CHAPTER 6: TECHNOLOGY

Chapter 6: Technology CHAPTER 6: TECHNOLOGY Objectives Introduction The objectives are: Review the system architecture of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Describe the options for making development changes in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Describe the theory of Model Driven Architecture in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Microsoft Dynamics AX provides a flexible solution architecture. This enables companies to remain agile by enabling incremental change in the technical environment. The system architecture takes advantage of the Microsoft stack of technologies. This helps reduce the cost of maintaining the software because the architecture is scalable to grow as your business grows. Model driven layered architecture eases the management of customizations. This enables companies to configure the system to the way that they do business instead of forcing them to change their business to fit the software. The object-oriented development environment provides powerful tools that enable developers to customize the business logic. 6-1

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Scenario System Architecture Roles: Tim, IT Manager; Chris, IT Engineer; Nandita, In-house developer. Scenario: Tim has to understand the architecture and development environment of Microsoft Dynamics AX. Chris and Nandita will continue to specialize in these areas. Three-Tier Architecture Microsoft Dynamics AX has a three-tier architecture. Three-tier architecture is defined as having a separate database, server and client where: The database stores the data. The server runs the application business logic. The client application lets users connect to the server to access business logic and use the data in the database. In Microsoft Dynamics AX the three tiers include the following: A SQL Server Database that houses the data that is entered into, and used by, the Microsoft Dynamics AX application. It also houses the model store that contains the application elements. Application elements are explained in the following lesson. An Application Object Server is a service that runs most of the business logic. This runs continuously on a central server. 6-2

Chapter 6: Technology The Client application is the user interface through which an enduser accesses Microsoft Dynamics AX. There are various clients available including the Microsoft Dynamics AX rich client and Enterprise Portal. FIGURE 6.1 THREE TIER ARCHITECTURE Extended Architecture Several other components of the Microsoft technology stack are used in a typical deployment. Reports are delivered by SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). SSRS is a component that is included in SQL Server. Business Intelligence (BI) components such as Key Performance Indicators use Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cubes which are delivered by SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). SSAS is a component that is included in SQL Server. The Enterprise Portal and Role Pages are hosted in SharePoint. There are two versions of SharePoint that can be used. Windows SharePoint Foundation 2010 is a free download. Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 is a product that can be purchased to provide extended collaboration and content management tools. Integration to other applications or to third-party organizations might require integration solutions such as web services. 6-3

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 The following image describes a typical system architecture that includes other components of the Microsoft technology stack. FIGURE 6.2 EXTENDED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE SQL Server Databases Microsoft Dynamics AX Database The Microsoft Dynamics AX database is an Online Transactional Processing (OLTP) database that stores all the transactional data in SQL tables. This database also stores all the metadata and application code in the Model Store. Business Intelligence (BI) Databases Some BI components of Microsoft Dynamics AX also require you to use SSRS and SSAS. The SSAS database is replicated from the OLTP database in a database format that is optimized for fast reporting and analysis. 6-4

Chapter 6: Technology Application Object Server The Application Object Server (AOS) is the Microsoft Dynamics AX application server. The AOS is where most of the business logic is executed. The AOS performs many tasks. Some of the most important tasks include: X++ runtime - It runs the X++ code, which provides most of the business logic in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Security - It enforces security to manage access to data and functionality. Session management - It manages client sessions. Web services - It is a web service endpoint. Multiple AOS's can be installed to spread the processing load over multiple servers. This improves performance in larger implementations. Client Applications Microsoft Dynamics AX Rich Client is the primary client to access Microsoft Dynamics AX functionality. Most forms displayed in the rich client are designed by using the MorphX development environment. Role center pages are SharePoint pages that are displayed within a rich client form. SQL Server Reports are called from the rich client by using the report viewer control. Enterprise Portal pages are displayed through a web browser. A subset of functionality and reports are available on the portal. Microsoft Office can be used as a client to access the Microsoft Dynamics AX application and data. Office add-ins are available out-of-the-box for Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. Other Applications can be used as a client to the Microsoft Dynamics AX application. Examples include mobile applications, specialized applications written in.net and legacy applications. Applications can be integrated by using methods such as web services or the.net Business Connector. The.NET Business Connector is a client that has no user interface. It is designed for other applications to access the Microsoft Dynamics AX business logic. End-users can use another application as the user interface that interacts with the AOS through the.net Business Connector. Developers can access the developer tools through the MorphX IDE in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client or through Visual Studio Tools in Visual Studio. 6-5

