If you’re like me, you’ve probably rushed through countless online forms asking for your name, address and email. I’ll usually plug in any old email that I can think of to get past the contact info so I can get on with my day. Most of the time life moves on and I forget whatever information I entered. Sound familiar? Fast forward a year or two, and you’re stuck thinking… “What email do I use for that account?” Not a huge problem for your Grubhub account, but can be a huge bother when it comes to your Microsoft Certified Professional ID (MCPID). Your MCPID account houses, among other things, your Microsoft certifications and is also often your Live ID which gets you access to PartnerSource or CustomerSource. “Live ID?” you ask. Yep, a “Microsoft account or MSA (previously known as Microsoft Passport, .NET Passport, Microsoft Passport Network, and Windows Live ID) is a single sign-on web service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log into websites (like Outlook.com), devices (e.g. Windows 10 computers and tablets, Windows Phones, or Xbox consoles), and applications (including Visual Studio) using one account. Thanks Wikipedia! “But I have a @dynamicconsulting.com email address. Do you mean that?” No. Well maybe. If you have an email from your employer or school managed through an Office365 account, that’s likely an organizational ID. You can, in some cases, link your organizational ID with your Live ID. For more about that, check out https://blog.thoughtstuff.co.uk/2014/04/live-ids-microsoft-organizational-ids-oh-my/ Sounds confusing? It does, because it is. And why do I know a bit about this? Because I’ve been through the ringer and back again trying to square away my own account. So… I thought to post a few helpful hints to work through issues I’ve come across.
Top Microsoft account problems I’ve run into since joining the Dynamics ecosystem:
You move to a new partner and want to move your certifications over
Your MCPID is supposed to be separate from your company identity because it doesn’t belong to them, it belongs to you! Sometimes companies will help their employees with this process and set everything up on the org ID. But then when it’s time to move on to greener pastures, you’re stuck right? Not anymore. Here’s a walkthrough for how to manage your own MCPID: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2966380/link-or-unlink-an-mcp-id-to-or-from-a-partner-organization Update your email address and fire up an individual live ID to regain control. Also, here you can link or unlink your MCPID to or from a partner organization.
Can’t find my MCPID or what certifications I have
“Great advice. Really, great article. But I can’t find my MCPID anymore so where do I start?” No worries, try logging in here: https://partners.microsoft.com/PartnerProgram/individualhome.aspx?tab=1 You should be see your individual information, and get copies of any certifications you have and other account details.