February 26, 2014 – Hosk's Dynamic Blog

It’s MVP Question and Answer O’Clock and this week we have Jason Lattimer. Firstly I will say thanks for Jason for answering the questions even though he is busy answering forum questions, doing his job and getting ready for convergence 2014.

I like to start with seeing what their description is on Dynamic CRM Community profile – https://community.dynamics.com/members/jlattimer/default.aspx

Jason Lattimer has been working with Dynamics CRM since v1.2 and has performed the full spectrum of technical duties from installation to custom development. In his current role he primarily focuses on extending Dynamics CRM to meet the unique needs of his customers. Jason is a Dynamics CRM MVP and you can often find him answering questions in the MSDN and Dynamics Community CRM forums, blogging, and occasionally putting out some helpful tools on CodePlex.

Any one who has used CRM 3 and below deserves respect and pity.

Jason can be found on the Dynamic Community Leader board with a very impressive 40 badges.

If you ever ask any questions on the CRM forum there is a good chance Jason will post an answer

Jason has posted more verified answer than any other CRM person (in fact more than the people at 2 and 3 put together)

419 verified answer

1216 total answer – 2nd position

578 Suggested answer – number 1

Donna Edwards created a great blog post on what her CRM MVP buddies will be up to at Convergence and I have borrowed Jason’s part and pasted it below. Here is what he looks like

Here are Jason’s CRM MVP Q&A’s and the previous weeks are below his if you missed them.

1. Name, current job title and social media links please
Jason Lattimer
CRM Development Consultant
@JLattimer – https://twitter.com/jlattimer
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlattimer
http://jlattimer.blogspot.com/

2. What does an average day at work look like
My day typically is filled with project work with some support work intermixed. I try to work in some time for the company blog or other things that help develop internal processes/standards.

3. What different roles/Job titles have you had whilst using CRM
Mostly development related functions but with some the smaller places I’ve worked I covered all the roles like design, customization, deployment and training.

4. What job did you did before you starting using CRM
.Net Developer

5. What was the first version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM you worked with and how long have you been using Microsoft Dynamics CRM
v1.2, that came out in 2003 so around 10 years on and off.

6. How do you stay up to date with the CRM
I read the various Microsoft and community member blogs, keep an eye on Twitter and am always looking at the forums.

7. How do you find time to contribute to the CRM community whilst doing your job
If there is something I want to build to put out on CodePlex, off hours are when that happens. Otherwise during the day while I’m in between tasks or when I need a little break from what I’m working on I jump on the forums and see if there is a question I can answer.

8. What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a successful career in Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
Know the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Try to leverage as many out of the box out of the box features as possible before getting crazy with customizations or custom development. Also if a customer/user wants the system to do something that requires major work, don’t be afraid to question (nicely) why. Sometimes by provoking a little thought you can eliminate a needless process or come up with a different solution that works alongside the system’s strengths.

9. What where your first impressions of CRM 2013 and what do you think now.
I always liked the new look and feel and better use of screen real-estate. The tablet application shows a lot of promise and I’m looking forward to seeing that evolve.

10. What one feature would you add to CRM 2013
More extensibility in the mobile spaces.

11. Most annoying feature of CRM 2013
Logical and Schema names for fields that are different.

12. You favourite 2 CRM blogs (I have filled the first one in for you)

1. Hosks Dynamic CRM blog
2. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog

13. What year will Microsoft Dynamics CRM have more customers than Sales force
???

14. Are you doing more CRM projects with CRM online? Do you think it will all be online in the future
Definitely doing more CRM Online deployments but there will always be the need to for On Premise deployments unfortunately.

15. What is the best tool/solution you have used recently
Ribbon Workbench (Scott Durrow), XrmToolBox (Tanguy Touzard), and the XrmServiceToolkit (Jamie Ji, Tanguy Touzard, & David Berry)

16. What CRM certifications do you have, do you try and keep up to date with CRM certifications
All the v1.2 and 2011 exams and I just completed my first 2013 exam.

17. How important is it to have good business analytical skills working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Very important I think. It’s a good thing to ask questions and understand the business needs in a project or feature request. Not having a good handle of what needs to be accomplished will lead to a bad experience on someone’s part, either yours or the customers.

18. How useful is it to have programming knowledge to become a good Microsoft Dynamics CRM Professional?
It can certainly help but you can accomplish a lot in Dynamics CRM with resorting to coding. Understanding basic program flow like if/else, and/or, and things like that can help make creating workflows or advanced finds easier.

19. What knowledge/experience do you have with software/systems which integrate with Microsoft Dynamics CRM e.g. (sharepoint, SQL Server, Scribe, Etc)
I like working on projects that integrate with other systems, specifically the ones that require a little more than just pushing records back and forth.

20. How often do you travel as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM Professional?
Not so much anymore with decent internet connections available almost anywhere but I still like to get out when I can.

21. Can you see yourself not using CRM in your career in the future
Anything is possible, technology changes quickly in this day and age.

22. What is favourite part of being a CRM MVP
Without a doubt the other CRM MVPs, you couldn’t ask for a nicer or more helpful group of people.

23. What are your hobbies outside of CRM
I’m a big fan of the UFC (MMA in general).

24. What was the last book you read and what was the last film you watched
Book: Ringworld Movie: Ender’s Game

25. Has CRM ever got you in trouble with your partner/family.
No.

26. Have you friends ever told you to stop talking/tweeting/blogging about CRM? What does your partner/family member(s) think of CRM
No. My family is glad I’ve found something I like enjoy and can pay the bills
27. Tell me something interesting/unusual about yourself
I am not interesting L

28. Who is the first CRM MVP you remember reading/seeing
Jamie Miley

29. Tips for someone who wants to become a CRM MVP
Find a few ways to contribute to the CRM community and be consistent. Play to your strengths, for just about any skills needed in CRM (developer, analyst, infrastructure, etc…) there is probably a forum someplace where people need help that you could participate in. Attend events and get to know people. Local CRMUG meetings or big events like Convergence are great places to meet people and network.

Quickfire questions (choose one option and no explanation)

Steve Jobs or Bill Gates

Javascript or .NET

Internet Explorer/Chrome/Firefox/Safari

Wine/Beer/Soft Drink

Certifications or Use CRM

twerking or tweeting

books or ebooks

save or autosave

OnLine or On Premise

Windows 7/Windows 8/Linux/Mac/Other

work from home or work from office