mfp's two cents

Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail Virtual Launch Event

msmfp — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:49 GMT

Register for the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail Virtual Launch Event on February 1st, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (US)

Microsoft leaders, customers, and retail industry experts will talk about what it means to be a Dynamic Retailer in today’s retail environment while providing a first-look at the powerful retail capabilities being introduced as part of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Register now.

Dynamics AX 2012–Data upgrade best practices

msmfp — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:12:19 GMT

A new white paper is available. The white paper includes many performance optimizations we’ve found through customer upgrades. It should benefit anyone who’s considering an upgrade from previous versions of AX to AX 2012.

You can download the white paper here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=238709.

Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

msmfp — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:33:15 GMT

The pile of AX books will grow this year. I’m pleased to announce that work on the 3rd Inside book from Microsoft Press has commenced. Not surprisingly the book’s title will be “Inside Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012”. The book should hit the shelves late this year.

I’m going to spend quite some time in Microsoft Word over the next few months.

THIS POST IS PROVIDED AS-IS AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS.

2011 going on 2012

msmfp — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:13:38 GMT

The year 2011 has been an amazing year for AX.

Most remarkably, of course, has been the launch of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. Being an engineer, on a team working on a product for several years before finally making it public available, is in all honesty a mixed experience. On one hand you are the “proud parent“ boasting of everything that was accomplished – on the other hand you know it marks the end of a long journey with a great team. The only comforts are how well “your little one” has been received, and that you know a new journey is awaiting just around the corner.

In 2011 we’ve also been treated to no less than two Technical Conferences on AX. After what feels like a decade - they are finally back. For me personally, I’d been missing these opportunities to talk to peer X++ developers and I fully enjoyed every second I spent in Redmond in January and in Nice in November. I also must say “Thank you” for the overwhelming feedback I’ve received from my presentations. It is much appreciated.

Let us keep the momentum next year - I believe AX is ready for 2012!

Enjoy the holidays, and happy new year!

I think I’m going to have a game of Scrabble with my kids without thinking too much about work

Deploying AX 2012 Customizations

msmfp — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:12:23 GMT

Models, XPOs, Model store files, signing, uninstall, metadata, compilation, IL, move between environments – are you on top of them all?

If not, here is a very useful whitepaper: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26571

Technical Conference 2011–Wrapping up

msmfp — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:34:00 GMT

Thank you for attending Microsoft Dynamics AX EMEA Technical Conference 2011.

I was given the privileges of presenting two sets of features that the Developer and Partners Tools team has been building in this release: Models and new features in MorphX. In the latter breakout Pawel Kruk gave us a deep-dive into the TFS integration with MorphX.

If you’d like to learn more about models, here is a great place to start: AX models - Part 1 - Deploying models

If you’d like to see some of the demos presented – they are just a click away:

I had a great conference – I hope you did too?

Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Conference 2011–A great start

msmfp — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:19:47 GMT

	The EMEA version of Microsoft Dynamics Technical Conference 2011 for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is now officially started. The keynote this morning started with Christian Pedersen talking about the launch of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. It is the biggest launch of an ERP product to date.
	Hal Howard followed talking about the core pillars of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: Powerful, Agile and Simple. The system is Powerful so it can deliver the insights and productivity you need when you need them. The system is Agile so it can accommodate your business as it grows. The system is Simple so deployment, maintenance and education costs are kept down.
	Balaji Balasubramanian joined Hal on stage. He presented the new POS features for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Retail. He showed how a tablet PC running AX 2012 on Windows 7 can transform the retail business. It offered offline, suspend, end-of-day, returns capabilities, has support for literally any POS device available.
	Finally Sri Srinivasan announced the launch of a one-stop-shop for AX information going forward. It is rightfully named: InformationSource. Access it today at: http://informationsource.dynamics.com/ I hope you will enjoy the conference. I’ll go and grab a bit of food before my first presentation which is in just 40 minutes.

