I am a firm believes that Dynamics AX is not a hard product to learn, but the problem is where do you start. Which is why I developed the Bare Bones Configuration Guides. The aim of this series is to step you though the configuration of Dynamics AX from a blank system, and then step you through the setup of all of the core modules within Dynamics AX. I start with the setup of a base system, then move on to the financials, distribution, and operations modules. Each book builds upon the previous ones, and by the time you have worked through all of the guides then you will have completely configured a simple (but functional) Dynamics AX 2012 instance. To make it even more worthwhile you will have a far better understanding of Dynamics AX and also how everything fits together.

As of now there are 16 guides in this series broken out as follows:

• M01 Configuring A Base Dynamics AX 2012 Test System
• M02 Configuring an Organization within Dynamics AX 2012
• M03 Configuring the General Ledger within Dynamics AX 2012
• M04 Configuring Cash and Bank Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M05 Configuring Accounts Receivable within Dynamics AX 2012
• M06 Configuring Accounts Payable within Dynamics AX 2012
• M07 Configuring Product Information Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M08 Configuring Inventory Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M09 Configuring Procurement and Sourcing within Dynamics AX 2012
• M10 Configuring Sales Order Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M11 Configuring Human Resource Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M12 Configuring Project Management and Accounting within Dynamics AX 2012
• M13 Configuring Production Control within Dynamics AX 2012
• M14 Configuring Sales and Marketing within Dynamics AX 2012
• M15 Configuring Service Management within Dynamics AX 2012
• M18 Configuring Warehouse Management within Dynamics AX 2012

Although you can get each of these guides individually, and I think that each one is a great Visual resources to step you through each of the particular modules, for those of you that want to take full advantage of the series, you will want to start from the beginning and work through them one by one. After you have done that you would have done people told me was impossible for one persons to do, and that is to configure all of the core modules within Dynamics AX.

I challenge all of you out there from any level of AX experience – from those of you that are new to Dynamics AX and want to learn how it works, to the seasoned AX consultant that knows areas of AX inside and out but haven’t got out of their comfort zone and learn the other areas – to sit down and learn how to implement a company in Dynamics AX from the ground up.

For the brave and adventurous souls, and those of you with a thirst for knowledge, that are willing to take on this challenge I have just set up a bundle option for the Bare Bones Configuration Guides within the Blind Squirrel Publishing site that will allow you to get all of the books at once, and for a discount. You can save yourself from the possibility of contracting RSI from selecting each book individually and get them with just by starting with one click of the mouse. They are not free, but they are worth it. I guarantee that you will learn more than you expect form this process.

Here is a link to where you can get the complete set of guides: http://www.blindsquirrelpublishing.com/products/s01-bare-bones-configuration-guides-all-access-ebook-bundle?variant=6822663681

Consider the gauntlet thrown down.

The Charge Codes within Dynamics AX are great ways to add upcharges and adjustments to Sales Orders and Quotations without having to add additional dummy part codes to the system and also without having them clutter up the order lines and make everyone try to decipher what charge is associated with which line.

To make the Charge Codes even better, you can take advantage of the Auto Charge feature that allows you to create rules that will automatically add the Charges to your order header and lines without even lifting a finger. This allows you to have additional surcharges and adjustments automatically show up on the Sales Orders and Quotations which is a great time saver in itself.

You can take the automatic addition of the Charge Codes one step further if you like and link it with the Modes of Delivery that you assign to the Sales Orders and Quotations and have the Freight Charges automatically added based on the method that you are using for the shipment. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to use the Transportation Management to do this then it’s definitely the second best option for you.

In this guide we will show you how to set up all of the necessary links within Dynamics AX to do just that.

So lets start.

Adding Modes of Delivery

Before we start we need to make sure that we need to make sure that we have some Modes of Delivery defined within Dynamics AX.

How to Do It…

Creating a Delivery Charge Code

The way that the automatic freight charges will be added is through the Charge Codes which allow you to attach additional charges to either the header or the line of the sales orders and quotations. These are really useful because they allow you to add upcharges and adjustments to orders without having to add additional order lines.

