Dynamics AX

AX 2012 - SysOperationFramework Documentation Refresh

2012-05-29T14:50:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I know I got plenty of Sun, and like always never is long enough. I wanted to start of this weeks blogging focus around, a refresh for the formally known as Business Operations Framework (BOF) - SysOperationsFramework. This makes sense on the name change, because honestly this was only know as BOF in terms of documentation and blogs. If you ever worked with the BOF, you worked with SysOperationsFramework.

With this move, the Microsoft content team has released some updates for us. This includes updates to the home for SysOperationsFramework on MSDN, located here.: SysOperation Framework Overview [AX 2012]. Further there is the recently updated whitepaper on this topics as well, which can be found at the following location.: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 White Paper: Introduction to the SysOperation Framework.

You have seen me in the past, focus a lot on Services in AX 2012, as the focus for all things integration related - inbound & outbound. The SysOperationsFramework is a part of this focus, per it's core design and focus. Further, understanding what all context the SysOperationsFramework impacts, includes items like: FormLetter Framework, Replaces all RunBaseBatch & RunBase, and enables a new focus on possible asynchronous processing options.

Some of the highlights, from the updates resources are.:
"The SysOperation framework enables application logic to be written in a way that supports running interactively or via the batch server in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This white paper illustrates how the SysOperation framework can be used to build operations that can run asynchronously and make use of the full processing power available on the server. Four code samples are presented and explained to illustrate the comparison between the SysOperation and the RunBaseBatch framework, and to demonstrate the use of the SysOperation framework in building asynchrouous and scalable operations."

That's all for this post, many thanks to Robin and the AX Content team for sending me a heads up on this important-to-note resource updates for SysOperatinsFramework. I suggest following the AX Content team, on twitter from the following handle.: @AXContent. I hope everyone has a productive short week, and keep an eye here this week for some great post. Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - EP Development - Warranty Page

2012-05-24T14:02:00.001-05:00

Well I hope everyone is enjoying this fine spring day. I love spring time, specifically the closer we get to the start of summer. Every year - my family and I always kick off summer on Memorial Day, and share time together with friends and family. Laughing, and just enjoying being together and out in the sun. With that spirit in mind, lets kick off this Enterprise Portal development focus for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Our first focus, should be around the functional design of what we are trying to achieve. This would typically mean, if this was being developed for a customer project, some functional artifacts were created. This would include discovery efforts, functional requirements documents (FRD), functional design documents (FDD) and so forth. Since this focus of this series is around design and development, I think it's important to acknowledge how best to arrive at a solution.

All of these artifacts that I have mentioned thus far, comes from SureStep, Microsoft methodology for implementing Microsoft Dynamics - including AX 2012. Now with that stated, it is also typical that Sure Step be understood as a toolbox in which project implementer's and customer's, as well as Microsoft can have a common vocabulary and tool set in which to create project artifacts, communicate design, document the project scope, through support and operating with the help of standard operating procedures.

Not to spend to much more time on this point of design, as I could write entirely to much about the process of well executed projects. The point, in short, and so we can get into the meat of this focus - good design is critical. It should focus on the business, it should bring value - and that is the only reason it should be a deliverable.

With this good design in mind, lets assume that we have done our due design, and planning from a functional nature, and we need a custom, Enterprise Portal based Warranty Management Solution. This solution, should allow for the following to take place.:

Enable Creation of Warranty Master & Reference data
Enable Warranty Association to Inventory
Allow for creation of a form that will show up-coming warranty dates for customers, with actions to engage customer to renew
Track warranty claims from customers
Allow warranty claim submission by customer

Now there could be a lot more that is done with this, however I believe from the above we can gain a lot of understanding about enterprise portal development, with some functional point to it as well. With that, we will then cover topics of creating pages, creating custom EP forms, using Cue for Role Center pages as well as touch on even workflow for warranty management, and how that works with EP.

To get us started in this effort, we will need a new home on EP for all warranty related scope, that is described above. With that, we will then target creating a custom page on EP for our warranty scope to live on. We can reference the following Microsoft resource page, that gives us a step-by-step on creating a custom EP page for AX 2012.: [MSDN] How to: Create Pages

So the above is the end result, that we are targeting, in having created a custom warranty page, on our EP portal site. Now how did we get there? Well first you have to go to your Enterprise Portal site. From there you need rights to manage the site, and therefore go to site settings, and then more options as we see below.

Once we have selected more options, we need to select pages, and then make sure and highlight Web Part page, and continue on with the process.

After that we need to select pages, and then select the type of page we care about. We are going to stick with: "Header, Footer, 3 Columns" for the basis page of this solution. Further after selecting the type of page, you need to make sure and name this correctly, as we have named below "idbWarrantyManagement.aspx" and notice we are placing this in the Enterprise Portal Document library.

Now that we have created our custom page, the next step is adding it to the EP navigation. We will pick back up on this, and continue forward with our focus on EP development, for our Warranty Management Solution in the next part of this series of post. The next steps we will add this to our EP navigation, and move forward with creating the scope needed that will allow us to have a Warranty Management Solution that gives us the scope we laid out in the start of this post.

That's all for today, but check back soon as more to come, including a continued dive into BI, spotlight post, book review, and of course our continued dive into EP design and development for AX 2012!Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 Excel Add-in - RPC Issue

2012-05-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well, and into the Dynamics World, on this fine Tuesday. We will continue our focus on EP tomorrow, but today, I wanted to spend a little time and write about a specific issue when using the Excel Add-in for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. What I'm talking about, can happen in a few different possibilities. Specifically however, and more to the direct error message. If you have Failed records when using the Excel add-in and the error message for each record is very generic, you should then move towards looking at the Application Event Log, where the Excel Add-in is being executed.

Within the Application Log, you will most likely see an RPC Exception 1702 or 1700 or 1704. Now the Excel Add-in is suppose to be connecting and communicating through WCF protocol for the Query Service, and other such services? Why RPC? Well there is a part of the .Net BC still used, from what I've found - needs clarification - with this process.

So how do we reach this error? Well most likely something has changed about a table your trying to access, or a Data, ie: Query or Service, that your trying to consume. For example you might have added a new import staging table to your instance, saw it fine in the Add Data, Add Tables list.

However now that you go to publish the data, from which you have built the excel table with - all records fail? This is a sign, that a Full CIL needs to be executed on the target instance in which the Excel Add-in is pointing to. This has been the fix for such issues, I've come across - every single time!

In short, running into errors with the Excel Add-in, specifically RPC errors in the Application Event log, then perform a full CIL compile on the target instance. Doing so should get you past such issues, and should allow you to proceed using Excel Add-in and your changed or new table - for loading data.

That's all for right now, I will leave you with a link to the past post I did about the Excel add-in.: AX 2012 - Excel Add-in Revisited. We will continue the EP and BI paths, as well as I have a slew of highlights, book reviews, and spotlight post coming soon. Along with a new interview from a Microsoft Executive, to help close out FY12 for Microsoft. So check back soon, and often. Till Next Time!
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Spotlight: AX 2012 POS Development - Application Triggers

2012-05-20T16:20:00.000-05:00

Well I hope everyone has had a great weekend and your looking forward to another Dynamics AX filled week. There is so much to cover about this powerful release of Microsoft Dynamics AX, with AX 2012. I'm really looking forward to our continued path down creating a BI story with AX 2012. Further, I'm equally as excited to have started the EP focused development post. There we will be targeting a warranty management solution, built 100% for EP.

With that said, and going back to the fact that we have so many wonderful topics to touch on with AX 2012 - I wanted to do a blog spotlight. It's been a little while since I have done such a post, and I wanted to take the time and highlight what Eduardo Arias, of AXWonders.blogspot.com recently posted about.

Ed, post recently on a great topic, being that of POS Development for AX 2012. From the post.:
"Application Triggers are called before and after certain operations when the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS application is running. This is the first assembly that AX 2012 POS looks at when starting.

