Tuesday 1 December 2015

AX for Retail: Customizing your Hotfix Packages for Remote Deployments

You may have noticed throughout 2012 R3, R3 CU8, and R3 CU9 that AX hotfix packages are quite a bit larger in size than they used to be.  This is not really a problem for most non-Retail environments:  if you’re deploying a hotfix to a series of AOS’s, AX Clients and your model store, unzipping this large hotfix to a network share and running AXUpdate.exe across the network is not that painful.  If you need to deploy a hotfix to a bunch of remote stores, however, you’re looking a lot of extra work and bandwidth.

The Problem:  Why is the hotfix package so large?

Just why are the hotfix packages so large, anyway?  I just pulled down a pretty recent hotfix and it is 750 MB:

2015-11-23 15_26_22-Window

And this is a binary-only hotfix!

A quick analysis of the resulting files shows a couple main culprits:

2015-11-23 15_28_59-Window

The updates to the Retail SDK and the Retail Online Channel are 305 MB and 135 MB respectively.  What’s going on here?

First of all, keep in mind that the patch files (MSP) are cumulative changes going all the way back to the initial 2012 R3 release.  There were a lot of changes to both of these components between R3 RTM and a post-CU9 release and each hotfix has to incorporate all previous changes into the MSP file.

Furthermore, if you look at the file structure of the Retail SDK, you’ll see that we have separate branches for R3, CU8, and now CU9.  There is a lot of duplication of files between all three of those branches and really, just a lot of files in general.  If you closely examine the contents of all of the folders you’ll see a number pictures and other binary files; even compressed these are going to take up a lot of space.

The Workaround:  Build a pared-down hotfix installer package

A tip before we get started:  if you’ve deployed a hotfix on a demo machine recently and just select all components, you’ll notice that it seems to take forever to complete.  This again is the Retail SDK:  xcopy’ing all of those files simply takes a long time to complete.  Unless you really need an updated SDK on that machine, make sure to uncheck that component in the installer.

The workaround is a similar strategy:  since we really only need the Retail SDK to be installed on developer machines** and the Online Channel is obviously only applicable on servers that will be using it, we can remove those components from the hotfix altogether.

Read full story at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/axsupport/archive/2015/11/23/ax-for-retail-customizing-your-hotfix-packages-for-remote-deployments.aspx

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Microsoft Dynamics AX: A new cloud ERP is born

Enterprise software has long been associated with clunky interfaces and a long learning curve, but Microsoft is aiming to change all that with Dynamics AX, the next generation of its flagship ERP system.

Announced on Thursday, Dynamics AX differs from its predecessors in many ways. Certainly most notable is that it was born in the cloud; an on-premises option will follow next year. It also borrows heavily from the consumer side of technology, including a browser-based, HTML5 user interface.

Dynamics AX taps Cortana, Microsoft's voice-commandable personal assistant, along with Azure Machine Learning for near real-time analytics through Power BI. Even its name is different, no longer reflecting release dates or versions.

In short, it's a major departure from many of the traditional conventions of enterprise resource planning technology. Will large companies be convinced? Only time will tell.

Read full story at http://www.computerworld.com/article/3006643/enterprise-applications/microsoft-dynamics-ax-a-new-cloud-erp-is-born.html

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Ensure to use the Retail Initialize in all AX companies configured with Retail

This is a quick article to let you know that when configuring AX and Retail you will need to use Retail Initialize function in all companies that will be using Retail.  The location of the Initialize button is in Retail >> Setup >> Parameters >> Retail parameters >> in the menu bar, click Initialize.

When Initialize is ran for the first time, it will create the Retail tables, jobs, forms, etc. Running Initialize a second time will attempt to create these same entities.  Since they already exists, you will be presented with an Infolog with errors stating that they already exists and it is unable to create them.  The big catch here is that running the Initialize also marks the SYSTEMINUSE flag for that company in the RETAILPARAMETERS table.  If you do not run the Initialize in additional companies, most of the Retail functionality will work but there are a few checks here and there that will cause issues. 

In one such instance, posting a Retail Statement will process successfully, but there will not be any records in the RetailCustInvoiceJourTable table as a check is made for the SYSTEMINUSE flag on whether it needs to copy the CustInvoiceJourTable to the RetailCustInvoiceJourTable.  This can be correct after the fact by re-running the job to copy the contents, but it is best to avoid this scenario.

We are looking to create additional checks to prevent the initial creation of things such as the Retail store, registers, etc. in a company that hasn't been initialized yet.  Until a fix is released to perform these checks, please ensure that you have Initialized any company that will be utilizing Retail.

Read full story at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/axsupport/archive/2015/11/17/ensure-to-use-the-retail-initialize-in-all-ax-companies-configured-with-retail.aspx

Monday 23 November 2015

Advantages of Microsoft Dynamics ERP on Azure

Microsoft has enabled customers to deploy their Microsoft Dynamics ERP on Microsoft’s Azure cloud, which relies on Microsoft Data Centers. This serves as another deployment option for customers alongside partner hosting.

What Are the Advantages?

