Intelligent Data Management Framework For Microsoft Dynamics AX

Last week, during all the sessions, a nice little update took place for the IDMF, or Intelligent Data Management Framework, for Microsoft Dynamics AX.

First off, a direct link (PartnerSource or CustomerSource Access Required), to the IDMF download area can be found here.: Intelligent Data Management Framework Download.

Now, let me say this.: Every Customer and Partner, with an AX instance from 3.0, 4.0 and 2009 should be downloading this and looking at it.

If you don't have a good partner, contact me and I can hook you up with a partner that understands the value this brings.

From the IDMF page.:
"The Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics® AX helps administrators optimize Dynamics AX database layout by providing functionality to manage key database layout techniques, by way of intuitive Archiving and Purging capabilities.

The framework provides the platform for reduction in database size by purging and archiving of transactions records from sets of relating entities, while maintaining the consistency and integrity of production data. The Intelligent Data Management Framework provides customers and partners the ability to identify and discover related entities based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX metadata and to determine the purging or archiving criteria for tables.

The Intelligent Data Management Framework also analyzes the Production database to determine usage patterns and assesses the health of the Microsoft Dynamics AX Application. This Framework is compatible with all supported versions of Dynamics AX. The Intelligent Datat Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX is a benefit of staying enrolled in a Business Ready Enhancement plan."

This is meant to be a tool, that resides along side Dynamics AX, to offer a company the ability to archive inactive data, and also remove marked obsolete data. This can happen by Fiscal Year, and done via the options and Dashboard within the client of the IDMF.

This framwork using Microsoft technologies, that you could create yourself, is being offered to those customers that stay actively enrolled in a Business Ready Enhancement plan, from Microsoft itself.

This framework makes use of SSIS packages, DMV's for Performance, ability to mark and see inactive data and move that data to an archive location, move it back as needed or mark as obsolete for total removal.

The following is a direct link to a presentation put on by Tao Wang Principal Development Manager Dynamics AX performance, at the AXUG Summit this year: TEC01 - The New Intelligence Data Management (IDM) Tool

Tao does a great job of going over the fact that the IDMF is very much a scalable solution. In that all can be on a single mahince, or as needed parts of it spread and scaled correctly, based on need.

Up until the release of this tool, Partners and Customers did what this tool already does. Create SSIS packages, use DMV's manaually and understanding what DMV's exists, how to join them and read them. Now, with this tool, both DB health, and size related to indexes, and inactive data can be dealt with, in a nice dashboard fashion.

I highly recommend downloading this now, and reviewing it. Set it up to hit a test instance of AX, and run through all the options it offers. Archive inactive data, bring it back, look at the performance dashboards, etc. etc.

That's all for now, but thanks Microsoft for taking and release to the public this great tool!

Till next time!

"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"

MSDW: MDM vs. IDM

Recently, over at MSDynamicsWorld.com, an article was posted about 'MDM vs. IDM'. This article talked about SOA, and the importance of understanding what Master Data Management means.

I assume this was prompted by the soon to be released IDM, or Intelligent Data Management tool that will be coming out for Dynamics AX. This was actually talked about during convergence, and there is not a lot out there right now talking about this.

I agree with the article, the points about needing to understand MDM, or Master Data Management, specifically in regard to SOA. And why would that be important? Well the reason is, as in previous posts I have pointed out.:

-Microsoft's strategy and vision for Dynamics AX and SOA
-WCF: The Enterprise Service Bus for Dynamics AX and the rest of the Microsoft Stack

SOA, and the cloud, are becoming more and more important and very much a part of Dynamics AX. SOA or WCF Services are being developed for the next versions of Dynmaics AX so even the internal modules that make up Dynamics AX will communicate with each other in such a way. And what does this mean? This means that then parts of a Dynamics AX instance could truly be in the cloud, with other parts being on premise at the customer still. (Not all modules or types of processes make sense for the cloud, like MRP, etc.)

So to Jeff's point in the article, that it's very important to understand and develop processes and polocies for Managing your Master Data, he is right. What will lead you though, to that understanding and give you the ability to develop such processes and polocies is understanding what technologies will make this up, so that the solution can be properly deployed, and therefore proper and correct processes and polocies can be setup for managing your Master Data.

For example, take my post about the future of Microsoft BI: Project Gemini, that was demoed in full this week at TechEd.

In that post I go over the future, and part of that is Excel Services. Note the part, that IT orgs will be able to use this to control access to your data. The point should be well understood, in that, if there is not control, several versions of "the truth" start to exists, and without proper control this can get out of hand, and get a company in trouble.

So it's very important that your partner understands these technologies, the future of them, and can work with you to develop a plan. I happen to know one of the best, Sunrise Technologies, Inc.. If your needing a partner that understands this, and understands the technologies, and deep vertical knowledge you need, then feel free to contact us from the link provided.

As for IDM, more will be coming out soon about that. I am lining up some Microsoft technical interviews about this release. The point of IDM is well covered in Jeff's article, linked from the top. It is a tool that will help manage an instance of Dynamics AX, to cut down on unneeded data, to archive old data and help with even indexes.

Well check back soon, as more great post to come! See you then!



"Visit the Dynamics AX Community Page today!"