In addition, you can override the default Application Triggers’ operations by using the IApplicationTrigger interface provided by the Microsoft.Dynamics.Retail.Pos.Contracts.Triggers namespace in Visual Studio 2010."

Ed takes us through, in his first on a series about Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 POS Development, and dives into the topic of Application Triggers. In this Ed takes us the design, interfaces & steps - so that we can gain a very solid knowledge base around AX 2012 POS and Application Triggers.

Further, as we read along we are giving insight into the process, where to find examples, as well as a look to the next in this series of post. That being a focus around the topic of Blank Operations for AX 2012 POS Development. All-in-all it was a great start to a very interesting subject. I think it's a very timely entry into the blogsphere, and as Ed points out - there is not a lot of coverage for this topic yet. With that, many thanks Ed for adding to the community, and please keep it coming!

Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Common EP Development Task

2012-05-18T09:20:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well this Friday! I wanted to spend just a little time this morning, to post and setup one of the next series of articles I will be focusing on. With the release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, Enterprise Portal became a First Class Citizen client for the solution. It has a similar look and feel to Office as well as the Rich client, which helps create a unified user experience across the entire solution.

With this understanding, I wanted to start a series on Enterprise Portal Development, that will go along and merge with the focus I've had recently on Business Intelligence. The two will cross, as we move into Team based BI and Organizational BI.

To be able to kick this off properly, and make use of the great content Microsoft has provide to us, lets look at the following resource.: Common Enterprise Portal Development Tasks [AX 2012]

The above list gives some pretty good information on the common task that take place around the development processes and common task for EP development. This includes creating custom pages, custom forms, and even using workflow with EP! My plan around this series, is to make sure to reference into this resource pages, but also take and add value around it. Having screen shots, food for thought, and any gotcha's and planning points that you need to look at.

With this in mind, I wanted to reference back as well to what I lasted posted about for Enterprise Portal Page Interaction Patterns. We need to keep this in mind, around the design for EP focused development. In order to help start this focus around EP development for an instance of AX 2012 then, lets target our first focus, for what we will develop. With that in mind, lets start with the first page interaction design pattern of View & Edit interaction pattern.

We also need a functional scope that we are trying to achieve with this, to have some meat to this series, similar to what I've done so far with the personal BI series, with a focus on Customer Aging & PowerPivot. With that, lets focus on creating a basic Warranty Management solution for AX 2012 that is 100% focused for Enterprise Portal as it's target.

Well that's all for this Friday, I hope that everyone has a great weekend and your excited about diving into EP. Keep checking back as we continue our focus on BI, Development, Book Reviews, interviews and more for Dynamics AX and Dynamics in general! I will leave you with one more resource, which is the what's new for Enterprise Portal for AX 2012.: What's New: Enterprise Portal in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 [AX 2012]. Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Enterprise Portal Page Interaction Patterns

2012-05-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing good on this Wednesday! I wanted to write, and point out a great resource on Microsoft's MSDN that focus on AX 2012 - EP Page Interaction Patterns. This is a great resource for understanding the UX for EP, and the intended page interaction patterns set forth by Microsoft. When creating new pages, and extending a customers instance via Enterprise Portal, it is very important to have the same look and feel as the rest of EP.

With this in mind, lets check out the following resource page on MSDN: Page Interaction Patterns [AX 2012]

From the post.:
"The page types in Enterprise Portal work together to provide a consistent experience for the user. Some of the pages are displayed in the main browser window, although other pages are displayed in modal dialogs. The following diagrams describe the page interaction patterns for several common scenarios in Enterprise Portal. "

The page goes into walk through's that cover the six different page interaction patterns: View and Edit, Direct Edit, Edit with Additional Details, View and Edit Details, Two-phase Create and Create and submit to Workflow.

What I really want you to take away from this highlight post on this resource is two main points. The first being that of the resource itself so that you can become familiar with the desired page interaction types for EP. This is critical to understand to have valid design artifacts for projects and creating correct deliverable's and user experiences.

The Second point, is tied directly back to those design artifacts for projects. The page interaction type, and therefore this resource page, should be referenced in the design - as well as understood from the functional design point-of-view. Since the role and workload needs to be considered for the design of the deliverable, the page interaction type for such scope should be something that is determined early on.

This is why I think it's very important to understand these page interaction types. It has to be understood, and apart of the design process so that the custom scope that is being delivered fits into the rest of EP for AX 2012. I can't stress this point enough!

Well that's all for this post, but check back soon as I have up-coming book reviews, more on EP design and development, continued BI, and a whole lot more around AX 2012! Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 Personal BI - By Example - Customer Aging III

2012-05-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

Well I hope everyone is having a great start to a brand new week! I wanted to write today to continue our focus on the PowerPivot Example for personal BI with AX 2012 - CustomerAging III. For those that are just now getting into this series, the following are links to the previous two post for this topic.

Last we left off, we had placed the Open Balance in the values area, as well as having created a computed column that concatenated both the AccountNum - Name, to give us our Customer column. We placed this in the row labels, and we have now what you see in the screen shot below.

Now lets continue this effort, by adding a column label, that will give us our buckets of aging, or aging intervals. In order to do that, we will need to identify from the PowerPivot query, what field best fits this need. Since I know this query well, I know that the field.: StatRepIntervalLine_1_Heading is what we are looking for.

Now that we have placed this as our Column Label, lets take a look at the report area, and see what our data looks like with the change.

As we can see from the above image, we now have our aging category, or buckets - that being made up of the StatRepIntervalLine datasource from the query within AX 2012. This further split up the Customer account information, so we have better insight into what our customer aging really looks like.

Now that we have our aging intervals, lets continue by adding both hortizonal and vertical slicers. These slicers are used to slice the displayed data in our report, so that we can get a dynamic glimpse by the values in which we choose to slice by. This helps make the report very dynamic and interactive within the scope of the workbook itself. Our targets for these slicers are "Customer Group" or CustGroup_1_Name for the vertical slicer, and "Aging Category" or StatRepIntervalLine_1_Heading for the horizontal slicer selection, as seen below.

Like the Value label before, lets change the name of these two slicer columns so they help make the report have a friendly consumption experience. Doing so, should yield an outcome, similar to what you see below.

Now that we have our slicers, and can look at our Customer Aging data in several different ways, let continue to finish out this report, by adding some conditional formatting. With this formatting, the idea is to take and place some visual cue to the data itself. This conditional formatting, as the name implies, will change based on the conditions we set forth.

This Conditional formatting can be added to any Excel workbook, and you launch the setup of such formatting from the Home ribbon within Excel 2010. Below is a screen shot of where to launch this from.

With this, the idea is to give some sort of data based formatting, that gives a nice visual cue to the report. It helps the numbers stand out, so that we can further have a truly refined Customer Aging report, from AX 2012. In adding the conditional formatting, you should end up with an output similar to that we have below here.

Now that we have a nice report, we have basically finished our first series on Personal BI for AX 2012 with PowerPivot. Notice that we actually left the scope of AX 2012 in the first part of this series. Since then we have been working 100% in the scope of PowerPivot & Excel 2010. The Query, when we imported the data, created a snapshot of the data and actually created a cube for us.

This data lives within the workbook, which can support up to 4 GB of size for imported data. The next steps in this would be to take this report and publish it to SharePoint, that would start the next phase in the BISM, which is a focus on Team Based BI, or collarbative BI.

We will pick back up on this series doing just that, and adding this as a WebPart, so we can place on AX 2012 role center pages. We will see how no development is needed, to publish this new personal BI artifact, the excel workbook, to SharePoint. Further we will see how little effort it takes to consume this workbook as a webpart and place it on an AX 2012 Role Center page.

Well I hope everyone has a great week, and check back soon as more to come. Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Using Active Directory Groups for Security

2012-05-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

I wanted to spend a little time in this post, to focus in on somthing that I don't think has had a lot of coverage, but is somthing worth while to note. You have seen me post, in the past about security for AX 2012, with the following.:

Well today, I wanted to spend time on this topic again, and focus back on the fact that you can make use of Active Directory Groups when creating user accounts inside Dynamics AX 2012. I'm not talking about the import process by AD Group, which is possible and speeds things up a bit. No, I'm talking about assigning a User Account Type of Active Directory Group.