How to Do It…

Creating Automatic Charges Based On Modes of Delivery

Now that we have the Charge codes defined and also the Mode of Delivery set up we can start tying them together so that they will be added automatically to the Sales Order or the Quotation. We do that by creating an Automatic Charge rule within Dynamics AX.

How to Do It…

Entering a Sales Order with Automatic Freight Charges

Now that everything is set up we can test the Automatic Charge out by creating a Sales Order and seeing if the charge is added to the record automatically.

How to Do It…

To do this, click on the All Sales Orders menu item within the Sales Orders folder of the Common group within the Accounts Receivable area page.

When the All Sales Orders list page is displayed, click on the Sales Order button within the New button group of the Sales Order ribbon bar.

When the Create Sales Order dialog box is displayed, enter in the Customer Account to select the customer. We will use 100120 and place an order for Rosebud Gifts.

Before we continue on though we need to make sure that the order has the Mode of Delivery that we just set up and also linked the Automatic Charge to. To do this, expand out the Shipping fast tab and you will see that there is an option to set the Mode of Delivery for the order. Click on the Mode of Delivery dropdown list and select the UPS-PARCEL code that you just created.

Now you can just click on the OK button to create your order.

When the Sales Order maintenance form is displayed, add a few lines.

Then switch to the Sell ribbon bar and click on the Charges button within the Charges button group.

This will open up the Charges Transactions maintenance form and you will notice that the system has automatically added in the charge code for us.

Also, if you print the Order Confirmation then you will see that the charge code is also listed in the footer of the document. How cool is that.

Get the Expert Guide for Your Own Training

If you want to get a more detailed version of this blog post then you can grab the Expert Guide which includes step by step visual walkthroughs of all of the steps that are shown in this blog post, and also examples of the sample data that we used to give you all a quick reference if you want to use the guide for your own training.

You can find all of the information here:

http://www.blindsquirrelpublishing.com/products/e01-configuring-automatic-freight-charges-based-on-modes-of-delivery?variant=6705901953

Need More Help With Dynamics AX?

The Bare Bones Configuration Guides for Dynamics AX was developed to 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.

It aims 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.

There are 15 volumes in the current series and although each of these guides have been designed to stand by themselves as reference material for each of the modules within Dynamics AX, if they are 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. The current guides 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

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 here:

http://www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com/barebonesconfig

About the Author

Murray Fife is an Author of over 25 books on Microsoft Dynamics AX including the Bare Bones Configuration Guide series of over 15 books which step the user through the setup of initial Dynamics AX instance, then through the Financial modules and then through the configuration of the more specialized modules like production, service management, and project accounting. You can find all of his books on Amazon (www.amazon.com/author/murrayfife) and also even more on the BSP (www.blindsquirrelpublishing.com) site.

Murray is also the curator of the Dynamics AX Companions (www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com) site which he built from the ground up as a resource for all of the Dynamics AX community where you can find walkthroughs and blueprints that he created since first being introduced to the Dynamics AX product.

Throughout his 25+ years of experience in the software industry he has worked in many different roles during his career, including as a developer, an implementation consultant, a trainer and a demo guy within the partner channel which gives him a great understanding of the requirements for both customers and partner’s perspective.

Everyone who is in the know knows that it is the Squirrel New Year right now and that means that we are celebrating like is 3145 AS (Anno Scurrius) – which it is. I know you all are probably asking – “What do Squirrels do when they celebrate the SNY? They do what they have always done as far back as they can remember – they brush up on the Financials modules of Dynamics AX.

To make it easier for you all to join in on the festivities we have bundled the first six books within the Bare Bones Configuration Guide series and you can get them all at once at for 20% off the list price. “Oh my!” I hear you say – “That’s a deal and is all I need be fully prepared for the SNY”. And you are right. You too can get all of this and be set for the next 103 days before the next Squirrel New Year.

