EFaru Dynamics AX Implementation Notes

May 21, 2011 - PRLog -- If you are in the new Corporate ERP application selection mode, we would like to make some observations about AX, formerly known as Axapta.  In our opinion you should start with categorizing your firm as upper mid-market, or smaller organization.  If you do not think that you can classify your company as upper mid-market, then there should be serious consideration of the available budget, as AX typically requires custom settings and even programming to be implemented.  Think also from the stand point of number of users – do you expect to have more than twenty five?  If Yes, then you are probably on the right track.  If you are committed to Microsoft platform, think about special offer for your industry.  AX is recommended in process manufacturing, distribution, supply chain management, service organization.  New version 2012 is also recommended for public sector (where there is the need to implement fund accounting).  Let’s take a look at some details:

1.   Process Manufacturing.  Good example is meat and poultry processing facilities, copper or gold mines, where you have to account for raw materials, but the exact outcome is not known, however approximately predicted in pounds or kilograms.  In the Microsoft Dynamics family of ERP systems, AX is recommended for process manufacturing.  It is also good for discrete manufacturing (where bill of materials is exactly predicted in final outcome quantity).  It would be not accurate to say, that AX is the only manufacturing offer from Microsoft Dynamics.  GP offers established manufacturing suite of module, where discrete manufacturing is pretty advanced in its functionality

2.   Public Sector.  This seems to be new offer from MBS, which is initiated in version 2012.  We would like to see first case studies, prior to giving you additional recommendations.  Historically Dynamics GP had strong non-for-profit offer with Grant Management module, based on the Analytical Accounting

3.   Distribution.  Here you have strong functionality.  There might be some lean toward GP, where you also have Distribution suite.  However there are independent opinions that Great Plains is in maintenance mode with strong emphasis on Microsoft Office stack integration and in a course of five to ten years there might be evolution (or even say stronger - migration) to the future ERP.  While AX seems to be in full swing of being promoted in USA and Internationally with committed functionality development and advancement

4.   Vertical Solutions.  Comparing to GP, AX has smaller number of ISV add-ons and you should or may expect custom programming or custom tables, queries and forms setup in Metadata.  Here in our opinion, you should consider this application where you believe that your business processes are very unique (technology, production or services startup) and you do want to hold your business processes automation protected from being cloned in the competition

5.   Custom Programming and Settings.  First of all it has initial cost (of coding, quality assurance and deployment) as well as ongoing cost of revising the code to be compatible for the future versions (we estimate that you may expect version update every three to five years or even more often if you would like to keep your organization on the computer technology edge).  Microsoft features AX metadata as the single source for customization, where code is not required.  This is probably true if all you need to do is to add custom tables or extend existing tables with user defined fields and have these fields opened for data entry via standard interface.  If this is the only objective, you may create new forms without coding and enable them in Windows interface (fat client), or even publish to the Enterprise Portal (so-called thin or in other words web user interface).  Plus, custom query could be a base for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Server (SSRS) custom report (this could be done in MS Visual Studio, where metadata is exposed).  And finally such custom query could be enveloped into SOAP Web Service interface (without coding, directly in MorphX).  As the excurse to the history – MorphX was and is Axapta Integrated Development Environment with its own programming language X++.  If your custom forms or tables need to be supported with some programming, we recommend X++ as natural choice.  Of course, there are some possibilities to do Axapta programming directly in Microsoft Visual Studio in C# or VB.Net.  We are leaving this to programming enthusiasts.  The reason to be a bit conservative – such constructions as MorphX with X++ are more stable and you may expect them to stay in the future, while exposure in VS might see numerous transformations (deprecated methods, new background technologies, such as ADO.Net, etc.)

6.   If you are expanding internationally.  Traditionally we hear from our GP customers, could we implement it in China, Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia.  Technically it is possible, but Great Plains is not localized and even translated to Chinese, Russian, it is only offered in English, French Canadian, Latin American Spanish, Arabic.  Axapta on the other hand originated in Europe (Daamgard Software in Denmark back in earlier 1990th, later on acquired by Navision Software), it supports Unicode characters (required for hieroglyph based alphabets, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean).  So, Dynamics AX is localized in the major world regions and countries, including Brazil, China, India, Russia, Europe, Latin America.  One of the key mistakes we see in international Corporate ERP implementation is when you are placing foreign ERP database in their foreign office.  If you do it this way – you are doubling IT support cost.  Plus you are losing certain percentage of the control over foreign operation accounting.  What we recommend – consider placing all the companies into the SQL Server based in your Headquarters in USA (with Citrix exposure to the international users).  In certain situations AX might be too heavy with its functionality and implementation cost for modest market watch international office.  If this is your case, we recommend something rather intended for small business with worldwide availability, good candidate is SAP Business One.  There might be also good candidates, developed locally.  In Russia we recommend to consider 1S Bukhgalteria (1S Accounting as it translates from Russian).  In Brazil you may decide to take a look at Microsiga.  If you are global organization, we recommend you to pick VAR which has X++ Software Development factory and specializes in supporting customers via Web Sessions and Phone conferences and reasonable nationwide and international travel onsite

7.   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

Andrew Karasev is Great Plains Certified Master, MVP, help@efaru.com 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904. He is also the initiator of eFaru project http://www.efaru.com and founder of Alba Spectrum information space