Now here’s a funny thing. There’s a TechNet article here which talks about sequential and parallel processing options in the Dynamics AX AIF inbound port.
Before I lose you, we’re...(read more)![]()
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AIF inbound port file processing in AX 2012
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Workspaces in Dynamics AX (v7) – Let’s Make them Awesome
Dynamics AX has been down the dashboard road before. Role centers were introduced in AX 2009 and carried forward into AX 2012, but never really found traction. The new Dynamics AX (v7) fundamentally shifts what the dashboard concept means; take a fresh look at Workspace design.
What is a Workspace
Microsoft defines a Workspace as
A way to provide an initial overview and to increase productivity in the activity by allowing simple tasks to be completed directly in the workspace.
This is a major change from prior versions of AX; a Workspace is now a task center not a role center. Anticipate users having access to multiple workspaces, and using the one that best fits the activity at hand.
I was an accountant in a previous life, so I’ll use that role as an example. Consider the activities an accountant does:
- Month end closing
- Journal entries
- Wear a funny green visor
Does the accountant really want to create journal entries at the same time their attention is focused on month end tasks that are past due? (Hint: No.) Consider first the activities of a role, then group related tasks into a Workspace.
What’s in a Workspace
Once the scope of a Workspace is defined, tasks should be broken down into standard sections.
- Buttons to add new information.
- Tiles to surface critical tasks and to-dos.
- List pages with commonly accessed records and buttons.
- Charts and PowerBI reports to review historical trends.
- Links to favorite forms.
The immediateness of information should be presented from left to right and top to bottom. Buttons and tiles are for tasks to address each time the Workspace is opened. List pages quickly drill into a multitude of forms. Charts and BI are periodically reviewed to investigate trends. Links are default favorites for commonly used forms.
If You Build Tiles, They Will Come
To get users excited about workspaces, compelling tiles are the selling point. Tiles must surface information users wouldn’t already know but want to know. Here are some tips for creating good tiles.
Be specific
Users want to know what they need to do, not all the work that needs to be done. Menu items with “My” in the title can easily be the starting point for great tiles.
Take action
Getting people to come back to a workspace is achieved by letting them know where additional action needs to be taken. The simplest example is displaying the number of pending approvals in workflow. Other things may be date driven, such as Purchase order lines that where the delivery is past due. Perhaps there are things a user needs to keep an eye on, like unposted journals or source documents.
Knowing what open issues to address will increase the frequency a user will visit the Workspace.
Prioritize
Put the tiles in order of most urgent to least urgent. Since languages are commonly written left to right, the natural tendency is for the eye to start at the top left corner and work into the page from there.
Considerations for Other Sections
List pages
List pages allow contextual buttons that get the user into a specific form quickly. So the most important part of these pages is determining what are the most common buttons on each form the user wants to access.
Pretty stuff
Charts, APIs, and other visualizations are easy to demo but difficult to implement. Visualization design should begin with interviewing users and understanding their current decision making process. The parameters around that decision can then be surfaced so they can more quickly recognize and investigate issues.
Links
Put in the links section menu items a typical user would tag as a Favorite.
Gamification
The term gamification means awarding electronic certificates after a participant has earned a certain number of points. Remember in elementary school when the teacher would put a gold star sticker on your homework when you did a good job – that is an example of gamification.
This concept could work well for Employee centered Workspaces. Here are some examples of badges that could be given out:
- A Sales order processor entered 10,000 order lines.
- A Timesheet worker submitted 52 timesheets in a row on time.
- An accountant literally wears a green visor.
Now let’s go make some awesome experiences.
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System getting hanged during software checklist in Ax 2012
Problem:
Do you have any ideas to solve with AX hanging when I start "Marge code automatically" in SOFTWARE UPDATE CHECKLIST
(It's just updating AX 2012 R2 to AX 2012 R2 CU7)
It's screenshot with stage on which I have hangs:
![Checklist]( "Checklist")
Solution:
During checklist system generate log at database side . Need to check whether disk space is enough at the time of process.
