Monday, January 16, 2012

Importing Leads into AX 2009

Hi,
   Today we have a discussion of the Procedure to Import Leads into AX 2009 from a XML File :


1.    Basic >Setup > Import > Documents
  • In Documents form:  Name, CRMContacts; Description, CRM Contacts Document Class; Document Class, AxdSysImportLeads.
  • Click “Validate”, close Documents Form

2.    Basic > Setup > Import > Transformations
  • In Transformations form: Name, XmlToContacts; Document Class, CRMContacts;
  • Click “Load”
  • Select file “SysImport.Leads.xsl" from "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics AX\50\Application\Share\Include" folder.
  • Click “Validate”
  • General Tab, verify that type of transformation is “XSLT”

3.    Basic > Setup >Import > Formats
  • In Formats form:  Name, XmlFormat; Description, Process Xml Files; Extensions, *.xml; Document Class, CRMContacts; Active (checked)
  • Save, then click “Transformations”
  • On the Format transformations form:  Transformation:  XmlToContacts, close the form
  • On the Formats form, click “Validate”
  • The Import form will appear; select the file “Leads.xml”; click OK

Now you can start and complete the import process.  CRM >Periodic > Import > Leads


Note :
       Format of Leads.xml must be as displayed below :

<Leads xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dynamics/2006/02/documents/SysImportLeads">
  <Lead>
    <LeadID>9999</LeadID>
    <Memo>Fair customer</Memo>
    <Subject>Intersted in our products</Subject>
    <Name>Kuldeep Singh</Name>
    <Address>
      <Name>Work</Name>
      <City>New York</City>
      <CountryRegionId>US</CountryRegionId>
      <County>LOUDOUN</County>
      <Email>help4mcts@gmail.com</Email>
      <Phone>(123) 456-7</Phone>
      <PhoneLocal>09811480042</PhoneLocal>
      <State>VA</State>
      <Street>NE 1st Street</Street>
      <URL>http://blogs.gtechlearn.com</URL>
      <ZipCode>00346</ZipCode>
    </Address>
    <Address>
      <Name>Home</Name>
      <City>Somewhere else</City>
      <CountryRegionId>US</CountryRegionId>
      <County>LOUDOUN</County>
      <Email>Kuldeepsingh_godara@yahoo.co.in</Email>
      <Phone>(123) 765-4</Phone>
      <PhoneLocal>0</PhoneLocal>
      <State>VA</State>
      <Street>666 N 2nd Street</Street>
      <URL>http://dynamicspost.blogspot.com</URL>
      <ZipCode>00346</ZipCode>
    </Address>
    <ContactInfo>
      <CommunicationTypeId>Email</CommunicationTypeId>
      <Email>help4mcts@gmail.com</Email>
    </ContactInfo>
    <ContactInfo>
      <CommunicationTypeId>PrimaryPhone</CommunicationTypeId>
      <Phone>(123) 456-1</Phone>
    </ContactInfo>
  </Lead>
 </Leads>

Enjoy DAX!!! 

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Global Number Sequences in AX 2012 (Going Global)


Number sequences in Dynamics AX probably only get technical types and a few bean counters excited.  But one man’s trash is another’s art.  In AX number sequences as in most ERP systems provide unique identifiers to transactions (SO, PO, JE, etc.) or master data (e.g. customers, items, vendors, etc.) In AX these user friendly identifiers can be maintained in continuous or non-continuous alphanumeric sequences.
With previous releases (AX 2009 and earlier) number sequences were system generated sequential strings with hard coded system or user (administrator) specified prefixes or suffixes. Size of the number sequence (number of digits) and smallest, largest, and next numbers can be specified as well as a unique code and name. AX 2009 also supports number sequence groups and additional advanced functionality.  In AX 2009 and earlier versions, the number sequences were specific to a company, and if the organization  maintained and supported multiple companies within the AX environment unique number sequences had to be maintained for each company.
With the introduction of the Organizational Model concept in AX 2012, number sequences functionality has been enhanced to allow sharing of number sequences across organizations and organization types. Without veering into a separate discussion of Organizational Models in AX, from a number sequence perspective the change allows association of a sequences to   not only multiples companies (or the comparable “legal entity” in AX2012), but  also multiple organizations such as operational units and legal entities or literally “shared”, with options within that matrix. This allows an association of a master data number sequence such as a product to be shared globally.
Two new concepts have been introduced in AX 2012 to the number sequence framework. These are scope and segment. A segment is a data entity such as a legal entity, operational unit, or perhaps a fiscal calendar. A number sequence can have more than one segment.   As scope is a valid combination of segments used for a specific transaction or master data entity.
AX 2012 ships with the following valid segment combinations (scope)-
  • Shared
  • Company (DataArea)
  • Company (DataArea) and fiscal calendar period
  • Legal entity
  • Operating unit
  • Legal entity and fiscal calendar period

