AX 2012 - SysOperationFramework Documentation Refresh

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I know I got plenty of Sun, and like always never is long enough. I wanted to start of this weeks blogging focus around, a refresh for the formally known as Business Operations Framework (BOF) - SysOperationsFramework. This makes sense on the name change, because honestly this was only know as BOF in terms of documentation and blogs. If you ever worked with the BOF, you worked with SysOperationsFramework.



With this move, the Microsoft content team has released some updates for us. This includes updates to the home for SysOperationsFramework on MSDN, located here.: SysOperation Framework Overview [AX 2012]. Further there is the recently updated whitepaper on this topics as well, which can be found at the following location.: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 White Paper: Introduction to the SysOperation Framework.

You have seen me in the past, focus a lot on Services in AX 2012, as the focus for all things integration related - inbound & outbound. The SysOperationsFramework is a part of this focus, per it's core design and focus. Further, understanding what all context the SysOperationsFramework impacts, includes items like: FormLetter Framework, Replaces all RunBaseBatch & RunBase, and enables a new focus on possible asynchronous processing options.

Some of the highlights, from the updates resources are.:
"The SysOperation framework enables application logic to be written in a way that supports running interactively or via the batch server in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This white paper illustrates how the SysOperation framework can be used to build operations that can run asynchronously and make use of the full processing power available on the server. Four code samples are presented and explained to illustrate the comparison between the SysOperation and the RunBaseBatch framework, and to demonstrate the use of the SysOperation framework in building asynchrouous and scalable operations."

That's all for this post, many thanks to Robin and the AX Content team for sending me a heads up on this important-to-note resource updates for SysOperatinsFramework. I suggest following the AX Content team, on twitter from the following handle.: @AXContent. I hope everyone has a productive short week, and keep an eye here this week for some great post. Till Next Time!
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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Upgrade Guide

This week, I did a link to Alex on DAX post, about his journey with the upgrade process of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. That post can be found here.: Blog Spotlight: Dynamics AX 2012 Upgrade frustrations of Alex

In that post, I pointed out that Connect should be used, for working through any issues. Now, Microsoft has recently also released the Upgrade Guide for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, which can be found here.: Upgrade Guide for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

I wanted to make sure and link to this, as soon as I saw this is public release of this guide. This will also help Alex in his path, which he recently updated his post, as he got some help already with the issues he was having.

That's all for now, but check back soon as more to come!



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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Readiness Planning Guide - New Version Available (v4.1)

Just a quick post here, I wanted to point out that this week Microsoft has released the new v4.1 fo the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Readiness Planning Guide.

You can access it, through PartnerSource, at the following location.: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Readiness Planning Guide - New Version Available (v4.1)

Listed on the page of whats new in this release is: "The latest version includes links to additional Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 demo scripts and updated release dates for the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 official courses."

We are getting closer and closer! That's all for now!

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Dynamics AX - Thread Development vs. Batch runtime task

Recently, in the past months, I talked about in a few post using Threads in your X++ code, to help with adding parrellel processing to long running processes.

Dynamics AX 2009 - X++ Thread Development
Dynamics AX Threads - More details

There is for sure, a specific time and place to use Threads, however what about in Batch? What if I want to take the work I am doing with threads, and actually run that now in a batch processing mode?

Bottom line.: It will not work!

Threads, currently, can't be spawned from within a batch executing task. The design behind batch framework is geared around taking and using the BatchHeader class, and the runtime task framework, to create batch task.

If you do this, you will see these task execute under the same context as threads, being that of a "worker" user type.

So as I said, Thread development has it's time and place, and that does not include Batch related execution. Threads are best for user processes, where the process always involves a user kicking off that said process. If batch based execution is needed, then taking the example of found in the Journal Batch Processing whitepaper, you can take and allow for parrellel execution of code, with batch task being created, vs. threads being spawned.

There are other good examples of this actually, including the Inside Dynamics AX 2009 book, which covers this topic as well.

So with this, we have two ways to achieve parrellel processing, and depending on the desired nature of the process, will drive you to which method. To batch, or not to batch? For this, that is the driving question!

That's all for now, but check back soon, as more to come!

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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Tracing Role Center KPIs

This week must be white paper week, because I have another post about a White Paper that was released just in Jan.

This one focusing in on Tracing Role Center KPIs. The direct link to this download can be found here.: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Tracing Role Center KPIs

Download Description.:
"The prominent place of key performance indicators (KPIs) on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Role Center pages has prompted questions about where the KPI data is drawn from. This document explains how to trace the data that is displayed in a KPI to its source in the Microsoft Dynamics AX online transaction processing (OLTP) database.

Microsoft Dynamics AX relies on Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services for its business intelligence processing. This white paper defines terms of importance for Analysis Services, and then provides a step-by-step example of how to trace the data for a KPI on a Role Center page."

