Chapter 4:Enterprise Portal and Role Centers

Objectives

The objectives are:

Describe Enterprise Portal improvements.
Explain how to install Enterprise Portal and role centers.
Modify existing role centers.
Create new role centers.
Explain how to troubleshoot issues with role centers.

Introduction

Microsoft Dynamics® AX provides a set of websites that give you access to data from the Microsoft Dynamics AX database and other sources. On these websites, which are collectively called Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, you can also perform business processes by using web-based forms. Enterprise Portal requires Internet Information Services (IIS), which is a feature of Windows Server and either Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

Enterprise Portal can be configured to display role-specific home pages that are called role centers. Role centers provide an overview of information that relates to a user's job function in the business or organization. This information includes transaction data, alerts, links, and common tasks that are associated with the user's role in the company. Role centers can also include reports that are generated by SQL Server Reporting Services or SQL Server Analysis Services. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 includes 34 predefined role centers, which users can access from Enterprise Portal or the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.

Enterprise Portal Improvements

The Enterprise Portal and role centers are improved since earlier versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX. Improvements are made to appearance, behavior, installation, deployment, and security of the Enterprise Portal and role centers.

Appearance and Behavior

The following improvements are made to the appearance and behavior of Enterprise Portal and role centers:

Action Pane: Enterprise Portal pages include an Action Pane that provides quick access to common tasks. The Action Pane is divided into tabs that contain button groups. Each button group contains action buttons that you can use to move to other pages and add records to list pages.
You can also use the action buttons to perform common tasks for a selected record, such as creating a new sales order for a customer. Developers can customize the buttons that are available on a user's Action Pane.
Fact Boxes: These display information that is related to a selected record, or information that is displayed in a form or on a list page. Users can customize the type of information that is displayed in Fact Boxes.
Advanced Filtering: This option in the Microsoft Dynamics AX client improves cue creation and helps users save list items to a cue on their role center page.
Enhanced grid support: In hierarchical grid views, users can now move tasks by using a drag-and-drop operation. Users can also select multiple rows at the same time.
Enhanced integration with Microsoft Excel: Users can export data from grids to Microsoft® Office Excel® in static or dynamic mode:

Static export - data in Excel remains unchanged, unless the user directly modifies the data.
Dynamic export - when the data is refreshed in the database, Excel retrieves the updated data from Microsoft Dynamics AX by using Query Services.

Bookmarks: Users can now create bookmarks for the specific task pages.
Microsoft Dynamics Online Connect Gadget web part: Enterprise Portal includes this web part for role centers. The web part contains a slide deck of links and information that are relevant to a user's role. Additionally, it includes links to CustomerSource, community content, training materials, and knowledge base articles.
Improved Quick Links: The Quick Links form in role center pages is redesigned to simplify the task of creating and managing Quick Links.

Installation and Deployment

The following improvements simplify the tasks of installing and deploying Enterprise Portal and role centers:

No compilation necessary: In earlier versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX, you could not install Enterprise Portal on a server with an incomplete initialization checklist. The installation failed because the Enterprise Portal X++ classes were not previously compiled on the server. You no longer have to compile these classes to install and deploy Enterprise Portal.
AXUpdatePortal utility: This feature improves deployment and administration tasks. Additionally, with this utility you can deploy Enterprise Portal on remote servers, create sites, and deploy changes to existing sites.
Enhanced AOT support for 32-bit clients: In earlier versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX, administrators could not deploy changes to Enterprise Portal from the Application Object Tree (AOT) on a 32-bit client to a 64-bit Windows Server. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, administrators can deploy changes from 32-bit clients to 64-bit clients by clicking a button.

Security and Search Improvements

Security and search features in the Enterprise Portal are improved.

Kerberos Constrained delegation (KCD) is no longer required in a multi-box EP environment.
Enterprise Portal automatically grants and denies access to data and webpages according to the role-based security framework in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Before users can view data or Enterprise Portal pages, administrators must configure role-based security.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 uses the SharePoint Business Data Connectivity Service (BCS) and SharePoint Search Server to provide a unified Enterprise Search experience for Enterprise Portal and the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. Microsoft Dynamics AX no longer includes the data crawler. All search administration is managed in SharePoint Search Server.
Role center pages are now designed to load faster and to automatically refresh data when a page is loaded.