You can learn how to set up your own pilot environment in Azure, create a new Company within Dynamics AX, and then configure the General Ledger, Cash & Bank Management, Accounts Receivable, & Accounts Payable modules. All by yourself!
How awesome is that!

What are you waiting for?

This week is the Microsoft Dynamics US FY16 Kick Off event in Nashville. Maybe I will see some of you all there J

A couple of weeks ago I offered a free download of one of my books (An Introduction To Dynamics AX 2012) , and was swamped with downloads and was almost overwhelmed by the response, but I have upgraded my shopping cart and streamlined the process and to celebrate the Kick Off Event in my own little way I have decided to let you all download not one, but two of my books for free.

For this week only (Aug 16^th-23^rd) you are able to download the An Introduction To Dynamics AX 2012 reference guide which will show you a lot of the cool usability features that are available within Dynamics AX 2012, and also the Piloting Dynamics AX 2012 On Azure For Free Through Lifecycle Services guide that I recently released that will show you how to set up your very own pilot system for Dynamics AX through Azure – even if you are not a customer!

If you want to pick up a copy then here are the links to them J

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

B01: Piloting Dynamics AX 2012 On Azure For Free Through Lifecycle Services By Murray Fife Paperback: 75 pages Language: English Link: http://www.blindsquirrelpublishing.com/products/piloting-dynamics-ax-2012-on-azure-for-free-through-lifecycle-services

Happy downloading.

I use Word to post all of my blogs because it does all of the work for me. It formats the blog, it uploads all of the images, it slices, it dices and more.

One problem though is that if you host multiple blogs on the same blog site – like I do with WordPress, then when you register them with Word, it just uses your username as the description for the blog, and not the bog name. Every time I post a blog I am always making sure that I am posting it to the right blog site. There is nothing more embarrassing than that.

Don’t worry, tidying up the names is pretty easy. Read More

One project that I have been working on recently is how to set up a simple training environment for Dynamics AX that multiple students are able to connect to at the same time, without stepping on each other’s toes, or even knowing that the other students are there. The other day I was able to devise a possible solution and I thought that I would share it with everybody just in case you all were wanting to set up your own shoestring budget bare bones configuration training environments.

How To Do It…

Step 1: To start off I created a new training partition within Dynamics AX and then created a number of test companies that you could assign to each of the students. In this example I thought that the Forbes The 25 Largest Fictional Companies would be a good place to start.

Step 2: I created accounts for the students to log in with through Active Directory. I separated the users out by the Company that they are going to be assigned to just to make them easier to track. Paul Atreides is the Muad’Dib that should be in charge of the Spice on Arrakis.

Step 3: Now we want to set up the user within Dynamics AX but before we do that we want him to be able to manage his company, and only his company. The best way to do this is through the Security profiles, but there is no profile that has access to all of the functions that we need. So start off by creating a new security profile called Company Administrator and then add in the other security roles to create one master security role that we can assign to the user – you will see how we use this in a second.

Step 4: Now we can import in all of the student users into Dynamics AX. When you do this, give them the Company Administrator role to limit what they have access to.

Step 5: Now we just need to click on the Assign Organizations button within the User’s Roles and assign the one company that the user has access to.

How It Works

Now when the user logs into Dynamics AX then they will only be able to view their one company that they have the rights to.

Because of the security role that they have been assigned they will also not be able to access any of the security information that will allow them to undo their security settings.

As the teacher though you will be able to have access to all of the companies and will be able to review all of the data that is being set up and possibly tweak some of the companies if you like.

How cool is that!