I actually had access to this in beta form, when I was working last summer on tracing down KPI data actually. This is a VERY handy white paper, if you do anything with Role Centers, and plan to customize them for any client, or yourself.

This walk through works, and will give you the knowledge you need to trace down what a given KPI actually means on a Role Center, why it's showing a given number, and help trace down to the fields and tables used in the Dynamics AX Database itself, that the OLAP cubes pull from.

That's all for now, but I have some more great post coming. Including yet another white paper that was released just a few weeks ago. However this time, there were be several post off it. Also I will be getting back to WCF discussions soon, and have a wrap up post to bring that all together. See you next time!




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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Using the Version Control Integration with Microsoft Team Foundation Server

One of the topics that a lot of customers need to be really thinking about, and sometimes is not part of the initial project implementation, is Source Control, Version Control --- Control over the development of Dynamics AX objects and projects, the a Version Control System.

Microsoft has a great product, called 'Team Foundation Server'. Team Foundation Server, offers different levels depending on the need of the customer, and is not just a run of the mill VC solution.

If offers planning, control, documentation, BP, guidelines, branching, promotion options, and allows different role types to view a given project or set of projects in the manner best suited, and allowed for them.

With Dynamics AX 2009, you can actually take and make use of Team Founcation Server, with your instance to help gain control and governance over the development and lifecycle of your given Dynamics AX investment.

A very good white paper, that was release this past July, talks in details about this. That is the following white paper.:
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Using the Version Control Integration with Microsoft Team Foundation Server



The above image shows the Object Lifecycle when making use of TFS integration within Dynamics AX.

So this offers an amazing amount of power. The only draw back, for smaller shops, is the fact that each developer machine, must have their own AOS. So if you have 10 developers, then that's 10 AOS licenses, you will need.:

Developer Machines
Each developer machine should have:

• Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Developer installation (with AOS)


• Microsoft SQL Server (local or remote)


• Local repository folder


• Visual Studio Team Explorer (optional)

There are other options, but for a shop that wants to get the most out of their investment for Dynamics AX, even having an AOS per developer, does not cost that much in the scheme of things. When your talking about your enterprise business platform!

That's all for now, check back soon as more to come!




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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Overview of Enterprise Portal

Wanted to do a quick post here, and make a link to a nice Dynamics AX 2009 White paper, for the Overview of Enterprise Portal.

Here is the overview.:
"Microsoft Dynamics AX provides a set of Web modules that give you access to Microsoft Dynamics AX data and allow you to participate in business processes using Web-based Microsoft Dynamics AX forms. These modules and the portal system are collectively called Enterprise Portal. Enterprise Portal is built on Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services or Microsoft Office® SharePoint Server. This document provides an overview of the features of Enterprise Portal."

If you want to know more about Enterprise Portal in Dynamics AX 2009, I recommend you check this out.

Direct link: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Overview of Enterprise Portal

Check back, as more coming, including an interview with Lachlan Cash, from Microsoft about Dynamics AX 2011!





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Dynamics AX - Hosting and Managed Service Provider Industry

Sunrise Technologies, Inc. has recently, just this week, released new white paper and brochure data about the exciting 'Hosting and Managed Service Provider Industry'

The link to request the new white paper, and also a recorded demo of this new vertical offering can be found at the following links.:
- Request the white paper
- Request the recorded demo

Also the direct link to the brochure can be found at the following.:
- Direct Link to the Brochure

And to look at what the full Dynamics AX solution offers, the following link from Sunrise's web site can give you nice high level details about it.:
- ERP Solution



The details found in the white paper, go over the Hosting and Managed Service Provider industry vertical offering with proven customer comments that is making use of this vertical knowledge already. It goes deep into the design, goals, and area's that most H&MSP Vertical companies are interested in and would use Dynamics AX to help manage.



I recommend taking the time, get connected with Sunrise and looking into what this offering can do for your Hosting and Managed Service Provider company or companies. Sunrise has the expertise and knowledge to give you a solution that can help give you an edge.






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Whitepaper: Consuming Web Services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

The following link is a Whitepaper from Microsoft, on consuming web services in Dynamics AX 2009: Consuming Web Services in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper

This whitepaper was published just a few days ago, 5/5/2009. This white paper covers the basics of working with the AOT objects, creating a service reference from within the AOT, and creating the class and correct X++ syntax usage for making use of the new service reference.

Web Services, and WCF Serverices are becoming more and more the way to integrate. In fact they should be the way most things are integrated these days, espically new integrations into Dynamics AX 2009 and beyond.

Just check out this post I did, when I talked to Lachlan Cash from Microsoft. You will see SOA and WCF Services will be of heavy focus in the next release of AX, and can already be made use of today in Dynamics AX 2009.:

- 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

This white paper is a simple, step by step guide for pratical use of Web Services inside Dynamics AX 2009, for working with them and consuming them. It is a must for all developers, technical consultants to understand this now and moving forward.

Check back soon, as more great post are coming your way! See you then!




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