When you are first introduced to Dynamics AX, it may seem a little overwhelming because there is so much that it is able to do. It may seem like you’ve been dropped in a completely foreign land, unable to speak the language, and not knowing which direction to start walking in.

It may be even worse if you are in the middle of a software selection where you are looking at a number of different options (including Dynamics AX) because you need to understand what the differences are, and also remember which feature applies to which application. In that case, you are in multiple foreign lands, and no-one is speaking the same language.

You may have picked up a book or two on Dynamics AX to start your self-guided learning, but even then it may be too much because they usually assume that you have had some familiarity with the system, and you still don’t have a basic foundation knowledge. Rather than wanting to read the The Principia : Mathematica, you are at more of a See Spot Run level when it comes to Dynamics AX.

This is what this book is designed to achieve, and is aimed to give you a high level introduction to Dynamics AX. It is split into two parts as well, the first is a general overview of the system, showing you all of the usability features, and the second part is a functional overview that highlights all of the functional features within Dynamics AX. In essence it teaches you the language of this new land, and also gives you a map of the land so that you can then start heading in the direction that is important to you.

Hopefully this guide will help you quickly get comfortable with Dynamics AX and some of its capabilities. As a bonus you can download a copy of the book for free from the BSP website.

I03: An Introduction To Dynamics AX 2012 By Murray Fife Paperback: 147 pages Language: English ISBN-10: 1515201104 ISBN-13: 978-1515201106 Link: http://www.blindsquirrelpublishing.com/collections/introduction-guides/products/m00-an-introduction-to-dynamics-ax-2012

Get it while you can – the head squirrel will notice this eventually and put a stop to it.

*** Sorry – the squirrels noticed the surge in downloads and stopped the free promotion – we will try to sneak some more past them in the future ***

Over the past year and a half I have been working on one of my largest personal projects that I have ever worked on, which has been to create a series of guides for Dynamics AX that show you how to set up a company from the ground up and configure all of the common modules that most people would need, and a few that you might want to use.   The goal was to demystify the setup process and prove that Dynamics AX is only as hard to configure as you make it, and if you are a mid-range customer that even you can get a company configured and working without turning on every bell and whistle and without breaking the bank. If I can do it then you all surely can as well.   This week marks a major milestone in the project which is that I finally finished the last book in series, #11 – Configuring Human Resource Management within Dynamics AX which filled the gap in the 15 volumes which are:

1. Configuring a Base Dynamics AX 2012 System
2. Configuring an Organization Within Dynamics AX 2012
3. Configuring The General Ledger Within Dynamics AX 2012
4. Configuring Cash And Bank Management Within Dynamics AX 2012
5. Configuring Accounts Receivable Within Dynamics AX 2012
6. Configuring Accounts Payable Within Dynamics AX 2012
7. Configuring Product Information Management Within Dynamics AX 2012
8. Configuring Inventory Management Within Dynamics AX 2012
9. Configuring Procurement & Sourcing Within Dynamics AX 2012
10. Configuring Sales Order Management Within Dynamics AX 2012
11. Configuring Human Resources Within Dynamics AX 2012
12. Configuring Project Management & Accounting Within Dynamics AX 2012
13. Configuring Production Control Within Dynamics AX 2012
14. Configuring Sales & Marketing Within Dynamics AX 2012
15. Configuring Service Management Within Dynamics AX 2012

Each of these guides have been designed to stand by themselves as reference material for each of the modules within Dynamics AX, but if taken as a whole series they are also a great training system that will allow even a novice on Dynamics AX work through the step by step instructions and build up a new company from scratch and learn a lot of the ins and outs of the system right away. I was able to prove this myself by using these guides as the basis for an series of 8 hands on training classes that I hosted for the AXUG Academy this year.   So who needs these books and why?

• If you are Evaluating Dynamics AX then these are a great reference that allows you to get a grounding on Dynamics AX without all of the sales hype.
• If you are Implementing Dynamics AX then these are a great reference that allow you to get a foundation of knowledge about Dynamics AX so that you can talk on a more level playing field with your implementation partner.
• If you are an Implementer of Dynamics AX then these are great training guides that you can use before you start the pilot.
• If you have Implemented Dynamics AX then these are a great reference for brushing up on the new features in Dynamics AX.
• If you are Interviewing for jobs based on Dynamics AX then these guides will educate you on Dynamics AX and give you a jumpstart on your resume.
• If you are Competing against Dynamics AX then this is a great way to be demoralized and see how easy Dynamics AX is to implement.

To tell you the truth, everyone needs a copy of these books. Even your grandmother needs a copy.   If you are interested in finding out more about the series and also view all of the details including topics covered within the module then browse to the Bare Bones Configuration Guide landing page on the Dynamics AX Companions website. You will find all of the details, and also downloadable resources that help you with the setup of Dynamics AX. If you decipher the code in the signature at the bottom of this email then you can get 20% off the books. Here is the full link:

http://www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com/barebonesconfig

  What is next? It’s revision time, so now I start the process of reviewing the guides and adding more sample data, case studies, and exercised to make the guides even better. And then I can start working on the AX7 version editions when it is officially released.

Today I have been working with the Product Configurator within Dynamics AX trying to find the tidiest way to set up the following configuration scenario and as I did this I discovered some pretty cool things that you can do through the calculations.

The scenario is that I want to set up a Configuration Model with multiple pages or User Configurations, but the selection for one attribute on one page will affect the selections on another page.

For example: If the user selects a Wattage of 4000 on this Base page…

Then on the Optics page below, the 5.0 Focal Length attribute needs to be disabled.

The problem with the Expression Editor though within the Product Configurator is that it is only able to see the attributes within the Parent level, and you cannot see any of the other User Components attributes.

Here Is How You Solve It:
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