Being a cloud service, it is needless to specify that Azure deployment offers the advantage of having ERP access from anywhere and from any device. Additionally, one may choose from amongst a desktop client, web client or SharePoint client.

Another mainstream advantage that can be availed by leveraging Microsoft Azure for Dynamics is the ability to merge on-premise environment with hosted cloud environments to meet optimal needs.

Further advantages are as follows:

  • Azure deployment is much more feasible for organizations in comparison to partner hosting.
    Traditional hosting cannot equate the benefits in terms of data center economies of scale that come from deployment on an elastic cloud platform such as Azure. Therefore Microsoft is able to price Azure services at a cost that is much lower than what partners offer.

  • Azure deployment offers inexhaustible resources, far beyond partner hosting.
    Azure offers customers inexhaustible resources whereas through partner hosting customers are dependent upon limited but dedicated resources which can be manually expanded to meet customer requirements but requires extensive planning to do so.

  • Azure deployment is available to wider range of customers globally as compared to partner hosting.
    Azure is the right option for companies that have multiple centers of operations around the globe. This is because, unlike hosting partners, Microsoft Azure has worldwide data centers which allows Microsoft to facilitate the movement of customer systems and data between the data centers as required.

  • With Azure deployment, version upgrades are more convenient for customers.
    In partner hosting, each customer’s upgrades need to be handled on an individual basis as is the case with on-premises software. On the other hand, Azure deployment offers a much easier approach whereby application management is much more disciplined and Microsoft rolls out new versions and upgrades, and patches to its customers.

  • Microsoft directly provides Azure deployment unlike partner hosting which involves service providers.
    Customers have a higher degree of comfort in Azure deployment as Microsoft itself is providing the deployment; this means that the cloud services are backed by the Microsoft Brand and this comes with service level guarantees. On the other side, partner hosting is delivered by service providers who a mostly unknown.

  • Hosting Partners also stand to take advantage of Azure Deployment:
    Contrary to the belief that Partners must have suffered since Microsoft introduced Azure, even with Azure deployment, partners hold an important position as they maintain customer relationships and deliver the services for implementation and ongoing support. The advantage for hosting partners is that with the Azure deployment option they are now relieved from the need to maintain data center infrastructure.

Source: https://www.visionetsystems.com/blog/advantages-microsoft-dynamics-erp-azure

Thursday 19 November 2015

RSM US Builds Out Microsoft Dynamics AX Practice With Junction Solutions Acquisition

RSM

Acquisition news in the Microsoft Dynamics partner channel continues this week as midmarket audit, tax and consulting services provider RSM has signed a definitive agreement to acquire consulting firm and Dynamics AX partner Junction Solutions. The transaction is expected to close on Dec. 1, 2015.

RSM's consulting practice will gain 200 members with expertise around Dynamics AX, including in vertical markets like food and beverage, life sciences, and retail. Junction also offers its own proprietary solutions based on Dynamics AX for those verticals.

Among its range of services, RSM already offers ERP solutions based on ...

Read full story at http://msdynamicsworld.com/story/rsm-us-builds-out-microsoft-dynamics-ax-practice-junction-solutions-acquisition

Wednesday 18 November 2015

The Basics of Leveraging Microsoft Azure for Dynamics

Through Microsoft Azure, a flexible cloud platform, Microsoft has allowed businesses to utilize multiple tools and apps that are accessible in Azure’s public cloud. Microsoft Azure offers Dynamics customers a number of integrated services through a flexible cloud computing platform such as analytics, computing, database, mobile, networking, storage and web.

Leveraging your business on Microsoft Azure for Dynamics allows for increased flexibility and mobility of the system via secure Microsoft Data Centers. The hosting scenarios could include private hosting, on premises, or even a hybrid model through a combination of Azure. Additionally, customers may choose between perpetual licensing and monthly licensing.

It has recently been predicted that Dynamics products will be released with designs that are compatible with Microsoft Azure only; an example of this can be seen in the soon to be released Dynamics AX 7 which will initially be available on Azure only.

Azure provides a fast and reliable cloud structure, however, in order to launch an ERP cloud solution such as Microsoft Dynamics leveraged on Azure it is necessary to have certain expertise because implementation, maintenance and management services of an ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics are not included in the cost of Azure cloud.

An ERP cloud cannot be deployed without having ERP cloud experts on board as they have the experience and expertise necessary for overcoming the unique challenges and complications cannot not be handled alone by even the most senior of IT personnel. Therefore, it is recommended that Microsoft Dynamics VAR be employed for implementation, configuration and consultation experience while a Microsoft Dynamics Cloud Partner works with VAR to provide cloud licensing, architecture and compliance related services.

To learn about the advantages of leveraging Microsoft Azure for Dynamics, wait for the sequel to this blog.

Source: https://www.visionetsystems.com/blog/basics-leveraging-microsoft-azure-dynamics

Wednesday 11 November 2015

How does Dynamics AX for Retail help retailers create the complete customer experience?