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Other Components Internet Information Server (IIS) is a web server that delivers content such as web pages. Enterprise Portal and SharePoint IIS is required to host the Enterprise Portal framework within SharePoint. Role Centers require the Enterprise Portal regardless of whether they are viewed through the web browser or the Microsoft Dynamics AX Windows Client. Help Server Microsoft Dynamics AX Help files are hosted through IIS. When a user accesses Help from within the rich client, the AOS generates a call to the Help server to display the Help pages. Web Services Development Environments Web services are hosted within IIS. The AOS is the web service endpoint that provides the data that is served to other applications by IIS in a standardized format. The Microsoft Dynamics AX application is built of elements that are stored in the model store in the SQL Server database. For example, the following element types make up part of the application: Fields and Tables define data structure. Forms and Menus define how a user interacts with the application. Classes and Methods are code objects that define business logic. The Application Object Tree (AOT) provides a visual representation of the elements that comprise the application. Object-oriented design and Inheritance are key concepts that form the basis of the application. Model elements can be modified or added using a development environment. The development environments that can be used with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 include the following: Microsoft Visual Studio. Microsoft Dynamics AX Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This is also known as the MorphX IDE and is accessed through the developer workspace in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. 6-6

Chapter 6: Technology A white paper titled "Selecting the Best Development Technology for your Application Development Scenario AX2012" is available for download on MSDN. Application Object Tree (AOT) A full definition of all the element types in AOT can be found in the development training material and developer Help files. Some root element types are described here: Data Dictionary contains elements which define basic data structure. o Tables contain a group of associated fields. For example the CustTable contains fields relevant to customers. Fields on a table contain individual pieces of data. For example, AccountNum contains the customer account number. Fields on a table inherit properties from extended data types. o Extended data types define a data type and extended properties. There are various data basic types such as a string, integer, date, time and enum. For example, AccountNum is a string extended with properties including a length of 20 characters, left justified and is mandatory. o Base Enums are enumerated text data types. These are predefined text values that are referenced by an integer value in the database. These are presented to the user as a fixed list of options. For example, Blocked is an enum that gives the user only two options (yes or no) as to whether a customer account is on hold. Classes contain code which is used in the application. Forms define the layout of all the forms which you use to view data in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. 6-7

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Visual Studio Projects display any development projects created in Visual Studio. Menus define which forms and reports appear in the menu in the Microsoft Dynamics AX rich client. FIGURE 6.3 AOT DISPLAYED IN THE DEVELOPER WORKSPACE Labels Labels are used to provide the language text which end-users see when using the application. All text presented in the client displays the translation of a label code. The label codes are usually reused wherever the exact same text is used with the same meaning. This provides the ability to easily manage multiple languages and to adapt to company specific language. As an example: The label code @SYS78211 is translated as "Direct delivery" in the English-US label file. This label code is used in various places throughout the application. It is used on field names and menu items displayed on forms such as the sales order header form. All label codes have already been translated into all other languages in which Microsoft Dynamics AX is available. This label code is translated as "Entrega directa" in the Spanish label file. If an enduser opens the application in Spanish, he or she will see the Spanish translation wherever this label code has been used. Developers can create new label files to translate label codes into other languages or customer specific terminology. Tools, including the label editor and label wizard, are available within the MorphX development environment to add or change label files. 6-8

Chapter 6: Technology Inheritance Object-oriented design is an approach to software design in which a system is modeled as a collection of co-operating elements. Inheritance is a core concept of object oriented design. Inheritance means that what you define at lower levels in the system is automatically inherited by higher level. For example, a class can inherit from another class and a table can inherit from another table. A simple example of inheritance using data types and fields is as follows: An extended data type (EDT) is defined for Item ID. o It is defined as a string which is 20 characters in length and has a label of "Item number". There is a field on the Product table called Item ID. o This Item ID field is based on the EDT. o It inherits the properties of a string of 20 characters with the label "item number". There is no need to specify these characteristics again. There is another field on the Item table called Alternative Item ID. It is used to specify a replacement item which can be sold when the current item is out of stock. o This Alternative Item ID field is also based on the EDT. o It also inherits the properties of a string of 20 characters. o A different label is needed for this field so that the label "Alternative item number" is specified. It then overrides the label specified at the EDT level. MorphX IDE The MorphX IDE is accessed through the Developer Workspace which provides access to the Application Object Tree (AOT) and other developer tools. It is used to make changes and add to the application. This is the most commonly used development environment. Common operations such as building or modifying tables, forms and menus can be performed by using drag-and-drop techniques with little or no coding. X++ is the programming language that is used in the MorphX IDE to write more advanced business logic. You can access the MorphX IDE from the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. Click the Windows menu in the command bar and select New Developer Workspace. Alternatively you can use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+W. 6-9

