AX 2012 - Hiding a form control without code

With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the whole concept of Model more and code less is in full affect. The idea behind modeling, is that you cut down on the need to create custom code, to achieve needs. This is a great overall concept, and we are seeing this in Workflows, and well as Security.



So taking this to heart, and running with it, lets say you have a request to hide a form control, based on some context. Lets pick a functional one, in that we don't want users, who have read only access to a form, to see a specific form control.

In the past, real simple steps could be taking to do this, and a popular way of handling such a request, would be to (a) Make sure the control had AutoDeclaration set to yes, and (b) override the init() method of the form, and work with the forms .visible() property. This would be based on either, say the company, or a security key in the pre-AX 2012 days.

This however has changed with AX 2012, and we can achieve this need, without any code actually. How you may ask? Well check out the following Microsoft resource: Security Permissions Properties for a Form [AX 2012]

"To see a particular control on a form, the user must have a permission to the control that is at least as strong as the permission the control requires.
For example, suppose a control has its NeededPermission property set to Update. A user who has only Read permission does not see the control on the form. But the control is visible to another user who has Update or Delete permission to the control."

So lets explain this a little bit then, shall we? To start, we have a need Permissions node that lives under the form objects now.



With this, we see, as mentioned in the above resource, the Read, Update, Create and Delete Permission nodes. Each of this are in order of weakest to strongest security. In that, if a user has a privilege that enables them to have Read access to the form, and then control had the needed permission of Update, the user Would not see the control on the form. Since this is the desired scope, then we understand how we can relate privilege's to NeededPermission.

When looking under these nodes, you would not drag or drop controls under each. Nor do you create new elements, under the Controls node. If, we want to take a control, and have it's NeededPermission to be set as Update, then we must go to that Control, open the properties, and set the NeededPermission value as so.



On saving of this property change, we can now see that under the Update node of the Forms Permissions, contained within the Controls section, we see now our 'Control2' has appeared.



Now through proper security setup, when users only have Read level permissions to our form, they will not see the Control2, form control. So we have used security modeling aspects of AX 2012, and not code, to enable the visibility of a control on a form. Pretty powerful huh?

Well that's all for this post, I hope this helps someone out. Keep checking back as we continue to dive more and more into AX 2012.

Till next time!

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Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow - Part III - Enabling Custom Workflows

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, one of the more interesting improvements has been around Workflows, and their desired use for modeling business processes within AX 2012. This is why I started a series of post, that will cover workflows in AX 2012, and how the vision is truly to enable a model more and code less, for modeling business processes. I started off this series, with Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow. In that we reviewed the vision, in how workflows were going to remove the gap that exists between development and business process modeling.

From there, we took the workflow topic, and talked in the post about, Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow - Part II - What's new. In that post, we covered the what's new for AX 2012 workflows vs. AX 2009. We also covered that workflows can not be upgraded from AX 2009 to AX 2012 workflows. This is a truly different engine and, so it's really impossible to create a script that would enabling the upgrading of AX 2009 workflows to AX 2012. You would want to take advantage of the what's new in workflows for AX 2012 anyway, and so the value of offering an upgrade on that thought alone, makes such an upgrade have an even smaller chance of adding value.

Well we continue our dive into workflows, for AX 2012, with this post focusing on Enabling Custom Workflows in AX 2012. Like a lot of topics, with AX 2012, there are some really wonderful, existing resources out there, from Microsoft and from other places, that I will link to from this post, that help send what's required for custom workflows to exist. These resources, will enable use to create custom workflows and to enable workflows for modules, and forms that don't already have workflows enabled for use.

From there, I will circle back around about the vision, and desire for workflows to be used over development. So lets get started, by reviewing some existing resources online. First lets make a stop at Implementing workflow for Microsoft Dynamics AX [AX 2012]. This is a very important resource, and the very first book marked one that you add right now. This is a great resource, that will take you through the Creating workflow Types, Handling Workflow Events, Workflow Security and so on.

On this MSDN Resource page, you will also find some very useful and helpful walkthroughs.:

• Walkthrough: Creating a Workflow Type
• Walkthrough: Creating a Workflow with a Task and an Approval
• Walkthrough: Adding Workflow to an Existing Form

With these resources, you can easily start to take advantage of workflow development, and enabling workflows on existing items, as well as totally custom modules in AX 2012.