About The Author

Murray Fife is a Microsoft Dynamics AX MVP, Author of over 20 books on Microsoft Dynamics AX, and Solution Architect at I.B.I.S. Inc. with over 20 years of experience in the software industry. Like most people in his industry he has worked in many different roles during his career, including as a developer, an implementation consultant, and a trainer which gives him a great understanding of the requirements for both customers and partners. He is a regular contributor to the Dynamics AX community and in addition to hosting presentations for I.B.I.S. presents regularly for the AXUG and MS Dynamics World, has spoken at Microsoft Convergence and AXUG Summit conferences. If that was not enough, he works closely with Microsoft evaluating with their beta products and also is a Council Member on the Microsoft Dynamics Academic Alliance trying to help educate the new generation of consultants on Dynamics AX.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a note about the new Dynamics AX 2012 R3 image that you can deploy through the Azure Marketplace which is pretty darn cool: http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/partners/microsoft/microsoft_dynamics_lcs/?rnd=1

But the one thing that it was missing was a good training methodology to go with it.

To solve this problem I decided to convert the Bare Bones Configuration Guides (http://www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com/barebonesconfig) into a custom methodology:

To make it even more useful I even attached the guides to the methodology steps for easy reference:

I wonder if this idea will catch on?

If you haven’t noticed, Microsoft have released out an Image for Dynamics AX 2012 R3 through the Azure Marketplace which allows you to deploy out the demo environment that everyone uses as the basis for presentations – myself included. All the information is on the Dynamics AX deployment page here: http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/partners/microsoft/microsoft_dynamics_lcs/?rnd=1

All you need to do is log into your Azure Account and you can start the configuration:

This will start the ball rolling and Azure will start configuring your system.

As a bonus you will also get a simple LCS project to track your evaluation process.

Now all you need to do is start learning Dynamics AX… a great place to start is the Dynamics AX Companions site: http://www.dynamicsaxcompanions.com/barebonesconfig

Finally all of the pieces are falling together and everyone is able to learn Dynamics AX without having to jump through too many hoops.

Rock on!

I’m happy to say that I just finished the first of two books that I will be publishing on the Procurement and Sourcing module within Dynamics AX, and it is available for download.

The Procurement and Sourcing area within Dynamics AX not only allows you to manage and track all of the purchasing activities within your organization. It is also where you can manage all of your purchasing hierarchies, which allow you to organize all of your purchased products into more manageable groups. You can initiate purchase orders, manage the changes to the purchase orders, and even raise requisitions that can then work through approval workflows before you convert them into live purchase orders. All of these transactions then feed down into the Accounts Payable module, making the whole procurement cycle seamless.

Setting up the Procurement and Sourcing details are not hard either and this guide is designed to give you step by step instructions to show you how to configure the Purchasing area, and also how some of the basic parts work to get you up and running.

To help you all, I have published book #9 in the Bare Bones Configuration Guide series that lays the foundation for Configuring Procurement and Sourcing Within Dynamics AX 2012. The book covers all of these areas related to Procurement and Sourcing:

• Configuring Procurement and Sourcing Controls
  
• Configuring Procurement Categories
  
• Processing Purchase Orders
  
• Configuring Price Lists & Discounts
  
• Enabling Change Management On Purchase Orders
  

Hopefully this guide has given you a good foundation of knowledge of how the Procurement and Sourcing area of Dynamics AX works, and also some of the key features that are available for you that allow you to configure and manage your Purchase Orders.

We are still just starting you off on your journey through the Procurement and Sourcing module though. There is so much more that you can do including taking advantage of Requisitions, Requests for Quotation, Vendor Portal Management, Vendor Score Carding and even Vendor Onboarding, which we did not have space for in this guide. If you are interested in these topics then look for the second book that we will be releasing which will explain these more advanced features within the Procurement and Sourcing area of Dynamics AX.

If you want to get a printed copy of the book, or if you want an easy way to download a PDF copy then you can now get it from Blind Squirrel Publishing. For a limited time only you will get an additional 10% discount off the standard list price of this title. How generous is that? Just follow this link and it will take you directly to the book details.

If you want more information on this book then you can check it out on the Dynamics AX Companions website by clicking on the book icon below::

I hope this is useful, or at the very least interesting and don’t hesitate to drop me a note if you have any comments or suggestions on other cool things to do with AX.