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 X++ Tools X++ is the object-oriented programming language that is used in the MorphX development environment. X++ has C#-like syntax, and incorporates SQL data manipulation statements. A full list of developer tools in the MorphX development environment can be found in the developer Help documentation. Some tools available include the following: The X++ Code Editor is a text editor used to write X++ code. It supports colorcoding and provides the ability to look up and auto-complete various objects such as method names and enumeration values as you type. The Debugger is an application used by developers to step through X++ code to help resolve code errors. The Reverse Engineering tool enables you to visualize data and classes in Microsoft Dynamics AX by creating UML data models, UML object models, and ERX ER data models. The Table browser displays data from all fields in a selected table. The table browser can be used to run SQL statements. Note: Extreme care must be taken when updating records in the table browser. It should be regarded as a development and testing tool. It is always better practice to update data from the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. FIGURE 6.4 CODE EDITOR 6-10

Chapter 6: Technology Visual Studio The Visual Studio development environment is integrated through Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Dynamics AX (Visual Studio Tools) and it supports managed code. Close integration between MorphX and Visual Studio means developers can take advantage of the benefits of each development tool and work in the environment that best suits their development scenario. Some development scenarios must take place in Visual Studio. This includes creating and customizing SSRS reports, most Enterprise Portal web development and any managed code development. The Application Explorer is available within Visual Studio. This gives developers the ability to browse AX metadata. The Application Explorer displays information that is similar to the AOT in the MorphX IDE. Visual Studio projects are displayed in the AOT and are stored in the Microsoft Dynamics AX model store in SQL server. Model Driven Architecture FIGURE 6.5 APPLICATION EXPLORER IN VISUAL STUDIO Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed with a unique layer and model structure that separates and controls the updates and modifications made in the application. This structure provides a powerful and flexible architecture for developing business logic. The key benefit of the layer and model structure is that it lets developers change and extend the functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX while maintaining upgradability to new versions. 6-11

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Layers Application object layers hold all elements that are displayed in the AOT. There are eight application object layers available. Each of these layers also has a patch layer making a total of sixteen layers. Layers are a hierarchy of levels in the applications that you can use to make modifications and additions without interfering with the application elements in the next lower level. When you make an element modification on one level, the modification overshadows the element on a lower level. When the application is compiled, only the top-level version of an application element is used. There are three layers available only to Microsoft to deliver the base application. (The xxp layer indicates the patch layer for each application object layer). Layer SYS, SYP GLS, GLP FPK, FPP Description System layer: The standard application is developed in this lowest layer. This includes the core application and the localization for most countries. Globalization layer: Includes features developed for some countries that were not yet moved into the SYS layer. Feature Pack layer: Includes industry feature packs that are controlled by Microsoft. There are three layers available to partners and ISVs. Layer SLN, SLP ISV, ISP VAR, VAP Description Solution layer: Includes Microsoft endorsed industry solutions. Independent Software Vendor layer: Includes generic or vertical solutions developed by ISVs. Value Added Reseller layer: Includes multi-customer solutions developed by VARs. 6-12

Chapter 6: Technology There are two layers available to both partners and customers who have a license to access the AX source code. Layer CUS, CUP USR, USP Description Customer layer: Includes customer specific functionality. User layer: Includes installation specific functionality and customizations. FIGURE 6.6 APPLICATION LAYERS Benefits of Layers: Source Code Protection Source code protection The elements in the standard implementation (SYS, GLS, FPK layers) can only be changed or deleted by the Microsoft Dynamics AX development team. In this manner, the layers help protect the original source code and keep it separate from modifications. Similarly, ISV solution code is separated in a model within the ISV layer. Any customer specific changes to the ISV solution would be in a higher layer. 6-13

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Benefits of Layers: Faster and Easier Upgrades Faster and Easier upgrades Upgrades and service packs contain changes in the lower layers where the base code resides. This means that any changes by partners or customers are maintained throughout the upgrade. Powerful compare and merge tools are available to guide developers through the upgrade. These tools highlight elements which have been modified in higher layers and therefore may need some action to merge the changes. As an example: Models The item number is an extended data type which exists in the SYS layer. This field is a string which is 20 characters in length. If a company that uses Microsoft Dynamics AX requires 30 characters for their item numbers, the field length would be changed to 30 characters and the change saved in the CUS layer. The item number data type now exists in both the SYS layer and the CUS layer. The CUS layer is a higher layer so when the application is compiled, the 30 character length is used. If in a future version, Microsoft extends the length of the item field to 40 characters, the upgrade tool would highlight that there is a change in the SYS layer to 40 characters and there is an existing change in the CUS layer to 30 characters. The developer would then have the option to keep the CUS layer change or delete the CUS layer and revert to the new field length in the SYS layer of the new release. A model is a logical grouping of elements within a layer. Models help in situations where multiple ISV solutions or projects must operate together. This architecture allows many solutions to co-exist within each layer. An element can exist in exactly one model in a layer. The same element can exist in a customized version in a model in a higher layer. New models are easy to create in the MorphX IDE and are applied when modifying or adding objects in the AOT. Models can be exported, installed, or uninstalled from the model store. Models are identified by a name and a publisher, and have a set of properties that can be changed, including a version number. 6-14

