Microsoft Corporation Published: <DATE>
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 -
Connected Systems
June 2008
AX2009-DS028
Version 1.5.0
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 2
Summary 3
Audience 3
Technology 3
1. Demo Scenario 4
Key Challenges, Benefits and Solutions, and Competitive Points 4
2. Demo Setup 4
3. Demo Map 4
4. Demo Script 5
4.1 Demo Scene: Application to Application 5
Comments, questions, and feedback may be directed to
Summary
In the global business environment, there are very few companies that can say they own their supply chain end-to-end. Today, companies work with customers, vendors, subcontractors and other parties who are spread around the work. There is an imperative to have internal systems exchange data with trading partners.
Microsoft Dynamics AX™ 2009 includes the Application Integration Framework, which provides the infrastructure to connect internal systems with trading partners. The Application Integration Framework provides out-of–the-box trading documents as well as the tools to generate new documents. These documents are sent as XML messages over transport interface adapters like Microsoft Message Queuing, Web services, Microsoft® BizTalk® Server and the Windows® file system.
This script can be used to demonstrate the value of the Application Integration Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 for connecting systems.
Audience
This script should be used to demonstrate the value of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to a technical decision maker (TDM). This script is targeting the CIO or IT Manager who is involved in the selection of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
In these demos, Contoso is a global electronics manufacturer and retailer that specializes in televisions and home theater systems.
The following role examples are targeted as the key decision makers:
· CIO-IT Manager (Tim): Tim's role is to ensure the efficient running of the IT systems. He is responsible for the IT budget and resources. He is always getting his budget cut. He is concerned with providing a platform for the business application to run on. He will be interested in what it takes to manage the business application. Tim will be responsible for the budget to manage the partners who work on the system, so he is interested in making sure they can upgrade with minimal business disruption and costs.
· CEO (Charlie): Charlie will be the decision maker for the system selection, but he is unlikely to actually want to see how customization and upgrades are done. He will rely on Tim to report back to him during the system selection process.
The following role examples may be involved in the selection process or be influencers or evaluators.
· IT Engineer (Chris): Chris's main role is to make sure the IT systems are running. He isn't a developer, but he may write some scripts to manage systems. Chris has a good understanding of technology trends, so he will be familiar with terms and technologies like object-oriented programming, the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows® Workflow, Web services, Windows Communication Foundation, and Windows SharePoint® Services. He may also have done some development with Microsoft® Visual Basic®, Microsoft Office macros, or Microsoft Office Access™, so he is likely to be familiar with forms development. Chris may also be the company’s DBA, which involves working with databases and Microsoft® SQL Server™.
· Technical Support (Sean): Sean is the IT support go-to guy. He does the run-around work of fixing people’s systems. He will be familiar with IT trends and terms like terms, such as object-oriented programming, .NET Framework, Windows Workflow, Web Services, Windows Communication Foundation, and Windows SharePoint Services. He may also have done some development with Visual Basic, Office macros, or Access, so he is likely to be familiar with forms development.
Page 2 of 21 Microsoft Dynamics™ AX 2009 Connected Systems
Technology
· Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009
o Application Integration Framework
o Consume Web services
1. Demo Scenario
This demonstration covers a scenario that highlights the use of the Application Integration Framework, and a scenario that highlights the use of the consume Web service capabilities that ship with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.
Key Challenges, Benefits and Solutions, and Competitive Points
Key Challenges
· No easy way to extract key business documents to enable trading partner integration.
· Legacy systems require proprietary technology, which needs special skills to connect systems.
· Legacy systems needed third-party tools to consume data exposed via Web services in the business application.
Key Benefits and Solutions
· Out-of-the-box services: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Application Integration Framework provides more than 60 services out of the box to support core business trading scenarios.
· Integrated with standard Microsoft technology: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Application Integration Framework (AIF) exchanges standard XML documents. The AIF utilizes the Windows Communication Foundation, which is a standard .NET Framework component. The AIF also includes adapters to enable the exchange of business documents with Microsoft BizTalk Server.
· Consume Web services: Microsoft Dynamic AX 2009 provides the ability to consume Web services directly in the business application. This makes it possible to bring external data into the business application to extend or enhance business process scenarios.
2. Demo Setup
· This script was written for the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 RTM Demonstration VPC, released in June 2008.
· Make sure that the VPC is up and running.
· You can perform the following script while logged in as any of the users—for example, CONTOSO\TIM. The password is pass@word1.This script was written for the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 RTM Demonstration VPC released in June 2008.
· This script changes to use different roles. Follow the notes in the script for which user to use at each part of the script.
3. Demo Map
scene / scene title / value proposition / description4.1 / Application-to-Application Scenario / Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 includes a range of integration options that enable companies to connect internal systems together to meet the needs of the business. The Application Integration Framework is developed using standard Windows Communication Foundation technologies to enable greater flexibility using integration methods like Web services. / In this demonstration, we will walk through a basic example of how an application—in this case, a mobile device application—can be integrated to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.
4. Demo Script
4.1 Demo Scene: Application to Application
Value Proposition:Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 includes a range of integration options that enable companies to connect internal systems together to meet the needs of the business. The Application Integration Framework is developed using standard Windows Communication Foundation technologies to enable greater flexibility using integration methods like Web services.