Dynamics AX EMEA Technical Conference 2011–Just a weekend away

msmfp — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:01:43 GMT

Monday morning Microsoft opens the doors for the EMEA Technical Conference focusing on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 in Nice in southern France. The weather forecast is good, the scenery is perfect and the country well-known for its culinary offerings and hospitality. But the excitement next week is elsewhere. I’m going to stay indoors, meet with friends, partners, customers and other AX aficionados. I’m going to be part of the excitement of Dynamics AX 2012. I hope you are too?

Bon voyage!

Session list for AX Technical Conference in Nice 2011

msmfp — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 06:44:59 GMT

The session list is now available - 3 key notes, 60 break-out sessions and 24 chalk'n talks:

http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/DynamicsAXtechnicalconference2011/Content.aspx

Remember to sign-up.

Dynamics AX EMEA Technical Conference 2011

msmfp — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:30:35 GMT

See the future of Microsoft Dynamics ERP. Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the most innovative ERP release to date.

With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 entering the market, Microsoft introduces an innovative and Powerfully Simple ERP solution. At this Microsoft Dynamics AX - Technical Conference Fall Edition, you can jumpstart your product and technology learning in MS Dynamics AX 2012. By attending this three day event, you’ll benefit from new rich functional and technical content as well as best practices delivered by Microsoft leaders and technology experts.

This is a unique chance to learn, get inspired, and see how Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 can help you provide innovative solutions for your business.

Whether you’re a customer or a partner, you will find content and benefit from learning’s to help you develop for and implement Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Two AX technical conferences two within one year! What a treat! And this time in the beautiful surroundings of southern France. I can hardly wait. The first technical conference this year was in January in Redmond. If you missed it, this is your chance – if you are unsure if it is worthwhile, here are my posts from the January event – trying to capture the atmosphere and depth of the knowledge shared:

This time I’ll be presenting Models and MorphX improvements, such as the new X++ editor.

I hope to see you there.

AX 2012 Meta Model

msmfp — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:25:58 GMT

Like previous releases Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 provides a model driven development platform. It enables us developers to create a business application using predefined types of building blocks (aka. concepts) – each targeted a specific purpose. To be an effective X++ developer you need to know the building blocks and how they relate.

What is new in the meta model for AX 2012? Quite a lot – here is a short summary:

SSRS Report is added, it will replace Reporting Library and Report.
Create an SSRS Report for any reporting needs.
Parts are introduced: Info Part, Form Part, Cue and Cue Group.
These all provides additional information that can be hosted on a form. An Info Part provides a simple grid, a Form Part can host a form inside a form, a Cue provides visual KPIs.
Service and Service Group
Provides capabilities for exposing X++ classes as .NET services – wsdl style.
New security concepts: Role, Duty, Privilege, Security Policy, Code Permission and Process Cycle.
These are all part of the new role based security framework. Notice the meta model contains Role – allowing the developer to specify predefined roles.
Security key is deprecated
Visual Studio Project is added
You can now have VS projects (like C# and VB) in the meta model – yes, they support layer based customization and rapid deployment like all other meta model concepts.
…. and much more

The diagram below shows the most common relationships between concepts. Each arrow should be read as “using”. For example:

Menu uses Menu Item. A menu has a collection menu items.
Menu Item uses Form. A menu item references a form. This form is launched when the user clicks the menu item.
Form uses Table. A form uses a table as a data source.
Table uses Extended Data Type. The fields on a table is defined using extended data types.

I have printed the below diagram, and pinned it to a wall in my office. It serves me as a reference when I navigate the new areas of AX 2012. I hope it can do the same for you.

Click the image for a larger version

You might also want to look at the meta model for AX 4

Dynamics AX 2012 – The compiler output window

msmfp — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:30:14 GMT

This is a prominent and frequently used form in the developer workspace – so shouldn’t it be sleek and user friendly?

Here is an annotated screenshot of the final result (click the image for a large version). What do you think?

Sometimes the value added by a garage-project becomes so obvious to everyone, that it must be productized. This is an example. This was literally the last developer feature that made it into AX 2012. Working in an environment where last minute changes to scope is possible despite the project’s (huge) size and extensive engineering processes is another thing I love about my job.

