AXUG Community Site - Collaborate, learn, share & more!

I hope everyone is doing well this fine Dynamics filled Thursday! There is a lot of great things taking place in the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem, so much in fact that it's easily to get lost in the noise at times. Enter the newly minted, and very active AXUG Community Site.



This site is well under way in adding value to the community at large, and helps further complete the knowledge story for our ever growing ecosystem. I know for example, I find myself deep into scoping engagement and project work. That is what pays the bills, but at the same time am needing new ways to stay informed connected and focused. I'm finding, personally, that there is a lot of great information and value with my recent use of the AXUG Community site.



There are several ways in which you can join into the conversations taking place. Further creating new blog entries and sharing information that you learn. Getting involved with the many targeted communities that are represented in the collaboration site and more.



You will find topics and tags that are trending right now. As you see in the screen shot about, Business Intelligence is a hot topic right now. This is one near and dear to me, being my new sole focus for the Dynamics Ecosystem.



Further, you can see from the above screen shot and resource link, that clicking on a specific topic can take you to very relevant information. This happens to be one of the sessions I was *not* able to lead at Convergence 2013 due to being out sick. However you can still gain access to my slide deck. This can be of help, and further looking forward to presenting on this for AXUG in the near future.

All-in-all, this post is all about highlighting the value the community site at AXUG brings to our ecosystem. It helps customers & partners connect in a way only AXUG can offer.

Well that is all for this highlight post. I hope that you take the time to join in the conversation and get the intended value that this resource brings! Til Next Time!
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Review: "Dynamics AX Performance Optimization Guide"

I hope everyone is doing well this fine Friday! I wanted to spend time today, giving you my insights into a recently published book. That being the title of "Dynamics AX Performance Optimization Guide."



First let me say that the depth on the database & query optimization that is given within the pages of this book is worth the purchase. The focus around optimizing the database, for sure is the right focus. I would say, in the field, 80% of the performance issues I've ran across relate directly to a Dynamics AX instance SQL Server. Further, 60-70% of these performance issues identified, usually relate back to indexes. This could be anything from missing indexes, or not having indexes properly configured and covering for where clauses of select statements.

This book goes into good detail around specific settings, how to trace down resource bottlenecks for a Dynamics AX database and more. It goes into the most commonly used Dynamic Managed Views (DMVs). Further it makes a solid attempt actually on trying to address the virutalization side of performance as it relates to Dynamics AX. Wait types, addressing blocking and other such common performance issues are well addressed in this book.



Now that being stated, like all reviews it can't all be good. You can tell that both Martin Zhen & Daniel Liao have spent time in the trenches chasing down resource vampires. Still even with my recommendation of buying this book already, it lacks in several area's.

First, section 3.11 on page 102 titled "Offload Reporting (SSRS)" is a mere nod at the point of reporting and it's impact around performance. It's a single paragraph, that honestly should have just been left off. There is no depth to this point, and it adds little value to the reader wanting to understand this very important topic.

Finally, it lacks in the focus of performance making use of SQL Server 2012 can bring, and further with it's Always On technology. I would also like to have seen mention around InformationSource. I realize however you can't cover every topic around performance or the book would be about 10 times the size that it currently represents.

Final verdict on this book, 3 out of 5 stars. It's for sure got some really great nuggets of information. It's not just for administrator / DBA / consultant types either. It would benefit well that a Dynamics AX developer, read and understand the contents of this book. It would help them in being able to grasp what their code is doing to the actual underlying data layer from X++ code. Further, helping put forth the practice of using the trace parser when developing anything for Dynamics AX.

Well that is all for this review, many thanks to Martin Zhen & Daniel Liao for completing a very nice book, that helps address and give insight on the majority of where performance issues live - The Dynamics AX Database!Til Next Time!
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From Power View to Cube and back again - A Recap Friday

Well what have we here now? Another Friday has settled upon us. Man what busy week this has been, filled with all kinds of great things. I wanted to take the time, and just post a recap of sorts from this & last weeks post. The goal and focus of these past weeks have been around truly using the BI Semantic Model within the context of Dynamics AX 2012 R2.



Without a doubt for each of the topics covered, there is plenty of room for extended reach & depth of knowledge. We can easily spend hours, upon hours within Power View design concepts and more. Further, we could opine and expound on the many depths that exist within the realm of SSAS cubes. Topics as deep as Tuples, and the underlying structures that contain our aggregated measures & dimension attributes. However, while there might be some value for certain people in such a deep journey of understanding for each of the fore mentioned topics, the point would be lost of what the goal really is.



That goal my friends is the enablement of quick consumption of data assets. This is the real goal of any business intelligence story that is to be crafted for a company. Owning the data, and turning that data into a real asset that goes to work for companies. With this goal in mind then, the following is a recap of the recent post, with the goal of quickly getting you up & running with Power View. Further, showing you how *any* cube can be the target for such personal BI artifacts.

• AX 2012 R2 and PowerView - Part I
• AX 2012 R2 and PowerView - Part II Extending
• The Cube behind the Power View - Part I - Perspective
• The Cube behind the Power View - Part II - Create, Deploy & Process

Now having each of these reviewed, you should see how simple it really is to empower yourself and your company or clients to truly start embracing the full BI Semantic Model. When Microsoft Dynamics AX is your system of record, and acting as your main data mart, then you have a great BI offering built right into the product. This is what we refer to as Tier 1 BI for Dynamics AX customers. Meaning that nothing but the stack of Office+SharePoint+SQL Server (OSS) is used to craft a BI story for a company. It's very feasible, and does not take a deep understanding of the empowering underlying technologies to get started.

Well that's all I wanted to gab about today with you. The end result is less focus around what tool really, and more about the data. To much focus at times is placed in the ecosystem currently around specific tools, and myths of 'removing IT' from the equation. The goal is putting your data to work for you, and then the tool comes into focus for the specific BI artifacts that are needed to get the job done.



I would like to add an interesting note here. This is actually my first full blog post, from my new Surface Pro 128 GB version. I'm typing this from the 'real keyboard' cover type as well as having the use of the Surface mouse and stylus for completion of task. I must say I'm very impressed and really looking to push this to the limits. Til Next Time!
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AX 2012 R2 and PowerView - Part I

Well here we find ourselves well into spring and I must say it's a cold one thus far. I'm for sure ready for long, warm sunny days and all the fun that comes with it. That being said, and my battle with the norovirus behind me I wanted to start my writings back to you with a focus around Dynamics AX 2012 & PowerView.


PowerView Design Surface

Without a doubt this topic deserves a good bit of coverage as this truly is a powerful, personal BI enabling technology. Let me states now, as I have in the past, BI is not about a tool. True business insights & intelligence is about owning your data and turning into a true asset. That stated, we must understand the tools that help us yield forth value added insights. Enter now, the focus on Microsoft PowerView and how's it's fired, used and managed within the context of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2.

For starters, let me give you a great reference resource. It's the official home page for PowerView.: Microsoft Business Intelligence - PowerView.



I think without a doubt, the above referenced resource page has some really interesting demos that showcase the power or PowerView. Further there are plenty of resources on the web, that can take one through the design and usage of PowerView. Before getting into some real examples of how this can be used, I think it's very important to understand how PowerView is targeted to be fired and consume data from Dynamics AX 2012 R2. Therefore, the goal of this post is to do just that. Infer the knowledge of how PowerView works with Dynamics AX, and how it's fired out-of-the-box. After having this knowledge we can then proceed together down a path of examples for how this can be used, and further extended.



The first thing to learn is how to fire PowerView from within Dynamics AX 2012 R2. Throughout different sections of the product, you will find a new icon as pictured above called "Analyze Data - Reporting". This button, is tied to specific action menu items, depending on what focused module of Dynamics AX you happen to be in. As-is, there are three focuses for such PowerView artifact creation, based on these action menu items of.: CreatePowerViewReport *CustCube, *LedgerCube, *VendCube.



Each of these action menu items points to a single class within the AOT named PowerViewReporting. This class takes specific parameters for which targeted OLAP cube should be used for creating ad-hoc or personal BI artifacts.



Looking into the main method of the PowerViewReporting class, we find that this further calls into another class, passing in the datasource of focus. The cube for the specific area of Dynamics AX that you happen to be in. This other class is the SrsReportHelper class. It has a brand new method called: getPowerViewDataSourceUrlClient().



Within the call of this method, exists a new managed code element understood as: Microsoft.Dynamics.Framework.Portal.Deployment.PowerViewDeploymentHelper

Now we understand when we are on the Purchase Orders form, and we see the Analyze Data icon that the data we are about to tackle is based on the VendCube. The VendCube field list of measures & dimensions is then what you see rendered in the right hand screen of the PowerView design space.


VendCube Field List in PowerView

Well that's all for this first post around PowerView. I hope this helps the understanding of this great new tool and how it interacts with Dynamics AX 2012 R2 out-of-the-box. Next post, I will create a brand new cube with Dynamics AX 2012 R2, and show you how to extend the PowerView framework for Dynamics AX to target that cube for Analysis. Thanks for reading, and check back soon! Til Next Time!
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Spotlight: Is EDI Driving your business up or downhill?

Recently I had the change to virtually sit down with Glenn McPeak - Principal Architect for Data Masons. The focus of this spotlight could not come at a better time, with Convergence 2013 kicking off for some of us this weekend! Glenn takes us into a valuable point, one that Data Masons can truly help answer. To their credit Data Masons is the only Certified for Microsoft Dynamics (CFMD) EDI solution within the Dynamics Ecosystem. This is an attribute to their expertise in the field.


Glenn McPeak - Principal of Data Mason's

Now that Dynamics AX 2012 and AX 2012 R2 have hit the road, we’re engaging with more and more customers who are making the move to these latest versions, whether it’s an upgrade or a new implementation. Selecting the ERP is the hard part, but from an ISV viewpoint, we hope that AX customers apply the same level of evaluation they used when considering the ERP to selecting their add-on solutions. Microsoft put a tremendous amount of resources into creating a product that stood behind its strategy, and to insure your investment, it’s critical that the ISVs you engage share the same strategy.

Making quick decisions, or cost-based selections, or even just applying the “it gets the job done” attitude to choosing ISV solutions can lead your business downhill, causing you to lose the competitive ground for which Dynamics AX sets you up. To fully-leverage your Dynamics AX investment and to move your business forward, we encourage AX customers to take the time needed to put their ISV solution providers to the test.

How You Can Determine the Uphill Drivers When it Comes to EDI?

Have you ever met an EDI solution provider who did not claim to offer “tight integration” and “ease-of-use” among other commonly claimed capabilities? When it comes to selecting a Microsoft Dynamics EDI solution you have to know what questions to ask in order to differentiate between all of the available technology options. If talking with a salesperson, you can easily get confused as to which solution is the right choice for your business when they all seem to claim the same capabilities. But this perception could not be farther from the truth, as there is a wide gap between Dynamics EDI offerings, from the technology model through to the customer support guarantee.



The EDI for Microsoft Dynamics Evaluation Check List is designed to take you beyond the product data sheet and software demonstration to uncover the distinguishing factors between various Dynamics EDI options. For example, do you know if the solution is flexible enough to be deployed in the cloud or on-premise? If deployed in the cloud, is there any local software component? Does the solution provider offer a fully- outsourced compliance management service and the ability for you to manage your own mapping and compliance?

Is EDI Driving Your Business Uphill or Downhill?

No matter where you are with EDI – currently using a solution, evaluating different options, or considering an EDI implementation – we challenge you to put EDI solution providers to the test. By asking the right questions, you can save yourself time and resources in making the right choice for your business and set your business up for long-term, uphill success with Dynamics AX EDI.

I would like to take this time to thank Glenn as well as Data Masons as a whole. Thank them for the great value they bring to the Dynamics Ecosystem and for being a sponsor of this blog.

Well that is all I have for this post. Check back soon and often as I cover the upcoming Convergence 2013 event. I will be heading towards NOLA this Sunday morning, so I wish all of you that are going safe travels. Til Next Time!
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A Sunrise over Convergence 2013

Well it's a fine sunny, near spring day where I am. The birds and trees are starting to awaken, beckoning on the warmth as our world for the northern hemisphere tilts towards our solar system's star. This also is the time of year in which a lot of us within the Dynamics Solar system collide with one another at the annual Microsoft Dynamics Convergence Conference. This year it's being held in beautiful New Orleans!



While there will be plenty of chances for bonified beignets & beads - the real focus and value is around the connections and networking that is gained from attending this grand event. Thus beings another annual tradition of mine, an interview with President & Owner of Sunrise Technologies, John Pence.



Like all traditions, things are meant to adapt, change, and grow giving new life to new projects. This tradition is no different, and so for the first time this interview was captured on our company blog .: Implementing Great Ideas (Sunrise Technologies Company Blog).

To read the full interview, please make use of the following resource.: Brandon George Interviews Sunrise Technologies President, John Pence, about the Upcoming Microsoft Convergence Event.

There are some great nuggets of information contained within this interview, looking at this event from one of the leading VARs and from its President & Owners perspective. For example, I asked John to share about what he is looking forward to attending from a session point of view. John list a few great one's, but then finally states.: "The most important session is of course 'general networking' which I will be doing all day, every day. That is really the best reason to attend Convergence"

Some further tidbits of information are around Sunrise's efforts in hosting live demo's of the retail functionality that now comes as part of Dynamics AX 2012 R2. Further what is near and dear to my heart, John's take on what to look for around Business Intelligence.

It's a great read, and I hope it get you into the mood and ready to Geaux Dynamics Style at Convergence 2013. Make sure to stay tuned and follow my tweets and blog post. This year enlist the MVP's that are attending in a more formal way for coverage of the event. So there will be more than you can handle in one day. If your attending great, if not - you should be able to keep up and stay excited still.

Well that's all for this post, I hope each and every one of you have a blessed Dynamics filled day! Til Next Time!
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