azurecurve

New Functionality In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2023 Wave 2
Change Modification Limits for Triggering Flows and Bulk Updates
Support Business Events in Business Central Connector for Power Automate
Enable Specific Virtual Tables When You Connect to Dataverse
Get Control Over How to View Power BI Embedded Content
Availability Overview Helps You Calculate Quantities in Your Warehouse
Configure The Right Level of Handling For Different Warehouse Operations
Do financial Consolidations Across Environments in Multicompany Setups
Edit in Excel on Item Journals and Warehouse Worksheets
Get More Productive While Approving Time Sheets
Get More Productive While Entering Time Sheets
Include Approvals for Intercompany General Journals in Your Workflows
Make Intercompany Transactions Across Business Central Environments
Suggest the Next Step For Sales and Production Orders
Sync Document and Posting Dates for Sales and Purchases
Troubleshoot Shopify Integration Issues
Usability Improves for Warehouse, Inventory, and Tracking
Use Directed Pick and Put-away Suggestions in Basic Warehouse Configurations
Use General Ledger Allocations to Distribute Costs and Revenue More Efficiently
Complete Bank Account Reconciliation Faster With Copilot
Get Marketing Text Suggestions with Copilot
New Design for Report Language and Region Settings
Advance Payment and a Posting Preview of Tax Documents – Czechia
Direct Transfer – Czechia
E-submission of VAT Return in Denmark
Iceland Localization App – Delocalization
Intercompany Posting Cues to the Accountant Role Center – Czechia
New Intrastat – Czechia
Registration and Notification Functionality for Denmark
E-invoicing with NemHandel in Denmark
Supporting More Countries and Regions
Open Visual Studio Code From Web Client to Investigate or Troubleshoot Extensions
Turn Off Data Analysis Mode on Pages and Queries
Turn Off Indexes as a Partner
Use the Built-in Rich Text Editor to Enter Data
Assign More Granular Administration Rights
Improved Update Release Processes
Cancel Cloud Migration Replication Runs
Digital Vouchers
E-documents Core as a Global Solution
Large Companies to Report Payment Times
Modify Texts on the Welcome Banner and Skip Banner Intro State
Set Initial Role Before First Sign-in for a Better First-Run Experience
Enhancements to Excel Add-in
Analyze, Group, and Pivot Data on Queries Using Multiple Tabs
Discover Report and Data Analysis Content Easily
Get Power BI Reports for Reporting and Data Analysis on Finance, Sales, and Inventory
Data Loads Faster in the Server
Faster Application Scenarios
Pages Load Faster in Client
Performance Gain Reducing Locks in the Database
Add Existing Table Fields to Optimize Your Pages
Get to Data Search From Anywhere in Business Central
Distinguish Browser Tabs When Multitasking
Share Readable Deep Links to Pages and Records
Manage User Expectations with Selection Context-Based Actions
Peek at Summarized Data From Editable Fields
Search for Pages and Data in the Mobile App
Use Actions to Navigate or Fix Errors From Inline Validation Dialog
Updates to the Release Plan
Power Pages Support via Business Central Virtual Tables on Dataverse
Synchronize More Fields in Your Integration with Dataverse and Dynamics 365 Sales
Consolidated Power Automate Flow Creation from Business Central Templates
Get List of Companies Using Business Central Connector in Power Automate
Simplified Power Automate Approval Flow Experience
Create Power Automate Flows that Dynamically Support Different Companies
Business Central Virtual Tables Fully Supported on Microsoft Dataverse
Relate Native and Virtual Tables to Expose More Business Central Data in Dataverse
Include Only Open Entries on Customer Statements
Adjust Exchange Rates Easily, Replace the Built-in Batch Job
More Control Over General Journal Approvals
Use Different General Ledger Accounts for Payables, Receivables
Add More Columns to Pages for Better Insight
Availability Overview Helps You Calculate Quantities in Your Warehouse
Block Item Variants
Identify and Track Items Easier with Item References
Improved Processes for Inventory Counts and Adjustments
Navigate Easier Between Order, Receipt, and Invoice Documents
Print and Scan Barcodes
Receive More Items Than Ordered by Using Inventory Put-away Documents
Generate a Customer Statement Only With Open Entries
Responsibility Centers Are Supported for Advance Payments in Czechia
Easier Management of System Application Permissions
Get the AL Language Extension in Prerelease Versions on Visual Studio Code Marketplace
Find All References Now Works on Triggers, System Methods, and Trigger Events
Get Inlay Hints in Source Editor for AL Method Parameters and Return Types
Get Inlay Hints in Source Editor for AL Method Parameters and Return Types
Hover Over Label Variable to See Text String Value
Set New Output Folder Setting for Storing App Files at AL Project Build
Choose Between More Sampling Intervals for Snapshot and In-client Profiling
Get IntelliSense for Adding Variables in Visual Studio Code AL Debugger Console
Get Smarter Method Signature Recommendations in IntelliSense
Set the Default Folder Location for New AL Projects
Track Source and Build Metadata on Extensions
Use SecretText Type to Protect Credentials and Sensitive Textual Values From Being Revealed
Document Your Extensions With the ALDoc Tool for Partners
Segment AL Code and Reduce Naming Conflicts with Namespaces
Show List of Keys While Working on AL Code
Use the AL Language Extension for Linux in Preview
Provide Queries for Users to do Ad Hoc Data Analysis Across Tables
Add a New FieldGroup to an Existing Table
Add Teaching Tooltips on Queries and Report Request Pages
Get Syntax Highlighting for AL in Azure DevOps
Sell Business Central Apps Through AppSource
AppSource ISV Publishers Can Preview Their AppSource Apps With Select Customers
Extend General Ledger Posting Aggregations
Define multi-worksheet datasets for Excel reports
Include or Exclude Tables From Cloud Migration
Delete Data from Uninstalled Extensions as an Admin
Automatically Update AppSource Apps With Minor Updates
Transfer Environments Between Microsoft Entra Tenants
Control Partner Access Per Environment
Use Drop Shipments for Triangular Intrastat Trade
Start Faster with Refreshed and Enhanced Setup Data
VAT Posting in General Ledger Setup
Demo Tool and Data for Service Scenarios
Analyze, Group, and Pivot Data on Lists
Share a Data Analysis With a Co-worker
Synchronize Multiple Business Central Companies With the Same Dataverse Environment
New Operational Limits on Scheduled Tasks and Web Requests Improve Throughput
Service-to-Service Apps and Device License Users Can Schedule Tasks
Mark Fields as Read-only When Customizing UI
Scan barcodes with Business Central mobile app for iOS and Android
Access Worksheet Pages From Mobile Phones
Use Virtual Tables to Expose More Business Central Data in Dataverse
Reverse a Customer and Vendor Ledger Entry with a Realized Gain or Loss Entry
Use General Ledger Account Revaluation for More Accurate Financial Statements
Use Standard Terminology for Project Management
Use Currencies When Posting Employee Transactions
Chat with Copilot
Improved Data Upgrade Troubleshooting for Dynamics GP Migration
Retain Permissions When Enabling Cloud Migration
Detect Invalid Cloud Migration Configurations with Proactive Warnings
Multiple VAT Numbers per Customer

