Understanding Microsoft’s New Approach to Learning D365 X++ Development Part 1 of 6

So, if you’re a prospective X++ developer looking to upgrade or gain new skills, this posting series is just for you.  In this 6-part series, we will achieve 4 goals:  

• Learn the term and the logic behind the “Learning Path” which is the predominant form of Microsoft Dynamics Learning today
• Learn what would be typically required of an X++ developer today to have current skills or to have new skills in this market
• Understand the current 5 core areas or learning paths that are considered prerequisites for the MB500 today
• Which other courses would be most typical of an X++ developer as per what I’ve seen in the current market.  It should be no surprise that MB-500 is not enough.  Not with a red hot Dataverse dominating things at current.   So, where do you go from here. 

What does the term Learning Path mean?  

Learning Paths are smaller hyper-focused collections of related topics as opposed to what used to be a full course. They are usually dedicated to one type of purpose. So you can think of the traditional course as much broader and learning paths as more focused. The advantage of learning paths is also that they sort of serve the purpose of development releases. Microsoft releases new learning paths to keep up with the existing technology. The incremental nature of learning paths is very much like agile software development in that it makes progress cheaper. Plus, it has the advantage of staying modern with the latest trends.

Now days, some learning paths are as big as the old full courses, but you get the point.    It’s a way to be able to keep up with the fast-changing nature of development changes today while still releasing content. 

The disadvantage, however, is that it also adds a lot of content and isn’t quite as concise as the older format of learning technical courses. One of the key advantages of the older system was that a person could take a course in 3 to 5 days and be updated with about 80% of what was new. This was a tremendous advantage for people who had to work and needed to cram their updates in a concise one or two week period as opposed to a college course like timeline (most of us don’t want to revisit those days).

Let’s breakdown what is now considered a current X++ core developer

As of this date, Microsoft had divided the MB-500 into 5 learning Paths, which take about 6 cumulative weeks on average to cover.   In the subsequent post, we will explore each one.  

For now, be aware of these 5 Learning Paths and I’ve provided short summaries of what they cover:  

Advantages and Disadvantages of the current X++ MB500 Learning Approach

Advantages

• Easier to consume the data in bits and chunks
• Experienced developers can take smaller learning paths to update themselves rather than having to retake bunches of things that they already know
• Microsoft published all the labs to Github making it easier to get the content though it still requires work as the labs can be invalidated quickly with Azure frequent changes
• Microsoft is able to get out course updates much faster which reflect the world that we live in today
• Microsoft has made no secret about it.  Much more emphasis is on the instructor and the instructor’s experience as the learning paths require some connecting on the part of the teacher and advanced lab work.  The experience differs widely based on the instructor. 
• Keeping certification tests like the MB500 and the X++ courses in sync.  Everyone remembers the days of covering a certified Microsoft course that became outdated while the exam was still incremented with new information (information never seen in the outdated course).

Disadvantages

• For a beginner, there is a lot more content.  The advantage to the old format was that courses were never more than 5 days.  Now, for a beginner, it’s a lot longer when you add all the learning paths – sometimes up to 6 weeks.   
• Non-standardized learning experience.  This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.  Much more of the learning experience is dependent upon the experience of the person teaching it.  That’s always been true to an extent but much more now than ever before.  
• Understanding a clear path for learning.  Learning paths are meant to simplify things but when there are a too many learning paths versus the old way of one course that everyone knew, it defeats the purpose and becomes confusing.  
• You have to stay current every year with learning.   It’s no longer a sort of thing where you learned a certification and it was good for 3 years.   That’s not a bad thing but not everyone has time to retest every year and take the incremental updates.  

As I said, everything has pros and cons.   The new way reflects the market challenges as of now.  The old way worked out when Microsoft updated more slowly than today.  

To Wrap it all Up

In summary, hopefully, you’ve now started to understand the approach to keeping current with the new Microsoft courses.  This organized, incremental approach to learning, now called learning Paths, does have some advantage and disadvantages.   Up next, in part 2, we will get more into the details of Learning Path 1 and get into the details of what you need to know, how long it will take, and what to expect.  

Oh and I promise, my team and I have been very hard at work on a new X++ modern course which combines the content within the learning paths but also balances the subject of time and efficiency. It’s almost complete, but that announcement will come later. For now, let’s focus on understanding the current learning approach and staying current. See you soon.