Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

On August 1, 2011 it was officially announced release of the new version of ERP-cistema of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The vendor calculates that by Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 it will be most demanded at corporate customers with number of users of a system from 200 to 7500.

The Dynamics AX 2012 ERP platform is very mature approach to design of applications, formalizations and business process optimizations. Role access to business information is also facilitated. The Dynamics AX 2012 system is completely ready to work in transnational scales – support of currencies, time zones, national languages, local bank documents, formats of the reporting and legal procedures is provided to customers for 38 countries of the world.

Distinctive features

Interface

The difference of the new version from previous begins already with the interface which in AX 2012 which is completely Office-focused and has new editing features of data. Regarding functionality a system is expanded, in particular, the module "Production \Lean Production". Besides, it is considerably improved workflow, hierarchical reference books are visualized, deep integration is adjusted with Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint. As for architectural changes, the new version gives an opportunity to store metadata and temporary tables in SQL and also to integrate with Microsoft Visual Studio and .NET , etc.

Ready templates

The packet of Dynamics AX 2012 is on sale with five high-level industry templates. These ready templates will help to optimize quickly work of the enterprises in such industries as production, distribution, the budget sphere, service maintenance and retail. Within the offered templates the packet of Dynamics AX 2012 contains changeable sets of the so-called "the unified natural models" (Unified Natural Model) which cover a set of the real situations arising in these industries.

Data management

The packet of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 uses the Microsoft SQL Server platform as a data management system by default. As developers consider, application of the MS SQL Server ensures the unified functioning with an e-business intelligence. Besides, the MS SQL Server – a packet of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 – provides bidirectional integration with office applications of Microsoft Office 2010 and supports the Enterprise Search function (search in all organization) through connection to the Microsoft SharePoint 2010 server and its service of business communications Business Connectivity Services. At last, integration with service of collective work Microsoft Lync 2010 is supported.

Other innovations

• New opportunities for management of finance, human resources, operating activities of the enterprise.
• The new role interface already contains 40 preset roles which will help to make work of users of the most convenient and effective. Also, the new role interface allows to organize flexible management by user rights and guarantees observance of requirements to security.
• The new library of ready business processes allowing on their basis to model and modify own business processes, for their compliance to requirements of the external environment and increase in business performance in general.
• The ready-made solution on integration of MS Dynamics AX 2012 with MS Dynamics CRM using the new connector.
• New tools for the business analysis of BI. Thanks to a possibility of interaction of a system with Microsoft Excel and PowerPivot effective remedies of the business analysis will be at disposal of users. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can be also used in combination with services of generation of reports SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).
• Control of settings of the new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2010 system can be exercised using Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services now. Thanks to this tool, duration of system deployment and preparation of jobs of users, was reduced from several days to 15 minutes.

New scheme of licensing

One of essential innovations – the new scheme of licensing and pricing. The new price list consists of only 6 positions: server license and several types of user licenses. For convenience of clients there was an opportunity with one license to purchase different types of user licenses (basic, expanded, etc.).

The ERP solution Microsoft Dynamics AX with functions of a MES system

MES systems (solution on operational management of production processes) are aimed at production coordination on a global scale, including control of production, loading of work centers, accuracy of observance of technology transactions and quality of work of employees. Besides, MES systems allow to estimate efficiency of the equipment, advantage of this or that carried-out innovation that is especially relevant in the current conditions of upgrade and restructuring of business. Demand for solutions on production planning continues to grow in the world. According to researches of consulting company Frost & Sullivan, income of the world market of MES systems in 2009 was $3612.6 million, and by 2016, according to forecasts, will increase more than twice — to a mark of $8187.7 million.

What do MES systems differ from ERP solutions in? ERP are focused on planning of accomplishment of orders, i.e. answer a question when and how many products should be made. MES systems are focused on a question as the goods are made, and operate with more exact information on production processes. International association of producers of production management systems (MESA) selects 11 signs at which respect a system is considered belonging to MES. Among them — status monitoring and resource allocation, operational/detailed planning, production scheduling, management of documents, collecting and data storage, personnel management, product quality and production processes, management of a maintenance and repair, tracking of history of a product and performance review.

Apparently from the turned-out list, MES systems allow to control all production processes to trifles, beginning from resource management of production and finishing with providing detailed reports about real results of the performed operations. The feature of the ERP solution Microsoft Dynamics AX is that, in addition to the basic functions on financial and economic management, it also contains functionality of a MES system. Earlier the separate module "Management of Workshop" was responsible for it, now the MES functionality is included in the module "Production management".

Setup of a MES system in Dynamics AX 2012 is rather simple. At first parameters of magazines which will serve as a link between MES and the module "Production management" are defined. Then registration forms are created. With their help each worker will reflect execution of operations in a system. For more effective process of registration of works orders, attendance and attendance time of personnel setup of terminals in workplaces is carried out.

Functionality of a MES system — boundless opportunities of planning

How can functions of a MES system in Microsoft Dynamics AX help with production? Options here set. One of the most important aspects of production process is planning, without accurate scheme of material and production flows not to avoid failures to meet time constraints of finished product output, underproduction and overstocking.

