Microsoft Dynamics AX five-layer solution architecture

The Microsoft Dynamics AX five-layer solution architecture, logically partitions a Microsoft Dynamics AX solution into an application platform layer, a foundation application domain layer, a horizontal application domain layer, an industry application domain layer, and a vertical application domain layer. The components in all architecture layers are designed to meet Microsoft internationalization, localization, and security standards, and all layers are built on the Microsoft technology platform.

Note: The layers in the Microsoft Dynamics AX five-layer architecture are different from the model layers that are part of the Microsoft Dynamics AX customization framework described later in this book. Architectural layers are logical partitions of an end-to-end solution. Customization layers are physical partitions of application domain code.

The Microsoft Dynamics AX application platform and application domain components are delivered on the Microsoft technology platform. This platform consists of the Windows client, the Office suite of products, Windows Server, SQL Server, SSAS, SSRS, SharePoint Server, the Microsoft ASP.NET web application framework, the .NET Framework, and the Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE).

 

The following logical partitions are layered on top of the Microsoft technology platform:
■ Layer 1: Application platform layer The application platform layer provides the system frameworks and tools that support the development of scalable, customizable, and extensible application domain components. This layer consists of the MorphX model-based development environment, the X++ programming language, the Microsoft Dynamics AX Windows client framework, the Enterprise Portal web application framework, the AOS, and the application platform system framework. The architecture of the components in the application platform
layer is described in the following section.

■ Layer 2: Foundation application domain layer The foundation application domain layer consists of domain-specific reference models in addition to domain-specific resource modeling, policy modeling, event documenting, and document processing frameworks that are extended into organization administration and operational domains. Examples of domain- specific reference models include the fiscal calendar, the operations calendar, the language code, and the unit of measure reference models. Examples of domain-specific resource models include the party model, the organization model, the operations resource model, the product model, and the location model. The source document framework and the accounting distribution and journalizing process frameworks are also part of this layer. Chapter 19, “Application frameworks,” describes the conceptual design of a number of the frameworks in this layer.

■ Layer 3: Horizontal application domain layer The horizontal application layer consists of application domain workloads that integrate the financial resource, operations resource, and human resource management processes that can be owned and controlled by organizations.
Example workloads include the operations management workload, the supply chain management workload, the supplier relationship management workload, the product information management workload, the financial management workload, the customer relationship management workload, and the human capital management workload. The Microsoft Dynamics AX application can be extended with additional workloads. (The workloads
that are part of the Microsoft Dynamics AX solution are beyond the scope of this book.)

■ Layer 4: Industry application domain The industry application layer consists of application domain workloads that integrate the financial resource, operations resource, and human resource management processes that are specific to organizations that operate in particular industry sectors. Example industries include discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, distribution, retail, service, and public sector. Workloads in this layer are customized to satisfy industry-specific requirements.

■ Layer 5: Vertical application domain The vertical application layer consists of application domain workloads that integrate the financial resource, operations resource, and human resource management processes that are specific to organizations that operate in a particular vertical industry and to organizations that are subject to local customs and regulations. Example vertical industries include beer and wine manufacturing, automobile manufacturing,
government, and advertising professional services. Workloads in this layer are customized to satisfy vertical industry and localization requirements.

Creating a Basic Table Report (SSRS)

This post will help you create a basic table report based on the AdventureWorks2008R2 database using Report Designer. You can also use Report Builder or the Report Wizard to create reports. In this post, you will create a report project, set up connection information, define a query, add a Table data region, group and total some fields, and preview the report.

Create a report server project

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, and then click Business Intelligence Development Studio.

2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.

3. In the Project Types list, click Business Intelligence Projects.

4. In the Templates list, click Report Server Project.

5. In Name, type Tutorial.

6. Click OK to create the project.

   The Tutorial project is displayed in Solution Explorer.

Create a new report definition file

1. In Solution Explorer, right-click Reports, point to Add, and click New Item.

2. In the Add New Item dialog box, under Templates, click Report.

3. In Name, type Sales Orders.rdl and then click Add, Report Designer opens and displays the new .rdl file in Design view.

