Not a Pickle Blog recently had the privilege of sitting down with Alex Meyer, a distinguished Microsoft MVP in BizApps. In an exclusive interview, Alex shared his profound insights on what makes the Power Platform such a captivating technology, delving into its transformative capabilities and its role in shaping the future of business applications. He also shed light on the unique experiences and responsibilities that come with being an MVP, offering a glimpse into the life of a true industry expert. Furthermore, Alex generously imparted invaluable advice for those embarking on their Power Platform journey, providing a guiding light for individuals eager to harness the platform’s potential. This interview is a must-read for anyone seeking to unlock the true power of the Power Platform.
What do you love about the Power Platform? How has it changed your life?
I think the biggest thing about the Power Platform overall is that it’s going to lower the barrier of entry for a lot of business solutions and a lot of people within organizations. It is incredible that you don’t have to be confined to code or have a background in development, coding, or programming – to be able to create complex and beneficial solutions on the front end. And so that’s where I think it’s really changed, not just my life, but a lot of people’s lives. It gives power to a lot of business users to be able to create their own solutions and not have to rely on developers and that timeline as much.
What opportunities has the Power Platform brought to you?
My background is a little bit different than most in the Power Platform. I come from a technical /development background. So selfishly, for me it’s given me back time in my day because I can very quickly spin up a Power App for somebody else. If I get a request from a coworker or a customer that needs help doing something, I can very quickly spin that up and instead of developing a hard coded (traditional) solution for them. So, a lot of the scaffolding and a lot of the background processes that you would have to think about if you were going to develop a solution by yourself are already embedded into Power Apps and the Power Platform itself. It also has given an opportunity, for me again to help others or teach others how to think about problems in a way that they can design a solution to meet their needs themselves. It’s really cool to kind of see that progression happen as well.
What trends do you see happening within the Power Platform within the next year?
If you look at the lifespan of the Power Platform as it is, there’s more and more functionality getting added all the time and bringing in more of the AI and machine learning type data into different parts of this. Those things are incredibly powerful when you’re looking at it from the side. So, I think looking forward, when it comes to the Power Platform the sky is the limit for what it can achieve. I believe with the resources that Microsoft has; the Power Platform can really wow people, as the Platform continuously evolves.
And with a platform that is evolving so rapidly, how do you keep yourself up to date in the Power Platform?
Yeah, it’s tough. It’s tough for, not just Power Apps or Power Platform, but anything that’s cloud based. Microsoft Dynamics falls into that as well. How do you stay up to date with it? Theres a couple different paths you can take including community blog posts from either Microsoft employees or MVPS or just people that are passionate about the Power Platform in general. This would be a great place to start. User Groups are another fantastic resource as a builder or an end user. They allow you to engage on a more personal level in a smaller setting. Another way to get the what’s-what is to attend the Power Platform Conference or Power Platform inclusive conferences as well. This is a great place to get around like minded folks and to be able to explore the offerings to see and hear what’s coming down the pipe from that perspective. Lastly, following key Microsoft employees or MVPs on social media and looking for updates and content from them.
What does being an MVP mean to you & why do you love it?
Yeah. You know MVP program for me is really being a part of a community of people who are excited about what they do and want to give back to the community in whatever way they feel they can. Whether that’s creating blog posts, YouTube videos, or speaking at conferences. It’s however you want to express yourself and get that information back to other people. It’s about being passionate about an area and then wanting to share that excitement with the community.
What advice would you give to someone pursuing the path of MVP?
Yes, I think there’s a couple of points here. The first one, and I’ve spoken about this during some prior MVP sessions is don’t have the MVP award be the ultimate goal that you’re trying to go after. And don’t do things specifically to try and get awarded the MVP award. You should be doing things that you want to do in order to give back to the community and share your passion on whatever that is. And if you are nominated in or awarded the MVP designation, that’s just going to be a bonus for you. Another point is to make sure that you’re visible on forms, creating content, and making sure that you’re engaging in the community. Stay consistent and stay connected.
Do you have any resources you would like to share with the community?
The biggest piece of advice that I can give here is that if you are experiencing a challenge related to the Power Platform or Microsoft Ecosystem in general is to be sure to look for the resources that are available — whether that’s coming from Microsoft or not. In most cases, it’s likely that somebody out there has created content or has ran into that challenge before. They may have provided a solution or given alternatives for it. Another thing I consistently bring forth is that you never want to feel like you’re alone in this in this journey, right? So, I encourage others to reach out and try to make that connection. This could be with MVPs, Power Platform gurus or Microsoft Employees. Forms are another great place to ask questions and engage with a thriving community.
Just make sure that you’re looking for those resources as you’re going through your ERP or Power Platform journey.
Not A Pickle Blog extends its heartfelt gratitude to Alex for his invaluable time and remarkable contributions to the Microsoft ecosystem. His dedication and expertise have undoubtedly enriched the community and propelled innovation within the tech world. We deeply appreciate his efforts in sharing knowledge and insights.
If you’d like to connect with Alex and continue benefiting from his expertise, you can find him on LinkedIn or posting on his Website (Linked Below).
Follow Alex here:
Thank you, Alex, for being an essential part of our shared journey in the world of technology!
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