Dynamics AX New Zealand Users Group

Some of our Down under brethern from the New Zealand Dynamics AX users group contacted me and wanted to know if they could post a link to my blog from their site.


I fill honored in such a question and felt it worthy to post about them. Their site can be located by Clicking Here! This group, right off, has a wonderfully designed web site. Very professional, that looks like it could easily allow for a central place that New Zealand and Austrialian based Dynamics AX users could use to connect with and really get great beenfit from.


Already they have a great list of members and I have submitted to become one. Though I am not in New Zealand I would be honored to be considered a member of their group and would help that I could add benefit by my blog postings, and possibly even attending an event there.


So with this post I welcome our down under brethern to my blog and I wish them all the best and hope that I can help with their building of a wonderful Dynamics AX social network.


Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Make use of DotNet Assemblies from DAX 4.0

As part of my AIF series of post, I thought that it would only be right to prepend and post about how to make native .Net assembly calls from DAX 4.0 X++ code.

This is a great addition to DAX, being able to take given .Net assemblies and create objects from classes, and make use of .Net code through native references and X++ code, rather than through COM.
With that said, let's jumpe right in and Talk about what it takes to make use of a .Net assembly from within Dynamics AX 4.0.

(1) First the given .Net assembly must be a signed one. Meaning that it must have a public token associated with it.
(2) Second the assembly needs to be installed into the GAC

Once you are for sure these two are done next is creating a reference within DAX. From the AOT you can go to close to the bottom and you will see references. From there right click and add a reference. The reference form will pop up and you will have to click on the browse button and select your .DLL .Net Assembly.

Once the reference is made, then you can move on to creating code that makes use of the given .Net assembly. I say start with a new job. ONce you have the new job created, add code that looks similar to this:

static void DotNetIntegration(Args _args)

{

DotNetAssembly.DNClass DNC;
str s;
CLRObject clrDNC;
;


clrDNC = new DotNetAssembly.DNClass();
DNC = clrDNC;
s = DNC.DNMethod("Test");
info(strfmt("%1",s));
}

Now to speak a little bit about this code. The first line DotNetAssembly.DNClass DNC; Is a declaration that makes use of the Referenced Assembly, and one of it's exposed classes. Next we have a standard str s declaration, and then what makes the interaction possible, the CLRObject declaration.

From there we move on to the execution of code, which shows the following line first: clrDNC = new DotNetAssembly.DNClass(); This line is very important, in that it creates a new instance of the clrDNC CLRObject class. What you have to realize at this point is that all .Net Assembly Classes are CLRObjects, and therefore must be created as so. Notice the next line is we set the newly created clrDNC object and make the DNC object equal to that. By doing this we get the look ahead ability to view the methods within the .Net assembly, for example the line of code: s = DNC.DNMethod("Test");

So you can take any .Net assembly, make sure the assembly is signed and installed into the GAC, and then make use of the CLRObjects you can interact with Dot Net with native X++ calls, without having to make use of COM.

Check back soon for more!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Dynamics AX 4.0 - Application Integration Framework - Overview

With DAX 4.0 now in the public, already running for some clients. I thought I would spend some time talking about the Application Integration Framework that is new in DAX 4.0.

The Application Integration Framework is a Role in which one can select to install (if purchased) as part of a given clients DAX installation. This framework, introduced in 4.0, replaces the use of the Commerce Gateway, and can be configured and used to generate document inteexchange between partners, being vendors or customers, through the use of BizTalk or custom applications.

One thing that I hoped to find in the Application INtegration Framework that does not exist, was the ability to nativaly consume web services in DAX 4.0 without having the use a custom COM object wrote in .Net and a wrapper / proxy class / object. After doing research though I can't find anywhere such options are possible.

With that said, the AIF has been a long time coming for DAX. It is much needed, and for those clients doing or wanting to do EDI this is for sure the 100% way that it is accomplished in DAX 4.0. After looking at the configurations and classes, it's pretty straight forward and allows some options. Basically though you take the the document generated and it's end point and from the end point code / object is where you can transform the document. I want to use this post here as a launching point to where I will show from A-Z what it takes to configure AIF, setup AIF for Purchase Orders with a Vendor, the transformations that the data and document go through, and so forth.

So check back later this week for the continued post about AIF.

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Happy Labor Day

For all my U.S.A. readers I want to wish everyone a well rested and fun Labor Day! Since today is labor day I want write anything about Dynamics AX, or technology in general, but rather just wish everyone a fun and safe day!

I hope everyone got some time to relax, play outside, do whatever takes your mind off work and allows you to relax and enjoy life!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com