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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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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Introducing IDB Solutions - a new start!

It is with great pleasure, that today with the official start of #Conv12 I can introduce my new venture: IDB Solutions, LLC. Our focus is being a consulting firm that drives value for new & existing Microsoft Dynamics AX customers & partners.

We have set ourselves up in a way, that our customers are both partners & customers in the Dynamics Ecosystem. Being that our drive, and primary goal is around value for partners & customers connect with us, to find out how we can help you with your project needs!

The following is a list of services we offer.:

• Microsoft Dynamics AX - From Upgrades to AX 2012, helping with new implementations, Business Process Modeling, complex integration's as well as development & technical services.
• Business Intelligence - our deep understanding and focus around AX, IDB Solutions can help deliver the most value for you through correct definition, development and use of BI
• Cloud Computing - Focused on the correct use of cloud computing technologies for extending your AX solution.
• Mobile ERP / CRM - Implementing ISV Solutions & custom development for mobile solutions that deliver real value for your AX needs.

I'm currently at Convergence 2012, so make sure to connect with us and see how our knowledge and expertise can drive the most value for your project needs! Till Next Time!

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"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"