Steve Endow's Business Central Podcast

I Need Coffee - Episode 213 - Weekly BC Review! (June 12, 2026)

1. Personal & Fun Updates
- Served as part-time caterer: Grilled veggies and steaks for a 20–30 person potluck.
- Discovered Loupe app (by @myk_co) — reveals extensive iOS device fingerprinting (copy/paste count, activation timestamps, reboot history, SSIDs, etc.). Highlights near-impossible anonymity on mobile devices, especially with roadside Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/ALPR tracking.

2. Major Achievement: New Website Launch
- 100% vibe-coded (500% AI-assisted) using Claude Code CLI.
- Tech stack: Astro + TypeScript, Cloudflare Pages (free hosting), GitHub Actions for auto-deploy, Wrangler, Turnstile (CAPTCHA), Resend for contact forms.
- Process: AI helped with design research, brief, full build, and maintenance.
- Saved ~$7,000 compared to professional quote.
- Easy ongoing maintenance (e.g., adding products, logos, summaries via AI).

3. AI Usage & Proposal Workflow
- Consistently uses AI for rapid deliverables: Record Teams call → transcript → combined FRD/PRD (10–15 pages) + 2–3 page executive summary proposal.
- Total time: ~30-min call + 1 hour AI work.
- Challenges with AI estimating hours (inconsistent task lists and ranges).
- Claude 4.8 issues: Bizarre/abstract language, gibberish phrases, overconfidence, refusal to decide ("I am not deciding this for you"), hallucinations, and compounding design errors (e.g., unnecessary fields for 20-char Code constraints).

4. Development & Product Updates
- Multi-Entity Management (MEM) oversight: Forgot to check for MEM in a new sandbox; may require app adjustments.
- Business Central 28.2 rollout: Frustrating upgrade date control — new versions become default without easy delay options. Using internal Partner Dashboard tool to bulk defer upgrades.
- New Marketplace app: BAI2 Direct Debit Import (US-focused, Bank of America initially). Handles automated vendor payments via bank files, matching, exceptions, etc.
- Ongoing monster project: Migrating 1,260-line SQL stored procedure → BC. Created 40-page design doc; now doing high-fidelity wireframes (excellent with Opus) and detailed development plan for potential sub-agent orchestration.

5. AI Model News
- Anthropic released powerful Mythos → downgraded/guard-railed as Fable 5. Heavy data logging (30+ days) by Anthropic, so avoided for customer work.
- Microsoft (major investor in Anthropic) reportedly restricting employee use of Fable 5 due to privacy concerns.
- Prompting remains difficult; even multi-agent setups risky without strong human oversight.

6. Cybersecurity Updates
- MS Nightmare (formerly Nightmare Eclipse) releasing zero-days after MSRC conflict:
  - Rogue Planet: Windows Defender bypass (race condition).
  - Great XML: BitLocker drive encryption bypass (second after Yellow Key).
- Warning of more zero-days coming due to MSRC's poor handling of researchers.

7. Team Updates (El Salvador)
- Joselyn: Financial reporting expert; studying Fixed Assets & Posting Groups for MB-800 retake.
- David: RDLC/Word layouts, Data Exchange, customizations; part-time MB-820 study.
- Ronald: Completed BAI2 app testing; BC email setup; helping with Partner Dashboard.
- Franklin: Partner Dashboard refinements; workflow approvals study.
- Fatima: Taking PMP exam today (tough 4-hour exam); learning Partner Dashboard.

8. Upcoming Events
- Partner Vibe 2.0: Sept 21–23, 2026, Provo, Utah (submissions open until June 15).
- Summit NA: Oct 11–15, Nashville (presenting with Brad on AI for PTEs). Avoiding expensive on-site hotel.

9. Fun / Misc
- English contronym: "Peruse" means both "examine in detail" and "skim casually."
- Opsec fail story: NSO Group (spyware) left a cup of noodles photo with their logo visible in WhatsApp testing — used as evidence in court.

I Need Coffee - Episode 212 - Weekly BC Review! (June 5, 2026)

1. AI Tooling & Claude Frustrations
- Claude continues to use overly abstract, meaningless phrases (e.g., "first class citizens", "casting nets", "rung scaffolds").
  - Steve wrote a blog post on blog.steendendo.com with a style guide to force better, literal English.
- Significant hallucinations still occurring (Opus 4.8 criticized heavily).
  - Example: Claimed it could extend standard BC Web API v2.0 pages (incorrect).
- Positive: Claude's Mermaid diagram generation has improved significantly after follow-up prompts.
- Recommendation: Jeremy Visa’s Agentic Development Training (jeremyvisa.com/blog).