Chapter 6: Technology The following is an example: A company has two lines of business. They manufacture and sell medical products. They also manufacture, sell and service specialized equipment to produce medical products. Solution A is an advanced vertical solution for the production of food and drug products. Among other things, this solution adds a new field to the item table to store the government approval number. This is stored in the ISV layer and in the model MEDICAL. Solution B is an advanced vertical solution for managing the ongoing service of equipment which is sold to customers. Among other things, this solution adds a new field to the item table for the default service period. This is stored in the ISV layer and in the model SERVICE. You can use models to view the modifications to the item table made by all ISV solutions and easily see where each change originated. Demonstration 6.1: Add a field to a list page Out-of-the-box, the Customer list page displays four fields in the grid. The fields displayed are Customer Name, Customer Account number, Phone number and Extension. FIGURE 6.7 CUSTOMER LIST PAGE 6-15

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Role: Tim, IT Manager Scenario: Contoso has many customers who operate in a foreign currency. Although it is possible for each end-user to add the currency field to the list page, the end-users at Contoso have decided that they would prefer to have the currency field displayed by default for all users. Sean, a power user, has asked Tim to add the currency field to the list page form design. 1. Open the development environment by pressing Ctrl+Shift+W. 2. Click the restore down button or navigate to Windows - Tile in the title bar to minimize the AOT window to allow for drag-and-drop. 3. Go to Forms > CustTableListPage. 4. Expand CustTableListPage > Designs > Design > Grid:ListPageGrid to view the four fields which are currently displayed on the grid. 5. Expand the Data Sources group. 6. Right-click CustTable and select Open New Window. Put the new window next to the existing window to enable you to drag-and-drop fields from the data source to the Grid:ListPageGrid. 7. Expand Fields on the CustTable data source in the second window. 8. Find the Currency field and drag-and-drop it onto the Grid:ListPageGrid node in the CustTableListPage displayed in the first window. 9. Highlight the currency field in the grid and press ALT+DOWN to move the position of the field within the grid. Move the Currency field to the end of the list of fields so that it will appear as the last column in the grid. 10. Changes periodically save. Changes have not yet been saved if a red bar is displayed next to the form name. If you see the red bar, press Ctrl+S to save changes. 11. Close the developer workspace. 12. Open Accounts receivable > Common > Customers > All customers to view the new Currency column in the grid. 6-16

Chapter 6: Technology Lab 6.1 - Add a Field to a List Page Scenario Role: Tim, IT Manager Challenge Yourself! Scenario: Phyllis, the Accounting Manager, manages a team who work with Accounts Payable. She would like to make a global change for end-users to see the segment and subsegment of all vendors displayed in the grid on the list page. She has asked Tim to modify the list page to display the segment and subsegment fields on the list page grid. Need a Little Help? The Vendor list page form is called VendTableListPage. Right-click the CustTable data source to open it in a new window. You can only select from fields which are on tables specified as a table source for the form. Drag the currency field from the fields on the data source and drag directly onto the Grid:ListPageGrid control. FIGURE 6.8 ADD CURRENCY FIELD TO THE CUSTOMER LIST PAGE 6-17

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Step by Step 1. Open the development environment by pressing Ctrl+Shift+W. 2. Click the restore down button or go to Windows - Tile in the title bar to minimize the AOT window to allow for drag-and-drop. 3. Go to Forms > VendTableListPage. 4. Expand VendTableListPage > Designs > Design > Grid:ListPageGrid to view the fields which are currently displayed on the grid. 5. Expand the Data Sources group. 6. Right-click on VendTable and select Open New Window. Put the new window next to the existing window to enable you to drag-anddrop fields from the data source to the Grid:ListPageGrid. 7. Expand Fields on the VendTable data source in the second window. 8. Find the SegmentID field and drag-and-drop it onto the Grid:ListPageGrid node in the VendTableListPage displayed in the first window. 9. Find the SubSegmentID field and drag-and-drop it onto the Grid:ListPageGrid node in the VendTableListPage displayed in the first window. 10. Highlight the new fields in the grid and press ALT+DOWN to move the position of the field within the grid. Move the new fields to the end of the list of fields so that they will appear as the last column in the grid. 11. Changes periodically save. Changes have not yet been saved if a red bar is displayed next to the form name. If you see the red bar, press Ctrl+S to save changes. 12. Close the developer workspace. 13. Open Accounts payable> Common > Vendors > All vendors to view the new Currency column in the grid. 6-18

