Andrew Bibby - Power Platform Today, March 18th 2025
This is the third episode of the series, where host Reece speaks with his guest, Andrew Bibby, a long-time member of the Dynamics and Power Platform community.
Show Introduction
[00:12] Reece opens the show, welcoming viewers to Power Platform Today.
[00:39] He introduces his guest, Andrew Bibby, noting that this is Andrew's first time doing a live stream in this specific format, despite having done podcasts and some regional Microsoft events (like Build).
Andrew’s Background & Journey
[02:49] Andrew has been involved with the platform for roughly 12-14 years, starting back in 2007 as a developer.
[03:02] He initially worked with Dynamics CRM 3.0 (back when it was just "Microsoft CRM") for a software company in the UK (now owned by m-hance).
[03:55] He stuck with the technology because he enjoyed the efficiency of it—features like the security layer and database structure were easy to build, and Microsoft had just announced a massive investment in the platform with CRM 4.0.
[05:08] Reece notes the common theme of people "stumbling" into this career, whereas Andrew made a conscious decision to stick with it early on.
Community & User Groups
[05:58] Andrew discusses how he got into User Groups. Coming from a .NET background, he was used to active forums, but the Dynamics community back then was tiny (mentioning early bloggers like Jukka Niiranen).
[07:00] He credits Neil Benson for starting an early user group in Reading, which later evolved when Adam Vero, Scott Durow, and Paul Lin resurrected the CRM User Group in the UK.
[08:26] Andrew attended his first meeting after a bad day at work, looking for answers. He found a welcoming group of people who were facing the same challenges.
[11:06] The Quiz: Andrew is well-known as the "Quiz Master" for community events. This started at the Dynamics 365 Dublin event in 2017 when he offered to run a pub quiz to help with entertainment. It has since become a staple at events like Scottish Summit, co-hosted with Megan Walker.
Public Speaking
[18:54] They discuss the anxiety of public speaking. Andrew admits he was initially terrified of it.
[19:14] Reece shares that he uses hosting duties (like at parties) as a way to overcome social awkwardness because it gives him a "purpose."
[20:02] Andrew dived straight into speaking at his second conference (Dublin 2018) to force himself to network. Being a speaker gave him an "in" to talk to established community members.
[24:43] Both agree that the community is incredibly non-judgmental and supportive, even when demos fail on stage.
Segment: XRM Toolbox (Video)
[26:45] Reece plays a pre-recorded segment introducing the XRM Toolbox for those who might not know it.
[28:15] He demonstrates downloading a tool called "Workflow Enabler" (a random new tool he found) to show how the toolbox works.
[33:13] Discussion: Back live, they discuss the importance of community-built tools. Andrew mentions he has been using XRM Toolbox since ~2008 (created by Tanguy Touzard).
[36:38] They highlight the importance of "battle-hardened" tools like Jonas Rapp’s FetchXML Builder, which are maintained to a very high standard. Andrew advises caution with newer or less popular tools as they can sometimes break things if not used carefully (citing a "View Layout Replicator" issue he had years ago).
Quick Fire Round
[41:23] Favourite Power Platform Service: Copilot Studio (despite some frustrations, he loves the accessibility of AI).
[41:51] Favourite Conference: DynamicsMinds (in Slovenia) for the location, weather, and atmosphere. He also mentions Nordic Summit.
[42:56] Favourite Colour: Forest Green (matching his shirt).
[43:14] Last Music Listened To: A new artist he found on Instagram, possibly called Dodie (or similar). He also mentions watching NPR Tiny Desk concerts on YouTube.
[45:28] Podcasts or Audiobooks: Podcasts for travelling/driving.
[45:43] 2 Hours Free Time: He would choose to do absolutely nothing—just sit and relax without guilt.
[47:10] Books or Audiobooks: Loves collecting physical books but actually consumes Audiobooks (has over 250 in his library).
[47:54] Glass Half Full or Empty: Half full (optimistic).
[48:08] If you won £1 million: He would stop working and travel the world for 1-3 years.