2. Personal & Family Updates
- Daughter graduated high school (now 18, heading to college).
- Hosted a large rooftop graduation party (40–50 people) in Huntington Beach — Steve smoked 9 racks of ribs.
- Attended wife’s dance performance and did photography.

3. Business & Operational Updates
- Claude Teams Plan: Surprised by sales tax (Utah ~9.55%) on top of 25% higher business pricing → ~35% premium vs. competitors.
- Website work: Using Resend for contact form emails (easier than SMTP). Major domain/DNS cleanup and transfer to Namecheap (praised for excellent support).
- OpenClaw SMTP authentication bug (quotation marks in credentials file).
- New PTE for minimum order quantity / sales multiples based on "inner pack" / case pack quantities (using Item Units of Measure).

4. Development & Proposals
- Cost-sensitive customer PTE proposal: Heavy emphasis on overhead (design, project setup, Git, pipelines) even with AI.
  - AI dramatically reduces pure development time, but design/review/cleanup remains essential.
- BC Quality new Microsoft repo: Expanded AL guidelines with focus on agentic/AI-readable knowledge base, design patterns, and anti-patterns.

5. Cybersecurity Highlights
- Major incident investigated by Vlexity: MSP compromise via pfSense firewall → full access to customer networks (including NAS). Signs of compromise for 18+ months (web shells, crypto miners, etc.).
- MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) drama: Poor handling of researchers leading to withheld responsible disclosures. Expect wave of zero-day exploits in June for Microsoft products (BitLocker, Windows, etc.).

6. Other Notable Items
- Flight to Summit NA (Nashville, Oct 11–15) expensive; LA → Buenos Aires roundtrip is comparably priced.
- OpenAI security notice: Update apps due to Tanstack npm supply chain vulnerability.
- Webinar (South Africa Doug Meetup): "Leverage AI to be the best Dynamics consultant" — level playing field argument; advice on transparently telling customers you use AI.
- Red dyed gasoline in El Salvador (different from US dyed diesel).
- Bad field naming in BC APIs (e.g., "Custom Purchase Order Reference" for "Your Reference").

7. Team Updates (El Salvador)
- Joselyn: Took MB-800 exam — did not pass (strong on most areas but weak on Fixed Assets scenarios and Posting Groups). Retaking after more study.
- David: Working on reports, Data Exchange Framework, EFT/Safe Pay.
- Ronald: Leading Continia Document Capture implementations (now also for other partners); helping with app/PTE testing.
- Fatima: Retaking PMP exam soon; managing internal Partner Dashboard (bulk environment upgrade deferral tool).
- New internal tool for managing customer tenants and upgrades.

8. Upcoming Events
- Partner Vibe 2.0: Sept 21–23, 2026, Provo, Utah (submissions closed June 15).
- Summit NA: October 11–15, Nashville (Steve presenting with Brad on AI-accelerated PTEs).
- Dynamics Con Regionals: Toronto (June 18), Ghana (July 25), Columbus (Aug 25).

9. Fun / Misc
- Recommended video: Rabbit Hole channel — deep dive on the history of Lorem Ipsum placeholder text.
- Generator maintenance training for El Salvador office (fuel, carburetor, self-sufficiency).

I Need Coffee - Episode 211 - Weekly BC Review! (May 22, 2026)

1. Recent Conferences
- Attended Dynamics Con in Las Vegas at the Fontainebleau Hotel.
  - Flew in same morning, presented a session immediately after landing.
  - Accidentally booked/upgraded to the Emerald Suite ($550+/night) — luxurious but noisy (party pool + bright LED signs).
  - Hosted the "Doug" (El Salvador) meetup table.
  - Assisted at the GP + BC superhero station with John Krauss.
  - Noted heavy use of AI-generated slides (recognizable colored box layouts).

2. AI Usage in Client Proposals
- Used Claude to create:
  - 21-page combined Functional + Product Requirements Document (FRD/PRD) with traceability, field mappings, scope, etc.
  - 15-page Statement of Work (SOW) including warranty and hypercare.
- Key Lesson: Comprehensive AI-generated docs are high quality but overwhelming. Clients often don't read long documents.
  - Solution: Provide a 2-page executive summary first.
  - Outcome: Customer declined the $12k project (4 custom file integrations for GP → BC migration) citing complexity/volume; may try configuration packages instead.