We start by going to the System Administration module, Common, users, Users form. In doing this, we need to click on the new user button that you see in the image below.:

In doing this, we should see a screen similar to what you see below, which is from the Public Sector, demo image for AX 2012.

Now that we have this form openned, we are ready to add our AD group, user account type. It's important to point out, that you must start with changing the account type on the form to Active Directory group as shown below.

Now that we have this, and have selected the desired starting legal entity, we can move to setting the user id, which is the internal user id used in AX 2012 that is assiocated to every transaction done by someone within this group from Active Directory.

Filling this out, next we want to enter in the Network Domain, and finally the Alias that is used within AD to identify the group. Since we are using the Demo image, we will make use of a group from Contoso.com. I'm going to make the choice of CSHelpDesk, in this case. In doing this, and filling out the form, you should see something similar to the below.

Notice, that the user id for this AD Group is set, along with I've assgined a Security Role to this AD Group. This Security Role not is applied to all users within the Active Directory Group. Further, what needs to be understood, is that user options as well as Role Center profile assoication is now tied to the AD Group vs. specific AD users.

With this, we can see how an Active Directory Group can be assigned security rights within AX 2012. However as you can see from the above, things like internal user id for AX, user options & Role Center profiles are not actually AD user specific in this setup. Further, user relations as it relates to employee information, becomes disconnected and not possible. So you have some considerations to keep in mind when you make the choice of using Account Type of Active Directory group vs. Active Directory user.

Well that's all for now, check back soon as more to come. Till Next Time!

Top 100 Update: I did want to take this time, at this end of this post and say I'm Honored to have been listed again in the DynamicsWorld.co.uk Top 100 most influential people in the world for Microsoft Dynamics. This year I was ranked 19! Congrats to everyone on the list and it's my honor to be listed among such great people. The work that everyone does to build this community, always encourages me! A direct link to the ranking can be found here.: Top 100 - Brandon George - 19
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AX 2012 Personal BI - By Example - Customer Aging II

2012-05-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we started a series together on using PowerPivot with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. In the post, AX 2012 Personal BI - By Example - Customer Aging I, we went over a custom query named "CustomerAging" that we were able to connect to via OData feeds from AX 2012. In doing so we left off, with filling our PowerPivot window, with data from AX 2012.

With this we now have the ability to create a new PivotTable within our Excel 2010 workbook and use our PowerPivot data set to power the Pivot Table for reporting. We do this, by closing our PowerPivot window, and then clicking on the new PivotTable button from the PowerPivot Ribbon, as shown below.

Doing this, we should see a screen similar to the following screen shot, that has our field selections for our PivotTable to the right, as well as the working PivotTable area, within our workbook to the left.

Now that we have our PivotTable options to start working with, lets look at some data that we have, which we imported during the first part of this series. Since this is a customer aging report, we should start with the values section. This means we will want to get the Open Balance value. If I just highlight and click the 'CustAgingLine_1_OpenBalanceMst', then you will see that this automatically sums this value for me, and places it within the Pivot Table, values area as shown below.

Having this, and looking at the value, does not look to pretty really. Lets do a little face lift work on the value label, and change that. We can do this by right clicking on the Sum Value field, and the left clicking on Edit Meassure.

Doing this, you should see a form similar to the below. This is where you can set the value for the name of the Meassure as well as other options. For now, we just care about changing the name. I'm going to change it to Open Balance.

Doing this, gives us a nicely formated name for our Value that we care to report on. This could also be changed in the PowerPivot window, but for now we will work within the PivotTable for such changes.

Moving forward from here, we need some rows, and columns to report on. So first, lets get some rows to report on. Since, again, this is a Customer Aging report, let us focus on the customer account & name values. This is made up of 'CustTable_1_AccountNum' and 'DirOrganization_1_Name' from our field list. Lets place these two fields, by draging and dropping them into the row columns as seen in the below image.

Now if we look to our Excel workbook, we can see that the PivotTable itself has been updated to reflect our new Row Label fields. In looking at this, and like the change we made for Open Balance, this is just not quite what we are looking for. In order to help make this report look a little better, lets create a computed column in our PowerPivot Window, and call it Customer. We do this by going back into the PowerPivot Window, and then scrolling to the far right and click to add a column.

Now that we have our new column we need to add Dynamic Analysis eXpression (DAX) formula that will concantenate our Account Number & Customer Name, into one field for us. We can achieve doing that with the following such formula.

"=CONCATENATE(CustomerAging[CustTable_1_AccountNum],CONCATENATE("-",CustomerAging[DirOrganization_1_Name]))"

Doing this, allows us and saving we should then see our new computed column, that combined "AccountNum - Name" in our new column called customer, as seen in the following screen shot.

Now that we have our new computed column, lets close our PowerPivot window. We should then be able to remove the current row labels, scroll to the bottom of our field list, and see our new Customer field. Lets drag and drop that now into our Row Labels as seen below.

Now that we have our new computed column place, we should see this reflected in the the workbook where our PivotTable is being built out. You should see something similar to the screen shot we have listed below here.

Now we are off to a really good start, with our personal BI journey that we are taking with PowerPivot and AX 2012. It's worhty to note that, in accessing data through the application layer of AX 2012 through the use of OData feeds, representing query elements we are able to inherit all the great security and features of Dynamics AX.

Well that's all for this evenings post. I hope you all have a wonderful night, and chekc back soon as we continue our journey on personal BI tomorrow. We will continue with adding Column labels, as well as Vertical & Horitizontal Slicers! Till Then!
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AX 2009 AIF Services with SharePoint Installed

2012-05-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well I hope everyone is doing great today. I've been focusing a lot of my writing efforts around Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, and for good reason. There is a lot of interest in this topic, and something that needs a lot of focus "from the field". Further, this is why I've spending this week focused around Personal BI by example, with PowerPivot. With this said, and I will continue even today with this series, I did want to spend a little time with my AX 2009 project friends and point out something specific that was asked of me.

What I'm in reference to, is around the setup of AIF Web Services, when SharePoint is later installed. For this topic, lets point quickly to the TechNet resource page for this topic, located here.: Install [AX 2009] AIF Web services.

From the Resource page.:
"Application Integration Framework (AIF) Web services are used to exchange documents between Microsoft Dynamics AX and other systems. External systems can request or create data by calling the Web services that are exposed by Microsoft Dynamics AX. To perform document exchanges with Web services, you must install the AIF Web services on the application integration gateway computer using the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup program."

With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, it is possible to have both AIF installed on the same web server as SharePoint is installed to. Lets take the scenario, in which, you have installed AIF web services, and later come back and install SharePoint, and further Enterprise Portal. In doing this, SharePoint shuts down the default website, which AIF Web Services where installed to - by default. What to do now? AIF has stopped working!!

Never fear! Super Microsoft Dynamics AX is hear! So I had to find a way to tie in the above graphic. Seriously though, in reading through the referenced resource page, you will find that simply changing the port number of the default website will in fact allow both SharePoint and AIF Web Services for AX 2009 work, from the same box. Further, you could move the AIF Web Services, to a new site, on the same web server, and again give it a new port. That equates to the same process actually, and the only gain in doing so is separation of the site management in IIS.

Well that's all for this morning, and a kick back to my fellow AX 2009'ers! Stay tuned as I continue to dive into the Personal BI example, with PowerPivot, and hopefully can show the power & flexibility of Microsoft Dynamics AX and the BI Story it can help create for your company, Today! Till Then!
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AX 2012 Personal BI - By Example - Customer Aging I

2012-05-07T18:01:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well, and having a great start to a brand new week. After taking a week off from blogging, I wanted to start back with a focus around a topic I've been spending a lot of time focusing on. This topic, is around getting the most value of of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. To be specific, this is around Business Intellegnce and fitting AX 2012 today, and tomorrow, into the BI Semantic Model.

