You can access it at the following url:
http://www.axaptacentral.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=210&Itemid=0
Jun 19, 2008
AX central development book
The following page from the "Axapta Central/Dynamics AX Pro" website has been sent to you by F A ( farhan.ahmad.cheema@gmail.com ).
Jun 11, 2008
The ultimate integration of Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office
The ultimate integration of Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office
Use Microsoft Dynamics and the 2007 Microsoft Office system together for best results
Better together: Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Office make a powerful pair
Seamless integration between Microsoft Dynamics business applications and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools is now within reach.
In summary:
•Tight integration between Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office gives users a familiar interface
•Other Dynamics features, such as SmartList and Snap, bring deeper functionality
•Standard programming technology makes custom integration even easier
Every IT staffer with any amount of experience knows the ramifications of deploying applications from multiple vendors that must exchange critical business data. It means more time spent integrating or customizing the applications within IT, more training for workers, and more technical support calls. Such issues are especially prevalent when one of the applications involved serves the entire company, such as an ERP or other core business application. Because these applications tightly integrate multiple modules relating to various departments such as finance and human resources, individual workers might not have the perspective to understand why the process for accessing information seems complicated or non-intuitive.
Having seamless integration is a huge advantage. Other systems may say they integrate with Outlook, but they may only synchronize the data once a day. 
Jim Veraldi
MicroStrategies
One way of solving the challenge is to give workers a familiar interface in which to work. That's why Microsoft endeavors to integrate its Microsoft Dynamics business management applications (which include Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and its ERP line consisting of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics GP, and Microsoft Dynamics SL, and) so closely with its Microsoft Office applications (including Microsoft Office Outlook, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server). Such integration keeps workers productive and minimizes calls to IT. For instance, employees can export Dynamics data into Microsoft Office Excel to for easier analysis and sharing.
There are three key ways Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office applications work together. Besides their basic integration in terms of interface and workflow, Microsoft Dynamics also offers SmartLists and Snap applications, which simplify the task of exchanging information between the applications.
Built-in integration between Dynamics and Office
The Microsoft Dynamics application most closely integrated with Office is probably Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which handles customer relationship management including sales, marketing, and customer service. "This is a very advanced back-end integration, where employees or administrators simply need to define the data that need to be exchanged or integrated," says Dr. Michael Pachlatko, CEO of smartpoint IT consulting GmbH, a Microsoft Certified Partner in Linz, Austria. "All this happens without any programming, because it's just configuration of standard features."
In fact, to many employees, the interface to Microsoft Dynamics CRM is exclusively Microsoft Office Outlook. They can look up customer information through the Contacts feature, contact customers by e-mail, schedule meetings through the Calendar feature, and capture customer discussions through the Notes feature. In addition, by adding a Microsoft Dynamics CRM toolbar within Office Outlook, workers can access other folders within the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system.
"No one wants to maintain separate contacts and calendars," says Jim Veraldi, executive vice president at MicroStrategies, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in Denville, N.J., that focuses on Microsoft Dynamics and infrastructure. He cites transparent, real-time synchronization as an enormous advantage. "Other systems may say they integrate with Outlook, but they may only synchronize the data once a day."
Another part of the Office family where Microsoft is improving integration: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which handles collaboration and workflow. Employees working in Microsoft Dynamics CRM can create custom reports to automatically post on an appropriate SharePoint site for immediate access by everyone in the organization.
Tools and applications to get to the next level
SmartList for Microsoft Dynamics GP
Beyond the basic integration, another option is the SmartList feature within Microsoft Dynamics GP. SmartLists encompass several dozen reports that employees can click on from the toolbar, such as that day's purchases, back-ordered items, or inactive customers. They can then export the reports into either Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or Microsoft Word documents. "The finance people love this," says Mike Gifford, professional services director at Stanley Stuart Yoffee & Hendrix, Inc., a Maitland, Fla.-based Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics deployments. "They can dump data into Excel and then play with it."