3. Tech & Development Updates
- Andre Karpathy joined Anthropic (positive for the company).
- Uncle Bob Martin (Robert C. Martin) encourages applying formal software engineering principles to "vibe coding" / agentic AI development.
- Built a functional control add-in prototype (expandable/collapsible tree view for sales lines) using guidance from Sasha Herman.
- VS Code now supports Mermaid diagram rendering in Markdown preview.
- Experimenting with Obsidian Canvas vs. Mermaid diagrams for simple workflow visuals.

4. Support & Operational Challenges
- Customer environment issue: Approval workflows show documents pending but tiles/counter is zero (unable to reproduce in sandbox).
- Major fire drill: Third-party consultant's Entra app registration secrets expired (max 2 years). Poor documentation led to panic emails.
  - Emphasized need for proper secret management and documentation.

5. Cybersecurity Session & Insights
- Co-presented with Alexis Shabau (cybersecurity student) at Dynamics Con on SMB cybersecurity (limited budget/staff).
- Recommendations from audience:
  - Huntress (includes SIEM capabilities).
  - ThreatLocker for endpoint detection/response.
- Mariplex (SOC service) impressed with post-login risk analysis using Entra P1 logs.

Government Fail Highlight:
- CISA (Cybersecurity agency) contractor leaked highly privileged AWS GovCloud credentials on a public GitHub repo.
- Agency has a $3 billion budget and prior controversies (e.g., disinformation efforts).

6. Current Technical Project
- Reverse-engineering a 1,258-line SQL stored procedure (essentially a full application) for migration to Business Central.
- Challenges with AI analysis (Claude produced 13-page summary that still requires heavy verification).
- Considering AL implementation over Power BI due to complexity/maintainability.

7. Team & Company Updates (El Salvador Center of Excellence)
- Joselyn: Studying for MB-800 exam; working on Data Exchange Framework (EFT integration).
- David: Studying MB-800; working on reports and Data Exchange.
- Ronald: Continia Document Capture expert; multiple implementations queued.
- Franklin: Application support + internal Partner Dashboard (bulk upgrade deferral tool).
- Fatima: Organized Doug Meetup; studying PMP; learning page scripting; managing partner dashboard.
- New professional in-house photo studio for headshots.

8. Upcoming Events
- Dynamics Minds — May 25–27, 2026 (Slovenia).
- Partner Vibe 2.0 — September 21–23, 2026 (Provo, Utah). Call for submissions closed; focus on partner challenges (not product-specific).
- Regional Dynamics user groups (Toronto, Ghana, Columbus).

9. Fun / Misc
- Starship Flight Test (IFT-12) expected soon — new launch stand, flame diverter, etc.
- Tip: To politely exit unwanted conversations, say “I work with business accounting software.”

I Need Coffee - Episode 210 - Directions NA Recap (May 1, 2026)

1. Directions NA Conference Recap (Orlando)
1,400 attendees — largest ever.
Excellent venue layout (compact, logical hallway design) enabled much better conversations and networking compared to last year’s chaotic Vegas setup.
Noticeably more collaborative, humble atmosphere — partners openly sharing challenges and seeking help.
Many GP partners attending to transition to Business Central.
Highlight: AI shell shock creating a sense of shared uncertainty and openness.

2. Sessions Presented
Modern Support / Rethinking Managed Services (with David Lasser) — Best session feedback so far; strong conversations on fixed-fee support vs. time & materials.
“So You Think You Need a Dev?” — Pivoted due to rapid AI changes; explored evolving role of developers.
Faster Path for Requirements, Design & Prototype — Demonstrated building functional PRDs + working prototypes in hours using AI. Received overwhelmingly positive (5-star) feedback; several attendees had “mind blown” moments.

3. AI Time & Skill Dilation
AI creates massive perceived gaps: adopters feel like they’re moving at near-light speed while others lag years behind.
Smaller partners/teams can adapt faster than large ones with inertia or resistant management.
Story of an enthusiastic employee at a large partner whose AI insights were dismissed — potential for internal conflict or him leaving.

4. Vibe Coding & Tooling Updates
Website: Initially built with Astro (via Perplexity). After review, sticking with Astro for its benefits (shared layouts, content collections, image optimization, etc.) rather than switching to pure HTML.
Planning heavy vibe coding weekend:
Business Central Control Add-ins (JavaScript) — inspired by conversation with Sasha (ex-Netronic).
Improving Number Series prompting (consistent pain point).
Table relation / lookup fixes.
Camille Code Review refinement (and meta code review of reviews — too many false positives).
Code orchestration workflows.
User guide prompting improvements.