Retailers who wish to provide customer shopping experiences that promise consistency and convenience to consumers opt for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail which is an end to end solution including cross channel capabilities, social and mobile commerce, enriched point of sale (POS), and powerful enhancements for merchandising.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail provides scalability that allows for future growth and expansion. It has revolutionized the experience for customers and sales associates at the point of sale. Because of its simplicity in terms of operations as well its ease of use, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail has set itself apart from other solutions.

Dynamics AX for Retail comes with the reliability of delivering in accordance to a brand’s promise and helps retailers create the complete customer experience by doing the following:

  • Creating Incomparable Connections with Customers: Through Social and Mobile commerce Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail offers retailers the ability to engage with customers through promotions, discounts or coupons offered on social networks and marketplaces. Furthermore, the over-all shopping experience makes the customer feel in control due to multichannel capabilities that enable customers to buy, return or replace items as per their own will.
  • Increasing Employee Productivity: Dynamics AX for Retail provides employees with relevant information and details through tailored Role Centers that increases the productivity of employees by enabling them to make quick and accurate decisions. Additionally, sales associates get to spend more time making individual contact with customers and catering to their needs because Dynamics AX enables orders to be created and managed at the POS.
  • Enabling Improved Decision Making: Retailers using Dynamics AX for Retail are able to make better decisions because of the insights available to them through integrated multichannel management; for example it helps retailers predict trends. Additionally the merchandising functionality allows the retailer to manage inventory and meet customer demand with efficiency and accuracy.

Source: https://www.visionetsystems.com/blog/how-does-dynamics-ax-retail-help-retailers-create-complete-customer-experience

Thursday 5 November 2015

The Factors of Complete Customer Experience

Back in the days, retailers were able to establish themselves merely on the basis of their physical presence in the market in terms of a retail store; today however it is simply not enough to just own a physical store.

It is a must for a retailer to think beyond a store, because a retail experience in this day and age encompasses everything from the retailer’s website to their call center, and extends beyond the marketplaces to social media platforms. Because of this, retail is now often referred to as multi-channel retail.

In order to face up to the challenge that is presented by multi-channel retail, retailers now have to ensure that they provide the ‘complete customer experience’.

One of the basic elements of providing a complete customer experience is that customers should be catered to at a personal level. This not only means that individual customers should be received at the physical store or on the company website and addressed by name and given personal attention, but also that they should be assisted in finding what they wish to purchase. Additionally, personalized offers which ensure the customer gets value for the time and money that he is spending at your outlet, physical or otherwise, makes the customer experience even more wholesome.

Another important factor that helps create the complete customer experience is that the customer’s journey should be seamless. The customer should be able to make a connection with the retailer as and when he chooses, and through whichever platform or device; most importantly the experience should be consistent, be it online or in-store. In the case of promotions, the customer should have the option of availing the deal/offer whenever he wishes, and the promotion should not only be offered in a physical form, but also on the web (accessible through any device); this makes it easier to be redeemed.

The last factor that a retailer must take care of so as to provide customers with the complete customer experience is differentiation. If a retailer provides much better products, gives great value for money and provides superior customer service, then customers will most definitely feel that their overall experience with such a retailer is much better than the experience he has had with other retailers, hence the retailer has successfully differentiated himself from his competitors in the market.

Creating and providing a complete customer experience cannot be done without a powerful retail software such as Microsoft Dynamics for Retail which makes it possible for retailers to be dynamic enough to meet customer’s challenging requirements. By reducing the complexities that retailers face, Dynamics for Retail allows retailers to focus on connecting with their customers, enabling their employees, and living up to the commitments that their brand pledges to customers by executing business processes with perfection.

In the next blog, you will learn more about how Dynamics AX for Retail helps retailers create the complete customer experience.

Source: https://www.visionetsystems.com/blog/factors-complete-customer-experience

Thursday 29 October 2015

Report: How Microsoft Dynamics AX Stacks Up to Top Tier ERP

Yes, there are dozens of ERP companies from which to choose, but only four titans.

So finds Panorama Consulting which is releasing its Clash of the Titans 2015 Report this week. Panorama's annual, subjective comparison of Tier 1 ERP vendors includes poll data from several hundred user companies, on such metrics as:

  • Market share
  • Rates of being short listed (and ultimately selected)
  • Average time to implementation (planned vs. actual)
  • Reasons for extended duration
  • Payback period
  • And perhaps most telling (or damning): ERP Success Rate. Do the customers consider the implementation a success or a failure...

Read full story at http://msdynamicsworld.com/story/report-how-microsoft-dynamics-ax-stacks-top-tier-erp

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Microsoft Plans to Launch Dynamics AX 7 on Azure in Q1 2016

Microsoft GMs Sri Srinivasan and Dan Brown address AXUG Summit 2015

Microsoft has narrowed down its timeframe for a Dynamics AX 7 release to the first quarter of calendar year 2016. That news comes from Dynamics AX general manager Dan Brown at a keynote presentation at AXUG Summit 2015 today.

AX 7 has been in preview since September, and general availability in early 2016 will open it up ...

