Archive for January, 2011

January 19 Highlights from the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Here is more news about Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 coming from the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference.

General

  • Product, inventory, trade details can be pushed from AX to cloud for internet sales through third parties, and orders received back into Microsoft Dynamics AX.
  • New AR collection management module.
  • Redesigned and centralized Global Address Book (MDM).
  • New WebSearch component of Help System.
  • AX 2012 will only be delivered on SQLServer (Oracle will not be supported)

Manufacturing Execution and Time & Attendance

  • Renaming and enhancement of AX2009 Shop Floor Control
  • Support for Process industry Batch Orders
  • Enhancements for touch screen enabled registrations
  • New shop floor manager screen for job reassignment and prioritization
  • Advanced configuration of registration screens
  • Registration feedback wizard
  • Ability to correct feedback
  • Enhanced document handling features
    • Access to all related documents (Production/Batch Orders, Product, Routings)
    • Flag documents as required reading and force confirmation of reading
  • Workflow approval of registrations
  • Enterprise Portal access no longer a separate license
  • Initial release does not support Lean manufacturing

Budget Control and Commitment Accounting

  • Ability to budget at detailed (dimension and/or account) level, control at higher level
  • Improved audit trail of budget changes
  • Budget workflow for approvals
  • Fully integrated with Purchasing/AP functions – realtime budget funds availability checking
  • User calendars for budget cycles
  • Budget WebService for developing budgets outside AX (MS Excel, 3rd party product)
  • New Role Center persona for Budget Manager
  • Budget allocation terms to spread budget across dimensions
  • Budget transfers within/across dimensions, with workflow approval rules
  • User defined pre-encumbrances and encumbrances
  • Commitment journals generated for pre-encumbrances and encumbrances for reporting on BS

Product Master Data

  • Designed for multi-entity organizations to manage products centrally (MDM)
  • Removes requirement for “Company Items” for Intercompany processing
  • Centralized product creation process
  • Controlled and selective release to companies
  • Ability to define company-specific Item # for product
  • Shared policies e.g. serial # control
  • Non-shared policies e.g. default order settings
  • Inventory dimension group split into three:
    • Product Dimension Group
    • Storage Dimension Group
    • Tracking Dimension Group
  • Item type “BOM” no longer necessary
  • “Non-Inventory” flag on Inventory model to allows products to be defined but not tracked

Constraint Based Product Configurator

  • Complements existing rules-based Product Builder, does not replace
  • Constraint logic delivered using Microsoft Solver Foundation V3
  • Shipped with API to support ISV extensions
  • Works with Sales Quotes/Orders and in Enterprise Portal
  • Configurations can include Products AND Services
  • Validates combinations of choices
  • Supports multi-level configurations
  • Order/Quote-specific BOM & Route generated
  • Initial release does not support intercompany orders

 

Chart of Accounts and Dimension Framework

  • Accounts and Dimensions data structure redesigned
  • Accounts and dimensions merged into single data structure
  • Shared accounts and dimensions across entities (MDM)
  • Ledger Account is now the ‘Main account’ financial dimension
  • Unlimited financial dimensions (AX2009 limit was 10)
  • Simplified definition of Account/dimension combinations/validations
  • Organization types from org structure are published as dimensions
  • Postings are now to an ‘Account structure’ – a configuration of the main account and other financial dimensions

Posted in Microsoft Dynamics AX |


AX-iom attends the Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

This year’s Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference is an important event highlighting the new features of the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX which was officially named AX 2012 during the conference kickoff.  Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is expected to be released this spring and will offer many fundamental changes both on the technical and functional sides.

AX-iom is in attendance at the conference getting the latest information on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 highlights.  AX-iom staff is reporting that nearly 1000 delegates are in attendance at the conference, nearly doubling Microsoft’s initial expectations.

Here is a report of yesterday’s Conference findings regarding Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012:

General

    • All development can now be done in Visual Studio using .NET tools, and deployed to AX AOT with a single click.
    • Multiple development Projects/Versions can be deployed in the same layer.
    • Enhanced MS Office integration:
  • Full two way integration with MS Excel
  • Use MS Excel PowerPivot to create mashups of AX and non-AX data
  • MS Word templates for documents can be designed via drag-and-drop of AX data elements
  • Graphical Workflow design
  • All forms have been redesigned as Places with tabs and ribbons. No more buttons on the right!
  • Any form can be deployed to the Enterprise Portal with a single click.
  • Master data maintained by effective date.

 

Material Planning and Resource Scheduling

  • Decoupling of Routes from Work Centers.
  • Work Center Groups are now Resource Groups; Work Centers are now Resources.
  • Resources are linked to Resource Groups by effective date.
  • Resources are assigned capabilities – Resource Type, Skills, Courses, Certifications, Titles.
  • Operations are assigned capability requirements.
  • Scheduling engine selects resources based on capabilities.
  • Master Scheduling engine rewritten and optimized in C#.

 

Production

  • Standard, Lean and Process Manufacturing all shipped in a single layer and can be used together.
  • New planned order types ‘Kanban’ and ‘Intercompany order’.
  • Forecasts can be entered at any level and be consumed by any type of demand (not just Sales Orders).

 

Lean Manufacturing

  • Product cost calculation without routings.
  • Fixed and variable kanban quantities.
  • Event kanbans for use in MTO/CTO businesses.
  • New delivery date control option on Sales orders. – Capable to Promise
  • Graphical kanban schedule board with drag and drop scheduling.
  • Kanban board for cells (similar to SFC registration screen).
  • Cell Capacity can be defined in quantity or time.

 

Organizational Structures

  • Ability to define different organizational hierarchies for legal and management structures by effective date.
  • Simple reorganization of organization structures.
  • Integration of organization types with financial dimensions.
  • Security by organization structure.
  • Data sharing by organization structure.
  • Integration with new Global Address Book.
  • Facilitate shared services across organization units. e.g. Purchasing
  • Policy definition by organization structure.

 

Check out our blog for more highlights from the 2011 Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference tomorrow!

Posted in Microsoft Dynamics AX, News |