Microsoft Dynamics AX it is capable to select automatically from the existing resources those which completely meet the set criteria and are available at the moment. For example - employees with the qualification required for this task, digit capacity of work, existence of special skills and experience. If it is not possible to involve such resource at present, a system when planning or moves up task schedule, or selects other resource. At the same time tasks can prioritize, and the used resources — to change.

At distribution of tasks their interrelation with each other is considered. For example, the worker can perform so-called connected tasks at the same time that will be considered by a system when planning loading. An interesting part of the solution are the so-called futures in case of a delay showing how many days stand idle this or that works order. It is difficult to revaluate advantages of futures: with their help it is possible to see potential risks in real time.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX it is possible to perform and preliminary planning, and its direction can be selected from more than ten options: for example, to set planning of current date or of date of the previous planning forward.

Detailed monitoring of work progress using Microsoft Dynamics AX

It is possible to register task performance in Microsoft Dynamics AX by different methods (a barcode, an employee ID, etc.), depending on type of the installed terminal. At the same time in a system not time of a mark of the employee in a checkpoint, but the real moment of the beginning of task performance in a workplace is displayed. In the created functionality there is also an opportunity to register breaks of employees that is necessary for efficiency evaluation of use of working time and payroll.

Speaking about production, it is impossible to avoid a problem of defective products and breakdown of the equipment. As practice shows, the reason it becomes frequent carelessness of workers, due to negligence of not studied technical documentation. Microsoft Dynamics AX proposes the available solution of this problem: in a system it is enough to configure obligatory acquaintance with documents without which reading the worker will not be able to start task performance. By analogy also transfer of the leading messages in which urgent need can directly arise in the course of accomplishment by the worker of a task is constructed. In this case a system will issue to the worker the notification with indication of the sender and will display whether the message was read.

Also monitoring of work progress is thought in details over in a system. The employee on a feedback specifies quantitative indices of the activity which are displayed in the general list of production orders with the corresponding status in the offered form ("is begun", "in processing", "is complete"). In case of an error it is possible to create new records, at the same time old will be automatically corrected. When monitoring production processes a system gives an opportunity to browse all performed operations, to study specifications, to analyze registration of workers (including breaks), quality and quantity of the performed tasks.

At last, one of the major functions in production management — quality control — also found the reflection in Microsoft Dynamics AX. For check of compliance of the order to certain criteria so-called operations of a route are performed: number of the nomenclature and the name of a resource where it is necessary to check product quality is entered. Check of quality control is performed by the set parameters: a system defines compliance of products to reference values, level of accomplishment of regulatory requirements.

A system provides

• The powerful platform from ready-made solutions which is designed to perform managed and controlled financial transactions and human resources at the enterprise of any scale. This system will be valuable both to commercial enterprises, and to the organizations of public sector.
• Absolutely new level of flexibility of acceptance of management decisions, using a set of ready business tools which reflect a real situation in the enterprise.
• Simplicity in all directions that allows to configure and set up flexibly own solutions, at the same time reducing total ownership cost for clients. Solution Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is concentrated on quality improvement of accomplishment of each business process for IT specialists and end users - it is simpler, easier and more clear.

As it is correct to upgrade to the new version

It is necessary to pass to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 step by step, according to the plan^[1] given below].

At first it is necessary to carry out preliminary contrastive analysis of the current version of your system and functionality which is implemented in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. So to consider what infrastructure, business processes are already used in a system, to analyze interfaces and the reporting and to understand what it should "be taken with itself" and that it is possible to leave in the past. As practice shows, often at the initial stages of implementation it seems to users that in the new version they need a lot of reporting and different forms of documentation. Upon not all from developed earlier is used, and sense to transfer these data and report templates to a new system often is not present.

Special attention should be paid to the analysis of infrastructure. What does it consist in? First of all, it is required to update the park of servers taking into account the recommendations of Microsoft. For this purpose, in particular, the company released for the aid to clients of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Installation Guide – the document which is the installation instruction. In it it is accurately registered what servers and the software will be required, are specified requirements to them and also recommendations about setup of servers are made.

After the analysis there is directly a transition to the new version. It also consists of a number of stages: the design of the solution on the current business processes is studied, the prototype (on the basis of data from the previous version), filling of transferable information is implemented.

The separate block selects the reporting. It is necessary to approach its transfer separately when these balances are loaded. After that it is necessary to carry out test operation when a part the business analyst works. Key users begin to work at this stage in a system: they check compliance of the implemented prototype to those business processes which need to be covered a new system. The last stage of implementation of the new version of a product it becomes natural commercial operation when users in full pass to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 assumes fall forward and reliability of communication channels because on network between the AOS and the SQL server there passes big traffic, and it is extremely important to consider it. Respectively, this moment should be analyzed at the initial stage of transition to the new version of a product. Here it is worth reminding that in the 12th version of Axapta all functionality is available at once. Therefore additional processes which are used in an old system it is possible to replace with standard functionality of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and to transfer to a system already just logic of work.

Further it is required to carry out the analysis of a data structure, normalization of a system by data, to study a possibility of use of web services and to review transition to new means of the server reporting if previous do not approach.