As the name implies, I wanted to show off the power and flexibility of AX 2012 with use of PowerPivot. You have seen me post about this in the past, with how to correctly access AX data via PowerPivot and OData Feeds.

Now if you don't have PowerPivot installed, that is the first thing we need to get you connected with. When talking in terms of PowerPivot for this purpose of this series of post, we are speaking about 'PowerPivot for Excel 2010'. You can get this as a free download from the following location.: Microsoft BI: PowerPivot Download Page. Make sure to download and install the add-in, so that we can proceed.

Building from that knowledge, and keeping in-line with the BISM focus around Personal BI, lets dive into a great example, specifically for "Customer Aging". In this first part of this series, which I will finish out by the end of this week, lets focus on getting a Customer Aging Query that we can make use of. Therefore lets have a look at the "CustomerAging Query". For your reference, you can download this query, located here.: CustomerQging Query. Please keep in mind use at your own risk, and no warranty is implied. This came as part of the demo instance's for AX 2012.

You can at this point download and import this query, and add it to your document data sources, which is located under Organization Administration > Setup > Document Management > Document Data Sources.:

In doing this, we should be able to then launch Excel, open PowerPivot window, enter your OData Service, similar to the following.: "http://localhost:8101/DynamicsAx/Services/ODataQueryService/" In doing that, we should now see the CustomerAging Query to make use of. In clicking next you should see a screen similar to the following, after importing data.

Doing this, means we have added a new query to the AOT, added as a document data source, and consumed that document data source as an OData feed. Doing so means we correctly consume AX 2012 data, from the Application Layer. Moving forward from here, we will work with the Data, create computed columns, work with vertical & horizontal slicers and finally some conditional formatting. The last thing we will cover is publishing to SharePoint and displaying on a Role Center page.

That's all for this post, but check back tomorrow as we continue this focus on Personal BI for AX 2012. Till Then!
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AX 2012 - BI Artifacts & Source Control

2012-04-25T10:53:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well today, and your working on exciting Dynamics AX projects. There is for sure a lot going on within the Ecosystem as a whole. New partner highlights across the board, and interest in Microsoft Dynamics AX has never been Higher!. With that, as you have seen in my past post, I like to talk about value and how value is best derived from investing in AX 2012. With that, one of the hot topics that I see day in, and day out as a well under-served part of the Dynamics Ecosystem is around true Business Intelligence .

Now being that I'm a true solutions architect, one of the focuses around BI, is the management, and processes that help us create such needed artifacts likes cubes, KPI's, AX-SSRS reports, etc. That's what prompted me to write up, for example the post on processing cubes error for standard edt. SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services. Further, you've seen me post about future topics as well, with the BI Semantic Model (BISM) post.

With this post, I wanted to continue my dive into value added topics, around AX 2012 & BI. That brings us to today's topic, around Source Control for BI Artifacts.

When thinking in terms of BI Artifacts that are created, that need version control, we are speaking about: Classes for DataContracts & RDP Framework, Query Elements, VS Report Model Projects, Perspectives, Views & Analysis Services Projects. Thinking in terms of Version Control or better Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), there are some great resources on the web. One for sure you need to book mark, is Joris information on the topic, located here.: DAX Musings: ALF | TFS Resource page.

With that resource in hand, and going back to what we need source control for, lets look at the obvious. Please do note, at this time, the article assumes that you have TFS being used with your AX 2012 instance. To continue, with the obvious, things like Classes, Query Elements, Views and Perspectives, most people are use to understanding how this works. These are added to source control by someone, and then can be checked in and out. This means, that understanding the base BI artifacts, when TFS is used, then it's controlled as such.

What about the other artifacts? For example Perspectives build cubes, and Perspectives are made of views and tables. These then are the basis for the Analysis Services Project which is what builds the cubes for AX 2012. This project can be updated, or configured through the Analysis Services Wizard of Ax 2012. Understanding that, what about this project? Well This project, just like the VS Report Model Projects, or even C# Projects. All of these are controlled with the same rules for Models, Layers and Version Control from the AOT as any other object or element in the AOT.

This is important to keep in mind, when thinking about using Source Control outside of AX 2012, or along side of it. The choice of where the source control is being implemented really, is the focus and point. Meaning, that for anything managed by AX 2012 It's best to allow the AOT / AX to enable source control on any objects it has. Everything else, that truly lives outside of AX, should be managed through Visual Studio.

Well that's all I have time for today, check back soon as more to come including a book review, some spotlight post, more into the real Semantics of BI and what it means for AX 2012, as well as a lot-lot more! Till Next!
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AX 2012 - Process Cubes Error: translations in Standard Edition

2012-04-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Like I said in a previous post, I love spring, and we got a cool reminder these past two days in the south that it is still spring. 37 Degrees at night is way to cold for my blood, this close to May. With that cool reminder of spring, let me jump right into today's post. You might get this error message: "Only dimension attributes and attribute relationships can have translations in Standard Edition" When you process cubes, after deploying them in AX 2012 on a SQL Server Analysis Services, Standard Edt.

If you happen to get such a message, and need help getting past it, make use of the following steps and you should be back on track for processing those out-of-the-box cubes.

What you see in the above image is the location of the Analysis Services Project. This is what you want to make sure and delete. This is what is used to actually build, or update the cube structures. It houses the Datasource, Dataview, and all cube, dimension, etc. setup and design. This project can be accessed, via highlighting it, after deleting it, and then right click, and left click on edit.

Moving beyond this project however, once you have deleted it, the next step is going to be update the cube designs. You can do this, through the Business Intelligence tools menu option, for the "SQL Server Analysis Services project wizard".

The next screen you should see is the 'select option' form, in which you need to select the Update option. This will take the Analysis Services Project, and use it to build out the cube structures in the Analysis database. Since we want out-of-the-box, then this is the option we want to take.

Now having a success on the verifying screen, we can move on to the confirmation of changes.

This, now will show changes across the board from the project. Seeing this means that all of the elements will be dropped and recreated. This is critical for changing the translations setup. In doing this, you should be able to move on to processing and not have any such issues moving forward.

Now that this is taking care of you should be able to process cubes without such issues. You will run into this, if you are trying to get your out-of-the-box AX 2012 cubes, deployed and then processed on a SQL Server Analysis Service's Standard Edt. Finally, I will leave you with, I have this now running on SQL Server 2012. More on that, and other topics later! Till Next Time!

Update: For those of you who run into any issues with the update choice, you can also go with Deploy. Doing so will take the Analysis Services Project, deploy and process it. This all assumes out-of-the-box, when talking about this issue.

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VSLive - New York & Focus on Metro UX

2012-04-17T07:56:00.000-05:00

I wanted to bring together in today's post some great cross conference, and cross technology information - that of course applies directly to Microsoft Dynamics AX! To help set the stage, lets reference back to my coverage and promotion of the VSLive Event in Las Vegas.

Based on the feedback from that event in Vegas, there was some really great sessions that apply directly to Microsoft Dynamics AX. Specifically what I was most interested in, and what Kees Hertogh - Director of Product Development for Microsoft Dynamics AX, recently wrote about: Metro UX and it's impact on the future client of Microsoft Dynamics.

Image Provided By Microsoft

The above image, comes from a recent article that Kees wrote, talking about the efforts the product team is making, in the embrace of Windows 8 OS and the Metro UX. I first starting writing about this in Jan., and had an article that was picked myself by ZDNet here.: Microsoft Dynamics AX - The future Client Win8 / HTML5.

Kees' recent article, points and shows off this in action.: Introducing modern business application with Metro style design. In this article, Kees shows off the investments being made by the product team for making use of the Metro UX. Further, he goes on to ask for input and feedback. What does the community think of this effort, being put forth by the product team? This is where we cross now, into the VSLive conference, and specifically to Brian Randell's session "Building Metro Style Apps - Getting the UX Right.

