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
