Microsoft Dynamics Partner Instant Update Screensaver

The Microsoft Dynamics Partner Instant Update Screensaver gives you the opportunity to get updates on an ongoing basis from the global Microsoft Dynamics Product Management teams. It offers you the opportunity to get global updates directly to your desktop. The news column in the left hand side of the screensaver is updated with new announcements on an ongoing basis and links to the full details on PartnerSource. Once installed, news updates will be fed automatically to your screen whenever you are online and the screensaver is activated.
Enjoy :)

Click here to get it !!! {Requires Partnersource Logon}

Consuming a Web Service in DAX 4.x

A 'nice to have' feature request made by a prospective client was the facility to download daily currency exchange rates in DAX. Fred Shen had blogged about this previously and it was my source for inspiration :).
What you need are the following:
-Currency Exchange Web Service : I have used http://www.webservicex.net/CurrencyConvertor.asmx
-Visual Studion2005 C# ( C# Program to access the Web Service and get the values)
-DAX :)
The code to access Web Service was written in C# {I've started to get my hands dirty wid c# :)}



The AXCurrencyExchange.dll was generated after building the C# project (The dll name may differ in your case). Copy the AXCurrencyExchange.dll to \Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics AX\40\client\Bin.
Start DAX 4.x.Open AOT, and locate the Reference node. Right click, select Add Reference and register the AXCurrencyExchange.dll in DAX. Then write the following code and run the code.



This is still in R&D phase and I'll work further when I get some more free time.
Looking for feedback, comments, queries and suggestions for improvements :)

Sneak preview - Code Upgrade Enhancements in DAX

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.x offers businesses additional advantages over earlier versions, including increased performance and scalability, improved ability to gather business intelligence and share information, deeper integration with Microsoft technologies, and key productivity and functionality improvements.

A sneak preview of the DAX 4.x upgrade framework is up on MFP's BLOG.

Click here to read it :)

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