With this focus, I virtually sat down with Brian and asked him a few questions. These were in reference to the article posted by Kees, as well as his own session and focus around the Metro UX design. The following is the result of that interview.:

1.Brian, if you don't mind can you speak a bit to the type of audience and people that you will be targeting with you session "Building Metro Style Apps Getting the UX Right" and some high-value take away's from someone attending?

"The primary target is developers. From there, it’s really any team member who’s concerned with user experience."

2. With the focus on getting the UX right for Metro Style App design, can you comment on the recent story, from Microsoft's Own Kees Hertogh, Director of Product Development for Microsoft Dynamics AX?

"I think the article provides a great concept that Metro style apps are not just for consumers. You can build great LOB Metro style apps that both consume and create/modify data. If you look at the first screen shot in the article, you’ll see a very “digital dashboard” type UX (to dig up an old term from the late 90’) rich information display in a heads up format. Beyond you still can create an immersive experience that lets you create and change data."

3. With the push of Enterprise Apps to the Metro Style design, can you give a few value points as to what metro brings, for people who are use to traditional style Windows UX, that might not be so obvious but for sure add value and increase productivity?

"A key point is having applications laser focused on the user and the data that’s being presented; remove the chrome and have data center stage. With “big data”, we need to have better ways of visualizing data and Metro is a ripe design language to use for that."

4. In talking in terms of app design, in general, can you speak to some of the things you like best about the Metro UI design approach, compared to traditional Windows UX design?

"I think number one is that I get a clean slate. I’m not beholding to a lot of the traditional UI conventions. I own the screen. I can create an experience the draws my user in and lets them get to the point. One type of application that’s shown popularity in the mobile device space are “data snacking” applications. These applications provide a rich view on a narrow band of data. To something simple but do it very well. I like the built-in metro templates that make it easy to create tiles of information. I can use the tile to summarize and then provide a great drill down to more detailed data. I can do all of this with a touch and a swipe. The templates provide structure for the design challenged. Then once you understand the basic structure, you can dig into layout and color theory, so you can go beyond. The key is that there’s a nice baseline. It does mean that folks need to work with a designer and push the limits however."

I would like to take the time to thank Brian for his feedback on the VSLive session, as well as great information around the Metro UX design - and specifically being able to tie this back directly to Microsoft Dynamics AX. I think a critical point here that Brian makes, and that it seems the AX product team is getting right from the start, is a focus on "have data center stage". This is critical for the success of Metro style apps, and specifically applies without a doubt to Microsoft Dynamics AX. Register for Visual Studio Live in New York and save $300 off the standard Best Value Package rate when you use code VSNYTU: http://bit.ly/VSNYiDB

Well that's all for this post, I hope everyone has a great Dynamics day! Make sure to sign up for VSLive event, if you can, and check back soon as more to come. Till Next time!
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New Workflow Types with Feature Pack Release for AX 2012

2012-04-16T08:40:00.000-05:00

Well I hope everyone has had a great weekend, your fully rested and ready to have a productive Dynamics week! Recently I wrote about how the feature pack for AX 2012 should be adopted now for all projects. In that post, I highlighted some of the reasons this is critical, including being a stepping stone to AX 2012 R2 set to be released in H1 2013. With that being stated, I wanted to dig deeper into some valid reasons, from a business impact and value add of such a move - beyond what has already been pointed out.

To this end, I wanted to point to the new workflow types that have been added as part of this feature pack release for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. There are five new workflow types that are part of this feature pack release, that cover three area's: Advanced Ledger Entry, Project III & Public Sector.

The following is a list of those new workflow types.:

AdvancedLedgerEntryTemplate - "Use this type to create approval workflows for advance ledger entries" [Configuration Key: AdvancedLedgerEntry ]
PSAProjInvoiceProposal - "Workflow for handling invoice proposals" [Configuration Key: Project3 ]
PSAProjQuotationTemplate - "Project quotation workflow template" [Configuration Key: Project3 ]
PurchAgreementType - "Use this type to create approval workflows for purchase agreements" [Configuration Key: PublicSector ]
PurchCommitmentTemplate_PSN - "Use this template to create approval workflows for commitment documents" [Configuration Key: PublicSector ]

As you can see Microsoft is for sure committed to the idea that Workflows should be used to modeling business processes. Further you can see past coverage of this topic, that I wrote about, in the past for creating custom workflows here.: Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow - Part III - Enabling Custom Workflows

It is critical that when thinking in terms of implementing AX 2012, and designing the customers usage - to get the most derived value from such an investments, workflow usage and design has to be a top priority. This great feature of AX 2012 will only continue to evolve and truly enable domain specific modeling & language for companies and the verticals they live and work in.

Well that's all for now, check back soon however as there is a lot more coming, including my postmortem on my AXUG BI webinar I'm putting on next Friday. Beyond that, there is a lot of great coverage in general from the entire Ecosystem, which is wonderful to see. Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Query Elements, a reusable API

2012-04-11T06:21:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well, as we launch full on into our Dynamics Spring! I love it when the time changes here in America, and we are able to enjoy longer hours in the sun. I'm a spring-summer-fall guy, which really means I love being out in the sun. With that said, I wanted to talk with you today, about Query Element Objects, within the AOT for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Query node objects, in AX 2012 has received some major overhauls, with giving us the ability to now offer having use, for example, and more complex outer joins, as well as non-exist joins. These kinds of improvements, along with others helps lend themselves to the use of Query Elements from the AOT for a multiple use scenario's. This is where the concept of the Query Element, being slated as a reusable API comes into play. Before we continue forward with that concept, there are some really nice resources from MSDN on this topic I think it's important to share. Mostly, how to create and make use of query elements.: How to: Create Queries by Using the AOT [AX 2012].

With that noted, lets take a look at where all queries are used within AX 2012 and see for ourselves what makes a query element, truly a reusable API. First up, we have the obvious, in which I've talked to in the past on this blog. Specifically I'm making reference to using a query element as the source of a dataset for modeled approach to an AX-SSRS report.

In talking in terms of reporting & BI, having the query as the basis for a reports dataset is the desired, "modeled solution" for report design. In this, as I point out in the past post, the query is the source for the data of the report, and the control of the report is the ranges that one setups from the query.

Moving right along with this concept, we also have seen - in past articles, where query objects can be used as the source of OData feeds for PowerPivot based reports.

In this, we can create a query element in the AOT, that we reference and make use of from the Document Data Sources form that we find under Document Management for an instance of AX 2012. In doing this, we are then able to enable, and publish this query as an OData feed, through the out-of-the-box ODataQueryService. Doing this, we are able to apply and make use of security from within the context of AX, yet offer the flexibility and power, that a tool like Microsoft PowerPivot brings to users and it's nature for creating ad-hoc reports. I've seen in the past, partners training users, even on AX 2012 - to create views that go directly to the database. There is no reason for this, and you should never do such. Instead, make the correct choice with the use of query elements and consume those as your OData feeds for PowerPivot needs.

As we continue to move on with this discover process of what really makes a query element a reusable API, lets look at something else we have talked to in the past on this blog. That is the creation and use of Document Services for AX 2012.

As shown in the above image, referenced from the above post, the use of a query as the basis and start of a document service is critical to understand. There are some key point specific's around certain settings for query elements that are used as the basis for document services, however it does start with the design or use of a query element from within the AOT. The image above is showing the context menu, when you right click on a query element, and what kicks off the AIF Document Service Wizard

The above are just a few examples, in which we can easily speak to and say that query elements truly are a reusable API for AX 2012. Some other area's include: Workflow design, Basis for an RDP class (ie: CustAgingReport), View datasources that themselves are sources for perspectives and cubes, modeling security with XDS, ListPage designs, Cue's, and more!

