Snap, Crackle, InfoPath?

Well the release of Snap 2.0 for Dynamics AX was recently released. [ link: Codeplex Snap in program link ] With this release we see some changes. One the move to codeplex from GotDotNet for managing the project, and the
add-on's for the different Snap ins for doing different information worker task. these are still simplistic in nature, but show the power of using this piping for Snap to achieve this type of interaction.

One of the area's I wanted to point out was the Customer Journal Snap-in. This Snap-in is focused around InfoPath forms. Some post back I talked about using InfoPath with Dynamics AX. And here is a great example of doing that, with the Snap pipe line. You could easily use this model to achieve other custom built solutions for Information workers at your clients, Today, that could easily carry into the next version of Dynamics AX. Check out the bit from the site posting below:

"The Customer Journal Snap-in is a handy tool for a Sales representative that helps improve the productivity of sales meetings by enabling the sales rep to view and carry relevant details of a customer (contact info, orders, service requests), which are copied over from Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 to a Microsoft Office Infopath 2007 form, to the sales meeting. He can also make changes to the customer's information and take notes using this InfoPath form during the meeting and later synch the changes back to Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 server on the click of a
button."

So with this, you have the ability for some information worker processes to work with office 2007, and can be very attractive to Office centered users, that make use of InfoPath or Excel.

Of course we all know the future interface for Dynamics AX is Office and SharePoint, and the futher development of this along with the development for the future releases of Dynamics AX just shows this to be true. The future: Office, SharePoint, .Net, and SQL Server are the core.

Well check back soon as I continue to post!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Moving...

Well my Family and I are moving this week. This big move will start Friday after work, and carry well into Saturday and Sunday I am sure. This will have us moving back some 2 hours North to Alabama, back where both my wife and myself grew up.

Because of this and work, I will be hard pressed to write a lot of entries this week or next. I plan on getting at least two in, and if I have time of course more. As soon as the move is over, I will be back to writing more.

I will still be working for the same wonderful company called Sunrise, and still be performing my same job duties. This is just a personal move, and I am very thanfkul to YHWH God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit [The God Head] for giving my family and me the ability to move "back home" and still work as part of the same company, Sunrise.

Alright well prayers, good luck, and thoughts accepted! Moves are never planned to be major, but for sure are crazy! Check back and I will continue to post and pick back up a regular pace after my move.

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Sunrise Technologies Receives Outstanding Sales Recognition

Sunrise Technologies, Inc. the wonderful Microsoft VAR that I am a part of, was recently awarded to the Microsoft Dynamics™ President’s Club!

Being part of Sunrise, this means all the hard work all of us put into this thing called Sunrise is showing. See we all truly believe in the work we do, and what we implement. This makes a key difference, because that spills over into our long lasting customers. This is hard to achieve, and even harder for a company that Only focuses on AX, of the Dynamics platform. I am very proud to be a part of Sunrise, and glad that Microsoft sees all the hard work Sunrise does, and has awarded this to all of us.

Congrats fellow Sunrisers!!! :-)

You can see the full press release right here: Sunrise Technologies Receives Outstanding Sales Recognition

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

To-Increase Project Center

Alright one of the neat things I personally like from a functional stand point about To-Increases IEM solution for Dynamics AX is the Project work they have done. This does mostly go with the Technical Quotes peice, but I wanted to more talk a little bit about Project Center. See this is Much more than what is offered through the standard project module in Dynamics AX. The Project Center is truly tailored towards Project Based Manufacturing for offering Bid like structuring for management of projects for a given IEM slated vertical customer.

With Project Center, you also get a tightly integrated view into the Technical Quotes for copying over that structure directly into a new technical quote with hardly any work. I also like the ability for the project structure in tracking out each of the levels and sub levels of a given project, throughout the life span of a project for a customer.

Here is some information that is more To Increase's web site [To Increase web site link]:

"Project Center
Supports project content management and documentation
Project Center is designed as a stand-alone application to support the latest project management and product development methodologies, including the Rational Unified Process and ISO 9001ccertified processes."