Some of the main take away's from this, is that now more than ever, it's easy to enable workflows, and so all business process design, should be considered with this fact in mind. Workflows in AX 2012 are flexible, not rigid. They are easy to design, and maintain, and decrease the technical scope it takes to meet a specific companies requirements. Think of workflows first in your designs, before you would think of specific development modifications only. That still might be needed, but it's a lot better move to have a workflow when possible than total custom code.

Well I hope this has you thinking of workflows, and it's impact and importance on design for AX 2012 projects. This is a great leap forward, and part of that bigger Modeling the world picture. That's all for now, but check back soon as a whole lot more to come! Till next time!

Also Don't forget this! Make sure to visit the following: Have Questions about Upgrading to Dynamics AX 2012? Get Your Answers Here! Make sure and submit those questions. Any and all levels, from planning, to PM, to Functional, Technical. The idea is to foster total community knowledge about this important topic.

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Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow - Part II - What's new

Recently, I started series for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, focused on Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow. In the first part of that series, I covered past post, that talked to and relayed the vision behind the desired use of workflows in AX 2012 to design and configure business processes with. In this post I continue this series, with Part II, whats new.

A lot has changed with workflows, when comparing AX 2012 to AX 2009, and so in order to help facilitate our dive into workflows, we need to understand what is new, and what the new abilities bring to the game.



To help jump start our understanding of what is new in AX 2012 for Workflows, Microsoft has done a bang up job of providing us some nice information, specifically on this topic. I recommend going to the following resource, for a look at what's new in AX 2012 and workflows: MSDN: What's New: Workflow [AX 2012]

Some of the more interesting highlights of what's new in workflows are:

• Simplified installation - Workflow server components no longer must be installed on a web server that is running Internet Information Services (IIS). Workflow server components are now automatically installed when you install Microsoft Dynamics AX Application Object Server (AOS).



• Workflow editor - The workflow editor is a graphical user interface (GUI) that you can use to create Microsoft Dynamics AX workflows by arranging workflow elements on a design surface. The process resembles the process for graphically modeling a business process by using Microsoft Visio. You can add, delete, and reposition elements that represent the tasks and approvals that make up the workflow. You can also add flow-control elements, such as manual and automated decisions. As a result, you can create complex workflows that exactly model the business processes that you want to automate. For more information, see About the workflow editor.



• Parallel activity – A workflow element that includes two or more branches that run at the same time. Note:This is a huge improvement, and shows the flexibility and power of using the .Net Workflow engine, hosted within AOS.

There are a number of other great improvements, that AX 2012 workflows bring, that just did not exists out of the box with AX 2009. The only low light, that I think is well worth pointing out, is the following.:
"Workflows that were created in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 are not upgraded. Before you upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, we recommend that you either process or recall all business documents that have been submitted for processing."

This is actually very understandable, as the workflow engine in AX 2009 was not the .Net hosted workflow engine really. It was a tack on, very limited offering, that can't compare to what AX 2012 workflows now offer. To try and enable a direct upgrade for these elements, just does not drive value, for the cost. The better value is to recreate, and take advantage of the new workflow elements, and possibilities that now exists in AX 2012.

I want to finish this part II of this series, with understanding what's new in AX 2012 for workflows is key to helping see, and know the possibilities and therefore benefits with using workflows. This is not the same workflow possibilities that were limited in AX 2009.

I plan on trying to keep each post in this series very focused, in building up to the point to where we are building custom workflows, and enabling them all throughout an AX 2012 instance. It think it's important we spend time through the different existing documentation Microsoft provides, we can build a solid base of knowledge, in which to use and extend with. To that end, that's all for now, check back soon though as a whole lot more to come. Till next time!



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Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow

With the release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, a powerful new way of approaching business process design is given to us. I spoke about this back in an earlier post this year, on Modeling the world, with Dynamics AX. I also continued to talk to this point, with my last interview with Microsoft's own Lachlan Cash.

In that interview, I asked Lachlan about the vision Microsoft has for modeling business processes within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, through the use of the Workflow designer. I don't want to re-hash the entire answer, you can go back and read that post from the link above. I do however want to preface this series of post I'm starting, with the following quote from that interview.

"The goal with such items, as the workflow engine is to address the need to bridge the gap between development vs. business process modeling. To take and drive true BP workflows, down to the end user level."