Development training available for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

msmfp — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:54:27 GMT

The development training has just been made available for AX 2012. Here are the courses:

80303: Development I in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012 for Development (ILT and e-Learning)
80304: Development II in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012 for Development (ILT and e-Learning)
80312: Development III in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012 for Development (ILT)

The course material is available on PartnerSource.

Developing Solutions in a Shared AOS Development Environment

msmfp — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:40:47 GMT

One often asked question is how to configure a development with multiple developers. The options span from having a silo for each developer where they host AX, AOS, SQL, etc. locally, to a shared setup where each developer only needs an AX client. These options can be combined with the use of a version control system, such as Team Foundation Server or MorphX VCS. Further the capabilities and infrastructure requirements are quite different among the options.

To describe the options and their capabilities Microsoft has published: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 White Paper: Developing Solutions in a Shared AOS Development Environment

The first paragraph of the white paper is:

Developing for Microsoft Dynamics ®AX is best done in an environment where each developer has a full Microsoft Dynamics AX installation that runs on a single box. The developer artifacts are synchronized by using one of the supported version control systems in Microsoft Dynamics AX, and solutions are produced by running a build of the sources in the version control system (VCS).(Emphasis mine).

The rest of the white paper is describing consequences of using other configurations, such as a shared AOS. While there are multiple desirable traits of a shared environment, for example simpler infrastructure and the ability for developers to quickly change project, these benefits come at a cost. I encourage you to make an informed decision when selecting your configuration based on your needs and this whitepaper.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is here!

msmfp — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:33:00 GMT

Today we announced the public availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: Powerfully simple

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 empowers people to anticipate and embrace change, enabling businesses to thrive.

Powerful

A powerful foundation that is purpose-built for five industries: manufacturing, distribution, retail, services, and public sector, along with comprehensive, core ERP functionality for financial, human resources and operations management. All packaged in a single global solution thus giving customers a rapid time to value.

Agile

Agility through a set of unified natural models that serve as a library of business processes reflecting real-world situations. This enables customers to easily modify their organizations and processes to meet their changing business needs.

Simple

Simplicity through an easy-to-use solution offering access to information that is relevant to the work at hand. The familiar Microsoft Office user interface drives adoption and the enhanced business intelligence (BI) capabilities help customers uncover fresh insights that can lead to faster and more informed decision making.

For more information see:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/products/ax-2012-launch.aspx

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Virtual Launch Event

msmfp — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:00:15 GMT

Attend the virtual launch event to:

Hear from Microsoft executives
See product demos
Listen to customers and partners
Watch product tours, based on your business, industry, or role
Collaborate with your peers through feeds and community forums
Chat with product experts and sales associates

Make sure to register before the event.

Seeing is believing - AX 2012 Creating an ISV Model

msmfp — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:07:00 GMT

This sneak preview shows how an ISV can create a solution in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, including:

How to create a new model in AX.
Why element IDs are not a concern anymore.
Protecting the solution using a licensing scheme.
Generating a signed model file for deployment.
How to generate licenses for customers.

This post is also available on Channel 9.

I've attached the small webApplication I used to demo the capabilites as a Visual Studio 2010 project.

THIS POST IS PROVIDED AS-IS AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has achieved the “Compatible with Windows 7” designation

msmfp — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:53:53 GMT

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has successfully passed compatibility testing and has achieved the “Compatible with Windows 7” designation for both 64-bit and 32-bit Windows 7. The Microsoft Windows Logo program defines a set of compatibility test cases covering areas of installation, security and stability. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is now listed among the products that have been certified on the Microsoft Windows 7 compatibility center site.

Uptaking installation specific IDs

msmfp — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:46:48 GMT

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 we have solved the element id problem. The solution is outlined in this post. The solution consists of major changes both having an impact on existing AX 2009 and AX 4 solutions:

Element IDs (like class ID and table ID) are now 32 bit.
Element IDs are installation specific. The same class will have different IDs on different installations.