Read full story at http://msdynamicsworld.com/story/microsoft-plans-launch-dynamics-ax-7-azure-q1-2016

Monday 19 October 2015

Why Microsoft Expects to Change Minds on The Future Dynamics AX and Azure

While Microsoft remains committed to shipping on-premise ERP software, senior managers for Dynamics AX told over 1,200 users last week at AXUG Summit 2015 that they see cloud adoption moving even faster than most organizations realize.

Dynamics AX customers and prospects are beginning a rapid turnaround in outlook about public cloud deployment, Microsoft managers believe. And those changes could be influenced at least in part by the AX team's own efforts to demonstrate cloud-first, and sometimes cloud-only, product choices that makes Azure a component of every AX solution going forward.

"Microsoft is absolutely committed to a hybrid strategy," Dynamics AX general manager Dan Brown told the AXUG Summit audience last week in response to a questio...

Read full story at http://msdynamicsworld.com/story/how-microsoft-working-change-minds-about-future-dynamics-ax-and-azure

Friday 16 October 2015

Industry-Specific Capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX: Manufacturing and Distribution Industry

Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP designed specifically for manufacturing and distribution industries features modules for supply chain management and finance, manufacturing resource planning (MRP), human resources and operations management.

Manufacturing

The competition in the world of manufacturers is extremely fierce. Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of outclassing their competition specifically by providing greater value in terms of quality, customer services, relationship building with customers and response times. Success can only be achieved through innovation and flexibility in operations. Therefore, Dynamics AX, as a Microsoft ERP solution, is focused on helping manufacturers drive innovation and take up the position of market leaders in the industry; it is designed keeping in mind the fast changing nature of the industry as well as the requirement for flexibility.

Furthermore, Manufacturers are now expected to go beyond simply manufacturing and then selling products; they are expected to not only meet but to exceed their customers’ needs. Suppliers need to be true business partners, providing high quality products, delivering them on time, as well as forecast future requirements and fulfill them accordingly, in addition to being active in identifying changing market trends. It is only if manufacturers and suppliers are able to meet all requirements of customers today, that they will be able to compete with global supply chains; after all customers of today have a lot of options from where to purchase products.

Microsoft ERP solutions help manufacturers and distributors effectively manage their business by providing them with easy-to-use, integrated-by-design, flexible solutions so as to enable Dynamics users to provide superior customer experiences.

Microsoft ERP solution caters to manufacturers including sales productivity, marketing, customer service and engagement, supply chain management, finance, manufacturing resource planning (MRP), human resources, and operations management.

Distribution

Operational efficiency alone is not enough; optimizing inventory management, complying with local regulatory requirements and maximizing capital investments are just some of the additional demands that distributors face while dealing in today’s challenging marketplace. Customers require distributors who have effective warehousing and delivery capabilities.

Distributors using Microsoft ERP solutions are empowered by tools that enable them to achieve synergize logistics and key operational areas, thereby achieving; total supply chain transparency and management.

In summation, Dynamics AX is the ideal Microsoft ERP solution for distributors and manufacturers as it empowers distributors, and enables manufacturing organizations to run and continuously improve their own processes, across multiple sites and geographies, on a single unified platform.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Business Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics AX. Part 2

RECAP:

Last week’s blog on the business benefits of Dynamics AX spoke about how Dynamics AX increases the pace at which your business operates and meets customers’ needs, as well as about the ability of Dynamics AX to strengthen businesses making them flexible and open towards organizational and industrial changes.

MORE Business Benefits of Dynamics AX

Dynamics AX implementation increases the global competitiveness and competencies of an organization

Dynamics AX enables organizations to expand across borders because of its multi-language and multi-currency features; additionally Dynamics AX ERP is compliant with the local financial and regulatory requirements of 36 countries.

This standardized global ERP system allows for the centralization of processes and extension of the supply chain management across multiple sites and divisions. It gives managers, supervisors and project leaders greater visibility into the entire operations of the global enterprise, aiding them in managing and monitoring performance across the board through sophisticated analytical and reporting tools. Analytic capabilities could be further enhanced by combining your solution with Microsoft Business Intelligence applications thus having increased ability to manage a complex business environment.

Microsoft Dynamics AX enhances the competency of an organization by allowing remote users to access information as well, ensuring that employees are able to remain synchronized with the team despite being on the go. Also, in global businesses key decision makers are often remote employees and may not have the ability to log into Microsoft Dynamics AX; these problems are easily rectified by using PerformancePoint Server or Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server, as well as through Microsoft Dynamics AX Role Centers which enable communication between manufacturers with remote employees or customers as well.

Furthermore, Microsoft Dynamics AX also includes an option to facilitate external users or remote Web users who accesses Microsoft Dynamics AX using Enterprise Portal or a Web browser. The Enterprise Portal also gives employees access to real-time KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), scorecards, and data.

Microsoft Dynamics AX ensures high ROI

Microsoft Dynamics AX ensures that organizations immediately begin to get good returns on their investments. The familiar user-interface and easy to use tools facilitate users to produce results soon after being introduced to Dynamics AX. The web based Microsoft Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint Server provides an increased number of employees access to information and processes at a reduced licensing cost.

