12 years with Dynamics: Horia Siladi's journey

First, tell us about your background and how you got started in IT.

During college, I started working as a sales consultant in a big chain of computer shops. After I finished my studies, I worked as a game tester. The real first job in the IT industry was actually the next one, a Support Level 2 role for a Romanian bank.

After some time, I made the transition to development, starting as a Junior Dynamics Developer. At Cegeka, I’m working as a Dynamics 365 F&O Developer and right now, I’m mostly involved in a project for a client in the flower business, which has a vast network of production and distribution in that field.

Let’s talk about your day-to-day activities and responsibilities.

In a nutshell, my role as a developer is to build or modify the application to meet the client's needs or to investigate and fix issues when they occur. Sometimes you must create a functionality from scratch, other times you must modify something that was already implemented in the standard application or investigate issues.

The most important aspect, especially in the Dynamics world, is to write and implement code based on the best practices and structure suggested by Microsoft. Overlooking these guidelines can lead to a system that becomes increasingly difficult to change and liable to performance issues. Let’s say that someone created a functionality that wasn’t meant to be easily changed, and maybe not aligned with best practices. If a complete redesign isn't feasible, you may need to continue working in the same way, even if it’s not the most efficient or correct route. Alternatively, you can propose a change which may require involving the functional consultant, the project manager, and the client.

Since this is a field that is always evolving, you learn new things quite often. Plus, working with such diverse clients/projects means you get to discover how various businesses function.

What impact does your work have on the client’s business?

The impact of our work on the client’s business is significant and together with the functional team we make a whole. They are responsible for understanding the business, the clients’ needs and translating them for us developers. We’re responsible for delivering what was asked in the most optimal and correct way.

You’ve worked for 12 years with Dynamics, first with AX, then with 365. How did you get started and what made you stick to Dynamics?

Dynamics has changed a lot since I've started. While I didn’t get to work with the first versions, I worked with almost all of them. I started as a Junior Developer, only with the SQL knowledge I had from the previous role and basic programming skills.

I got to see Dynamics go through three major changes, the last one being the transition to Dynamics 365. This changed the interface, development tools and environments, the whole server-client framework and how the programmer should use and create code. Basically, the procedures were changed entirely. I stayed with Dynamics because it never gets old. It’s a combination of technologies, you always learn new things, and the projects are so different.

Since you joined Cegeka, what are you most proud of?

My knowledge base has increased a lot! I learned a lot of new technologies that integrate with the latest version of Dynamics 365, some management of the environments, the cloud platforms, and the integration of different add-ons with the application itself, things that I didn’t have the chance to learn before.

Tell us about the relationship with your teammates.

I’ve known them all for a long time, we have history together. The team leader is the one who guided me and taught me from the beginning, and with the other colleagues I worked before in different companies. We’re in a close work relationship and we work together well. Over the years, we also became friends outside of work.

What’s your advice for young professionals aspiring to take on this role?

You’ll need oriented object programming knowledge – Dynamics uses X++, but it’s very similar to C++. Moreover, you need to be familiar with SQL databases, SSRS Reporting, version control systems such as GIT or Team Foundation Server, integration services such as Postman. Knowledge of cloud management platforms is a plus and can be useful in everyday activities. To succeed, you’ll also need analytical thinking, a drive for problem-solving, teamwork and a professional attitude.

The learning process won’t be easy because of the complexity of the application itself, and you could get stuck easily during first developments. Don’t get discouraged and pay attention. At first, it might seem overwhelming, but if you give it enough time and you understand how the application is structured and organized, you will become better at following the concepts and way of working. Get used to spending a lot of time trying to find the best solution from the beginning and last but not least, test what you do with a sense of responsibility.

How do you envision your future in Cegeka?

If the opportunity arises, I would like to mentor young professionals or head a bit more into the managerial/ administrative part of Dynamics in the future.

Describe the person who would be the perfect fit for your team.

A great potential candidate should be diligent, driven, and ambitious, but also communicative and friendly, to maintain our good team environment.