The ‘new’ Microsoft Dynamics AX is now a web based application. There is now a “One for all” client. When you look at previous versions like Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, there are two features which were also web based. This blog post will inform you about the Enterprise portal and Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal features in the new version.
Enterprise portal
The Enterprise portal in Microsoft Dynamics AX was based on SharePoint technology. Microsoft Dynamics AX is now a solution running on Internet Information Server. So it became a real web solution. As you can access AX using a web browser anywhere where you have a WAN connection, the Enterprise Portal features will be embedded in the core product. So in fact the old client and enterprise portal are replaced by a single new HTML based client. This also obsoletes the requirement for using terminal server solutions. Within the initial release not all features will be available. E.g. some options like Vendor Self Service and Procurement catalog are currently not in the application. You can have a look at the features that have not been implemented yet at the next wiki page: AX 2012 features that have not been implemented in the current release of Dynamics AX, but are not deprecated. Also some interesting notes can be found on the page: What’s new or changed.
A new nice addition in Microsoft Dynamics AX is the Manager Self Service. A manager can view or edit employee information from his team. Also they have insights about resourcing, performance, and more.
Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal
Updated based on input from Microsoft:
Last year when Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 was released I wrote some blogs how to install the Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal. It described the technology used. Also for this portal Internet Information Server was used. Now looking at the new Microsoft Dynamics AX, the setup of the Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal is supported from within the core product. The next path will bring you to the download for the setup: Warehouse management > Setup > Mobile device > Download Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal.
Then follow the steps to complete the setup:
Within the CTP7 and CTP8 demonstration machines you can access the functionality if you change the URL. Add &mi=action:WHSWorkExecute in the address bar to start the feature. Probably this will even work in your own demonstration machine without installing the Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal.
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 you had to install multiple instances of the mobile devices portal to be able to support more legal entities. Now in Microsoft Dynamics AX you can change the company within the portal itself.
Update:
Note that opening the form in this way is a method to simulate the Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal. The setup creates a new web application on the IIS server. After the setup you need to alter the web.config file for the correct connection. This application is similar to the AX 2012 R3 Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal. There are some changes in the new interface. In the Warehouse Mobile Devices Portal you can also select the company rather than creating multiple instances.
There is more…
One important side note: The Warehouse Management II features have been fully depreciated. Where in AX 2012 R3 you had the choice to use the legacy or the new Warehouse Management Features, now only the new features introduced in AX 2012 R3 are available. You can read about depreciated features here: Deprecated features.
That’s all for now. Till next time!
Hello Andre, the screen being displayed on the browser is the old form WorkExecute converted to a web interface. When you do the installation of the WMDP, the setup creates a site only with the menu options available for the users. In CTP8, because is not in a domain we cannot make the authentication work and we see the very well known ” ….contact your administrator message”. As we run the interface on Motorola/Intermec scanners, the only thing we want the users to see is really just the menus and not the full web site (AX client). Do you have any idea about how to achieve that?
Hi Roger,
You are correct. The WHSWorkExecute is an AX form also displaying the mobile device. For a mobile scanner you can use it like AX 2012 with an own “website” apart from the Dynamics AX application. The IIS site will be created using the setup. Then you have to alter the ServiceConnection node in the web.config file to connect to the correct application. This requires some steps including setup in Azure AD. Microsoft is working on a whitepaper.
Hi Andre, do you know how is going to work if you are running a on premises installation instead on the cloud not having an Azure AD?
Hi Roger,
There are no announcements from Microsoft about the on-premise version. The first release of Microsoft Dynamics AX is Azure cloud only. The ‘7.1’ version will support on-premise/private cloud installations. No details can be provided at this moment related to using or not using Azure AD for on-premise.
Hi,
I have installed WMS(mobile app) on cloud server and AX7 also running on same server but i am able to access ax7 url over the internet but not WMS website is not running on Interenet but working on same server, i have done most of the changes related to IIS ,hots file enrty, friwal inbound rules etc. but not success , please help me how may i enable my wms website over the interenet
Hi Atharv,
You may ask a question on a forum. I’m not a network specialist, but it looks like you want to host two websites on the same server. One for Dynamics AX and one for the WMDP. It looks like you need to manage some DNS routing. That is not my area of knowledge.