Check Memory utilization at database side and AOS Side.
There should be enough RAM on database side.
Check kernal and application version it should be same.
Check batch group is attached in proper batch server.
Do you have any ideas to solve with AX hanging when I start "Marge code automatically" in SOFTWARE UPDATE CHECKLIST
(It's just updating AX 2012 R2 to AX 2012 R2 CU7)
It's screenshot with stage on which I have hangs:
Solution:
During checklist system generate log at database side . Need to check whether disk space is enough at the time of process.
Check Memory utilization at database side and AOS Side.
There should be enough RAM on database side.
Check kernal and application version it should be same.
Check batch group is attached in proper batch server.
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Automatic reservation on sales
Reservations are always tricky systems to implemented both in a inventory system and in the physical management of the goods. What do you do if you have limited stock and class b customer orders first...(read more)![]()
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Mark order as voided – sales orders
If you have a load order volume of orders that the customer might cancel you could delete them to avoid having to filter through them. But this data is often good to keep for analysis to see if there are...(read more)![]()
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System admin cannot add or edit roles privileges duties Ax 2012
Problem:
Issue is user sys admin not able add or edit and roles privileges duties etc its allowing from AOT but not from AX client.
Solution:
If you have Sys Admin and Sys User you should be able to make changes via System administration > Setup > Security but if you are still not able to do that then there may be something setting issue.
After checking all setting at Ax found that Version control was enabled in the system so its not allowing to change roles privileges and duties when Version control disabled then its working fine.
Due to Version control enabled its being locked for change and its for security reason.
Issue is user sys admin not able add or edit and roles privileges duties etc its allowing from AOT but not from AX client.
Solution:
If you have Sys Admin and Sys User you should be able to make changes via System administration > Setup > Security but if you are still not able to do that then there may be something setting issue.
After checking all setting at Ax found that Version control was enabled in the system so its not allowing to change roles privileges and duties when Version control disabled then its working fine.
Due to Version control enabled its being locked for change and its for security reason.
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Released product maintenance workspace
If you are working with items in the new Dynamics AX. Then you might want to explore the released product maintenance workspace which gives you an overview of the status of items you might need to deal...(read more)![]()
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Customer invoicing workspace
If you have shipped goods to a customer then you probably want to get paid. If you are investigating the new Dynamics AX then the customer invoicing workspace gives AR people responsible for invoicing...(read more)![]()
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Alex on DAX (Alex Kwitny): How to find what projects an object from the AOT e...
Alex on DAX (Alex Kwitny): How to find what projects an object from the AOT e...: Where I work, we are required to create a new, numbered project for every modification request. The numbered projects have corresponding do... -Harry Follow us on Facebook to keep in rhythm with us. @Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/theaxapta![]()
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Error executing code: The field with ID '0' does not exist in table 'SysExtensionSerializerExtensionMap'.
If you ever get "Error executing code: The field with ID '0' does not exist in table 'SysExtensionSerializerExtensionMap'." error in CIL, it may happen it is the table extension framework + the standard buf2buf function to blame.
Somehow, if you pass a Map instead of a table to buf2buf function, the following line fails:
_to.(fieldId) = _from.(fieldId);
However, if you replace this line with:
fieldName = fieldId2name(_from.TableId, fieldId);
_to.setFieldValue(fieldName, _from.getFieldValue(fieldName));
everything is fine both in X++ and in CIL.
P.S. I didn't dare to change the standard buf2buf method. Istead, I created another method and used it in the table extension framework logic, which failed because of the issue (\Data Dictionary\Maps\SysExtensionSerializerMap\Methods\copyExtensionTableData)
Somehow, if you pass a Map instead of a table to buf2buf function, the following line fails:
_to.(fieldId) = _from.(fieldId);
However, if you replace this line with:
fieldName = fieldId2name(_from.TableId, fieldId);
_to.setFieldValue(fieldName, _from.getFieldValue(fieldName));
everything is fine both in X++ and in CIL.
