Microsoft Dynamics AX Architecture

Understanding the internal architecture of Microsoft Dynamics AX can help you make decisions when planning and developing a Microsoft Dynamics AX system. Here are some pointers on DAX architecture primarily for DAX architects & solution developers :)
System architecture
This diagram provides a high-level overview of a Microsoft Dynamics AX system with all components installed, and describes how communications flow among components.





Application Object Server (AOS) architecture
This diagram describes the functionality within the AOS Windows service, and describes how communications flow within it.




Application file server architecture
This diagram describes the application file server.




Client kernel architecture
This diagram describes the functionality within the client kernel, and describes how communications flow within it.





Business Connector architecture
The differences between the client kernel as it runs on a standard client and a Business Connector client are:
- The Session Manager in the client kernel manages only a single instance--in the Business Connector kernel, it manages multiple instances.
- The client kernel includes forms security, while the Business Connector kernel does not.
This diagram describes the architecture of the Business Connector version of the client kernel, and describes how communications flow within it.




Application integration framework architecture
This diagram describes the functionality within the application integration framework, and describes how communications flow within it.




Enterprise Portal architecture
This diagram provides a logical overview of a Microsoft Dynamics AX system with an Enterprise Portal server, and describes how communications flow within it.





Reporting Server architecture
This diagram provides a logical overview of a Microsoft Dynamics AX system with a reporting server, and describes how communications flow within it.

White paper: Roles-based productivity

The Microsoft Dynamics Customer Model is a tool that Microsoft has developed to document how people work within departments—and how that drives performance across organizations. The model helps ensure that Microsoft Dynamics and related business-management software is designed based upon a thoroughly-researched, consistent set of people and processes that will apply to businesses like yours. The model includes:

-Models of companies for small and midsize businesses, as well as large and complex departments
-61 "personas" or "user profiles" which represent a typical view of the people that can occur within an organization defined primarily by the collection of roles they have. (A role is a specific grouping of tasks that a persona is responsible for or participates in.)
-Profiles of five midsize-business departments (Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, IT & Partners)
-15 typical departmental organization charts showing how the personas are typically organized in these five departments
-33 process groups that represent the work people do within business scenarios
-155 processes and subsequent tasks and steps defined across the 33 business process groups

This white paper includes research methodology; model, screen, and process illustrations; technical information about how the model drives role-based software design, and why that design can help your people and processes be more productive.

Click here to Download

Industry solutions for Microsoft Dynamics AX

Different industries have unique needs, processes, and customers. Microsoft delivers complete, top-quality solutions that are developed for a number of industries. Many of these solutions are developed through the Microsoft Industry Builder initiative: a structured program in which Microsoft works together with select independent software vendors (ISVs).

The number of industry-specific solutions based upon Microsoft Dynamics AX continues to grow. Use the links below to find out more about solutions currently available:

Microsoft Industry Builder initiative

Install and Configure a Microsoft Dynamics AX Enterprise Portal Server

A new version of the white paper on "Install and Configure a Microsoft Dynamics AX Enterprise Portal Server" is available for download .



Click here to download

New DAX Site

A new DAX site is now online.Must check out for DAX enthusiasts :) . Resource upload in progress :) Register & Contribute :)

Editor Scripts in DAX

Editor Scripts are available to help you quickly complete common programming tasks. They are available in the X++ Editor Window as shown .



They have lots of useful scripts which are really very useful for the developer. You can also customize these editor scripts and add your own scripts. What you have to do is edit the EditorScripts Class (\Classes\EditorScripts) with your new script.
As a practice whenever me or my colleagues create a new Class/Form/Report in AX, we add a new method called DevelopmentHistory() which contains details on all modifications made to that object by any developer. It later becomes easy to view changes made and identify why they were made :).

Hence I added this method in the class:)

\Classes\EditorScripts\comments_DevelopmentHistory()

void comments_DevelopmentHistory(Editor e)
{
e.unmark();
e.gotoLine(1);
e.gotoCol(1);
e.insertLines('void DevelopmentHistory()'+'\n');
e.insertLines('{'+'\n');
e.insertLines('/*'+'\n');
e.insertLines('Made By :'+'\n');
e.insertLines('Date :'+'\n');
e.insertLines('Project Ref :'+'\n');
e.insertLines('Brief Functionality :'+'\n');
e.insertLines('=================='+'\n');
e.insertLines('Changes Made :'+'\n'+'\n'+'\n');
e.insertLines('*/'+'\n');
e.insertLines('}');
}

The Final screen . Your own editor script :)

Application Fundamentals in Dynamics AX

This Screencast by MFP talk covers the most basic frameworks you must know about to be an effective X++ developer:










Click here to Download

The PPT can also be downloaded from MFP' BLOG

New Application Patching Strategy for Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 SP1

The process for developing, building, and releasing application hot fixes and updates will fundamentally change from Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 SP1 onwards.

The hot fix layer files will be made cumulative in the sense that previous fixes will be included in the latest released hot fix or the next critical update. Due to this cumulative approach, released hot fixes are expected to be tested in conjunction with all supported updates and their fixes. In this way, we intend to reduce conflicts between fixes.

