The Hoodie Club · by NXTGN

Welcome to the Hoodie Club

Our news and knowledge space where casual wear meets innovative thinking. It is about what matters to us: technology, engineering and the possibilities of digital transformation.

The hoodie has long stood for developer culture: casual and uncomplicated, yet full of complex ideas waiting to be explored. In that spirit, we share a look behind the scenes at NXTGN and knowledge from our work.

Articles & briefingsclear explanations
Whitepapers & deep divesfor deeper work
Zwei grüne Hoodies mit dem Schriftzug Welcome to the Hoodie Club
Welcome to the club.
Knowledge & perspective

Which topics are relevant to you?

Search articles, briefings, whitepapers and technical deep dives. Filter by AI, Microsoft business applications, IoT or product management, from first orientation to project preparation.

26results
A very long stainless-steel table in a bright warehouse. Behind it, well-lit shelves reach to the ceiling and are filled with identical metal parts. Three components lie at the near end of the table under the green light of a pendant lamp. The rest of the table is empty.
ArticleAI & process integration

Hiding results is too late

A search across all repositories has to determine who is allowed to see what. The easy answer is to search first and filter afterwards. That approach has three gaps, none of which is obvious from the result.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read5 MIN
Dataverse storage validation from 9 November 2026: stages, deadlines and options
ArticleBusiness applications

Dataverse storage validation from 9 November 2026: stages, deadlines and options

From 9 November 2026, Microsoft will progressively restrict tenants that exceed their Dataverse capacity. Deadlines, affected tenants, options and a checklist.

Capacity Control · English translation

Read7 MIN
Microsoft storage, integration and AI: comparing SaaS and PaaS prices
ArticleBusiness applications

Microsoft storage, integration and AI: comparing SaaS and PaaS prices

Dataverse or Blob Storage, Power Automate or Logic Apps, Copilot or Foundry: list prices, the multiplexing rule and when each option costs less.

Capacity Control · English translation

Read12 MIN
Dataverse audit logs: growth, retention and safe cleanup
ArticleBusiness applications

Dataverse audit logs: growth, retention and safe cleanup

Why Dataverse auditing fills log capacity, what auditretentionperiodv2 does, and how to reduce audit storage without losing evidence.

Capacity Control · English translation

Read6 MIN
Keep sandboxes out of administration mode: 11 cleanups without buying more capacity
ArticleBusiness applications

Keep sandboxes out of administration mode: 11 cleanups without buying more capacity

Cleanups that free Dataverse storage without additional purchases, with risks, effort and navigation paths. Only measures documented by Microsoft.

Capacity Control · English translation

Read9 MIN
A large machine in a dark hall, viewed head-on and symmetrically, with a glowing green ring at its centre. Four glass display cases stand on either side, each containing the same centrifugal-pump impeller. Each glows in a different shade of green, none matching the ring. The cases carry four different labels for the same part: “Laufrad”, “Impeller”, “Pos. 14” and “Schaufelrad”.
ArticleAI & process integration

A confusion of languages

In established businesses, the same thing has different names depending on the department, location and generation. What that costs in everyday work, and why a shared language is a leadership responsibility.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read5 MIN
A dark archive machine in a hall. Its magazine contains a row of identical data cartridges; the display above reads “zweiter Prüfer” (second reviewer). A single closed container sits outside on the conveyor belt, illuminated by a green spotlight. Its lid reads “Vier-Augen-Prinzip” (dual-control principle).
ArticleAI & process integration

Everything digitised, nothing findable

All the files are there, the search is running, and still nobody finds the answer. Why full-text search in a business reaches a limit that is not obvious from the results.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read4 MIN
A factory wall covered entirely with hundreds of identical catalogue images of the same centrifugal pump, grey and evenly lit. In front of it stands a single real pump, painted blue, with rust, pipes, cables and oil stains. A handheld lamp casts green light only on its nameplate, which reads “S/N 7A-394-1182”.
ArticleAI & process integration

When you need a large AI model — and when you do not

The largest general-purpose cloud models are often seen as the quickest route to AI in a business. For questions about the company’s own operations, they do not solve the harder part.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read6 MIN
A dark room. Two panels float on the left with German text asking how often the coolant pump needs servicing and answering “Every 500 operating hours”. Green light paths lead from them through a column of number pairs to an English document on the right titled “Coolant pump manual”.
ArticleAI & process integration

Why we do not translate

The manufacturer’s documentation is in English, but questions are asked in German. Translating it would be the obvious approach. At NXTGN, we decided against it.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read5 MIN
A production line in a dark hall. On the left, busts enter the line, each with something different under its glass dome. On the right, four identical busts emerge, all with the same green object inside their heads.
ArticleAI & process integration

Artificial intelligence creates artificially intelligent people

Why fluently worded AI answers can bypass our judgement, and the difference between using a tool and knowing how to operate it.