P.S. I didn't dare to change the standard buf2buf method. Istead, I created another method and used it in the table extension framework logic, which failed because of the issue (\Data Dictionary\Maps\SysExtensionSerializerMap\Methods\copyExtensionTableData)
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dynamics ax 2012 form datasource sort X++
Today I got requirement to insert record at run time and shows result in sorted order. I used following code code snippets. Suppose we are sorting on Customer
in required field
CusTable_ds.query().dataSourceNo(1).sortClear();
CusTable_ds.query().dataSourceNo(1).addSortField(fieldNum(CustTable, AccountNum), SortOrder::Ascending);
CusTable_ds.executeQuery();
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Statistics on CacheLookup property in AX 2012 R3
I got inspired by msdn blog post to collect statistics on CacheLookup property in standard AX 2012 R3. Problem description Actually, there is no problem in this post, just some entertainment. Solution...(read more)![]()
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Servicing Microsoft Dynamics AX Without Headaches? One Firm Focuses on Easy Requests, On Demand Delivery
For any Microsoft Dynamics AX customer tired of too much
selling from their Microsoft partner in order to get to the needed service and support, there
has never been a better time to be in the market for new options in
post-implementation expertise ...read more![]()
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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Product Configuration: Windows client processing
In this blog post I will elaborate on the processing of configuration models in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 and R3.
Figure 1
Client 1 loads a configuration model using an RPC call to the AOS to retrieve an XML representation of the configuration model. After this the processing of the configuration session happens on the client.
When Client 2 wants to load a configuration model, it goes through the same process as Client 1, by retrieving its own XML representation of the configuration model, which it wants to load. Then processing of this model happens solely on Client 2. In this way processing is distributed on the hardware of the different clients.
However, the reality for many of our customers and partners is a bit different to the picture shown Figure 1.
Figure 2
The setup in Figure 2 should be more familiar to those of you who have experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Instead of having fat clients as in Figure 1, the users are instead connecting to the Dynamics AX windows client, using a remote desktop session, set up on a Windows server running Terminal services.
Thus when Client 1 wants to load a configuration model, it happens via the Terminal service, which is then retrieving the XML representation of the configuration model from the AOS. The processing of the configuration session then happens in the context of the remote desktop session, which is on the host of the terminal services.
The same thing repeats itself when Client 2 wants to load a configuration model. The difference between this and the previous setup is, that processing for both configuration sessions are now centralized on the host of Terminal services. This processing includes not only the processing of the underlying configuration model, but also the processing related to handling the rendering of the UI.
When we look at what is happening at a lower level, with more details, the picture looks like this:
Figure 3
The diagram in Figure 3 shows what happens when the XML representation of the configuration model has already been retrieved from the AOS. From the Xpp client it is then passed on to the Product Configuration .NET component crossing the CLR interop. In the loading phase of the configuration model inside the .NET component, the following action are executed:
- Parsing the XML representation of the configuration model
- Creation of supporting data structures
After these processes the .NET component starts to process the loaded model and then starts to issue events whenever it is able to deduce that an attribute must take on a certain value. These events are send back to the Xpp client which updates the page accordingly.
At some point the user will want to accept the configuration and this is done by pressing the OK button on the dialog. When this happens a method is invoked on the .NET component, which aborts any running task, and starts a new task which verifies whether the configuration is complete. The definition of a complete configuration is that all mandatory attributes have been assigned a value.
If the verification fails in the first attempt, the configurator will issue a new task to attempt to deduce any unassigned mandatory attributes. In the illustrated example, the configurator is not able to deduce all mandatory attributes, and so a message will be shown that informs the user that additional assignments are required. The user must then assign values to the remaining mandatory attributes. Here the user makes a new assignment and then presses the Ok button again, to complete the configuration. This time the verification passes as all mandatory attributes now have a value.
An important thing to notice is that the configurator instance is active or ‘alive’ throughout the configuration session. As you may know, the .NET configuration component uses a background thread to process the configuration model without locking the UI. In this way the configurator is always able to act on new user input.