With the power of Query elements in AX 2012, when you start to look at what all they are the basis of, you should really ask yourself when doing in design work - Can a Query Element be used here? If so, does one already exist, or should I create a new query element? How can it be used throughout my instance of AX 2012? It's a true statement, in that Query Elements are reusable API's for AX 2012, and understanding there value, use cases, and design aspects will help you get the most out of your AX 2012 investment.

That's all for this post, I hope you have a great productive wed, and check back soon as more to come! Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Procurement Catalogs Explained

2012-04-06T11:24:00.001-05:00

Well I hope everyone is having a great Friday! Man what a week for Microsoft Dynamics news, with so much great coverage from around the community. There is so much interest in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, and you can just feel the momentum that started at Convergence keep surging through the Ecosystem.

Today I wanted to focus in on some great features around the Enterprise Portal in AX 2012, and specifically around Employee Procurement. Microsoft really has listened to the client base in this area, and has shown that AX 2012 is truly powerful platform. One pain point for a lot of companies has revolved around the procurement process for employee's. With the release of AX 2012, and further the improvements from the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack the ability for companies to have multiple types of procurement catalog's helps to ease this area from a pain point, to a value add.

There are three different types of Procurement catalog's that can be created, for a Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 instance. Those include: Procurement catalogs, Vendor catalogs & External catalogs.

You can have multiple of these types of catalog's, and can enable them by legal entity. This means that you can shape the catalog ordering experience by legal entity and role even. Take this further, a Procurement Catalog is made up of internal products, with specific formatting, images, descriptions, and a hierarchy.

Next option, is around the Vendor Catalogs, which can be setup through an import & mapping process. Further, you can create rules for automated approval's of new products, release options and what legal entities that the specific imported vendor catalog's are enabled for. Finally, you can - as would be expected - setup vendor catalog import parameters for root folder, upload size as well as files to process.

Our third and final option for procurement catalog management, is External catalogs. This has some really neat feature offers, but there is also a bit of technical understanding, and working with your external vendors for getting this setup.

You will notice, in looking at the demo data version of this setup, for the "Zones-Test Catalog" that there are several things that need to be understood when enabling this. First the site settings, in what can of call method, content type and return URL Key. Further there are session specific properties, as well as destination, return URL options & Shopping Protocol.

On the topic of the Shopping Protocol, you will notice that the listed method for the demo is OCI_HTML. This represents a sample class by the name of Sample_Code_CatMessageFormatterOCI40HTML. This class enables the implementation of the OCI 4.0, or Open Catalog Interface, which you can find out more about from the following resource link.: Wikipedia - Open Catalog Interface

You can find out more details about the setup and overview of the external vendor catalogs, from the following resource on MSDN: External vendor catalogs overview [AX 2012]

From the resource page.:
"If you rely on your vendors to host procurement catalog data for you, you can configure access to the vendor’s external catalog site in Microsoft Dynamics AX so that users can access the vendor’s external catalog directly. You receive the remote access settings from your vendor, and then set up the required configurations in Microsoft Dynamics AX using the Maintain details for an external catalog form."

With all of these great options for Procurement Catalogs, the pain points of employee procurement that existed in the past are now value add solutions out-of-the-box. This mixed, with a host of great features around request for new items, vendors, and enabling workflow's to control all of these processes truly make the tag line Powerfully Simple a reality.

Well that's all for this week, I hope everyone has a blessed & wonderful Easter weekend! Make sure to check back soon as there is a whole lot more to come. Till Next Time!
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AX 2012 - Public Sector Demo Image Refresh Released

2012-04-03T07:47:00.001-05:00

Well I hope everyone is off to a fun, productive and Dynamic week so far! Honestly I'm still trying to recover & catch up from the Best Convergence Ever!

With that being the first topic, I want to remind everyone of all the great content that you have access to, and will for one year, via the virtual convergence resource site.: Virutal Conv12 Resource Page. Make sure to check out all the great sessions that are listed, because if your like me there was no way you could attend all the one's you wanted to view.

Now moving right along, the last thing I posted about last week for Microsoft Dynamics AX was the push for Adopting the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack for all AX2012 projects that are going on, or that are starting. This is a critical path for enabling a smoother transition to R2, set to be released H1 of 2013 based on current Microsoft published dates.

Further, to help show case some of the great new features, for specific industries, Microsoft has released a refresh of the Microsoft Dynamics AX Demo Virtual Machine Package for Public Sector. This is technically titled Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack for Public Sector Release 1.0.

There are a few good updates, including having the public sector demo data refreshed for the feature pack, and several of the public sector demo scripts updated that take advantage of improved employee hierarchies as well as New Hire to Retire demo scenario. You can access this refresh, via PartnerSource from the following location: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Demo Tools and Materials - March Refresh.

If your actively involved with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 - Public Sector Industries, from either the customer, partner or Microsoft level then I recommend joining the LinkedIn Group I formed last year for this industry: Public Sector for Dynamics AX. The group is growing, and with more & more feature set releases, and a focus from Microsoft on the Public Sector with this refresh and all that is coming with R2, well I expect this LinkedIn group to become a very useful resource for people.

Some of the recent updates, just to highlight how Microsoft is really building up great resources around their industry solutions, check out this resource on TechNet for Create or modify a grant [AX 2012].

From the post:
"A grant is a gift of money for a specific purpose or project. Usually, there are restrictions on how a grant can be spent. In Project management and accounting, you can enter and track grants and define their relationships to projects and project contracts."

This resource page walks a user through the process from creating grants, all the way through the entire out-of-the-box abilities for grant management, and workflow. If you notice at the top of the resource page, specifically states: Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

To help bring things in full circle, make sure to check out my interview from last year, with Charlie Johnson, Global Industry Product Director – ERP - Public Sector. The interview: Microsoft Highlights New ERP Public Sector Capabilities for AX 2012

Final thing I will point out is that DynamicsWorld.co.uk is running it's annual DynamicsWorld Top 100 and the voting has begun. If you so feel inclined to check it out, and cast your vote, you may do so by going to the following link. DynamicsWorld Top 100 Voting.

Well that's all for this post, I hope everyone has a great Dynamics Week. Look back soon as I cover a deep review of Dr. Scott Hamilton's latest book, as well as many more great post about Microsoft Dynamics AX. Till Next Time!

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Adopt the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack - a must have

2012-03-29T20:18:00.001-05:00

Recently, in February of this year Microsoft released the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 feature pack. You can access the latest Dynamics AX ISO, which includes the feature pack, from the following location on PartnerSource: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack Release.

From the release notes: "Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack is the Microsoft ERP solution for enterprises that empowers your people to anticipate and embrace change so your business can thrive. It constitutes our biggest releases that target five key industries: Manufacturing, Distribution, Services Industries, Public Sector, and Retail. This release also incorporates Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services.

All of the industry solutions, Process Industries, Public Sector, Retail, and Service Industries, are now incorporated into the product and are installed the same way as other Microsoft Dynamics AX modules. Customers can enable or disable features by using configuration keys and can use features from multiple industry solutions. For example, a Public Sector organization can use the Retail POS capabilities, a pharmaceutical company involved in drug discovery and trials can use Service Industries and Process Manufacturing capabilities, or a wholesale distributor can use the Retail merchandising features."

Further, Microsoft just recently as of three days ago posted the following link on PartnerSource stating: "We strongly recommend that all Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 implementations move to using the Feature Pack"

The Resource Page.: The Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack—Why You Should Adopt it Moving Forward

There are several reasons to make sure that the feature pack is the focus now and moving forward from all the updates to specific industry solutions adding retail, if desired, as well as having now support for 25 Countries. Further, Microsoft points out that: "When Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 is released in H1 Calendar Year 2013 it will automatically install the remaining Microsoft provided country localizations (Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, etc.); so that we maintain the single consistent Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 code base."

This then suggest, that in order to go to R2 - with the least time needed for deployment, having what resides in the feature pack for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is a critical step. Further, applying and using the feature pack as the target version for any and all current AX 2012 instances, gives you the same build as CU2. Bringing your Microsoft Dynamics AX investment to the latest and most stable build. Even if you have applied CU2, you should look towards the feature pack, as it's clear through the message it's a stepping stone towards R2 that will be release first half of 2013.