Scene Description:
4.1.1 Reivew AIF Setup.
4.1.2 Review Service Change.
4.1.3 Generate Service.
4.1.4 Review the Development Project.
4.1.5 Enter Sales Order.
4.1.6 Test Application.
OPENING Tell:
In this demonstration, we will walk through a basic example of how a middle-tier server application that communicates with mobile devices could be integrated to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 using the Application Integration Framework. In this example, we will look at an integration that might be typically done by a distribution based company that is looking to invest in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. We'll show how the AIF can be used to integrate a mobile application for a warehouse scenario. This is a typical example of application-to-application integration, where the company already has implemented RF mobile devices in the warehouse and they want to integrate that to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009
4.1.1 Sub-Scene Description: Review AIF Setup.
Talking Points / Click Steps / Screen Shots
We will log on as Tim the IT administrator. First I want to show you the setup of the Application Integration Framework, or AIF, so that you have an understanding of how easy it is to expose Web services that are shipped with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 which can then be used to integrate to another application—in this case, a sample mobile-based warehouse application. / · Log on as CONTOSO\TIM.
· Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. /
· Using the Bread Crumb bar, navigate to Basic > Basic Area. /
· Locate the Setup pane. /
In the AIF setup, this is where you configure the endpoints and the policies that enable integration to other applications. / · Scroll down to the Application Integration Framework section.
· Click Transport adapters. /
The AIF offers a flexible adapter model to enable the transport of XML messages to other applications as needed. Each different type of message—for example, a business document like a Sales Order—may be sent through Microsoft BizTalk Server and the EDI, or Electronic Data Interface, adapter that is provided in with BizTalk.
The AIF also provides adapters for sending XML messages to the file system or through Microsoft Message Queuing. / · Show the list of adapters.
· Close the Transport adapters form after you have finished. /
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 also provides the ability to send and receive XML messages via Web services. The Web service capabilities are built on Windows Communication Foundation, which is standard technology that ships with the .NET Framework. / · Click Services.
· /
· Show the list of services.
· Close the Services form. /
4.1.2 Sub-Scene Description: Review the Service Change.
These services are generated from the application development environment in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. We’ll take a moment to examine the basic elements so that you have an understanding of what it takes to expose a new service if there are new parts of the application you want to integrate with.
Looking at the Application Object Tree, or AOT, you can see the Services node. This is where all of the services are registered so they can be exposed from Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. / · Press CTRL+D to open the AOT.
· Point out the Service node. /
You can see the list of services that are exposing business documents. There are more than 60 services that are included out of the box, but you can add and modify the service to expose any piece of data from the business application that you need for your integration purposes.
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Web services are managed at a business document level. For example, you will see a service for a Fixed Asset or a Sales Order.
This is done to provide a higher level of abstraction when you are integrating to business applications. You don't have to worry about calling multiple low-level services; instead, you can just send and receive a business document like a Sales Order, which contains the structures for the headers and lines that represent the order. / · Expand the Services node and show the list. /
In this demonstration, we are going to integrate a sample mobile warehouse application. So we are going to use the Picking List Service. / · Click the InventPickingListService to highlight it. /
In this example, we have modified the service to include the ability to receive the update back from the mobile device.
You can see here the operations available for the service. In this example, you can see the Update operation. This is a wrapper for the Update method on the underlying application class code. / · Expand the InventPickingListService node.
· Expand the Operations node, and show the Update operation. /
· Locate and expand the Classes node in the AOT. Use the left and right arrows on the keyboard to move through the branches on the AOT. /
You can also see the class structure behind the services. / · Locate the InventPickingListService by scrolling or starting to type the name in the AOT.
· Expand the node to show the class methods.
· Show that the update method has been modified, as indicated by the (usr) notation. /
In this example, we have modified the Update method slightly to accept the quantity that is transmitted via a warehouse worker’s RF mobile device when they pick stock for an order.
I just wanted to show you this so that when we look at the code from the other application, you have an understanding of how the data is passed between the applications. / · Double-click the Update method to open the Code Editor window.
· Show the code.
· Note: We don’t want to show this as a programming example, so no need to walk through the code in detail. Just show the input method that is acepting the picked Quantity.
· /
Method input
· Close the Code Editor when finished.
· Close the AOT.
· From the Basic Area page, click Services. /
4.1.3 Sub-Scene Description: Review AIF Setup.
Now you can see how the service that we just looked at in the development environment links to the service that is exposed in the administration form. / · Scroll through the list to show the PickingListService. /
From here, we can generate the services when we are ready to integrate.
The generate button is hiding some complex functionality. What it is doing is building the code needed to expose the service. The services that are exposed conform to the Windows Communication Foundation programming mode.
This enables you to use standard development tools and technology to call and integrate with these services. / · Click the Generate button.
· Note: This process may take about one minute. /
You can see here that all the services have now been published. / · When the generation process is complete, show the messages displayed in the dialog box.
· Click Close after you have finsihed.
· Close the Services form after you have finsihed. /