Although scope is predefined for a data entity, the segments within that scope are configurable.
Shared scope uses a generated number across an instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, and has no segments.
Company or (DataArea) is essentially the same functionality as previous releases.
Combinations are apparently at face value, although there are limitations.
As one can see with AX2012 the number sequence framework is significantly enhanced. Users and partners are still learning the explosion of technical and functional improvements that the MS Dev team has created. Number sequences have greater power and complexity than presented in this brief entry. For a more in depth look please read the White Paper by Microsoft’s Madan Natu, Senior Program Manager-Using the Enhanced Number Sequence Framework in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, which was released earlier this week. Many of us have much to learn.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Installation and Configuration Certification Exam Prometric Exam #MB6-872 Preparation Guide


Target Audience

This exam is intended for individuals who plan to install, implement, configure, consult on, or support Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. This audience typically includes administrators, implementers, developers, and technical consultants who need to understand the technical aspects and administrative functionality of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.


Exam Specifics

Skills Being Measured:
This certification exam measures your ability to understand and articulate how to use, maintain, and support Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 installation and configuration including planning a Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 installation, understanding the organizational model, managing users and security, managing services and workflows, managing analytics and reporting, managing Enterprise Portals, and managing administration.
Time Requirements & Questions:Microsoft Dynamics exam times typically range between 60 – 160 minutes. Note that this time does not include any additional time required for validating your identification, reviewing instructions, providing comments, and calculating your score.

Microsoft Dynamics exams typically contain between 40 – 75 Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer questions.
Registration:Register for Prometric Exam MB6-872: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Installation and Configuration Certification Exam at Prometric

Exam Preparation Tools

In addition to your hands-on experience working with the product, we highly recommend using the following tools and training to help you prepare for this exam:
Instructor-Led Training (Please check with your region to verify instructor-led training availability):
E-Learning:
Training Materials:
Supplemental Learning Resources:
  • Online Help within the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 product.
  • Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 What's New training
Additional Skills Recommended:General working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, including all required deployment platforms; Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Active Directory, including the security model; IIS; and Microsoft SQL Server 2008, including SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Analysis Services.

Exam Topics

Planning to Install Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Understanding the Organizational Model – 16%
  • Setting up the server.
    • This topic may include: minimum server setup; complete server setup; other servers in the environment; Kerberos authentication; firewall settings
  • Planning domain accounts.
    • This topic may include: identifying necessary service accounts; service account requirements
  • Managing pre-installation tasks.
    • This topic may include: pre-installation checklists; planning system topology; planning hardware and software; managing the RAID system; disaster recovery; reviewing staff skills
  • Planning components.
    • This topic may include: prerequisites; databases; Application Object Server (AOS); Help Server; clients; .NET Business Connector; Debugger; Trace Parser; Microsoft Visual Studio tools; Microsoft Office add-ins; management utilities; Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012; business intelligence components
  • Identifying organizational model concepts.
    • This topic may include: legal entities; operating units; hierarchy purposes
  • Managing organizational hierarchies.
    • This topic may include: creating organizations; creating hierarchies; assigning a hierarchy purpose; adding organizations to a hierarchy
Installing Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 – 15%
  • Working with the setup utility.
    • This topic may include: using the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup Wizard; automatic update installer; validation prerequisites; installing an environment; post-installation configuration steps; simplifying single-computer deployments; troubleshooting
  • Working with configuration utilities.
    • This topic may include: servers; clients
  • Working with Office add-ins.
    • This topic may include: configuring add-ins; using add-ins
  • Deploying clients.
    • This topic may include: creating a group policy logon script; deploying multiple clients; creating a shared configuration file; creating a batch file to install clients
  • Working with the initialization checklist.
    • This topic may include: preparing initialization; synchronizing the database; initializing the system
Managing Users and Security – 16%
  • Managing security.
    • This topic may include: default and sample security definitions; compliance, auditing, and reporting; custom authentication; integrating security with the organizational model
  • Managing authentication, users, and Active Directory user groups.
    • This topic may include: Active Directory users; Active Directory groups; claims users for Enterprise Portal; manually creating users; importing users from Active Directory; manually creating Active Directory user groups
  • Managing role-based security.
    • This topic may include: aligning application security with business needs; reusable permissions; role-based security concepts; roles, duties, and process cycles; privileges and permissions; role design principles; goals for security changes in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012; assigning roles to users; assigning users to roles; assigning roles based on an organizational model
  • Managing the extensible data security framework.
    • This topic may include: applying the extensible data security framework to a user; record-level security
  • Customizing security.
    • This topic may include: adding a role; modifying a role; adding duties to a role; removing duties from a role; editing a duty
Managing Services and Workflow – 12%
  • Managing administration and integration.
    • This topic may include: metadata service; query service; service groups; integration ports; inbound versus outbound ports; basic versus enhanced ports; websites; support for non-XML files
  • Managing infrastructure and deployment.
    • This topic may include: improving performance; the data model; system services; services and the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) runtime; hosting services on the AOS; IIS service hosting with the .NET Business Connector; deploying services on a web farm; debugging services by using Visual Studio .NET; viewing logs
  • Working with the architecture.
    • This topic may include: organization model integration; hosting workflow on the AOS; identifying workflow types and uses
  • Working with the graphical workflow editor.
    • This topic may include: adding approvals; adding conditional decisions; adding manual decisions; adding parallel activities; adding and working with sub-workflows; working with line-level workflows; adding tasks and automated tasks
  • Managing inquiries and reports.
    • This topic may include: performance analysis reports; viewing workflow history
Managing Analytics and Reporting – 13%
  • Working with cubes.
    • This topic may include: types of cubes; cube features; Date dimension and Gregorian calendar
  • Deploying analytics.
    • This topic may include: setup wizard; SQL Server Analysis Services Project wizard
  • Configuring analytics.
    • This topic may include: fixed schemas; configuring default cubes; analysis servers; exchange rate information; time periods; maintenance plans
  • Managing batch support and deployment.
    • This topic may include: reporting architecture; reporting services; Windows PowerShell report deployment
  • Managing report servers.
    • This topic may include: creating a new Report Server; validating settings
Managing Enterprise Portals – 13%
  • Installing enterprise portals.
    • This topic may include: prerequisites; installation tasks; search
  • Deploying enterprise portals.
    • This topic may include: simplified deployment; deploying from the Application Object Tree (AOT); deploying changes to the Enterprise Portal
  • Configuring enterprise portals.
    • This topic may include: Enterprise Portal parameters; publishing images; websites; collaboration workspace settings; configuring search; updating the search crawler role
Managing Administration – 15%
  • Managing models.
    • This topic may include: models and model files; SQL Server–based model store; model store uses; baseline model store; managing label files
  • Managing system administration.
    • This topic may include: management packs; Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer; server configuration; cluster configuration; Help system parameters; client performance options; system service accounts; license configuration and information; system parameters
  • Setting up and managing email.
    • This topic may include: email parameters and retry schedules; email batch jobs; email inquiries; email broadcasts
  • Setting up batches.
    • This topic may include: batch groups; batch jobs; batch processing; batch job history
  • Managing alerts.
    • This topic may include: alert parameters; alert rules; creating alerts; processing alerts; notification lists; notification clean up