When making IDs 32 bit we had to deprecate the TypeId() function. TypeId() took one argument the name of an Base Enum or Extended Data Type. And it returned an integer value, where the upper 16 bits were the ID, and the lower 16 bits denoted if the type was a Base Enum or an Extended Data Type. For example: TypeId(MyEDT) returned 0xC351 000B = (50001 << 16)+11. Naturally such a function wouldn't work with 32 bit IDs. It turned out, that we didn't need a replacement for the TypeId() function, as the name of Base Enums and Extended Data Types are unique across both types. The solution then simply become to update the framework methods that accepted the combined ID from TypeId() with a new name based implementation. And to make it better, it turned out that usage of TypeId() was restricted to very few frameworks. The table below shows a complete list of the usage patterns of TypeId() we found in the SYS layer, and how we updated them. When you are upgrading the compiler will detect all reference to TypeId() for you.

Dynamics AX 4/2009              Dynamics AX 2012
// Dialog related
// When adding fields to a dialog, the types are now identified by Name – not ID.
dialog.addField(typeid(MyEdt));             dialog.addField(extendedTypeStr(MyEdt)); 
dialog.addField(typeid(MyEnum));            dialog.addField(enumStr(MyEdt)); 
dialog.addFieldValue(typeid(MyEdt));        dialog.addFieldValue(extendedTypeStr(MyEdt)); 
dialog.addFieldValue(typeid(MyEnum));       dialog.addFieldValue(enumStr(MyEdt)); 
new DialogField(dialog, typeId(MyEdt));     new DialogField(dialog, extendedTypeStr(MyEdt)); 
new DialogField(dialog, typeId(MyEnum));    new DialogField(dialog, enumStr(MyEnum)); 
dialog.addField(types::string);             dialog.addField(identifierStr(str)); 
dialog.addFieldValue(types::string);        dialog.addFieldValue(identifierStr(str)); 
new DialogField(dialog, types::string);     new DialogField(dialog, identifierStr(str)); 
// Dict related
DictField.extendedTypeID() == typeid(MyEdt) DictField.typeID() == extendedTypeNum(MyEdt) 
DictType.extendedTypeID() == typeid(MyEdt)  DictType.id() == extendedTypeNum(MyEdt) 
// Args related
args.parmEnumType(typeId(myEnum))           args.parmEnumType(enumNum(myEnum)) 
//Type related
typeId2Type(typeId(myEdt))                  typeName2Type(extendedTypeStr(myEdt)) 
// Other patterns with better alternatives
// These alternatives can also be used in AX 4 / 2009
typeId(myEdt) >> 16                         extendedTypeNum(MyEdt) 
typeId(myEnum) >> 16                        enumNum(MyEnum) 
typeId2ExtendedTypeId(typeId(myEdt))        extendedTypeNum(MyEdt)

As element IDs now are installation specific then we need to provide enough information for data export/import to convert the data correctly between the source and target system. There are 3 things to do:

Do not store IDs in containers,
If IDs are stored in a non-relational format (like a container), then data export/import cannot identify them, and the IDs will be imported as-is; which means they will resolve incorrectly on the target system. A best practice rule is available to identify IDs in containers.
Use the right Extended Data Types on your fields (TableId, FieldId, ClassId, etc.)
Data export will convert data using these Extended Data Types into a format that can be correctly resolved on the target system.
For fields containing field IDs

Set the RelatedTable property, OR
Create a new field group with the field referencing the table and the field referencing the field.

For data export/import to be able to correctly convert a field ID, it is required that you specify which table the field belongs to. If the field always belongs to the same table, you can use the RelatedTable property to specify it (3.1), OR if the field ID is referencing a field in an arbitrary table, you need to link the table reference and the field reference to each other. You do this by creating a new field group containing the two fields (3.2)

THIS POST IS PROVIDED AS-IS AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS.

The solution to the element ID problem

msmfp — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:43:00 GMT

About 3 years ago heading into the design phase of AX 2012 I wrote the Solving the element ID problem post. As the post describes element IDs in AX have constituted an inherent problem in all past AX releases. The problem is so fundamental that when I met with the original Axapta architects (at the Damgaard Data 25 years reunion party) they considered it insolvable without a major rewrite. In AX 2012 we did solve the problem. This post outlines the solution.

