This version should be released later in 2011 and we would like to share our discovery as software developers and integrators. Traditionally programming in Axapta and Dynamics AX was done in X++ in MorphX Integrated Development Environment.
Metadata is now ported into the SQL Server database and exposed to other Microsoft Coding Tools, such as Visual Studio. This trend opens good opportunity for generic .Net programmers and developers in such languages as C# or VB.Net to begin their contribution. But seems like Microsoft Business Solutions goes even further in enabling modification to end users or in-staff AX administrators, who do not pretend classify themselves as programmers. Of course, trade shows, such as Convergence 2011 in Atlanta in April is something where each tries to demonstrate something revolutionary (and do not emphasize something that doesn’t work there yet). Let’s look at some details:
1. Offer to the Public Sector. Before we go to the programming staff, we would like to tell you that in this new release Microsoft plans to offer AX to non-profit organizations. They claim that General Ledger was specially re-assembled to support Fund Accounting. We also heard the message, that ISV partners now have flexible GL, where they do not have to create custom objects and business processes in order to produce Public Sector Add-ons. General Ledger is now ready and open for non-for-profit third party packages software development
2. Metadata Openness. Traditionally it was available in MorphX and partial user interface automation did exist for Windows client interface. Now it seems like Enterprise Portal (which is Web Application) is also automated in the sense that newly created custom tables, queries and forms could be published from MorphX metadata. We were demonstrated that publishing creates menu in Enterprise Portal page (you decide which page it should be) – link is placed there and it opens web form. This web form resembles the same functionality as Windows user interface AX custom page. What was nice in presentation – all these custom features could be done without a single line of code in X++, C# or VB or any other programming languages, just via GUI
3. Metadata in Visual Studio. It availability allows you to do such nice things as SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports in a matter of minutes. The report could use custom query to produce the same results as Windows user interface custom for, parallel form in Enterprise Portal
4. Creating Web Service over custom query. Looks like this is also available in Metadata plug-in directly via GUI (graphical user interface, sorry for using technical terminology). If you have web service, you can hook it up in such popular application as Excel. However, we think that this is an opportunity to link AX objects from something that is not Microsoft Windows Operating platform, Linux for example (where numerous ecommerce shopping carts are hosted in PHP/MySQL, think about such popular shopping cart as Magento)
5. AX on the international Corporate ERP market. We believe that all the new features should enable international programmers, where free operating systems, such as Linux and software development (PHP) and database platforms (MySQL) are especially popular (however at this time we don’t believe that data modification or insertion web service could be created without X++ programming). ERP and MRP market in USA and Canada seems to be long time divided between aging Accounting platforms, such as Great Plains, Oracle, SAP. On the other hand in such regions as Brazil or Latin America, Russia we see the trend to switch from locally programmed ERP solutions (such as Microsiga in Brazil or 1S Bukhgalteria in Russian Federation) to brand name ERP solutions (Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle). We also believe that there is good market room in Arabic speaking Middle East and Northern Africa, in Russian speaking East Europe, Kazakhstan and Central Asia. It is probably too optimistic to recommend Axapta to small or mid-size company somewhere in Uzbekistan or Siberia, however if you are multinational corporation and expanding into these areas, AX could be the way to go
6. Some words on competition. If you are in USA, Canada, South America (Spanish speaking), Arabic World, UK, South Africa, and you are in decision making mode to pick your next Corporate ERP platform – we recommend you to see Dynamics GP (former Great Plains) executive and technology oriented presentation. If you are in Europe, we recommend you to look at Dynamics NAV (formerly known as Navision). If you are expanding internationally with market watch type of preliminary operations AX might be too heavy lifter to be implemented in the foreign branch. In this scenario we recommend you to consider something popular but small business oriented, SAP Business One for example. If you implement small business ERP in the foreign subsidiary consolidation could be done on the level of financial reporting (FRx and Microsoft Management Reporter offer the functionality to consolidate Excel GL Trial Balance export in Reporting tree)
7. Where AX is localized as Corporate ERP system? It is translated and localized for key regions, including China, India, Russian Federation, most of Europe, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Spanish speaking Latin America
8. Please call us 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904 (for international customers, where our representative pick up the phone in St. Joseph, MI call center). help@efaru.com We have local presence in Chicagoland, Southern California, South West Michigan, Houston and Dallas areas of Texas. We serve customers USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil nationwide and internationally via web sessions and phone conferences (Skype is welcomed). Our consultants speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese. Our core expertise is in International Business
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