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How are Biotech Firms Using Mobile Technologies?
Mobile technologies have transformed so many industries by making the supply chain more efficient, communication and collaboration faster, and marketing more effective. The field of biotechnology is no exception. Many business leaders in biotech have recognized the enormous capacity of mobile technologies to affect positive change for patients, doctors, and companies. Read on to learn how biotech firms are using mobile technologies every day.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are vital for determining whether a drug or product can cure a disease or condition, or at least improve patients’ quality of life. However, the process is far from perfect. Some of the complaints leveled at the way clinical trials are conducted currently are that they’re too long, too bureaucratic and not efficient.
The Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) hopes to change that. One of CTTI’s programs is its mobile clinical trials program. The goal of this program is to increase the use of mobile technologies in clinical trials to enhance test result collection and adverse effects reporting, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes.
Improving Data Collection and Patient Monitoring
Thanks to mobile technology, healthcare providers, researchers, and patients can gather data faster and monitor diseases and health conditions. Many devices are now equipped with sensors that transmit information to mobile devices.
For example, the Senseonics glucose monitor implant has a transmitter that works with a mobile application. It sends data on a patient’s glucose levels throughout the day to the person’s smartphone or tablet. The app alerts patients to abnormally high or low glucose levels and gives them a sense of their glucose trends and patterns. Being able to monitor their own glucose levels on a device they use frequently empowers patients to make consistently healthy choices.
Mobile apps don’t have to be connected to a device in order to help patients monitor their health. AstraZeneca and the National Cancer Institute recently recruited a French mobile application developer to design a companion app for women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. The app allows patients to report side effects such as hypertension and diarrhea. Doctors will automatically be notified of the reports, and can work with patients to manage them so that these women complete their treatment and recover.
Marketing
Mobile technology has also impacted the field of marketing, especially as it pertains to biotechnology. Biotech firms rely on marketing reps to sell their products to healthcare providers, and mobile technologies can make that process easier and faster.
Marketing with the aid of mobile technologies can increase message impact, recall, and brand preference, according to Nancy Phelan, head of customer engagement for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Mobile technology need not replace face-to-face communication completely; reps can bring tablets to meetings with healthcare providers to digitally display marketing materials.
The post How are Biotech Firms Using Mobile Technologies? appeared first on Merit Solutions.
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The New Cloud-Enabled Dynamics AX 7 ERP: How Will Your Experience Change?
By David Bowles, Senior Manager of Operations, Concerto Cloud Services
Over my twelve-plus years providing consulting services for Dynamics AX, I’ve seen the product grow from branding changes in 3.0 through a user interface change in 4.0, then a significant re-architecture in 2012. And most recently, a ground-up rebuild with AX 7’s release. Customer experience has been a hot button topic through all of these versions, with feedback ranging from good to bad. This release will be no different, as it addresses change for which everyone has been asking since Microsoft acquired the product from Navision.
What is the one thing everyone is asking for with Dynamics AX? A more connected experience. Whether the experience you’re working toward is internally or externally-driven, via portals or business processes, you need a platform that improves your ability to accelerate solutions and improve your consumers’ experience. Enter AX 7.
Today’s technology consultants would use terms such as “agile”, “scrum”, and “continuous delivery” to convey significant technical solutions that improve the software experience. Continuous delivery is the concept that makes reduced development lifecycles a reality, aids in the roll out of application changes, and marries nicely with a cloud-enabled world. But for the non-consulting individual, we can simply say that the cloud powers significant and continuous improvement. So, what can we expect from the new cloud-enabled AX 7?
A New Windows-Metro Look and Feel:
For the end user, the interface has been simplified and reflects the windows-metro look and feel - similar to Windows 8.1. This is an important change because previous versions have been very difficult to navigate, especially for new users. If you’ve never worked with the product before, and your baseline is with Microsoft Office, previous versions of AX have been challenging due to the myriad of menu options available.