Well that's all for now, check back soon though as a whole lot more to come. Till Next Time!
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Reflecting back on this time last year

2012-03-27T21:36:00.002-05:00

Alabama State Flag - The Crimson Cross
Its funny how fast time flies by. Its hard to believe, that next month marks a year since we had very severe and terrible storms cells that spun one of the deadliest tornado's to every hit the great state of Alabama I call home. So many lives were lost, and since then - still more with other storms and tragic events.

April 2011 Tornado that struck many parts of Alabama

It so easy for us to take each day for granted, and trust me I am easily one that can raise his hand high and admit I do so all to often. We can get caught up in our professional work life, or whatever it is that we spend our so precious and little time on the earth. Looking back, to last year, you can see from the following post, that we were all affected in some way in this area, as well as the outpouring of support that we received from our fellow man.

It's strange to me, how little things, more than passing dates even, bring back memories and times of reflection. Just yesterday, my Mother gave me something that was saved during the total loss of their home. It is a pin, nothing hugely special or of any real monetary value to anyone. This pin however, was something I earned when I was 19 years old. It told the world, in a small way, I was a Microsoft Certified Professional for passing in January of 1999 the Network Essential's & Windows NT 4.0 Workstation exams.

MCP Pin I received when I was 19, that survived the Storms of 2011

Man I thought I was something back then. Being 19 only, and already a Certified Professional. How little did I realize how much farther I had to go, and still continue to strive and become better each day. Holding that pin, looking at it's now off-white background, and of course the old Microsoft logo, just brought back so many memories of all the years I've worked in this profession. It also represented something that no storm can ever take away. The spirit that our God, no matter what name you may refer to God by, graciously gives us. Further, though the pin be something so small, and physical it did help remind me that what matters the most is the treasures we create.

These treasures I refer to, have no value of gold or silver, or any real physical matter at all. Its the experiences, and the times we get to share with our family, friends and loved ones. Those moments that you can recall so easily, like seeing the birth of your kids, marrying the love of your life, or even down to a simple smile and nice gesture to a complete stranger.

Though this post has very little to do with helping in anyway with adding value to Microsoft Dynamics AX project, I thought it well worth the small time and effort it took to acknowledge all of this. To reflect on the past, the experiences and times we all get to share, and further to embrace what matters the most in everything we do, is those treasures we get to create and store up. Those moments of happiness when the pains of a go-live lose all bearing weight, and the struggles of learning something new products like AX 2012 - fade quickly away when reflecting against the more important moments of our lives.

I will end with, take the time to enjoy the moments you have been given. Realize, that these projects we all work so hard on, and spend so much energy on are really not about the technology, or some business process - but really is all about the people. That is what companies really are anyway right? People. Till Next Time!
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Torrential Data Solutions brings embedded document imaging and workflow natively within Microsoft Dynamics AX with the expert help of IDB Solutions

2012-03-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

It is with great pleasure that I get to talk with you today about a recent success story for the company I'm apart of IDB Solutions, LLC. Our client? Torrential Data Solutions, Inc a Microsoft Silver ISV Partner providing value-added ECM technologies to the Dynamics Ecosystem.

A direct link to the press release, can be found here.: Torrential Data Solutions, Inc brings embedded document imaging and workflow natively within the Microsoft Dynamics AX user experience with the expert help of IDB Solutions.

From the press release: "IDB Solutions, LLC. is pleased to announce that Torrential Data Solutions, Inc., a Microsoft Silver ISV Partner providing value-added ECM technologies to the Dynamics Ecosystem, has selected IDB as their trusted Microsoft Dynamics AX partner. IDB Solutions was tasked with helping Torrential Data bring their “Datahaven for Dynamics” solution offering to the Microsoft Dynamics AX market space, to enable “embedded document imaging and workflow” natively within the Microsoft Dynamics AX user experience."

Further... "“We chose IDB Solutions because of their proven expertise in the Microsoft Dynamics AX market space. Throughout the engagement, IDB staff demonstrated a deep understanding and knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics AX design and development best practices and a relentless focus on adding real value for the Microsoft Dynamics AX customer. Most importantly, IDB was committed to our success in bringing ‘Datahaven for Dynamics AX’ to market," said Brad Bimson, President of Torrential Data."

Working with Brad and his team has been a great pleasure, and at IDB Solutions we are always looking for ways to add real value for Microsoft Dynamics AX customers. As the press release states, what TDS brings with it's "Datahaven for Dynamics" solution truly helps companies content-enabled processes.

Value is always the goal for myself personally, and for IDB Solutions. Value is more than just a word to us, it is our product & our brand. In short value is truly our focus, and having the pleasure of helping TDS bring their product to the Microsoft Dynamics AX market space shows our commitment to adding value, and to helping customers like TDS succeed with their AX projects.

You can find out more, by visiting our site: IDB Solutions, LLC Website

Stay tuned as I have a whole lot more of Dynamics topics, post, book review and more. Till Next Time!
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Conv12 - Its a Wrap

2012-03-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well it's Friday, and that means it is time to get back to focusing on the every day task or adding value to the Dynamics Community and our customers Dynamics AX Projects.

Conv12 started off for me with Saturday having a great kick off during the Official Microsoft Dynamics Communities meet and great. There really are some great idea's, and great momentum. The key focus for me on this level, is how to best leverage all the product team blogs, partner blogs, MSDN / TechNet resource pages, and what is already being captured in the Microsoft Dynamics Community forums and more.

Moving right along from that, Conv12 kicked into high gear, with from meeting's with newly signed customers, current customers, as ell as helping deliver on AXUG DayOne Sessions. The two that I was directly involved with were UBAX03 - AXUG Special Interest Group (SIG) Roundtable Discussion: Software Architects and UBAX14 - AXUG Special Interest Group (SIG) Roundtable Discussion: Business Intelligence & Reporting.

I've personally been involved with the Software Architects (SIG) for the past three convergences now, and it has grown since the first one I helped panel. It has went from a circle of chairs, of around 12 people, to a packed room that could seat 60-70 people this year! The major focus was a lot around performance, and of course the topic of interest was Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This year also showed a lot of promise, when the crowd was able to get into the session and had a lot of great questions. This ranged from BP on index design, performance and scale for the SQL Server, code promotion processes and many more topics. This session was lead by @DAXCodeGuy, @DaxDataGuy & Me!

The next topic, Roundtable Discussion: Business Intelligence & Reporting is one that if you follow this blog, and have heard me speak is one that my company and I focus heavily on. The reason this is the case, is because it can derive some of the most Value for a customer and it's an area least understood right now actually, specifically for how to make the best use of the out-of-the-box BI Framework for AX 2012.

This session, like the Software Architect SIG, went very well actually - with good solid foundation information being given to the audience from @DaxDataGuy as well as myself. This was meant to be a starting point for some, and clarification for others. Building from this event, and as I've pointed out previously, I am putting on a three part AXUG webinar series, which you can find out more about the first of the three at the following resource page.: AXUG Academy - BI With Dynamics AX 2012: Options, Development, And Delivery I (Apr 2012)

Social Intelligence as well as SocialTech in general was a big focus at the event. There are some exciting things taking place, that you can tell we are all just scratching the surface with. This is an area that is still really trying to be defined within the community itself, for how best to be used, as well as for driving value for Microsoft Dynamics Customers. Look for more on this topic, from myself, on many different fronts very soon!

To help close things out, there were a ton of awesome sessions, demo's as well as networking events. All-in-all, the best Convergence yet with over 10k+ attending from all around the world. To help continue what was started in Houston, make sure and visit the Virtual Conv12 resource site. This has a wealth of recorded sessions, because lets face it with over 400+ just to much to cover. So make sure to take advantage of this great resource, it will remain up for one year.

That leads us to our close out, which is a focus to next years event, Conv13, being held in New Orleans!