As for exporting data into Word, employees can craft templates for thank-you notes, updates, or even collection letters. Using contact information from the SmartList report and a pre-defined template, they can create personalized letters for e-mail distribution soon after an order is received or an account deemed past due.
Microsoft Dynamics Snap
For the Microsoft Dynamics AX and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM applications, Microsoft Dynamics Snap applications allow for better integration with Office applications (Snap applications are packaged as part of the Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office). These applications allow workers to interact with Microsoft Dynamics business information from within Office. Currently, six "snap-ins," as they're called, are available:
•Business Data Search Snap-in (search data across SharePoint, Dynamics AX, and Dynamics CRM)
•Business Data Lookup Snap-in (insert business data into Word, Excel, or e-mail)
•Custom Report Generator Snap-in (create custom reports in Excel)
•Timesheet Management Snap-in (use Calendar appointments to create timesheets)
•Vacation Management Snap-in (use Outlook to submit vacation requests)
•Expense Management Snap-in (submit and approve expense reports in SharePoint)
•Customer Journal Snap-in (capture open orders and credit history in one document)
Employees can use these applications without IT assistance, however, the IT department will need to install and manage the applications. Even so, they go a long way toward improving productivity for IT by eliminating time spent doing specialized programming, according to Pachlatko.
Custom integration
Naturally, there are times when the IT department still needs to develop custom integration between applications. These can relate to specialized needs based on customer or partner requests, compliance or regulatory issues. Manufacturers, for instance, may need to report what they imported through certain international ports over specific time periods. Gifford notes that Integration Tools for Dynamics GP or the Developer Toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 allows you to build Microsoft .NET-based solutions, customizations, and extensions. These tools give the IT department familiar programming interfaces to ease the process.
Each of the [Dynamics] products has integration capabilities, according to Gifford. "You can take other applications, such as a medical billing application, and pull that data into the accounting module of Dynamics," says Gifford. "You can pull data from many sources, but still use the same code to request the data." This lets you automate processes more quickly and easily.
The result for IT staffers is the ability to do more in less time. Because Dynamics applications use industry-standard development tools such as Component Object Model standards, ActiveX, and C++, it creates a wealth of possibilities for integration and functionality," according to Gifford: "There's almost no limit to what you can do in terms of either creating new modules or setting up new interfaces."
Silicon Valley-based freelancer Howard Baldwin writes regularly for the Microsoft Midsize Business Center. His work has also appeared on AllBusiness.com and in CIO.
The ultimate integration of Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Office
Jun 6, 2008
Selecting ERP System
This is an article Mr. Andy Pratico wrote for APICS on selecting ERP systems. I hope you pull out a few nuggets.
Andy Pratico
Infor
C: 801-602-9246
An ERP Selection Process that Guarantees Results!
There are over 1,000 manufacturing systems in North America and yet The Wall Street Journal has stated that 73 % of all manufacturers are dissatisfied with their current ERP systems.
Why?
There are a number of theories why implementations have problems:
- Poor planning or no planning at all
- Top Management not involved or did not commit to the project- Unreliable data
- Lack of training or implementation assistance
- Poor selection process
- Lost project momentum- Business processes are not corrected
But the main reason that implementations fail is the legacy selection process commonly used is flawed.
The Budget Approval Dance
The first step in any selection process is expenditure approval. Middle managers spend days defining their selection process plan. The more detailed the budget approval request is, the more detailed the selection plan is, the more due diligence is assumed and therefore perceived risk is lessened. The legacy selection plan usually contains:
- A multiple page, detailed system requirements definition (sent to a short list of vendors for confirmation), and submitted as a Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Multiple, onerous sales demos with various systems
- Telephone reference calls on the selected vendor
The middle manager can get so obsessed with budget approval; and, the upper manager can get so consumed in confirming the selection process is sound, that the most important objective in selecting a new system can be overlooked. The most important goal should be to ensure your company is successful with the new system! Any other consideration should be secondary.
