Microsoft MVP Erik Hougaard joined the MSDW podcast recently to discuss his newly published book, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Field Guide. Through his long history as a NAV and Business Central developer, Hougaard has years of blogging and speaking behind him, but this latest effort marks his first published book. Unlike his other efforts, which usually takes a very technical perspective, the Field Guide is intended for a wider audience of newcomers to Business Central.

Preparing users for a cloud-first world

Last Christmas, Hougaard was approached by a publisher to write a new Business Central development book. He worried that it wouldn't be differentiated or useful enough, so he set out on his own to guide new Business Central users who were navigating a "sign up and get going" world, one much different than the traditional experience of previous generations of ERP.

Although Business Central is intuitive, it has many attributes that can be challenging for new users to figure out. Hougaard explained: