AX 2012 - Public Sector Demo Image Refresh Released

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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Conv12 - Its a Wrap

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

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.:

• SQL Server 2012 - SSAS Tabular Modeling
• SQL Server 2012 & the Future of BI with Dynamics AX
• Understanding Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) & Future with AX 2012

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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Conv12 Update

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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Conv12 - Here we come!

I hope everyone has had a great week so far. Personally I've been super busy, and getting ready for next weeks Conv12! It's packed with a host of great sessions, materials, speakers, training & network opportunities. You can get full access to all the sessions, and tracks by going to the following resource.: Convergence 2012 - Session Catalog, Content, Tracks and more!



One of the great parts about Convergence, specifically for me, is the involvement of AXUG, and it's DayOne Events. These are always some really great sessions, round tables, panels and the like. Specifically I will be involved in leading, or help leading in the following session at Convergence.

UBAX03 - AXUG Special Interest Group (SIG) Roundtable Discussion: Software Architects
"Join fellow Microsoft Dynamics AX technical gurus who share the need to better understand how development and infrastructure in Microsoft Dynamics AX can be administered and utilized to support your company's needs. Listen, learn, and share your experiences around maintaining the environment, delivering quality X++ solutions, and how best to manage the Microsoft Dynamics AX performance with your database."

This event already has a good amount of people registered, and I will be helping host this session, along with some other great, and very active AXUG community contributors, including: Mike Simms, Joel Pietrantozzi, Jason Thorpe & Christian Fordham.

Right after that, we have the next section I will be involved in.:
UBAX14 - AXUG Special Interest Group (SIG) Roundtable Discussion: Business Intelligence & Reporting
" In this exciting session, join fellow Microsoft Dynamics AX users who share the need to better understand how best to utilize Microsoft Dynamics AX reporting to meet user needs. This AXUG SIG breakout session will discuss the various approaches and techniques that users are utilizing to meet reporting requirements, including both standard Dynamics AX and SSRS approaches."

This event should be a great one as well, and once again I will be joining with other community giants, to help make this a wonderful event like: Mike Simms, Joel Pietrantozzi & Jason Thorpe

Directly related to the above session, keep your eye open, and sign up for my upcoming three part series I'm putting on through the AXUG Academy BI with Dynamics AX 2012: Options, Development, and Delivery I will cover more about that series, right after Convergence. So if your attending the BI & Reporting SIG at AXUG DayOne, then joining us for the three part series will carry over and help you create a true BI story for your company, using AX 2012. Further, I will dive into the upcoming SQL Server 2012 BI abilities & AX 2012 RC2



Moving right along into the week at Conv12, and along these same topic lines, for both Monday and Tuesday, I will facilitate two "Birds of a Feather: Microsoft Dynamics AX" sessions. These will be open discussions, specifically focused around BI & Reporting for Microsoft Dynamics AX.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you understand that BI is one of my expertise, and specifically a topic in which I believe a lot of customers never fully get the full benefit of. There is a lot of value that can be added through understanding the BI as it relates to Dynamics AX 2012. Having the knowledge of working with the right tools, for the right job, is critical is driving that value, through BI concepts.

Further, I will continue to post and dive into real world BI examples, and needs, with the goal, once again of driving the most value out of your existing AX investment.

Finally, I will close with there is going to be a lot going on at Convergence 2012, so make sure you have used your schedule builder, and get the most out of your visit. You can follow my tweets as I do live event coverage while at Conv12 at: @DynamicsERP. Well that's all for this post, I will have one more tomorrow, and then it's off to see everyone at Conv12. Further there will be plenty of blog post during, as well as post Convergence as we continue this Dynamics AX journey together. Till Next Time!
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AXUG - From A Nice-Have To Must-Have: Social Media For Microsoft Dynamics Community Members

I wanted to take the time and highlight a specific AXUG Webinar event taking place next week. AXUG From A Nice-Have To Must-Have: Social Media For Microsoft Dynamics Community Members.

This event is being headlined by none other than Dynamics Social Media King, Jon Rivers! You can connect with Jon Rivers, via the following ways:
LinkedIn: Jon Rivers Profile
Twitter: @Jon_Rivers
Blog: Datamson's blog

From the event details:
"Don’t miss out and join this session to learn from a known expert in the Dynamics social space. Jon Rivers of Data Masons Software will share his insight into social media trends and explain why his company made the decision to integrate social media as a major part of their business strategy. Jon will discuss how Dynamics community members can leverage social media to network 24/7/365, gain knowledge from other professionals and stay in-the-know on Microsoft's latest announcements and initiatives."

I recommend anyone wanting to leverage Jon's social media expertise sign up for the event. It's perfect timing as well, just before Convergence 2012!

That' all for now, Till Next Time!

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AX 2012 - Server Configuration Performance Options Review

I wanted to take a little time this fine Friday, and review some of the new options that exists when it comes to the AOS Server Configuration in AX 2012. There are a few new things to point out, really a decent amount of things, and it's important to understand them.



As you can see from the screen shot above, to get started with this review we need to look at the System Administration > Setup > System > Server Configuration. In doing so, a form like the one shown in the following screen shot should appear.



You maybe familiar with this form, basically it list all the AOS instances that make up the current Microsoft Dynamics AX instance your connected to. Further you have some of the more standard configuration options on the right, per select AOS. These include the ability to set Batch schedule times, max batch threads and even if an AOS is meant to be considered as a batch server.

What you may not be familiar with is a little hidden part of this server configuration form. To get to this, as shown in the following screen shot, you must scroll with the right far side scroll bar, as highlighted so you can see Performance Options smart tab.



In doing this, when you expand the performance options, you will notice that there are two main groups. A group, related to such performance settings for 'Settings for All AOS Instances' as well as 'Cache limits for this AOS instance.'

You will notice that when looking at this, and comparing these two main groups, that only the cache limits can has a specific AOS override. Other settings like Error on invalid field access or Maximum number of Tables in a Join are specific to the entire instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This means those such settings applies across all AOS(es).



I've highlighted a few options in the above screen shot. You can see that the first highlighted option is the maximum number of Tables in a Join. This limit exists, because with all the great new data models changes in AX 2012, there can be some performance issues. Specifically related to creating queries, calls and the like which could cause a massive amount of joins. The out-of-the-box is 27, and this is one settings that is something I've personally had to change for a few clients already. Be careful with it, it's there to limit for a reason.

Further highlighted we have some of the caches, like the amount of objects in the Global Object Cache. This is the size of the objects keep in RAM, for a Specific AOS. This is also now known as the SysGlobalCache. What's interesting to point out, and very important to understand with these cache point of views, is that these caches are always contained within an AOS. This means there are no cache sharing taking place between AOS(es) that you might have in your instance of AX.

Just because you have the option of overriding the cache values for a specific AOS, and you instead use the global setting, should not imply that the cache's are shared among the AOS(es).

I think, for now this is a good introduction to the Server Configuration within AX 2012, specifically the Performance Options for AOS(es). The key take away's are understanding how to get to these values, how caches act within the context of an AOS, and specific instance wide global settings, like Maximum tables in a join.

That's all for this week, I hope everyone has a great weekend, and make sure to check back soon. There is a lot more coming, including the build up to #CONV12. Till Next Time!

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