NXTGN AI · English translation

Read5 MIN
ArticleAI & process integration

Which AI use cases are actually worth pursuing?

Not every task involving text or data needs AI. A useful case combines a real problem, suitable information, measurable value and manageable error risk.

Read9 MIN
ArticleBusiness applications

Why CRM projects rarely fail because of the software.

Dynamics 365 can support many sales, service and marketing processes. Everyday success depends on process clarity, data, ownership and adoption.

Read10 MIN
ArticleIoT & digital products

IoT business case: seven questions before the first sensor.

Connectivity and hardware matter, but they are not the starting point. A viable connected product begins with customers, value, economics and the process improved by device data.

Read11 MIN
BriefingAI & process integration

Copilot is not one product. It is a product family.

Microsoft uses the Copilot name for assistants, embedded features and agent platforms. This briefing provides a practical map and identifies the decisions companies actually need to make.

WhitepaperBusiness applications

Fusion IT: when business and IT deliver together.

Low code, data platforms and AI change not only tools but responsibilities. Fusion teams combine domain expertise, product ownership and professional engineering.

WhitepaperData & product development

Product manager: the role connecting digital transformation.

Digital solutions are not finished at go-live. Someone must continuously connect user needs, business value, technology, data and operations.

WhitepaperAI & process integration

Company knowledge with AI: knowledge that can work in the process.

A company knowledge system is not another search box with chat. It is a knowledge architecture connecting sources, permissions, retrieval, models, evaluation and real work.

WhitepaperData & product development

Dynamics, Fabric & Foundry: which platform does what?

Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Dataverse, Fabric, Power BI, Copilot Studio and Foundry form an architecture for operations, data, analytics and agents when responsibilities are explicit.

WhitepaperAI & process integration

AI operating model: from solution to accountable operations.

Productive AI needs a delivery and operating model connecting use cases, models, knowledge, agents, approvals, evaluation, cost and incidents.

GuideBrands & industries

PPWR and documentation of IBC cycles

ibc.digital explains how to document IBC cycles using an app, QR codes and tracking. Original guide in German.

ibc.digitalOriginal article in German

GuideBusiness applications

Re:Think field service

From break-fix service to remote support, connected field service and predictive maintenance.

Read7 MIN
GuideIoT & digital products

From sensor to business model

How market, revenue model and customer process shape a connected-product architecture.

Read8 MIN
Deep diveAI & process integration

Company knowledge with AI for mid-sized companies

RAG, GraphRAG, permissions, evaluation and model routing for trusted company knowledge.

Read9 MIN
Deep diveAI & process integration

Local AI, open weight and frontier

Decision criteria for data protection, quality, latency, cost and operations.

Read8 MIN
GuideBusiness applications

Connect CRM and ERP deliberately

Systems of record, shared master data and clear process boundaries without another data shadow.

Read7 MIN
GuideIoT & digital products

Run digital solutions as products

Connect roadmap, users, business model, platform and operations beyond the first go-live.

Read7 MIN
Formats

Read, download and soon listen.

Choose a quick explanation or a detailed deep dive depending on your question. Podcasts and videos will join the Hoodie Club in a later release.

015–12 minutes

Articles & explainers

Terms, decisions and common project questions explained without product brochures or buzzword collections.

02PDF + WEB

Briefings & whitepapers

Detailed material with decision paths, architecture, roles and checklists to read or download.

03Coming later

Podcasts & video

Expert conversations, short explainers and a look into technology, engineering and our project work.

Behind the scenes

Technology becomes interesting when it is understandable and useful.

From new developments in software and AI to architecture and practical experience with business applications and IoT, the Hoodie Club is a place to learn and think further. We write about what we build, test and encounter in projects, including where a technology is not ready yet.

Join us in the world of code, products and digital transformation and discover what makes the work at NXTGN different. Welcome to the club!

The Hoodie Club

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