Set up a connection

1. In the Report Data pane, click New and then click Data Source ( If the Report Data pane is not visible, from the View menu, click Report Data ).

2. In Name, type AdventureWorks2008R2.

3. Make sure Embedded connection is selected.

4. In Type, select Microsoft SQL Server.

5. In Connection string, type the following:

   Data source=localhost; initial catalog=AdventureWorks2008R2
   

   
   

   This connection string assumes that Business Intelligence Development Studio, the report server, and the AdventureWorks2008R2 database are all installed on the local computer and that you have permission to log on to the AdventureWorks2008R2 database.
   

   If you are using SQL Server Express with Advanced Services or a named instance, the connection string must include instance information:
   

   Data source=localhost\SQLEXPRESS; initial catalog=AdventureWorks2008R2

   
   
6. 
   

   Click OK. A data source called AdventureWorks2008R2 is added to the Report Data pane.

Define a Transact-SQL query for report data

1. 
   

   In the Report Data pane, click New, and then click Dataset. The Dataset Properties dialog box opens.

   
   
2. 
   

   In the Name box, type AdventureWorksDataset.

   
   
3. 
   

   Click the Use a dataset embedded in my report radio button. Make sure the name of your data source, AdventureWorks, is in the Data source text box, and that the Query type is Text.

   
   
4. 
   

   Type, or copy and paste, the following Transact-SQL query into the Query box.

   SELECT 
      soh.OrderDate AS [Date], 
      soh.SalesOrderNumber AS [Order], 
      pps.Name AS Subcat, pp.Name as Product,  
      SUM(sd.OrderQty) AS Qty,
      SUM(sd.LineTotal) AS LineTotal
   FROM Sales.SalesPerson sp 
      INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderHeader AS soh 
         ON sp.BusinessEntityID = soh.SalesPersonID
      INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderDetail AS sd 
         ON sd.SalesOrderID = soh.SalesOrderID
      INNER JOIN Production.Product AS pp 
         ON sd.ProductID = pp.ProductID
      INNER JOIN Production.ProductSubcategory AS pps 
         ON pp.ProductSubcategoryID = pps.ProductSubcategoryID
      INNER JOIN Production.ProductCategory AS ppc 
         ON ppc.ProductCategoryID = pps.ProductCategoryID
   GROUP BY ppc.Name, soh.OrderDate, soh.SalesOrderNumber, pps.Name, pp.Name, 
      soh.SalesPersonID
   HAVING ppc.Name = 'Clothing' 
   

   
   
5. 
   

   (Optional) Click the Query Designer button. The query is displayed in the text-based query designer. You can toggle to the graphical query designer by clicking Edit As Text. View the results of the query by clicking the Run (!) button on the query designer toolbar.
   

   You see the data from six fields from four different tables in the AdventureWorks2008R2 database. The query makes use of Transact-SQL functionality such as aliases. For example, the SalesOrderHeader table is called soh.
   

   Click OK to exit the query designer.

   
   
6. 
   

   Click OK to exit the Dataset Properties dialog box.
   

   Your AdventureWorksDataset dataset fields appear in the Report Data pane.

Adding a Table to the Report (Reporting Services)

To Add a Table data region and fields to a report layout

1. 
   

   In the Toolbox, click Table, and then click on the design surface. Report Designer draws a table data region with three columns in the center of the design surface.
   

   Note
   

   The Toolbox may appear as a tab on the left side of the Report Data pane. To open the Toolbox, move the pointer over the Toolbox tab. If the Toolbox is not visible, from the View menu, click Toolbox.

   
   
2. 
   

   In the Report Data pane, expand the AdventureWorksDataset dataset to display the fields.

   
   
3. 
   

   Drag the Date field from the Report Data pane to the first column in the table.
   

   When you drop the field into the first column, two things happen. First, the data cell will display the field name, known as the field expression, in brackets: [Date]. Second, a column header value is automatically added to Header row, just above the field expression. By default, the column is the name of the field. You can select the Header row text and type a new name.

   
   
4. 
   

   Drag the Order field from the Report Data pane to the second column in the table.

   
   
5. 
   

   Drag the Product field from the Report Data pane to the third column in the table.

   
   
6. 
   