Installing of Enterprise Portal and Role Centers

Before installing Enterprise Portal and role centers, you must be aware of the prerequisites and procedures for installing, initiating and integrating into Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Prerequisites

Before installing the Enterprise Portal and role centers feature of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, you must install all the necessary prerequisites by completing the following tasks:

Verify that the Microsoft SharePoint Timer service is running on the web server. Enterprise Portal context-sensitive Help is installed as a timer job. Therefore, if the SharePoint Timer service is not running, context-sensitive Help is not available on Enterprise Portal pages.
On the computer where you are installing Enterprise Portal, run the prerequisite validation utility to verify that system requirements are met. For more information about the hardware and software requirements, refer to the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Installation Guide.
Verify that you have the appropriate permissions to install Enterprise Portal.

NOTE: If you try to install Enterprise Portal on an existing Internet Information Services (IIS) site that is already configured to use a host header, the installation fails, unless you create a BackConnectionHostNames registry entry.

Install Enterprise Portal and Role Centers

To install Enterprise Portal and role centers, use the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Setup on a server that includes either Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. If you are installing other Microsoft Dynamics AX components at the same time, the installation pages vary, based on the components that you are installing.

Start Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup. Under Install, select Microsoft Dynamics AX components.
Advance through the first wizard pages.
If the Setup Support files have not yet been installed on the computer, the Select a file location page is displayed. The Setup Support files are required for installation. Enter a file location or accept the default location, and then click Next. On the Ready to install page, click Install.
On the Select installation type page, click Custom installation and then click Next.
On the Select components page, select Enterprise Portal (EP) and then click Next.
On the Prerequisite validation results page, resolve any errors. When no errors remain, click Next.
On the Select a file location page, select the location where you want to install 32-bit versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX files and then click Next.
On the Specify a location for configuration settings page, specify whether you want Enterprise Portal to access configuration information from the registry on the local computer or from a shared configuration file. If you select to use a shared configuration file, you must enter the network location of the file. Click Next.
On the Connect to an AOS instance page, enter the name of the computer that is running the Application Object Server (AOS) instance that you want to connect to. Optionally, you can specify the name of the AOS instance, the TCP/IP port number, and the WSDL port for services. Click Next.

NOTE: If you entered AOS connection information for other Microsoft Dynamics AX components that are installed on the computer that you are using, the Connect to an AOS instance screen is not displayed. Subsequent installations on the computer that you are using will reuse the existing AOS connection. All Microsoft Dynamics AX components installed on a computer must connect to the same AOS instance.

On the Specify Business Connector proxy account information page, enter the password for the proxy account that is used by the .NET Business Connector. Click Next.
On the Configure a Website for Enterprise Portal page, select a website. If no websites are available in the list, you must cancel Setup, create a website by using SharePoint Central Administration, and then try the installation again.
We recommend that you select the Configure for Windows SharePoint Services option. If you select this option, Setup verifies that the site is a SharePoint site. If not, Setup extends the site in SharePoint. Setup also sets the application pool to run under the service account and sets the authentication method to Windows NTLM.

NOTE: Note the following about the Create Website option: Clear this option if you are installing Enterprise Portal for a public site, such as an unsolicited vendor portal. For public sites, you must create the Enterprise Portal site by using the public site template. If you are installing Enterprise Portal for a stand-alone installation, or on an administration server for a web farm, select the Create Website option to create a site at the following URL: Setup creates a new site that uses port 80. When you install Enterprise Portal on subsequent servers in a server farm, you must clear this option. The site must be created only on the administration server for the web farm.

Click Next.

NOTE: If your business or organization purchased a developer license for Microsoft Dynamics AX, you can change the website's URL, title, and description before completing the installation. Modify the EPSetupParams file in the Application Object Tree (AOT) (Web > Web Files > Static Files > EPSetupParams).

On the Prerequisite validation results page, resolve any errors. When no errors remain, click Next.
On the Ready to install page, click Install.
After the installation is complete, click Finish to close the wizard.

Configure Enterprise Portal Security

In Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX, security is enforced by using a combination of features and services.

Once the Enterprise Portal website has been installed by default, only the administrator who installed Enterprise Portal can access the site. The configuration of security in Enterprise Portal involves verifying roles, enabling security features, and granting users access to the site. Information in the following listings can help you configure Enterprise Portal security.