Well here we are, now with AX 2012 alive, kicking and screaming. Well, not sure about the screaming part, but you get the idea. So it's time to start taking the tools, and taking the vision, and by example see this in action, and the value it brings now, and for the future.

To that end, and as I have already mentioned, this is the start of my series on Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow.



For this first post, I want to spend time talking about the value this vision is meant to bring. Talk to the reality of what we currently have, and the ability for partners and customers to adopt this type of approach as part of the overall implementation project, for meeting business requirements.

First the value of such a vision. I've had long talks about this with plenty of people inside and outside of Microsoft. If you read through some of my earlier post, I mention terms like domains specific languages, and the ability to model more and code less. Such terms help describe the vision, and the perceived value supporting the vision is around being more agile, and flexible in the business processes that a company governs and uses.

There have been plenty attempts in the past to do code generation, and this is not the same vision, as what we are talking about doing with workflow to model business processes with. No, instead we are talking about enabling the ability to create workflow elements, that connect into custom components, to enable a business process to exists. The idea, is that this workflow framework, and the elements that make it up, could be used, to create and model business processes, that, in the past would be done through mostly custom code, and parameter based configurations.

So, that is the targeted value, for taking this vision and making it a reality in your AX 2012 projects. The next area we need to look at, is the reality of the current offerings, within AX 2012.



Here we will see, that Microsoft does provide some out-of-the-box offerings, that follow this vision, to enable business process modeling. For example, if you go to Organization Administration, Setup, Workflow, Organization Workflows then you will see, on creating a new workflow whats comes with AX 2012. These are: Case Management workflow, Document Handling & Signing limits workflow. These are workflow templates, that are made up of the elements you see in the image just above this paragraph.

So the reality is, there are some out-of-the-box offerings, in which we can start to use for taking and making the vision a reality. We must also taper this vision, to reality, with the fact that value should drive what we do. I know I sound like a broken record at times, when it comes to business value, but I don't think it can be said enough.

Also, while speaking to the point of reality, AX 2012 is actually the first major stepping stone, in this grand vision of modeling the world, from a business process modeling point of view. So to this point, this is why we see in the offerings from Microsoft that comes with AX 2012, are not very deep, and only enabled and used in certain parts of the application itself.

This brings me to my final point for this first post, which is the ability for the partner and customer to adopt this vision, and thought process, for achieving business requirements, via business process modeling through workflows.

Because there are so many options, and great new features within AX 2012, and we still have time lines and budgets to meet when it comes to AX 2012 implementations, the temptation will be to get this done, and not make use of workflows that much. When weighted against value, which is what should drive the design, and a workflow could meet the business requirement needs, for the business process, that would actually reduce development effort, but require some custom workflow elements, then that approach should be considered.

This is where the rubber meets the road, and where AX 2012 projects, and those who are implementing it, need to really understand the ability of AX 2012. They need to know the vision for the workflows modeling business processes, and the reality of the value this might can bring.

The flip side of that, is not everything is meant to have a workflow govern it, and you can never get away from custom code. I hope, however, to take and through my series on Modeling Business Processes with AX 2012 and Workflow's, that you will see the power this brings, the flexibility, and good examples of using this on projects now, and in the future.

That's all for this part in the series, but check back soon as a whole lot more to come. Till next time!


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Spotlight: Dynamics AX Musings

I thought I would start off this week, with a blog spotlight. It's so important for the growth of the Microsoft Dynamics AX Community at large, for those that have been working with the product, and can give in depth knowledge tidbits, to write and share their knowledge.

With that, I would like to highlight: Dynamics Ax Musings

This is the blog by Joris de Gruyter who is a true veteran of the Dynamics AX world.

Joris starting really sharing his knowledge last year, and has spear headed such wonderful projects, like the open-source, codplex project, Dynamics AX Build Scripts (And's it's TFS impacts), as well as sharing with us a great series of post on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

His in-depth cover of very specific, developer and technical engineer related topics, are exactly what is needed, and I hope you would bookmark his blog, and check for regular updates, as well as encourage Joris to continue in his efforts to help spread the good word of the brave new world Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 represents for all of us!

A great series that Joris just finished up was on AX 2012 Models & Events

• Part 1: Model Architecture
• Part 2: Events
• Part 3: The Power Combo

Joris really helps bring home some of the great new features, that makes Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, a truly powerfully simple, Generational Shift in ERP!