   Drag the Qty field to the right edge of the third column until you get a vertical cursor and the mouse pointer includes a plus sign [+]. When you release the mouse button, a fourth column is created for [Qty].

   
   
7. 
   

   Add the LineTotal field in the same way, creating a fifth column.
   

   The column header is Line Total. Report Designer automatically creates a friendly name for the column by splitting LineTotal into two words.
   

   The following diagram shows a table data region that has been populated with these fields: Date, Order, Product, Qty, and Line Total.
   

   

Preview Your Report

Previewing a report enables you to easily view the rendered report without having to first publish it to a report server. You will probably want to preview your report frequently during design time.

To Preview a report

• 
  

  Click the Preview tab. Report Designer runs the report and displays it in Preview view.
  

  The following diagram shows part of the report in Preview view.
  

  
  

  Notice that the currency (in the Line Total column) has six places after the decimal, and the date has an unnecessary time stamp. You're going to fix that formatting in the next lesson.

Now that you've added a table and some fields to the Sales Orders report, you can format the date and currency fields and the column headers.

Format the Date

The Date field displays date and time information by default. You can format it to display only the date.

Format a date field

1. 
   

   Click the Design tab.

   
   
2. 
   

   Right-click the cell with the [Date] field expression and then click Text BoxProperties.

   
   
3. 
   

   Click Number, and then in the Category field, select Date.

   
   
4. 
   

   In the Type box, select January 31, 2000.

   
   
5. 
   

   Click OK.

Format the Currency

The LineTotal field displays a general number. Format it to display the number as currency.

To format a currency field

1. 
   

   Right-click the cell with the [LineTotal] field expression and then click Text BoxProperties.

   
   
2. 
   

   Click Number, and in the Category field, select Currency.

   
   
3. 
   

   If your regional setting is English (United States), the defaults should be:
   

   
   
   • 
     

     Decimal places: 2

     
     
   • 
     

     Negative numbers: ($12345.00)

     
     
   • 
     

     Symbol: $ English (United States)

   
   
4. 
   

   Select Use 1000 separator (,).
   

   If the sample text is: $12,345.00, then your settings are correct.

   
   
5. 
   

   Click OK.

Change Text Style and Column Widths

You can also change the formatting of the header row to differentiate it from the rows of data in the report. Lastly, you will adjust the widths of the columns.

To format header rows and table columns

1. 
   

   Click the table so that column and row handles appear above and next to the table.
   

   
   

   The gray bars along the top and side of the table are the column and row handles.

   
   
2. 
   

   Point to the line between column handles so that the cursor changes into a double-headed arrow. Drag the columns to the size you want.

   
   
3. 
   

   Select the row containing column header labels and from the Format menu, point to Font and then click Bold.

   
   
4. 
   

   To preview your report, click the Preview tab. It should look something like this:
   

   

Grouping Data in A report

To group data in a report

1. 
   

   Click the Design tab.

   
   
2. 
   

   From the Report Data pane, drag the Date field to the Row Groups pane. Place it above the row called Details.
   

   Note that the row handle now has a bracket in it, to show a group. The table now also has two Date columns -- one on either side of a vertical dotted line.
   

   

   
   
3. 
   

   From the Report Data pane, drag the Order field to the Row Groups pane. Place it below Date and above Details.
   

   Note that the row handle now has two brackets in it, to show two groups. The table now has two Order columns, too.

   
   
4. 
   

   Delete the original Date and Order columns to the right of the double line. This removes this individual record values so that only the group value is displayed. Select the column handles for the two columns, right-click and click Delete Columns.
   

   
   

   You can format the column headers and date again.

   
   
5. 
   

   Switch to the Preview tab to preview the report. It should look similar to the following illustration:
   

   

To add totals to a report

1. 
   

   Switch to Design view.

   
   
2. 
   

   Right-click the data region cell that contains the field [LineTotal], and click Add Total.
   

   This adds a row with a sum of the dollar amount for each order.

   
   
3. 
   

   Right-click the cell that contains the field [Qty], and click Add Total.
   

   This adds a sum of the quantity for each order to the totals row.

   
   
4. 
   

