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Dynamics 365 and Power Platform User Group Q2 2025 meetup

On May 14th, 2025, the Reading Dynamics 365 & Power Platform User Group, which I co-organise with Areti Iles and Fraser Dear, held a great meetup at our beautiful venue in Reading Campus.

The evening was filled with fantastic sessions and networking opportunities, and we were fortunate to feature two amazing speakers: Matt Beard and James Sibley.

Matt Beard: AI Isn’t Magic—It’s Accountability and Clean Data
Matt delivered a great session that focused on the foundational role of clean, well-managed data, and how crucial this is when consumed by AI. Although Matt humbly described his talk as a bit of a ramble, it was packed with practical, real-life tips for managing data within Dataverse. The highlights I enjoyed most included tips on minimising required fields to improve data quality, a discussion on the challenges of duplicate detection, and some nostalgic screenshots from CRM 4.

James Sibley: Modern Data Analytics: End-to-End Analytics with Microsoft Fabric
James gave a clear and engaging summary of Microsoft Fabric. A highlight of the session was a demo that ingested UK crime data, showing the platform’s capabilities in action. It was great to see an example that brought the concepts to life, making the tech feel tangible and accessible. James also took time to address audience questions, including licensing issues. It was a very useful session that showcased the power and flexibility of Fabric in a real-world context.

Overall, the evening was a great success and we thank Matt and James for their support and participation.
Our next meeting in Reading takes place on Monday, September 22, 2025. The registration link is below. Hope to see you there!

https://www.meetup.com/d365ppug/events/302329748/

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