The enhanced performance and scalability offered by Microsoft Dynamics AX and the fact that it can easily be integrated with Microsoft products and technologies greatly improves the total cost of ownership of your IT infrastructure.

These were some of the most prominent business benefits that Microsoft Dynamics AX has to offer; there are of course numerous other business benefits that organizations gain from however the idea was to highlight the most impactful benefits.

In conclusion Dynamics AX is a powerful, simple and agile innovation that provides organizations with tools to plan, see and change their business so as to make the most of opportunities as and when they arise, thus empowering an organization unimagined business success.

Monday 5 October 2015

Business Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics AX

Microsoft Dynamics AX is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that is designed to enable organizations to deliver value to their customers in a timely manner. By centralizing all organizational data and streamlining functions such as budgeting, finance, customer relationships, supply chain management, inventory management etc., this Microsoft ERP Solution increases visibility across the organization.

Dynamics AX is a Microsoft ERP solution that has immense value for organizations as the business benefits that it offers are far-reaching in terms of customer satisfaction, sales revenues and gross margins.

Dynamics AX increases the pace at which your business operates and meets customers' needs.

As a Microsoft ERP Solution, Microsoft Dynamics AX has a proven record of increasing the efficiency of business operations. The familiar user interface of Microsoft Dynamics AX allows people to focus on the business since employees, managers and business owners do not need to spend too much time learning the new application. Secondly, Role Tailored user interface and Role Centers allow employees to easily access tasks and information; this increases work effectiveness by helping employees prioritize and be more organized.

Dynamics AX also bolsters business operations by using integrated, unified communication and collaboration tools to build strong connections with employees, customers and partners. Furthermore, this Microsoft ERP solution enables businesses and their people to work smart by providing business intelligence and reporting tools that help in analyzing data through dashboard KPIs, Microsoft Office Excel, Business Analytics in Microsoft Dynamics AX, and Microsoft Office PerformancePoint™ Server; this contributes towards exceling the pace of business operations by expanding decision making.

Dynamics AX strengthens businesses making them flexible and open towards organizational and industrial changes.

The implementation of ERP systems promotes growth by providing a service-oriented architecture, tight integration with Microsoft technologies and a web service that allows addition of more users with great ease, while supporting new business models and enabling the solution to be scaled for large, distributed enterprises. In order to help organizations adapt to changing industry and customer demands, this Microsoft ERP solution allows businesses to build and quickly modify ad-hoc work streams. It also automates supply chain collaboration and documents exchange with Microsoft BizTalk® Server and the Microsoft Office System.

Another way by which this Microsoft ERP solution enables organizations to deal with changing dynamics is that it meets highly specialized needs with Microsoft Dynamics AX industry solutions or key industry and partner add-ons. Furthermore, the solution package that a business purchases in accordance with their current needs can be upgraded as the business grows by adding capabilities to take advantage of the current investments in Microsoft technology and services.

NOTE: More business benefits of Dynamics AX will be shared in next week's blog.

Friday 2 October 2015

Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail

Microsoft Dynamics AX is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that helps speed up organizational processes by securing all organizational data on a centralized database; this means that data from all departments, divisions and subsidiaries or outlets is available in one data-bank.

When it comes to catering to the retail industry, Microsoft Dynamics for Retail simplifies the complexities at the backend, allowing retailers to focus on engaging with their customers and empowering employees. This in turn allows retailers to refine the shopping experience, making it personalized, differentiated and seamless.

Retailers today face a much greater challenge than simply ensuring the offtake of goods and provision of services. They are responsible for making the entire process more about the "customer" by ensuring that the consumer is provided by a complete shopping experience.

So what is it that Microsoft Dynamics for Retail does that enables the retailer to focus on enhancing the shopping experience? Following are some of the business benefits that retailers gain by implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX:

  1. It contributes to a significant improvement in employees' performance by providing employees with role-tailored tools and information, and facilitating them to effectively connect with customers and suppliers.
  2. By providing a complete, real-time view of all retail operations, Dynamics AX assists retail owners in making rapid yet informed business decisions.
  3. Dynamics AX integrates purchase and production with stock planning, thus improving stock forecasting and ensuring that retailers are able to maintain the right stock levels.
  4. All in all, Dynamics AX allows retailers to maintain lasting customer relationships and ensures high levels of customer satisfaction.
  5. By seamlessly integrating all business functions, Microsoft Dynamics AX leads to higher sales and gross margins.

Thursday 1 October 2015

Microsoft Dynamics AX: The Ideal Solution for Small and Medium Sized Businesses

With over 350, 000 customers and 5 million users worldwide, Microsoft Dynamics AX has been catering to small and medium sized businesses for over 25 years. It is the perfect solution for small and medium sized businesses as it provides targeted solutions that meet industry-specific needs; this business software can be customized for manufacturing, retail, distributions, public sector and services industries. An example of such a customization is that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for public sector incorporates fund accounting as required by public sector entities.