Systems Today Are Function-Rich
The more you evaluate systems, the more you recognize that all have an abundance of functionality. The reason they fail is not a lack of information, it is the exact opposite. They are too cumbersome and too difficult to learn.
Then why do we devote our entire search to evaluating which system has the best and/or most functionality? Is it because new systems are purchased only every ten years, therefore, no one individual has the experience to learn from their mistakes?
Let™s review the legacy selection approach described above.
1 - Issue a detailed multi-page novel called the system requirements list to all software vendors to fill out (honestly) thereby confirming which match. However software companies want to remain in consideration, and are motivated to answer each question with a carefully worded, yes we do that!
2 - The selection team then shoulders the arduous task of reviewing sales demos in an attempt to decipher the differences. Sales demos are designed to look good. If the sales demo did not look good, the software company would go out of business. Software companies hire professional presenters who know precisely which keystrokes will present their software in the best light.
Remember the first day you looked at the system you use now? How difficult did it seem then versus today? How many months did it take before the haze lifted and the system became second nature? Is it possible to recognize the pros and cons of a system you are reviewing for the first time in an 8 hour, sales demo?
3 - You now call references to confirm that companies are happy with their systems. Where did you get the references from? Did the software vendor carefully select bullet-proof customers that swear the software turns water into wine?
4 - And voila ¦ you have selected the very best system for your company. Or have you?
A Fresh Approach To Selecting ERP Systems
If time is money, then speed is profit. How can we speed up the ERP selection process, yet not fall into the same traps as the majority do, which fail?
The most important factor in selecting a new system is: to make sure your company is successful with the new system. If 73% of manufacturers are not satisfied with their current ERP system and used the same selection process as you, why will yours be different? Maybe a different process should be investigated.
Not to mention that the step-by-step, due diligence process historically used, costs $10,000s of internal resource time.
This 3-Step Plan is only common sense. But best of all, it will take far less time to complete and your results will be guaranteed!
Step 1 " Define the critical requirements that are unique to your company and match to the vendors on your short list. Please note: Critical requirements only. You have to assume that all systems will have an Aged Trial Balance. This list should not be longer than two pages. Only continue to step 2 with those that sufficiently match.
Step 2 " Visit a company using the system, preferably one you can drive to, in a similar industry and size as your own. You may not get all criteria matched, but ask. With these demands, it is more difficult for the vendor to select who you visit.I once heard of a manufacturer who was paid to be a positive reference for a software firm, yet they did not even use the software.A visit is so much better than a phone call that in fact, it can take the place of the sales demo entirely.
Step 3 " After the first 2 steps, you should have a favorite system. If you are still not comfortable enough to take the plunge, this final step eliminates any further risk. Ask this vendor to bring in the trainer you will work with after the sale is complete, not the professional presenter. Trainers have to live with their promises after the sale, and will be quite forward about what the system can, or cannot do.
Have the trainer set up the software around your requirements and enter a sub-set of your data. The intention will be to present the system as if it were live at your facility. Offer to pay for this service. Trainers are not offered to prospective clients because existing customers are paying them to implement their projects. This proof of concept pilot may cost a few thousand dollars, but will be far less expensive than the time-consuming step-by-step method.
The most important factor in selecting a system is to make sure your company is successful with the new system. This 3-step process will guarantee results. Why would you use any other method?
Remember, if you fail to implement, why do you care what the software does?
Jun 5, 2008
Key Success Factors for ERP Implementation:
Key Users Time |
Users Adaptability |
Dedicated Project Team |
Effective Communication |
Steering Committee Involvement |
Direct involvement of Stake Holders |
Balance Resources/Time/Cost Triangle |
Users Willingness |
Healthy Data Collection |
Less Customization |
Acceptance of Change Management |
Wish/Must list agreement |
Integrating Other Applications with Microsoft Dynamics AX
©2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Developer Help
Integrating Other Applications with Microsoft Dynamics AX
The ability to integrate Microsoft Dynamics AX with other systems inside and outside of the enterprise is a common requirement. There are a variety of technologies you can use to integrate Microsoft Dynamics AX with other applications and exchange data, which include the following:
- Application Integration Framework (AIF) – Exchanges data with other internal or external systems.