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Create & Post Inventory Journal in AX 2009

Following is job which will create and post the Inventory Journal in ax 2009 :-

static void createMovJournal(Args _args)
{ InventJournalTable journalTable;
InventJournalTrans journalTrans;
InventJournalTableData journalTableData;
InventJournalTransData journalTransData;
InventTable inventTable;
InventDim inventDim;
Counter cnt;
InventJournalCheckPost journalCheckPost = new InventJournalCheckPost();
DialogButton dbtn;
;

journalTableData = JournalTableData::newTable(journalTable);
journalTransData = journalTableData.journalStatic().newJournalTransData(journalTrans,journalTableData);

// Init JournalTable

journalTable.clear();

journalTable.JournalId = journalTableData.nextJournalId();
journalTable.JournalType = InventJournalType::Movement;
journalTable.JournalNameId = journalTableData.journalStatic().standardJournalNameId(journalTable.JournalType);

journalTableData.initFromJournalName(journalTableData.journalStatic().findJournalName(journalTable.JournalNameId));

// Init JournalTrans
select firstonly inventTable;
for(cnt=1;cnt<10;cnt++)
{
journalTrans.clear();
journalTransData.initFromJournalTable();

journalTrans.TransDate = systemdateget() + 1 div 2;
journalTrans.ItemId ='1103';    //inventTable.ItemId;
journalTrans.Qty = 100;
journalTrans.CostAmount = 100;
journalTrans.LedgerAccountIdOffset='110170';

// Dimension details

inventDim.InventLocationId = '11';
journalTrans.InventDimId ='00000061_069'; //InventDim::findOrCreate(inventDim).inventDimId;

journalTransData.create();



}

journalTable.insert();

// Call the static method to post the journal
if(InventJournalCheckPost::newPostJournal(journalTable).validate())

if(box::yesNo("Do you want to Post Now?",DialogButton::No)==DialogButton::Yes)
{
InventJournalCheckPost::newPostJournal(journalTable).run();
}
else
{
 box::info("Not Posted");
}
info("done");

}

Monday, October 3, 2011

A Now() or GetDate() Method for AX


It should be noted, that after I made this post, it was revealed to me that the DateTimeUtil::utcNow() method accomplishes this goal...

If we need to be able to obtain the current date & time; something similar to the DateTime.Now() function in .NET or the getdate() function in SQL Server; However as far as I can tell, AX provides no quick function for this, so I wrote my own:
public utcdatetime Now()
{
str tDate;
str tTime;
utcdatetime utc3;

;

tDate = date2str(systemDateGet(), 321, DateDay::Digits2, DateSeparator::Hyphen, DateMonth::Digits2, DateSeparator::Hyphen, DateYear::Digits4);
tTime = time2Str(TimeNow(), TimeSeparator::Colon, TimeFormat::AMPM);
return str2datetime(tDate + " " + tTime, 321);
}

Enjoy DAX !!!
Cheers...