Planning is well under way to help make Conv13 and even better event than this year was. Microsoft has held convergence in the past, at New Orleans, and being from the south, I'm glad to see it getting close to home. You can click on the above shown banner and book mark that page to stay up-to-date with the latest information.

Well that it's, it's done, over, it's a wrap! Finally resource page that you might find useful, is the official recap page: Houston 2012 Recap. I hope everyone had safe travels back, and your already putting all that networking and knowledge to work, to help make our Dynamics Ecosystem better and better. Till Next Time!

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"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"

MSDW: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Boasts Closer Ties to SQL Server Release

2012-03-20T15:26:00.003-05:00

I wanted to circle back around on an article MSDynamicsWorld.com posted. That is: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Boasts Closer Ties to SQL Server Release, GM Says.

From the article:
"If you are curious how Microsoft Dynamics AX is improving integration to Microsoft SQL Server 2012, the AX team wants you to know that the AX is a prime customer of SQL Server internally at Microsoft, and many of the key improvements that Dynamics AX aims to deliver in the upcoming 2012 R2 release, from support of data warehousing initiatives to master data management to the building reports and KPIs in the AX 2012 interface to load testing of SQL Azure are all dependent on the AX and SQL Server teams work together."

This is a topic I have been personally covering and will continue to expand on, from the following.:

The area of BI for AX 2012 is one that as I've point out in the past can bring great value to new & existing Microsoft Dynamics AX customers. What's critical is understanding the right tools for the job and how those are correctly implemented and used with AX.

Going back to the article from MSDW, something that I have not covered much yet, but directly will impact and help further expand the capability of AX in creating a BI story for companies is around analytical MDM.

From the article:
"According to Pedersen, AX 2012 R2 will expand analytical MDM capabiltiies, but operational MDM will not be a focus area. R2 will mostly see improvements again as it relates to the improvements in SQL Server 2012. "The most effective analytics are the ones that consider all the elements, not just those constrained to the AX data," says Pedersen. He expects customers to look for ways to roll together data from other systems through SQL Server Reporting Service, including, potentially from big data sources served through the Azure data market to conduct deeper analytics."

These are all great moves, and should excite any AX customer no matter what version your on. You can see that Microsoft is providing the right framework, to enable a true BI Story for AX Customers.

Well that's all I have time for right now, but check back soon as we have a lot more to cover and talk about. Till Next Time!

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"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"

Conv12 Update

2012-03-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying #Conv12 and are able to connect and learn from all the great sessions going on. There are a number of updates I wanted to share with everyone, and if your not able to attend, no worries, there is plenty of current and post coverage.

One of the main focuses that I have is around driving value for customers. This is the whole reason that a customer buys into the Dynamics Product Line. With that, I'm seeing a lot of traction, for some ISV's that are presenting at the Expo hall, whom I trust and I've seen bring real value to new and existing customers of Microsoft Dynamics AX. With that in mind, the following are some updates and highlights I find interesting, and know that for existing or new customers, some of these products can really help drive the most value our of your AX investment.

First update, Datahaven for Dynamics AX is getting a lot of attention in the Expo hall. You can find out more about their solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, by going to the following resource page: Datahaven for Dynamics AX.

From their resource page.:
"Datahaven for Dynamics AX offers the most innovative, compelling document management for any organization using Microsoft Dynamics AX—from lower volume organizations with dozens of AX users up to the highest volume, most complex, multi-national organization with millions of annual transactions and thousands of AX users."

You can visit Brad, Gary & Daniel at booth 1352 in the Expo hall. Make sure to tell them I sent you, and get a chance to win a free iPad3 in the process!

Moving along, a sponsor of this blog and a trusted partner Data Masons announced that it has attained the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CfMD) AX distinction for its Vantage Point EDI solution.

Here is a direct link to more information about this exciting news.: Data Masons Software Earns Certified for Microsoft Dynamics Accreditation for Vantage Point EDI

From the release.:
"“By requiring the software solution to meet our highest standards, Microsoft is assuring customers that these certified solutions work with their investments in Microsoft Dynamics,” said Doug Kennedy, vice president, Microsoft Dynamics Partners. “Microsoft congratulates Data Masons on earning the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics designation.”"

Continuing with more updates, lets go to more Convergence specific information. Today, first off all is packed with a lot of great sessions. A very specific session that has caught my eye, because of my focus on SQL Server 2012 and the value it can bring is: "Taking Advantage of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn for Microsoft Dynamics" - Hilton Ballroom B, 11:00am-12:00pm.

I'm keen to hear how this is going to be positioned, specifically in how it relates to Microsoft Dynamics AX. More specific, there are right ways to do things, and wrong ways to do things. To often I've seen the design of AX by-passed, when it could have been better utilized. On this a little more, I feel that Microsoft will get this right for Microsoft Dynamics AX. What I'm wondering however, is does this mean it will be a native use technology with RC2, and what is being shown today is with RC2 for AX 2012? Or is it a not-so-native use of AlwaysOn technology from Microsoft SQL Server 2012?

Right after that session, I will be leading a Birds of a Feather round table, in the main expo area located in the Community Experience section. This is in the BFAX03 from 12:30PM-1:30PM. The session is labeled reporting gurus, and it was a great round table yesterday. We covered topics from approaches in reporting with AX 2009. Performance consideration, and pain points for getting to data. What are the best options, in terms of upgrades to AX 2012 around report development decisions that need to happen before the upgrade. Finally, we covered Creating a true BI story for your company with AX 2012. Make sure to come by, and join in the conversation - so you can take away real value around BI & Reporting for AX 2012.

My final update, is around what was shown for the general sessions Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Both Hal Howard and Kees Hertogh talked about some of the updates that were coming in AX 2012 RC2. First off, I've heard conflicting reports of when this will be released. I've heard anywhere from end of this year in 2012, and also within two hours later from a different source, 1st half of 2013. With that, we can say then we will not know for sure what the release schedule really is, most likely until this summer. My bets on such things are be conservative.

With the actual release date aside, as expected one of the huge improvements for AX 2012 RC2 is around the use of SQL Server 2012 BISM.

For those of you that are not that familiar with this topic, I've started covering this and it's real value points for AX 2012 on this blog. My most recent post about this topic, can be found here.: Understanding Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) & Future with AX 2012.

Further, building from Conv12 and the post I've been creating here, I will be putting on AXUG webinars, as a three part series that focuses specifically on this topic. You can find out more information and sign up for the first session at the following resource page.: AXUG Academy - BI With Dynamics AX 2012: Options, Development, And Delivery I (Apr 2012)

Well everyone, that's all for this update. I'm heading back to the Conference for more networking, learning and connecting right now. Feel free to tweet me at @DynamicsERP and if I have time, I will stop by, network, and connect. Till Next Time!

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"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"

Introducing IDB Solutions - a new start!

2012-03-18T12:32:00.000-05:00

It is with great pleasure, that today with the official start of #Conv12 I can introduce my new venture: IDB Solutions, LLC. Our focus is being a consulting firm that drives value for new & existing Microsoft Dynamics AX customers & partners.

We have set ourselves up in a way, that our customers are both partners & customers in the Dynamics Ecosystem. Being that our drive, and primary goal is around value for partners & customers connect with us, to find out how we can help you with your project needs!

The following is a list of services we offer.:

Microsoft Dynamics AX - From Upgrades to AX 2012, helping with new implementations, Business Process Modeling, complex integration's as well as development & technical services.
Business Intelligence - our deep understanding and focus around AX, IDB Solutions can help deliver the most value for you through correct definition, development and use of BI
Cloud Computing - Focused on the correct use of cloud computing technologies for extending your AX solution.
Mobile ERP / CRM - Implementing ISV Solutions & custom development for mobile solutions that deliver real value for your AX needs.

I'm currently at Convergence 2012, so make sure to connect with us and see how our knowledge and expertise can drive the most value for your project needs! Till Next Time!

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"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"