   In the empty cell to the left of Sum[Qty], type the label "Order Total".

   
   
5. 
   

   You can add a background color to the totals row. Select the two sum cells and the label cell.

   
   
6. 
   

   On the Format menu, click Background Color and click Light Gray.
   

   

To add a daily total to a report

1. 
   

   Right-click the Order cell, point to Add Total, and click After.
   

   This adds a new row containing sums of the quantity and dollar amount for each day, and the label "Total" in the Order column.

   
   
2. 
   

   Type the word Daily before the word Total in the same cell, so it reads Daily Total.

   
   
3. 
   

   Select the Daily Total cell, the two Sum cells and the empty cell between them.

   
   
4. 
   

   On the Format menu, click Background Color and click Orange.
   

   

To add a grand total to a report

1. 
   

   Right-click the Date cell, point to Add Total, and click After.
   

   This adds a new row containing sums of the quantity and dollar amount for the entire report, and the Total label in the Date column.

   
   
2. 
   

   Type the word Grand before the word Total in the same cell, so it reads Grand Total.

   
   
3. 
   

   Select the Grand Total cell, the two Sum cells and the empty cells between them.

   
   
4. 
   

   On the Format menu, click Background Color and click Light Blue.
   

   

   
   
5. 
   

   Click Preview.
   

   The last page should look something like this, although your Order Total, Daily Total, and Grand Total may be on a second page:
   

   

Step-by-Step Checklist for Debugging Batch Jobs in Dynamics Ax

Imparted from here

A. Enable Global Breakpoints

When debugging in the client, you want to set breakpoints that can be caught by the debugger. The following steps show how.

1. Launch the Microsoft Dynamics AX Configuration tool from the Start >Administrative Tools menu on your client computer. The first time this tool opens, you will be on the Original configuration. Create a new configuration named Debug. Click Manage and choose the Create Configuration menu option.

2. Enter a new name such as Debug, and choose copy from Original configuration and click Ok.

3. A new configuration is created and shown in the configuration tool. Click the Developer tab.

4. Choose the following options:

· “Enable global breakpoints to debug code running in the Business Connector or client” (required for this scenario)

· “Enable user breakpoints to debug code in the Business Connector” (optional for this scenario)

Note: Take special care that the Configuration Target remains set to Local Client since this is the only client you can set global breakpoints from.

B. Configure Your AOS to Run Under Your User Credentials

1. Launch the Services utility on your AOS server machine, and choose the AOS instance that you are configuring for debugging.

2. Right-click on your chosen AOS instance name and choose Properties. On the properties window, choose the Logon tab. Select “This account” for the Logon As option. Enter your full Domain account {e.g. contoso\YourName } and password credentials. This account must be the same user account as the account used for debugging batch code.

3. Click Apply once you have modified the user account.

4. You will be prompted to restart the service. Choose yes to restart the service (note: ensure other users are not working on this service before restarting it).

C. Configure the Dynamics AX Server to Enable Debugging

1. From your Start > Administrative Tools menu, open the Microsoft Dynamics AX Server Configuration tool. This tool has the same option to Manage configurations that you saw earlier in the client configuration tool.

2. Choose the Manage and Create Configuration option to create a new server configuration. As before, copy from the original configuration and choose Debug as the name.

3. Verify the AOS instance matches the instance you want to use for debugging.

4. Choose the following options:

· “Enable breakpoints to debug X++ code running on this server” (required for this scenario)

· “Enable global breakpoints to debug X++ code running in batch jobs” (required for this scenario)

Note: When you click Apply, you will be prompted to restart the service, and you should choose Yes.

D. Set breakpoints and start debugging.

1. Launch the Dynamics AX Client from the Start menu, and open the developer workspace.

2. Open the class you would like to debug from the AOT and set breakpoints at desired locations.

3. Launch the Dynamics Ax Debugger from the Start menu. The debugger must be opened directly in order to find and catch global breakpoints.

4. Schedule the batch job to run.

Example: To schedule work calendar delete to run in batch; launch the WorkCalendarDelete class in the AOT, click Batch tab, check Batch Processing check box and click Ok.

5. Wait for the debugger to catch the breakpoints.