Design pillars

Before I dive into the solution these are our design pillars:

Backward compatible. We cannot introduce any inconsistencies in business data or meta data.
Minimal impact on customizations. The uptake of required changes must be minimal and easily absorbed when upgrading to AX 2012.
Completed by AX 2012 RTM. We do not desire a staged multi-release solution to this problem.

The solution part A - 32 bit IDs

First we needed to break the upper limit of 60.000 IDs. We decided to make IDs 32 bit (used to be 16 bit). The primary deciding factor for int32 (and not int64 or guid or str) was that there would be no X++ uptake cost of using an int32, as the int data type in X++ already is a 32 bit integer - in other words all X++ code (and table fields) handling/containing IDs would simply just continue to work untouched. In the SYS layer we have >500 fields containing IDs. Not having to convert these (e.g. to GUIDs), and provide upgrade scripts is highly desirable.

As the ID for table fields already were 32 bit (16 bit for the element ID and 16 bit for the array index) we decided to keep the field IDs as is. In other words the element ID for fields are still just 16 bit. Given these are scoped by the table, there are no upper limit concerns involved here.

Besides a lot of kernel refactoring there was one significant X++ impact. The intrinsic function TypeID had to be deprecated. It returned a 32 bit integer where the lower 16 bits contained the Type (either Types::Enum or Types:UserType), and the upper 16 bits the element ID. This function was primarily used in relation to the Dialog framework. The solutionwas to change the dialog framework to use the name of the type instead of the bit mangled integer.

The solution part B - Installation specific IDs

To solve the uniqueness problem, we need to ensure that two (or more) solutions can be implemented independently, and installed on the same system without any ID conflicts. In AX 2009 the assignment of IDs happens at creation time (i.e. when the element is created in the AOT). In AX 2012 we are deferring the assignment of IDs to installation time. This means that the model file containing the elements does not contain any element IDs. The IDs are being assigned when the model is imported by AxUtil. The consequence of this is that the same class will have different IDs on different installations. We call it "Installation specific IDs".

Caution: Deleting a model and reimporting it (or a newer version of it) will randomize IDs and thus cause data integrity issues. The right procedure when upgrading a model is to not delete the model, but just import on top of the existing model.

Given the requirement to be backwards compatible we must ensure that elements released in AX 2009 (and AX 4) retained their IDs. To satisfy this requirement we introduced a new int property on all ID based elements: LegacyID, and assigned it the ID value from past releases. Now we have captured the ID the element used to have in a simple (and editable) property, and we can use it during import.

As it is vital that an element retain its ID across releases, we need to find a way to support rename scenarios. Consider the scenario where a new AX 2012 class is renamed in AX7. As the class is new it will have an installation specific ID; once the AX7 model is being imported we need to retain the ID - but if the only match criteria is the class name, and the class has been renamed, then we cannot fulfill the requirement. To solve this we introduced a new guid property on all ID based elements and all root-elements: Origin. This property is set when an element is created, and remains static for the lifetime of the elements. It is the element's fingerprint. Besides enabling invariant IDs across releases for renamed elements the Origin property has proven valuable in data export scenarios, and rename scenarios of newly fine grained meta data (like forms). This will be covered by another blog post soon.

AxUtil will during import assign IDs based on these rules:

If an element already exists with the same Origin, then replace the element and reuse its ID - else
If an element already exists with the same Type, Name and ParentID, then replace the element and reuse its ID - else
If the import element has a Legacy ID, and the LegacyId is available on the target system, then add the element setting ID = LegacyID - else
Assign a new installation specific ID from a guaranteed free range that will not collide with any LegacyIDs (>60000 for fields, >1000000 for all other elements)

Notice: IDs are no longer tied to layers, e.g. Layers no longer have an ID range. Nor do you need the Team Server (aka. ID Server) anymore when using a version control system.