I was surprised to see a comment on LinkedIn earlier this week saying that Microsoft had made some changes to the certification exams, whereby you are now able to access the Microsoft Learn site during an exam. This is surprising, but in a lot of ways does make sense,

This change is confirmed by the exam duration and exam experience page on Microsoft Learn, which details some important information on the change:

You will have access to everything in the learn.microsoft.com domain except Q&A and your profile.
Extra time has not been added.
The exam timer will continue as you explore Microsoft Learn content.
This resource is only available on role-based exams, not fundamentals.
This resource will be available in the same languages in which the exam is available.

Access to Microsoft Learn is provided through a button the examination application which opens Microsoft Learn in split screen, although you can also switch it into full screen mode:

Exam application with Microsoft Learn open in split screen mode

You can use multiple tabs and access any resource except the Q&A section or your profile and any external links, such as to GitHub, are blocked.

You can see a demonstration of this functionality in the Microsoft Open Book Video.

The purist in me thinks that this is a bad move, but it does also make some sense. The exam duration hasn’t been changed, so you can’t make extensive use of Microsoft Learn or you’d not be able to answer all questions.

Being able to access materials, like Microsoft Learn, is something that you would generally be able to do in your daily work, so memorising all information isn’t something you would be required to do, so doing this for an exam is not reflecting the real world experience of a consultant.

Open book exams will make more sense for some roles or technologies than others; for example, developers may deal with cmdlets, XML nodes or other very technical elements which you would never need to memorise, so the exam being open book reflects how you would work in the real world by knowing the basics and enough to quickly lookup the required element.

For less technical certification exams, like the Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant Associate, which I passed in 2022 and renewed in 2023, I think that open book is less required, although it looks to be available.