)
• What features will you lose and what you will gain when you move from GP to BC?
• Should you use the Microsoft migration tool or implement from scratch?
• How much does a migration cost?
• What if you are not quite ready to migrate yet?

What finance professionals need to know before diving into Power BI

Presenter: Jack Walther, Senior Developer — Wednesday, October 13 @ 9:30-10:20 a.m. in room 360AB

Power BI is a fabulous reporting tool for finance professionals, but it can get really complicated, really fast. How do you cut through all of the technical terminology and just use it?  How do you know when you are over your head and need to ask for help from a technical resource?

In this session, you will see Power BI from the perspective of a finance user, including: 

• What Power BI does well (and not so well)
• How to create a basic report with GP, NAV, or BC data 
• How to publish a report for use by the rest of the finance team
• How to communicate with your developer

Every little difference between Dynamics GP and Business Central

Presenter: Todd Froemming, VP of Consulting Services — Wednesday, October 13 @ 1:40-2:30 p.m. in room 330B

If you are considering an eventual move to Business Central from GP, this session is a must!  Working in Dynamics GP compared to Business Central is not at all a 1-1 experience.  By the end of this session you will have a firm grasp on what the system differences are so that you are prepared for an eventual transition to Business Central. 

During this session, you will get detailed information of how GP and BC vary: 

• The user experience 
• System design and configuration  
• Vocabulary 
• Data imports and integrations 
• System customizations 
• And much more!

8 underutilized tools in Dynamics GP and how to use them

Presenter: Chuck Robinson, Consulting Manager — Thursday, October 14 @ 1:10-2:00 p.m. in room 352B

Feel like you’re missing out on functionality in Dynamics GP? Many users miss out on out-of-the-box features that can make their life much easier while using Dynamics GP day-to-day. During this session, get detailed information on underutilized tools in Dynamics GP and how to use them, including: 

• PSTL 

  • Company Copy 

  • Master Record Triggers 
  • Master Record Modifiers 
  • RM Unapply 
  • Item Reconciler 
  • Shortcut Copy 
• Refreshable Excel Reports 

  • Add & Retain Calculated Fields 

  • Add & Retain Formatting

Summit is only a few months away, and now is the time to plan for your time there. Get over to the Summit NA website to register, book a hotel, and scope out the agenda. As you register and plan, make sure to register by July 31st to get early-bird pricing and follow the hashtag #MySummitNA on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news. If you cannot make it in-person, you can get a Summit Streaming Pass (stream 90 sessions live and another 50 sessions on-demand 30 days following the conference).

We look forward to connecting with you there!