Data can be exported from one installation to another. It is vital that any ID on the source system is mapped to the corresponding ID on the target system. The data import feature has been improved so all columns containing element IDs will be converted automatically (given they are using the proper extended data type). However; we also needed to address eventual IDs in blobs (containers). Data import and model import has no insights into the structure of the blobs. The only solution to this is to replace all ID-based element references in blobs with name-based references. We have done this for:

All kernel classes returning a container - e.g. Query.pack(), QueryRun.pack(), Map.pack(), Set.pack() etc.
All X++ classes packing element IDs (typically Runbase derived classes). A best practice rule is in place to detect these.
All references in meta data - e.g. when a form data source refers to a table.

Wrapping up

To solve the ID problem we had to introduce two new id properties - LegacyID and Origin. This may sound like a step in the wrong direction; however, the nature of these new properties are less restricting than that of the element ID property. In fact the only restriction on the new properties is that Origin must be unique - given Origin is a guid that is easy to satisfy. This restriction is enforced at the database level. All in all the changes outline above has been a significant investment to solve this inherent problem in the least intrusive way possible. Yet it has an impact. My next blog post will describe the impact.

The most important message is: If you are a new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 customer or partner, you do not need to worry (or care) about element IDs.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is RTM!

msmfp — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:59:00 GMT

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is RTM. This means final build of the product has left the R&D team and will soon be general available. Today, you can already access MSDN documentation for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Developers.

My favorite features in AX 2012:

Models - multiple solutions in the same layer.
X++ code running as IL.
New X++ editor.
Table inheritance - just like for classes.
Layer based managed code customization - bring your C# project into the AOT.
Role based user interface - beautifully simple and simply beautiful.
New security model - with 80 predefined roles.
Online help server - allowing customized help contents.

I'm proud to have been a part of the extraordinary team building this extraordinary product, executing on a 3 year plan and delivering on time. Since you are reading my blog, I feel confident this product will have a positive impact on your professional life. Starting today!

TechTalk at MDCC - Research in Software Engineering

msmfp — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:44:17 GMT

Recently; Nikolaj Bjørner (Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research) shared interesting insights and perspectives on software engineering at MDCC. Getting a regularly injection of food-for-thought is something I appreciate about my job. And as always... we are hiring.

The Research in Software Engineering (RiSE) group at Microsoft Research in Redmond works on several dimensions related to software engineering, including logical foundations, program verification, testing, analysis, empirical software analysis, compiler tools, program optimization, synthesis and model-based software design. This talk describes several of the RiSE groups activities, which are roughly three-pronged: divided between Microsoft product groups, with external developers and with academic interactions.

A significant part of our work involves tool building. The http://rise4fun.com web-site provides an interactive environment where several of the tools developed in RiSE are showcased through interactive demonstrations. I will walk through several of these tools during the talk showing by example our work on graph drawing (AGL), satisfiability modulo theories theorem proving (Z3), program verification (Boogie and VCC), test-case generation using dynamic symbolic execution (Pex), model-based design (FORMULA), symbolic analysis of regular expressions (Rex) and transducers (Bek). I will also describe and present a new tool TouchStudio (http://touchstudioapp.com) that brings a radically new software development environment to and on the Windows Phone.

It is a new programming environment and language built around the new reality of mobile devices with advanced touchscreens, sensors and cloud connectivity.

Seeing is believing - AX 2012 Uninstalling the Upgrade model

msmfp — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:06:00 GMT

This short recording shows an alternative appliance of models. If you have already upgraded, wouldn't it be nice to not see all the "DEL_" tables, fields and indexes in the AOT? With models you can do exactly that. All the upgrade-only artifacts are stored in a separate model, and you can simply uninstall it to rid your system of the several thousand elements you really don't care about (anymore).

At the Dynamics AX 2011 Technical Conference I was asked in the hallway: "Was it a boy or girl?" I guess I look pretty perplexed, so the follow up was: "Since your blog has been quiet most of the fall, I assumed you were on paternity leave." It is true that I haven't blogged much in the fall of 2010, it is also true that I have been tending to my baby - but it was neither a boy nor a girl. It was Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The feature showcased in this video is what I spent most of my awake time on in October and November 2010.