Furthermore, small and medium sized businesses will find that Microsoft Dynamics AX solutions are efficient and cost effective, and is designed to keep up with their business potential. This ERP solution increases the proactivity and productivity of employees as it enables individuals and teams to work better, faster and smarter. Microsoft Dynamics AX is reputed for promoting fast business growth because it helps businesses overcome obstacles such as transaction limitations, slow performance and the necessity of data re-entry due to disconnected data, as well as slashing related costs such as hiring additional people or expending extra time.

Additionally, to help businesses solve and prevent problems, Microsoft Dynamics features inbuilt workflows that give employees a comprehensive view and detailed understanding of the business; alongside this Microsoft Dynamics is embedded with powerful business intelligence tools that help transform data into insight.

One of the greatest benefits to small and medium sized businesses from Microsoft Dynamics AX services is that they transforms the way people connect—it allows people to connect using the web, through a SharePoint portal, or using a traditional desktop computer. Using this ERP solution employees can perform business processes by connecting through instant messaging, email, voice, and presence. In addition, Dynamics AX also facilitates the productivity of remote staff members by enabling them to work from wherever they are stationed. Such possibilities in terms of communication are of immense value to businesses as customers, suppliers and other business partners can be reached out to in a timely manner.

However, one of the most important factors because of which small and medium sized businesses give preference to Microsoft Dynamics AX solutions over other ERP solutions is that for up to a period of 10 years after its release, Microsoft provides support for the version of Dynamics AX that a business purchases. Furthermore, Microsoft’s partners provide local resources and expertise specific to customers’ business needs.

In conclusion, a Microsoft Dynamics AX solutions are ideal for small and medium sized businesses because it can turn insight into action and make every interaction and transaction productive. It allows your business to set itself apart from its competitors by driving long term growth through uncovering and creating new business opportunities.

Source: https://www.visionetsystems.com/blog/microsoft-dynamics-ax-ideal-solution-small-and-medium-sized-businesses

Wednesday 30 September 2015

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: An ERP Solution with a Difference

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is a state of the art Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, which can be easily customized and rapidly implemented. The availability of Dynamics AX ERP in over 30 countries and 25 languages is testimony to the success and usability of this powerful, agile and easy-to-use business software.

Most people often question that what is so different about Dynamics AX as compared to other enterprise resource planning systems; it is essential therefore to highlight that while most ERP systems only manage the administrative aspects of your business (i.e. HR, Payroll, general ledger etc.), Dynamics AX goes the extra mile by managing operational aspects as well. In addition to these capabilities, Microsoft Dynamics AX has proven functionality for manufacturing, distribution, retail, public sector, and service industries.

Another differentiating feature in Dynamics AX ERP is that it is a multi-language, multi-currency Enterprise Resource Planning solution. It gives businesses global coverage by supporting the unique business requirements of over 36 countries, which also includes multiple time zones, multiple banking and reporting standards, and legislative codes.

When compared with competitors on the basis of a number of features, Dynamics AX ERP ranks better. To begin with, the average implementation time is just 10 months, as opposed to a year as promised by ORACLE, or fifteen months as committed by SAP.

In comparison to that of SAP and Oracle, the cost of Dynamics AX implementation is quite low yet the ease of usage is high. Microsoft Dynamics AX Solution can be used to cater to businesses that are small, medium and large sized.

While there are high levels of possibilities with regards to customization, Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP can also be integrated with other software with great ease. Additionally it is a low risk and high performance ERP solution that guarantees high returns on investment as well as high user satisfaction.

Businesses across the world are fast becoming users of Microsoft Dynamics Solutions because of the fact that this solution provides easy-to-use tools which can be accessed whenever and wherever people want to use them.

However, the strongest reason as to why most of the leading ERP vendors are steadily losing market share to Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP is because it provides the forward-looking insight you need to drive business growth.

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Microsoft Dynamics Profile: The Evolving Art of AX Training

Rachel Profitt has made a 14-year career of both using Microsoft Dynamics AX and training others in the solution. She is the Director of Training Services at Junction Academy, a division of Denver, Colorado-based Junction Solutions, a Microsoft Gold Certified learning partner. She leads a team of six other instructors who deliver onsite and online training in Dynamics AX.

Profitt is also on the advisory board of the AXUG Summit and will deliver nine sessions (and counting), including two of Summit's new-in-2015 multi-part sessions. She recently spoke with MSDynami...

read more

Read full story at http://msdynamicsworld.com/story/microsoft-dynamics-profile-evolving-art-ax-training

Wednesday 12 August 2015

Catch Weight Functionality for Receiving of Goods in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Many industries receive raw material in a different packaging unit, while payment may be made in a different unit. This post will help you understand how to receive product in different packaging using Catch Weight. Let’s take an example of cotton in Textile Industry, Cotton is received in unit “Bales” and normally companies need to pay the vendor after weighing in Kilograms. This weight may be different in each case because the Bale has a catch weight. Users face great difficulties while receiving goods because in AX 2012 we can give only one Unit of Conversion against single item. Lets have a look on how to resolve this:

First of all go to Product Information Management –> Common –> Released Product then click on New

Do not forget to mark CW Product Check Box while creating new Product

CW

Then click OK button and you can see the New Product in Product Information Management