- Business Connector – Enables external applications to access Microsoft Dynamics AX data and invoke business logic.
- Common Language Runtime (CLR) – Provides interoperability with external .NET components and enables you to create and execute managed components from within X++ code.
The integration components in all these methods interact with Application Object Server (AOS) as shown in the following figure. Therefore, integration between Microsoft Dynamics AX and any other system is done only through AOS.
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Reproduced by permission from Greef, Pontoppidan, et al, Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 (Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 2006)
Microsoft Dynamics AX integration technologies
For more information about the integration technologies available, see Greef, Pontoppidan, et al. 2006. Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0. 190-192. Redmond: Microsoft Press.
AIF
AIF provides an extensible framework within Microsoft Dynamics AX that enables the exchange of data. Data is exchanged in the form of XML documents. AIF replaces the Commerce Gateway for Microsoft Dynamics AX 3.0 (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions—Axapta 3.0) This framework provides a more secure business-to-business (B2B) and application-to-application (A2A) integration between your system and trading partners or other software systems.
AIF has the following types of exchanges:
- Adapter-based exchange – An asynchronous document exchange that uses an adapter in Microsoft Dynamics AX and does not require the installation of Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). In this type of exchange, documents are moved through the system by using queues. Adapter transports supported by AIF are Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), file system, Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006, and outbound Web services.
- Web service exchange – A synchronous document exchange that uses Web services and requires that IIS be installed and configured to send and receive data. Because this type of exchange is synchronous, queues are not used. The Web services are generated automatically from the Microsoft Dynamics AX business logic. Developers with limited Web experience can easily create their own Web services. The Web service exchange differs from the outbound Web service adapter exchange in that it is synchronous, and it can accept requests. In contrast, the outbound Web service adapter cannot.
For more about AIF, see the Application Integration Framework Overview [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb496535(AX.10,printer).aspx ] .
Business Connector
The Microsoft Dynamics AX Business Connector enables external applications to access Microsoft Dynamics AX data and invoke business logic. The Business Connector consists of the following components:
- .NET Business Connector – Provides interoperability with the Microsoft .NET Framework. Use these components for integration with external applications that are written in managed code and are built with the Microsoft .NET Framework. The .NET Business Connector requires the installation of the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.
- COM Business Connector - Provides interoperability with Microsoft COM. Use these components for integration with external applications that are compiled to the COM specification.
For more information about the differences between the .NET Business Connector and the COM Business Connector, see Differences Between the .NET and COM Business Connectors [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa589564(AX.10,printer).aspx ] .
CLR
CLR provides interoperability with external .NET components and enables you to instantiate and execute managed components from within X++ code. This interoperability is achieved with X++ language statements. These statements enable you to instantiate objects within Microsoft Dynamics AX and set them to objects in managed assemblies. In X++, the CLRObject and CLRInterop classes are used to wrap external objects. Calls can be made to external object methods through the object wrappers.
For more information about CLR, see Greef, Pontoppidan, et al. 2006. Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0. 110-113. Redmond: Microsoft Press.
See Also
CLRObject Class [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa632606(AX.10,printer).aspx ]
CLRInterop Class [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa892320(AX.10,printer).aspx ]
Application Integration Framework Overview [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb496535(AX.10,printer).aspx ]
Business Connector Overview [ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb496526(AX.10,printer).aspx ]
Jun 3, 2008
Interesting read from MSDynamicsWorld.com
FA thought you would like to see this page from MSDynamicsWorld.com.
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Interesting read...
To Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 Users: Microsoft Wants to Know More About Your Experiences
by News Editor
by News Editor
A Detailed Survey Promises Key Implementation Data for AX 4.0 Users
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