This video is also available on Channel 9.

THIS POST IS PROVIDED AS-IS AND CONFERS NO RIGHTS.

"Internal error 25" causes and solutions

msmfp — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:47:00 GMT

This article applies to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

The error message ”Internal error 25” is a generic error message that occurs when one type is trying to be converted into another incompatible type at runtime.

This error can be triggered in a myriad of different situations. However; there are three likely root causes to this.

1. A programmatic error

In the ideal world the X++ compiler would detect any illegal X++ construct, that could lead to conversion between incompatible types. There are unfortunately a few situations where the X++ compiler doesn’t have enough information to do so. In X++ the type anytype can be used to denote any type in the system. Whenever the compiler sees a variable, parameter or return type of this type, it will not perform any type checking.

This means that the code using the anytype type must explicitly verify the variable/parameter/return type is compatible with how it is being used. Failing to do so can lead to an “Internal error 25”.

Consider this code:

static void provokeInternalError25(Args _args)
{    
    info(strfmt('The current folder is %1',any2str(System.IO.Directory::GetCurrentDirectory())));    
}

It will result in an “Internal error 25”. The function any2str() accepts an anytype as parameter, so the compiler will not perform any checking. However, the implementation of any2str() doesn’t support that a System.String (CLR Object) is passed in – and thus this error. As an X++ developer the only remedy is to work around the issue. In above example by assigning the System.String to a str (X++ native type). That will work because the interpreter’s assignment implementation do support conversion of System.String to str. The code then becomes:

static void avoidingInternalError25(Args _args)
{    
    str currentDirectory = System.IO.Directory::GetCurrentDirectory();
    info(strfmt('The current folder is %1', currentDirectory));    
}

One might argue that the interpreter’s assignment conversion should have solved the issue when using any2str() too. That unfortunately cannot be done, as the interpreter will not perform any conversion as the receiving side claims to support anytype.

2. Stale data

The type to convert might originate from data in the data base. If the data has been stored in one format and is being retrieved in another, it could lead to this situation.

Things to try:

Synchronize the data base
Right-click AOT | Data dictionary and select “Synchronize”
Delete Usage data
Tools | Options | Usage data. Click ‘Reset’
Debugging
Debug the steps leading up to the error, and correct the affected data – typically by deleting it.

3. Stale pcode

The compiler produces pcode from the X++ code. This pcode is stored in the model store, and thus imported to the model store via AXUtil import (or AOD import). Given pcode often is referencing meta data from other models, the model store needs to be recompiled when new models are added or removed. Until the model store has been recompiled the interpreter may interpret metadata incorrectly, which can lead to “Internal error 25”. AXUtil will inform you about this after import, and so will Dynamics AX the first time a client is started.

The steps to take are:

Restart AOS
Start AX client
Select “Launch model upgrade checklist” or “Compile and Synchronize” in the form that automatically opens.

Given the nature of the problem, the internal error 25 can occur before the system has had a chance to open the form automatically. This typically occurs when one of these classes are customized: Application, Infolog or ClassFactory. It can also occur, if elements referenced by these classes are customized.

To solve this issue follow these steps:

Restart AOS
Start AX client in safe mode
In command line type: AX32.exe -noauto
The –noauto option will prevent the system from running any pcode during start up, including the pcode that is triggering the “Internal error 25”, and the pcode that is launching the compile form. The client will start directly in the developer workspace to further prevent any application logic to be run.
Right-click the root of AOT and select “Compile” or compile select portions of the AOT
Resolve any compilation errors that could trigger a problem during start up.

Seeing is believing - AX 2012 Type Hierarchies

msmfp — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:25:00 GMT

This is a sneak preview of two new tools in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012: The Type Hierarchy Context and the Type Hierarchy Browser.

Please notice:

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 supports table inheritance
These tools runs off live meta data - no need for cross reference to fuel them
These tools improves the navigation and discoverability of meta data

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