Jeremy Visca’s Agentic Development training recommended (beginner to expert levels available).

5. Networking & Memorable Moments
Met long-time GP customer Paul (8+ years using Postmaster) now working at an ISV.
Met viewers (Sasha from Germany) and other partners (Alteora LATAM team, Sarah from Synak, Corey from iSolutions).
Universal Orlando after-party (private section of the park) — impressive logistics.
Marketing swag praise for Blue Moon (logo mints + clean product postcards) → Steve plans to steal the simple visual card idea for their own brochures.

6. Travel & Personal Notes
Long travel day (11 hours back).
Humorous comparison of Avianca vs. Southwest “first class” legroom expectations.
Photography gear upgrade in progress (Canon R7 sniped on eBay).

7. Upcoming Events
Summit NA Road Show – Chicago (May 5–6).
Dynamics Con – May 12–15.
Directions Asia – May 13–15 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — get tourist visa).
DUG Meetup El Salvador – May 19 (likely in Spanish).
Dynamics Minds – May 25–27 (Slovenia).
Partner Vibe 2.0 – Sept 21–23, Provo, UT (Call for Speakers open until June 15).

I Need Coffee - Episode 209 - Weekly BC Review! (April 24, 2026)

1. Weekend Activities

Vibe-coded a full new website in ~4–6 hours (Astro + Cloudflare).
Learned a lot, but decided to scrap the complex architecture.
Planning a simpler vanilla HTML + CSS version (cleaner, no heavy frameworks).

Attended a Chinese dance performance and did amateur photography (technically challenging low-light conditions).
Sniped a Canon R7 mirrorless camera on eBay (~$980) to upgrade photography gear.

2. Marketing & Business Development

Received a $7,000 quote for a new website → decided to vibe code it instead.
Vibe-coded a 35-page marketing plan for ~$4.35 in tokens (emails, blogs, webinars, conferences, brochures, etc.).
Acknowledges marketing is outside his comfort zone but sees value in letting AI generate ideas and plans.

3. AI Tooling & Experimentation

Opus 4.7 released (goodbye 4.6).
GitHub Copilot / Pro subscriptions paused due to major changes in pricing model.
FFmpeg mastery via AI: Compressed large Teams recordings (285 MB → ~150 MB), trimmed dead space using VTT transcripts, GPU acceleration (very fast).
Training Session Analysis Prompt (based on Dimitri + Jeremy’s work):
Fed 1-hour Teams video + VTT transcript.
Produced a 32-page metric-based report with educational, psychological, and communication metrics.
Examples: Words per minute (135.5, optimal range), filler words, speech clarity, jargon density, pause timing, CFU (Check for Understanding) rate, participant talk ratio, etc.
Detected privacy issues (visible Outlook inbox, sensitive PDFs on screen).
Recommended improvements (define terms upfront, presentation mode, remove distractions).

4. Business Central / Development Wins

GL Account Filter foresight by AI saved a project: Predicted and solved 1 MB JSON payload limit in Flowcast integration.
Complex support fire drill (issue since April 6th):
Recorded troubleshooting call with customer.
AI analyzed video/transcript → narrowed down root cause.
Built and deployed a diagnostic PTE → fixed the edge-case data issue same day.

Lesson: Record calls, narrate clearly for AI analysis — massive time saver on complex bugs.

5. Challenges & Observations

Customer mindset frustration: Customer with 11-year-old shadow lot tracking PTE only wants one lot fixed, not the root bug or full cleanup.
GitHub issues: Merge queue commits randomly reverting previous merges.
AI font rendering bug in Perplexity (bad dollar sign font confused PowerShell $PSVersionTable).
WordPress still hated (security vulnerabilities, complexity).

6. Upcoming Events

Directions NA – Next week (prepare & pack).
Dynamics Con – May 12–15.
Directions Asia – May 13–15 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
DUG Meetup El Salvador (likely in Spanish).
Dynamics Minds – May 25–27 (Slovenia).
Vibe Partner Conference 2.0 – Sept 21–23, Provo, UT (Call for Speakers open until June 15).

7. Team Updates

Joselyn & David: Continuing MB-800 study + config packages.
Ronald: Document Capture training & implementation; guinea pig for training analysis.
Franklin: Debugging + new PTE work.
Fatima: PMP study + experimenting with Page Scripting + AI.