After that time of creation of design of the solution on the carried-out analysis of business processes comes. At a stage of creation of a prototype on transferable customization there is a normalization of tables, carrying out of fields of customization in separate tables that the third form was observed. The correct implementation of interfaces, setup of access rights is important and, respectively implementation of all reports – it is necessary for correct work of all functionality of a system and business processes.

On the end of implementation of a prototype it is necessary to make import of balance and historical data from the previous version of Microsoft Dynamics AX. For the solution of these tasks Microsoft implemented separate the solution module which allows to configure import and export of data as from the previous system, and in general from any third-party system. This solution can be used when it is necessary to translate data from SAP or Excel.

And at the last, final stage when the company starts test, and later and to commercial operation of a new system, there is a control of printed forms, security policies, monitoring of speed of work of interfaces, correctness of work of financial analytics, correctness of setup of structure of accounts. Here monitoring of work with web service which allows to integrate a system with external copies of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is carried out if in it there is a need.

If accurately to follow these recommendations, transition to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 happens without serious consequences, quickly enough and successfully.

Localization for Russia

In Russia the localized version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 will be available since December 12, 2012. It was said by the vice president of Microsoft in Russia, the head of Microsoft Business Solutions Kirill Tatarinov at the technology Microsoft TechEd 2012 exhibition.

According to him, the version with more user-friendly and clear interface is available to the Russian users now. He assured the audience that localization of a product was important for Microsoft.

Also he reported that since November 27, 2012 in a subscription the new version of a cloud service of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available. "Now you can use the test version to look as it works", - Tatarinov told.

The signed agreement about Skolkovo on providing the free version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to all starapa of fund became one more declaration.

According to Kirill Tatarinov, in a new ERP system "everything that was in the previous version of a product, is lifted to new level" and also a number of new features appeared. In particular, Tatarinov refers considerable reduction of time of solution deployment to new key features – in limits "literally several months", the integrated functionality for the different industries in one platform – for retail, production, state structures, services, etc. and also the integrated means for a business intelligence.

Besides, in a new solution the scalability is improved. "For example, we conduct system implementation on 95 thousand users in Microsoft worldwide on the reporting on expenses under corporate cards now", - Tatarinov says.

In the ERP system the licensing model also changed: the cost of the license for the user depends now on depth of functionality which will be available to it. If necessary the available functionality already in the course of work can be expanded, having paid the additional amount, speak in corporation.

From new ERP Microsoft expects to increase the market share in Russia, Tatarinov told CNews. So far, we will remind, it remains low: at the end of 2011 as counted in IDC, the share of Microsoft made 6.9%, having reduced on half-percent in relation to 2010. At the same time SAP for the same period occupied 47.8% of the market, having also a little reduced in a year the share, and 1C - 31.6%. At the same time the last, unlike large western competitors, increased a market share for several percent.

New ERP system of Microsoft is ready to compete successfully with solutions of the main vendors in Russia, Kirill Tatarinov considers. "From my point of view, 1C remains in general an accounting system for small enterprise: it, generally, where they began and where they generally also remain. And we see that the capacity of Dynamics AX, in particular - Dynamics AX 2012, it is just impossible to compare to 1C, which just accounting, - he says. - And we very successfully compete with SAP – since there was a new version of Dynamics AX, we observe worldwide that the percent of prizes at this company, especially in those organizations for whom operational automation is necessary at us considerably increased".

"Kirill Tatarinov or seriously underestimates modern opportunities of "1C:Enterprise 8", or intentionally gives unreliable information about a system - according to us it does not decorate our colleagues, - the head of department of promotion of economic programs of 1C Alexey Kharitonov says. - We can only remind that according to IDC the share of "1C:Enterprise 8" in the Russian market of ISUP grew in 2011 to 31.6%, having exceeded a share of the solutions MS Dynamics by 4.5 times".

It means that the technology platform of "1C:Enterprise 8" and solutions for business management constructed on it have essential advantages and develop quicker than the competing products, Kharitonov summarizes.

Mobile versions of ERP and CRM for iOS and Android

In March, 2013 Microsoft announced a fast output to the market of a pool of mobile applications for the ERP system of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The company promises that they will become available together with the next updating and will improve the connectivity of AX with other back-end systems and also will enhance "social orientation" of AX.

So, non-management employees of the companies using the ERP system of Microsoft, for example, for expenditure management or working time will be able to use applications. Representatives of Microsoft said that the next updating of a system should be expected in 2013.

Also it is said in the statement of corporation that these applications will provide "more effective interaction of people and devices", also as well as "will allow to communicate on social networks".

Among mobile platforms at which applications will work are called Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 and also that is remarkable, Android and iOS. Besides, the corporation promises to open documentation on the mobile program interface so clients and partners will be able to start to development of proprietary applications.

Microsoft has an industry solution of the ERP system for retailers so especially for the companies of this industry the separate application ground for sales, however, it will be created will support only RT and Windows Phone 8.

In the second half of 2013 also Microsoft Dynamics CRM will get mobile version. It will be optimized for use on tablets, including iPad and also devices running Windows.