That's all for now, but check back soon as so much more to come! Till Next time!



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Modeling the world, with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Well as promised, this post is a part of my post Microsoft Dynamics AX Technincal Conference 2011 (DAXCONF) coverage. As the name implies, we are going to talk about models.

Now with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, modeling concepts are seen throughout the entire application. This ranges from deployment, to business logic, to the data layer, and beyond.

To help with all this modeling, I think its important to understand a general theme that is being used across Microsoft products and technology research. Take a look at the following site.: Microsoft's Technical Computings - "Modeling the world" Site.

It's very important, as a technical person, to understand the high level concepts, and theme's that Microsoft is using throughout it's products, and "Modeling the world" site is a PR attempt to help the world understand's Microsoft vision in this area.

Now take these concepts, and add pratical application to them. What do you get? A Generational Shift in ERP with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

This, by far, is not just a marketing tag line. The sheer amount of changes that is represented in the Dynamics AX 2012 release is huge compared to all the changes and improvements done to all the version of Dynamics AX, since Microsoft took over the development of the product.

These investments are all geared toward driving powerful, flexible & yet simple ERP software, that is designed with today's proven design models, and focused on modeling over coding.

This is actually not new to Microsoft Dynamics AX. Modeling concept has driven the product since day one. Ask any one of the Damgaurd guys, and they will tell you Model Driven Development was as the heart of the design, in creating concepts like an AOT. (Application Object Tree).

So with this shift in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, if Model Driven design has been a part of the many versions of AX that have been released, what is new? A lot!

First, lets start at the deployment level, with .axmodel files, and models that exists in layers. We got are first peek that this here.:

Dynamics AX 6.0: A look at MFP's write up on the AXModel concept


In this model concept, we see the ability to deploy objects through a new axmodel file concept, and also, we see within a given layer, the ability for multiple models to exists. This in turn empowers the ability for the AX customer to have multiple ISV solutions within a given layer. This also opens the door for more options between ISV's to offer a more simple and unified model for a customer with multiple ISV solutions as part of thier instance of AX.

The goal with this concept.: Simplify the deployment of objects, and multiple ISV solutions to a single layer

Moving from this level, we see modeling taking place at the database layer within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This, I should say is taking and modeling the dataset's that make up Dynamics AX 2012, through the use of table type hierarchies.

One could argue this point as more focring OO design concepts, onto relational data. Such concepts are not in place within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, with it's use of super types and sub-types for table objects. However, taking and designing such dataset layouts is based on a data modeling concept.

The goal here: Greater flexibility, with reduced size and greater noramilzation

For this area, we have not seen much in the public domain released yet. Only talked about. However in two weeks Microsoft will be releasing the compiled contect from #DAXCONF. With this release, we will see more concreate and abstract examples of this. ;-)

Moving up the chain, from the data layer, and into the business process layer, we see Workflows within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.



The above is a screen shot, from the following, in which the AX '6'+WF+.Net 4.0 preview was done, by Microsoft. Of course we know this now as the WF within Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Dynamics AX 6, DotNet 4 and the WF Designer

This modeling, for functional and technical consultants, will be a huge game changer. This alone with change the face of how Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP implementations are designed, planned, developed and executed. Why? you ask

Go back to modeling the world, and the theme being applied. This is Model Driven Development, for AX, at it's next level. Bringing the documentation of a process, the configuration of a process, and the modeling of a process together with WF.

In doing so, taking and raising the level in which business process modeling, or BP Modeling, takes place. It will use code elements, which some will be custom, or veritcal specific. However the idea is less code, and more modeling. Therefore taking and allowing the knowledgable BA or functional consultant to model a process with WF and AX 2012, and enable that process in doing so.

This is where the concepts of DSL's or Domain Specific Languages start to apply to Dynamics AX in a pratical way, to help resolve and address a companies business domain issues.

The point: Simplify the configuration and setup of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for a customer, with less code and more modeling.

So as we can see, modeling the world is a theme very much a part of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This truely is a Generational Shift with ERP design, and one that we all need to understand --- at all the levels it exists. It is going to change how we think, design, develop, deploy and run Microsoft Dynamics AX.

That's all for now, but be sure this is the first in many post. We are just getting started, with so much more to cover. Check back soon, as more to come!

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