New Any Place, Any Device Access:
In addition to the interface look and feel, how the interface is delivered has changed. Previous versions of AX sported a full-client installation, which means it was installed as a complete application on servers wherever the user accessed it. Instead, with AX 7, the software is entirely internet browser-based. What this means from an end-user’s perspective, is they can open AX 7 from any device that has a modern internet browser installed on it: Windows, Mac OS, iPad, Android, and even Linux browsers will work! Portability is a key driver with this user interface change. Imagine now being able to walk out onto a warehouse floor with an iPad having complete access to AX and not having to lug around a laptop and deal with the cumbersome interface of pre-AX 7 which was not touch friendly. The possibilities for collaboration and execution are endless with this latest release. Microsoft’s delivery of enhancements to the user interface will be equally simplified as cloud-based upgrades of AX 7 will be less of a hassle than in years past.
Shorter Installation Times:
For the technical AX administrator, the experience will be equally changed. AX has always been known to be a multi-hour, multi-day installation process. With AX 7, the installation process will be pleasantly different, courtesy of Microsoft Azure automation. Similar to the current AX 2012 R3 installation in Azure, AX 7 will require a couple of hours of building, from the time a new environment is requested until the time you’re ready to log in and start configuring it. This will cut down on the level of complexity required to build development, test, and staging environments, and will make tearing down and standing up new environments on the fly more acceptable. Overall, through these infrastructure changes, continuous delivery is now more of a reality without quite the level of effort and complexity that existed in previous versions.
Only One Architecture Option for the first release of AX 7:
For the strategic ERP leader planning AX 7 rollout, it is important to know that you will have only one architecture option for the first release. In previous versions of AX, the implementation was available as both an on-premise or a hosted/cloud deployment, but with the initial release of AX 7, it will only be deployable to Azure’s Public Cloud. Given this Azure-only option, if you decide to upgrade your current version of Dynamics AX, you must be prepared to transition to the Azure Cloud.
While Dynamics AX 7 in the cloud offers some definitive advantages, it’s understandable that some organizations have made the decision not to switch. If you are currently running AX and have deeply invested in customizations, integrations, specific security or compliance settings, you may be in a place where making your move to the private cloud and taking full advantage of the cloud likely makes the most sense. Microsoft has stated they’ll provide an Azure Pack option within six months of the initial release, so there is hope that you’ll be able to run AX 7 within your IT platform of choice (whether that be your own data center or a fully-managed cloud provider such as Concerto Cloud Services). With this latest release of AX, Microsoft’s looking to offer a new online user experience with the Azure cloud-only option as well as create new features by capturing usability trends and tracking the ERP in a controlled and monitored environment.
Related Information:
Cloud Options for Microsoft Dynamics AX: What You Need to Know
Private Cloud versus Azure for Microsoft Dynamics: Five Real-Life Questions
Comparing Service Level Agreements: Stacked SLAs, Reindeer Games and Defining the Cost of an Outage
On-Demand: How Does Concerto Cloud Services Compare?
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Insert Placeholders in Workflows Using X++ (AX 2012)
This post will guide you on how to Insert Placeholders in Workflows Using X++ (AX 2012).
This ability is provided for all the workflows — These Custom placeholders can also be used as conditional...(read more)![]()
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Creating a More Secure Microsoft Dynamics AX Environment: Weighing Two Approaches Improving Segregation of Duties (SoD)
Most organizations that have implemented Microsoft Dynamics
AX will want to secure the application and manage the risk of misuse. In the recent MSDynamicsWorld
webinar, Strategies
for a Clean Slate Security Environment in Microsoft Dynamics AX (registration ...read more![]()
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Setting up customer contacts
When working with customers you have a couple of default fields that you can setup to be contacts. To set these defaults you first will need to create some contacts.
Here is a quick overview
AX2012...(read more)![]()
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AR Parameters – Period of validity
When you are looking at the sales order header there is a field called deadline that you might be able to use in your processes. This is setup from the accounts receivable parameter period of validity...(read more)![]()
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