Security tasks for the server and platform:

Verify security settings for Internet Information Services (IIS) and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 products.
Encrypt Enterprise Portal client-server communications by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Configure Enterprise Portal to use Secure Sockets Layer

Security tasks to enable user access:

Verify that the Enterprise Portal site is registered in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Click System administration > Setup > Enterprise Portal > Web sites.
Verify that Microsoft Dynamics AX role-based security is configured. At a minimum, users and groups must be members of the System user role.
Grant users and groups permission to view the site in SharePoint.
Grant users and groups access to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports. Users and groups must have this access to view SSRS reports in Enterprise Portal and Role Centers.
Grant users and groups access to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) cubes. Users and groups must have this access to view SSAS reports in Enterprise Portal and Role Centers.

Security tasks for extranet deployments:

Enhance Enterprise Portal security in extranet deployments by using a traditional perimeter network.
Specify user relations. User relations trim data based on a user's designated role and account. Additionally, they are required for extranet deployments and for an employee self-service portal.
Configure Microsoft Dynamics AX for claims-based authentication.

Initialize Role Center Profiles

Role centers profiles must be initialized before they can be used. Use the following steps to initialize the role centers:

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, click Organization Administration > Setup > Initialize role center profiles.
Select the Profile IDs to initialize.
Click OK.

You can create a user profile and corresponding role center page for Microsoft Dynamics AX with the following procedure:

Identify the role center page that will be used for the user profile.
In Microsoft Dynamics AX, display the System Administration navigation pane.
In the Common group, click Users > User profiles to open the User profiles form.
Click New to create a new user profile.
Supply the Profile ID and Description for the user profile.
Select the role center page for the user profile.
Save the new entry.
If the new user profile is to be used with other Microsoft Dynamics AX installations, you must add it to the AOT. From the AOT, the user profile can be packaged for distribution to other Microsoft Dynamics AX installations. To add the user profile to the AOT, select it in the list. Click Export and then click Export to AOT.
In the AOT, expand the Resources node. The new user profile will be listed with the other user profiles. Its name will begin with Profile_.

A Role center should answer the following user questions:

What is the workload?
What needs to be done next?
Are there urgent actions that must be completed?
What is the status of the items of higher concern?

Figure 4.1 Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Role Center

Guidelines for Creating Role Centers

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 ships with 34 pre-defined user profiles. Microsoft Dynamics AX users can be associated with any of these pre-defined profiles. It is also possible to create additional user profiles to meet specific needs of users within an organization.

In a role center, content is displayed inside SharePoint® web parts from a variety of sources, as follows:

Microsoft Dynamics AX
Windows® SharePoint Services
Microsoft® Office SharePoint Server 2007

The content should be specifically tailored for each role. Role centers in Microsoft Dynamics AX should also meet the following criteria:

Simple and cleanly designed
Simple to skim and read
Aligned with the design guidelines
Effortless to localize and customize

When creating a role center, follow these general guidelines:

Identify the needs for a role. For example, consider the following:

What information the role frequently needs to do the job
Which information would help the role be more efficient at the job

Create content around the role's needs.
Determine the best web part to display for each type of content.
Validate the value of the role center with real users who match the role.

Prioritizing the content is imperative for a great user experience. Make sure that critical content such as activities, work lists, key charts, and other important components are visible at first glance and are clearly organized.

Tailor the content to be useful at a glance. The most important content should be immediately visible at a screen resolution of 1280 x 800, without scrolling.

Web parts provide different formats for displaying data. Follow these guidelines when creating web parts:

Web parts should be organized in two columns.
There should be at least four and a maximum of 10 web parts.
The title of each web part in a role center should be in sentence case.
All web part content should be sized appropriately. There should be no scrollbars in the web part. All the content should be visible by default.
To maximize the use of vertical space, there should be no filter controls (quick and advanced filters) displayed in a web part that contains a grid.
No error messages should be displayed by default in the web part.

An activities part contains data that is related to a user's relevant activities. When creating activities parts, ensure the following:

The activities part should have a title name that does not contain the word "Cues."

Each stack in the activities part should navigate to the appropriate list page when it is clicked and it should have the same filter applied. When a user navigates to that list page, it should also have the same name as the activities stack title.
The recommended number of stacks is six or fewer.

Figure 4.2 Activities

A Work list part contains a list of tasks that are assigned to the user.

There should be only one work list part for each Role center.
The work list part should have a title that contains the words "work list".

Charts can also be displayed in web parts. To learn more about how to arrange and display chart information in web parts, follow the guidelines for the General Reporting User Experience Guidelines and the Charts in Reports User Experience Guidelines. Avoid overusing charts and graphs in a single role center, because overuse impairs usability and decreases product performance.