New Item

Define unit of conversion of Product; remember that we have taken Inventory and Purchasing unit “KG”

Unit of Conversion
UOC

After setting unit of conversion go to the Product and edit that then go to Manage Inventory tab and select catch weight unit as Bales

Edit Prduct

and add minimum and maximum quantity to be received. Note that minimum and maximum quantity will be the quantity to be received in Kilograms not bales

Setups have been done. Now, we need to receive the same Product for this follow the below navigation

Go to Procurement & Sourcing –> Common –> Purchase Orders –> All Purchase Orders then click on New PO

PO

Select vendor and click Okay

Then select the Product on Purchase order lines

PO Lines

After taking Product and its quantities click on Update Line tab and select Registration

Update Line

This will be done after confirmation of Purchase order and before Receiving of Goods but at this stage user must know the actual weight of the Product which user is going to receive.

Now click on Auto create

Auto Create

After clicking on Auto Create checkbox, the total quantity of that Product will copy in Register now

Now user can register the actual weight of the goods received. Let’s say we have set the conversion from Bales to Kilograms 150 kg but at the time of receiving when Product was measured on weighing bridge user came to know that actual conversion is 1 Bale = 200 kilograms then here user will register the quantity with actual weight even batch number wise

Batch Wise registeration

But registration is only based on minimum and maximum quantities setup on Catch Weight you can see in the above screen shot that setup conversion was 150 kilogram but registration has been done with 200 kilograms conversion

After this go to the Product Receipt for receiving the Product

Product Receipt 1

Enter Product Receipt number

Product Receipt 2

In above Posting Product Receipt screen you can see on lines The CW quantity remains same but conversion factor has been changed from 150 kg conversion to registered 200 kg conversion
Now click Ok for receipt.

Now you can check “On Hand” inventory will show the inventory of received product

On Hand

You can see the receiving of goods in different batches with actual weight of the Product received.

Source: http://thedynamicsblog.com/catch-weight-functionality-for-receiving-of-goods-in-microsoft-dynamics-ax-2012/

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Managing Royalties with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, provides functionality to manage royalty agreements and claim amounts, book their accruals and manage payments. In today’s post I will try to explain the procedure of Royalty Management.

What is a Royalty?


Royalties can be defined as paying certain amount to the owner of a property or a brand for the usage of property or brand. Normally, the original owner of a product sells their product against a certain share of future revenues.

The common practice is the usage of Brand names by third party, in this case, a company use a brand owned by another company and pay a specific percentage of sales to the brand owner.

Microsoft Dynamics AX2012 R3 provides complete solution of Royalty Management, whereby, organization can manage royalty agreements, claims and their payments. In the following lines, the solution is illustrated to help consultants and users:-

Royalties Management with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3


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Parameters – Accounts Payable


In the accounts payable parameters, select the “Broker and Royalty” tab as shown in the following screen shot.

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  1. Starting day of week would be required in case of royalty calculated on weekly basis.
  2. The accrual account is the liability account in which the royalty liabilities would be credited
  3. The expense account is the charge account where the royalties would be charged.
  4. Procurement category is used for vendor invoice creation to pay the royalty liabilities.

 Royalty Agreements


After setting up parameters, the next step is to define the Royalty Agreement, for this purpose, in accounts payable module click common click royalties and then click royalty agreements, as shown in below screen shot.

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The following is the royalty agreement form which has two important parts i.e. Header and Line.

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Royalty Agreement – Header


In the header section of Royalty Agreement, provide the information of vendor to which the Royalty is payable and then provide the basics of calculations.

Field Description
Royalty contract Enter the identifier for the royalty agreement; the identifier is used to determine the royalty type and default ledger accounts for this agreement.
Vendor account Select the vendor for the royalty contract.
Description Enter a description of the agreement.
Unit Enter the unit of measure for the royalty quantity.
Unit type Select or view the royalty agreement unit type. The values are Inventory unit and Catch weight unit.
Unit of measure royalty option Select the unit of measure royalty option for the royalty agreement. This option identifies the unit of measure for the royalty line. If you use the Exact match option, the unit of measure for the royalty line must exactly match the unit of measure specified in the sales order. If not, the royalty does not qualify. If you use the Convert option, the unit of measure for the royalty line is the same as the unit of measure for the royalty agreement. The royalty unit of measure is converted to the sales order unit of measure, or the catch weight unit of measure, based on the option selected in the Unit type field.
Calculation date type Select the date type, which is used for royalty calculation. The values are:
  • Created: The date when the sales order was created
  • Requested receipt date: The requested receipt date of the sales order
  • Requested ship date: The requested ship date of the sales order
Start date Enter the date on which royalty management begins to create accruals based on the agreement. If the agreement is effective immediately, leave the field blank.
End date Enter the date on which royalty will no longer be created based on this agreement. If the agreement does not end, leave the field blank.
Cumulate sales by Select the period during which invoiced lines will be added and compared against the agreement. The options to select from include Invoice, Week, Month, Year or Customized period.
Period type When Cumulate sales by is Customized period, you have to select the period type to cumulate the sales.
Taken from Select whether the royalty value is based on the gross or net of the sales order line.
Accrual account Enter the ledger account to be used for interim liability postings.
Expense account Enter the ledger account to be used for interim expense postings.
Currency The currency type determines the currency in which royalty is remitted. You can specify a generic currency, which is converted on the order, or you can specify a specific currency for the royalty.
Approval required Select if royalties created from this royalty agreement require approval before they are processed to the ledger accounts.
Calculate by Select if the royalty break is based on quantity or amount.
Validated Shows whether the royalty program is validated.
Validated by Shows whether the royalty program is validated.
Item number Select the items which qualify for this royalty agreement.
Product name Shows the product name of the item.
Unit Shows the sales unit of the item.
Site Shows the default sales site of the item.
Warehouse Shows the default sales warehouse of the item.
Location Shows the default issue location at the default sales warehouse.
Note You can enter specific notes for the royalty agreement.