And here is the IEM Solution roadmap:



You can see that at each section, or functional area the Project Center would come into play. Mostly though in the Quote Bid and Source Engineering area's.

From this you can also see there is actually a lot offered through the IEM solution that is targeted towards project based manufacturing clients. Well check back soon as I continue to explore the Dynamics world around us!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

PerformancePoint Server - The BI Solution for Dynamics AX

One of the big topics that Microsoft is focusing on right now is the newly talked about PerformancePoint Server. PerformancePoint lives and works under the office name space of suites, and will in the not to distant future replace:

- Business Score Card Manager
- FRx
- ProClarity

This will work natively with Microsoft office suite, and therefore also SharePoint. This is going to be a Great move for Dynamics AX customers, because this will truly be a full all out BI suite for looking at a companies data, and doing so in order to make informed business decisions, and messaurement for business metrics.

This is also a noticable move, more and more, for different aspects of the Dynamics platform into the office space for doing different processes. Check out the home page for PerformancePoint here: PerformancePoint Server 2007 Link

Here is a little snip from the product overview page:
"Microsoft Performance Management allows customers to monitor, analyze, and plan their business as well as drive alignment, accountability, and actionable insight across the entire organization.

With Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 server:

- Business executives can drive accountability and alignment across and up-and-down the organization.

- Information workers can monitor, analyze, and plan activities with an integrated and collaborative solution.

- IT managers can drive better adoption and compliance by enabling organizations to better associate business intelligence and corporate performance.
"

Check back soon as I continue to explore and post about our Wild Dynamics world. I will post more about PerformancePoint, The latest public news on DAX 5.0, and much, much more!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Microsoft Dynamics AX infrastructure map (the stack)

Alright,

To back into things I thought I would post a link to a nice Microsoft Dynamics AX page. Basically it is the infrastucture map (the stack) done in a Visio diagram. It's a nice diagram for showing people what all can be a part of the Dynamics AX product stack. Check out the link here: The Stack

Check back soon and we continue to explore the wild wild world of Dynamics AX! :-)

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

TechEd 2007 InfoPath demo bits

Alright,

This is my last day of vacation. It's been fun, and so I am trying to get back into the grove of things. Well in that I have been doing so reading around the web, catching up on things in the community and all. I came across the Microsoft X++ teams blog. Not many post yet, but you can tell there is going to be some really content here. you can check this: X++ Team Blog

In reading over this, which some nice post already, I came across something I wanted to post about, which was using InfoPath 2007 to interact with Dynamics AX with, as a front end forms processor / client. Now the direction taking here is a 'Connected State' direction, which mine was going to be more of an Asychronous state of interaction. Still you could easily take the example provided here: Example from the X++ Team And turn that it to something that works in a disconnected fashion. Think of a salesman traveling around, generating Sales Quotes that needed to be submitted, when connected, to the CRM module in Dynamics AX.

Anyway I wanted to post this link to the X++ team blog, and that article as well for something that everyone should keep an eye on for good information. Well check back as I start my regular postings again. I am about to wrap up my focus on the .Net and Dynamics AX [I will come back later to this] and move to advanced SQL Server tunning and performance enhancements with Dynamics AX. Check back soon!

Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com

Welcome to Microsoft Robotics Studio (1.5)

Alright,

Well I am still on vacation. I had a blast at the beach, super fun and am I not ready for it to be over yet. Anyway I am getting back into things, and came across something while reading. I know that a few of you might have heard about Microsoft's move into Robotics. Well check this out: Welcome to Microsoft Robotics Studio (1.5)

I have always had a attraction to robotics, and have always Wanted the time to explore that hobby interest. I might be closer than I think with Microsoft's release here. Now I know this does not have a direct tie into Dynamics AX. It could one day, it a far fetched now, but it could. Either way I had to write about this, because it is just too cool. :-) So there is the geek in me. It's worth a sometime to read about. Very interesting. Well check back soon as I come off of vacation and back full steam into our Dynamic World, with more posts about Dynamics AX!


Find a job at: www.DynamicsAXJobs.com