Another major difference between the patching strategy of Microsoft Dynamics AX 3.0 and 4.0 SP1 onwards, will be the type of hot fix deliverable. We expect to release cumulative hot fixes as an AOD file, which will be distributed out of the DIS layer inside Microsoft Dynamics AX. This should make it simpler to distinguish Microsoft code from code developed by a partner, as well as making it possible to use the inbuilt upgrade tools to upgrade a partner’s customization layer(s) in a similar manner to installing a service pack in Microsoft Dynamics AX 3.0. A major advantage of this new approach is that it will now be easier for Microsoft as well as partners to better determine the current hot fix status of any customer system.

We expect that all cumulative hot fixes will be rolled forward into the next critical update and major release, so that partners upgrading their customers to a new major release should only need to delete the entire DIS layer to help ensure a smoother upgrade path.


Source: Partnersource

Installing and Configuring Enterprise Portal Across Multiple Servers Using Network Load Balancing for Microsoft Windows Server 2003

Instructions for installing and configuring Enterprise Portal across multiple servers using Network Load Balancing.

Click here to download (Requires Partnersource Logon)

DAX 4.0 SP 1 Suggested Hardware for Deployments up to 100 and up to 250 Concurrent Users

Describes general hardware sizing information that will support Microsoft Dynamics™ AX 4.0 Service Pack 1 for deployments up to 100 concurrent users and up to 250 concurrent users (in a single deployment model).

Click here to Download (Requires Partnersource Logon)

Sending E Mails from DAX 4 via Lotus Notes

I come across many clients who use Lotus Notes as their Mailing Application and wanted to see how AX can use LN to send e mails. After lot of R & D, I have been able to create a utility within AX which can use LN to send E Mails {Still under development}. Sending you all some hints how I got it done and I have tested it out and its workin fine. Any suggestions for improvements will be greatly appreciated. Presently working to make a class extending SysMailer :) and resolve some small issues :)

1. You must have LN Client Installed on your laptop ( The version I worked with is Release 6.5.4|March 27, 2005 )
2. Use the COM Class Wrapper Wizard in DAX to create AX Classes for the "domobj.tlb". (See attached Screenshot)
3. Attaching below some references which will help you create the AX Class / Job which will send the e mail from DAX via LN. At present this in only an R & D Project which Im doing in my free time and hence the code can definitely be optimized. However its working fine.
4. The Password Popup can be bypassed by giving the password in the following line
NotesSession.Initialize("YOUR PASSWORD")
5. The File Paths given in the screenshot are defaults that are on my Laptop. Yours may differ. Watch out for the Red Boxes in the Screenshot :)
6. Presently havin a wee bit of problems regarding the Signature, CC & BCC fields :( But I intend to solve it during my next free time :)

Looking for suggestions, improvements and feedback.














Some Reference Links:
Microsoft AX Newsgroups
How to send Lotus Notes mail messages with Microsoft Visual Basic
Using IBM Lotus Domino in a Microsoft .NET application

Reporting and business intelligence with Microsoft Dynamics AX

This paper provides a broad overview of the current features and future directions of the Microsoft Dynamics AX Reporting and BI framework, to address the following ERP Business Performance Management functional scenarios:

- Ad hoc Reporting

- Production Reporting

- Multidimensional Reporting and Analysis

- Business Scorecards

- Financial Reporting

Click here for the link

Microsoft Dynamics AX 9-Part Technical Web Seminar Series

Attend this nine part series for a look into what’s new with Microsoft Dynamics AX. You will learn about various technical topics, such as, AD Integration & AOS Clustering, the .NET Business Connector, Enterprise Portal, Application Integration Framework, Performance Optimization, and Security.


Microsoft Dynamics AX: MS Roadmap (1 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX Roadmap (2 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: AD Integration & AOS Clustering (3 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: .NET Business Connector (4 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: BI Power Hour (5 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: Enterprise Portal (6 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: Application Integration Framework (7 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: Performance Optimization (8 of 9)

Microsoft Dynamics AX: Security (9 of 9)

Global Coverage for Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 Service Pack 1 is now available on the pricelist in most countries with localizations.

Click here for more information { Requires Partnersource Logon}

Country versions with SYS files and language packs available for download from PartnerSource and CustomerSource

GLS files also available together with the download

GLS files available separately

Microsoft Dynamics AX Video Library

The Microsoft Dynamics videos are listed by product focus or functional topic area. Contains videos of Customer success stories.

Click here to download (Requires Partnersource Logon)

In addition to this library you may download a complete list of videos with full abstracts – sorted by product focus, topic area, play time or video title.

Dynamics AX search engine

Now you can search on AX from Google




DAX Search

DAX Snapins - Integration with MS Office

Microsoft Dynamics Snap can help your people more easily create, coordinate, and manage data from within the applications they're most familiar with. This helps save time, boost productivity, speed collaboration, and improve processes. Click on the links below for resources :)





Microsoft Dynamics Snap Team BLOG

Microsoft Dynamics Snap Sandbox: Home (Requires Authentication)

Make data access a snap: Get Microsoft Dynamics data from within Microsoft Office