Royalty Agreement – Lines


At the line level of Royalty Agreement, provide the information on the basis of which the royalty amounts would be calculated, in also contains the specific items on which royalty has to be calculated. However the item on which the royalties are calculated can be defined at the header level but in case, the royalty is payable to one vendors on all sales and to one another vendor on sales of a specific item, the specific item will be described at the line level.

Field Description
Royalty code Enter the identifier for the royalty agreement; the identifier is used to determine the royalty type and default ledger accounts for this agreement.
Description Enter a description of the agreement.
Vendor account Select the vendor for the royalty contract.
Calculation date type Select the date type, which is used for royalty calculation. The values are:
  • Created: The date when the sales order was created
  • Requested receipt date: The requested receipt date of the sales order
  • Requested ship date: The requested ship date of the sales order
Currency The currency type determines the currency in which royalty is remitted. You can specify a generic currency, which is converted on the order, or you can specify a specific currency for the royalty.
Unit Enter the unit of measure for the royalty quantity.
Amount type Select the amount type of the agreement:
  • Amount per unit: A certain amount per sold unit.
  • Fixed amount: A fixed amount for a range of quantities sold.
  • Percentage: A certain percentage of the net amount sold.
Start date Enter the date on which royalty management begins to create accruals based on the agreement. If the agreement is effective immediately, leave the field blank.
End date Enter the date on which royalty will no longer be created based on this agreement. If the agreement does not end, leave the field blank.


Royalty Agreement – Lines – General Tab



Field Description
Royalty code Enter the identifier for the royalty agreement; the identifier is used to determine the royalty type and default ledger accounts for this agreement.
Note Enter a comment or note for the agreement.
Description Enter a description of the agreement.
Vendor account Select the vendor for the royalty contract.
Currency The currency type determines the currency in which royalty is remitted. You can specify a generic currency, which is converted on the order, or you can specify a specific currency for the royalty.
Unit Enter the unit of measure for the royalty quantity.
Calculation date type Select the date type, which is used for royalty calculation. The values are:
  • Created: the date when the sales order was created
  • Requested receipt date: the requested receipt date of the sales order
  • Requested ship date: the requested ship date of the sales order
Start date Enter the date on which royalty management begins to create accruals based on the agreement. If the agreement is effective immediately, leave the field blank.
End date Enter the date on which royalty will no longer be created based on this agreement. If the agreement does not end, leave the field blank.


Royalty Agreement Lines – Selection Tab


Field Description
Item number Select the items, which qualify for this royalty agreement.
Product name Shows the product name of the item.
Unit Shows the sales unit of the item.
Site Shows the default sales site of the item.
Warehouse Shows the default sales warehouse of the default warehouse.
Location Shows the default issue location of the item.

Royalty Agreement Lines  – Royalty Amount Tab


Field Description
From value From quantity/amount in which a royalty has to be calculated.
To value To quantity/amount in which a royalty has to be calculated.
Value Enter the value of the royalty.


Following is the basic process flow for royalty claims, when items which are associated with royalty agreements are invoiced through sales order, the royalty claims are created. The royalty amount can be viewed in sales order line>Price Details>:

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Royalty Claims


Click Accounts Payable>”Royalties”>”Royalty Claims”, to cumulate and process royalty claims.

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In case approval is required on royalties, the royalties can only be cumulated after approval.
The status column on royalty claim provide following information about the claim:-

  • To calculate: The final royalty amount is pending completion of the cumulate royalties run. This status applies to royalty claims that are generated from weekly, monthly or yearly agreements.
  • Calculated: The claim was cumulated and is pending approval.
  • Approved: The claim had been approved if approval is required.
  • Mark: The claim is available for processing.
  • Processed: The claim was processed and a vendor invoice was posted.

Cumulate Royalty Claims


After invoicing the sales order, user has to cumulate royalty claims. This will sum up royalty claims amounts. The royalty amounts can be cumulate on each invoice, week, month, year or a customized period.

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Once the royalties are cumulated and processed, the status of royalty claim will be set as “completed” and the vendor invoice will be posted, which can be paid.

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Source: http://thedynamicsblog.com/managing-royalties-with-microsoft-dynamics-ax-2012-r3/