Chapter 6: Technology Did You Notice? Did you notice that there were some fields on the list page design that do not appear in the grid? Some fields on the form design have the Visible property set to No. 1. Open the development environment by pressing Ctrl+Shift+W. 2. Click the restore down button or go to Windows - Tile in the title bar to minimize the AOT window to allow for drag-and-drop. 3. Go to Forms > VendTableListPage. 4. Expand VendTableListPage > Designs > Design > Grid:ListPageGrid to view the fields which are currently displayed on the grid. 5. Right-click on ComboBox:VendTable_MinorityOwned and select Properties. 6. This field is not displayed on the grid because the Visible property is set to No. There are many parameters available to adjust how fields are displayed on the form. 7. Close the developer workspace. FIGURE 6.9 DISPLAY PROPERTIES 6-19

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Summary This chapter introduces the technical environment of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. It discusses the following: The system architecture required to run the application provides a scalable system which can grow with your business and take advantage of investments in Microsoft technology. The model driven architecture provides an adaptable environment which can remain upgradable. Multiple development tools provide a powerful and adaptable environment to make changes to the business logic. 6-20

Chapter 6: Technology Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge with the following questions. 1. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has a 3 tier architecture. What are the 3 tiers and what is the purpose of each tier? 2. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can be accessed through different clients including: (Select all that apply) ( ) Microsoft Dynamics AX Rich Client ( ) Internet Information Server ( ) Application Object Server ( ) Enterprise Portal 3. Match the following modifications to the layer which they are or should be developed in. 1. The core customer table 2. A bank file import format developed by a partner which can be used for several of their customers. 3. A new field on the item table required for a vertical solution developed by an ISV. 4. A new label code specified on a field to better reflect a particular customer's terminology. a. ISV b. SYS c. CUS d. VAR 6-21

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 4. Which of these statements best describes models in Microsoft Dynamics AX? ( ) A view of the metadata within the MorphX IDE. ( ) A logical grouping of elements within a layer. ( ) A visual representation of elements. ( ) A piece of X++ code. 5. What is displayed in the Application Object Tree (Select all that apply) ( ) Tables ( ) Forms ( ) Menus ( ) Visual Studio Projects 6. Developers can write Microsoft Dynamics AX business logic by using which tools? (Select all that apply) ( ) Microsoft Office ( ) Visual Studio ( ) MorphX IDE ( ) SQL Server 6-22

Chapter 6: Technology Quick Interaction: Lessons Learned Take a moment and write down three key points you have learned from this chapter 1. 2. 3. 6-23

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Solutions Test Your Knowledge 1. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has a 3 tier architecture. What are the 3 tiers and what is the purpose of each tier? MODEL ANSWER: Three-tier architecture is defined as having a separate database, server and client where: The database stores the data. The server runs the application business logic. The client application lets users connect to the server to access business logic and use the data in the database. 2. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can be accessed through different clients including: (Select all that apply) ( ) Microsoft Dynamics AX Rich Client ( ) Internet Information Server ( ) Application Object Server ( ) Enterprise Portal 3. Match the following modifications to the layer which they are or should be developed in. b 1. The core customer table d 2. A bank file import format developed by a partner which can be used for several of their customers. a 3. A new field on the item table required for a vertical solution developed by an ISV. c 4. A new label code specified on a field to better reflect a particular customer's terminology. a. ISV b. SYS c. CUS d. VAR 4. Which of these statements best describes models in Microsoft Dynamics AX? ( ) A view of the metadata within the MorphX IDE. ( ) A logical grouping of elements within a layer. ( ) A visual representation of elements. ( ) A piece of X++ code. 6-24

Chapter 6: Technology 5. What is displayed in the Application Object Tree (Select all that apply) ( ) Tables ( ) Forms ( ) Menus ( ) Visual Studio Projects 6. Developers can write Microsoft Dynamics AX business logic by using which tools? (Select all that apply) ( ) Microsoft Office ( ) Visual Studio ( ) MorphX IDE ( ) SQL Server 6-25

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