Download BenchMark Toolkit for Dynamics AX 2009

The Performance team in MS has come up with the benchmark tool which can be downloadable from partnersource. Please see this blog from Performance team for more details about the tool.
http://blogs.msdn.com/axperf/archive/2009/03/17/application-benchmark-toolkit-for-microsoft-dynamics-ax-2009.aspx

Removing DEL_ Objects in AOT

Issue - The DEL tables have not been deleted after unchecking the "Keep Update Objects 4.0" and "Keep Update Objects 4.1" from the Config tree.

Solution -
Disable "Keep upgrade objects" configuration key after upgrade is finished and customer confirms that all data was succesully upgraded. Disabling the key results in physical removal of DEL_ tables and fields from the database (not from the AOT)

Database Support Matrix for Dynamics Axapta ver 3 & 4

You may need your partnersource logon to view this. It shows which version of AX 3.0 and 4.0 are compatible with SQL versions of 2000 & 2005.
https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/resources/support/selfsupport/hottopics/axapta/AX_Database_SupportMatrix.htm

How to Debug Enterprise Portal Code in Dynamics AX 2009

• To set up debugging for pages
  1. Log into the server that is running the AOS.
  2. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX Server Configuration utility (Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Server Configuration).
  3. Create a new configuration that allows debugging.
  

  a. Click Manage and then click Create configuration. In
  the Create Configuration window, name the new configuration, such as "DAX
  Debugging". Click OK.
  b. On the Application Object
  Server tab, select Enable breakpoints to debug code X++ code running on this
  server. Click Apply.
  

  4. Click OK to close the configuration window. If you receive a message about the AOS, indicate that it should be restarted.
  5. Log in to the server that is running IIS and Enterprise Portal. If the system is remote, you can do this using Terminal Services. From the Start menu, click Run. Type the following in the Open box and click OK:
  mstsc /console
  This opens a console session in Terminal Services.
  6. Enable desktop interaction for the World Wide Web Publish Service.
  

  a. Open the Services window for the system (Start >
  Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services).
  b. Right-click the World Wide Web Publishing
  Service, and then click Properties.
  c. Click the Log On tab.
  d. Select Allow service to interact with desktop.
  e. Click OK to close the properties window.
  

  7. Open the web.config file located in \Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\\, where is the port number of the site where Enterprise Portal is installed. Modify the file by doing the following:
  

  a. Locate the compilation element, and then set the
  debug attribute to true. This reduces the chance of the Web session having a
  timeout error when stopped at a breakpoint.
  b. Save
  the changes.
  

  8. Reset IIS by typing the iisreset command at the command-line window.
  9. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX Configuration utility (Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Configuration).
  10. Set the Application Object Server Instance drop-down menu to Business Connector (non-interactive use only).
  11. Create a new configuration that allows debugging.
  

  a. Click Manage and then click Create configuration. In
  the Create Configuration window, name the new configuration, such as "DAX
  Debugging". Click OK.
  b. On the Developer tab,
  select Enable user breakpoints to debug code running in the Business Connector.
  Click Apply.
  

  12. Click OK to close the configuration window.
  13. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
  14. On the Tools menu, click Options to display the Options window.
  15. On the Development tab, select When Breakpoint from the Debug mode list box, and then click Apply. This enables debugging mode on the client.
  16. Close the Options window.
  Debugging an Element on a Web Page
  To debug an element on a Web page
  1. Log in to the server that is running Internet Information Services (IIS) and Enterprise Portal. If the system is remote, you can do this using Terminal Services. From the Start menu, click Run. Type the following in the Open box and click OK:
  mstsc /console
  This opens a console session in Terminal Services, and is necessary if you want to debug on a remote system.
  Important
  If you are debugging on a remote system, you must use console mode when connecting. Otherwise, debugging will not work.
  2. Open the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
  3. Be sure that you are logged on as a user who is also one of the following:
  · The user who started the session of Microsoft Dynamics AX
  · The user who will set breakpoints in X++ code
  4. In the AOT, locate the element that you want to debug. Typically, you will debug data sets, classes, Web forms, reports, Web reports, or weblets.
  5. Set breakpoints in the X++ code by using the Code Editor. For more information, see X++ Code Editor.
  6. Open the debugger by clicking Tools, then clicking Development tools, and finally clicking Debugger. The Debugger must be open before you can run code that contains breakpoints.
  7. Open the Web page that includes the element that you want to debug. As the page is rendered, the Debugger should stop at the breakpoints that you set.

Sixth Sense - Something not AX :-)

Future technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU5wmfyeNs8

Some cool EP Links

Today, I came across a very useful blog link from one of my fellow bloggers regarding AX2009/EP

http://jopx.blogspot.com/2008/11/dynamics-ax-2009-enterprise-portal-link.html

Happy EP'ing :-)

Dynamics AX 2009 EP Architecture Flow

Troubleshooting Missing Project Templates in VS 2008

I faced this problem of Missing Project Templates (All of them except the Analysis and SSIS and Build Project templates), after installation of Visual Studio 2008 on my notebook which runs Windows Server 2008.

Solution - Run DevEnv /InstallVSTemplates from Visual Studio Tools Command Prompt to restore all the project templates.

Sharepoint Configuration Wizard Exception Error

Today I was configuring Dynamics AX Enterprise Portal and ran into the following error, I thought this would be helpful to my fellow buddies who may run into this problem

Error (I'm just copying the initial text of the error as it's very huge)

System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED)) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPGlobal.HandleUnauthorizedAccessException(UnauthorizedAccessException ex) at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.OpenWeb(String bstrUrl, String& pbstrServerRelativeUrl, String& pbstrTitle, String

Resolution Steps:
- Run Administrative Tools > Sharepoint Central Administration
- Go to Application Management > Sharepoint Site Management > Site Collection Administrations
- Check if your name (the person configuring sharepoint) is primary or secondary administration

Using E-Signature to verify the updates in Dynamics AX 2009

Walkthrough: Verifying E-signatures on SQL update_recordset by Modifying Info .collectESignature

Info .collectESignature kernel Event

I just stumbled upon a cool feature which is bundled in Dynamics AX 2009, that is verifying the updates with a call to E-signature functionality. This works in conjunction with the Database Logging framework in AX. To read more about this, please visit
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc589558.aspx
I will be working on this as a POC to see if I can implement at my customer site and benefit from the logging aspects.

Downside as per my assumption, would the additional logging into the E-Signature tables may affect peformance if it's a highly transactional table.

Re-indexing database tables and update statistics

http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2007/01/31/sql-server-reindexing-database-tables-and-update-statistics-on-tables/

AX Performance Blog by MS

Here's a blog which is written by AX Performance team in MS.
http://blogs.msdn.com/axperf/
In a brief, it talks about
- Trace Parser Utility
- Database Configuration
(Good info and good work by the team)

Online Training & E-learning for MS Dynamics & Office

SpeedTeach A/S http://www.speedteach.com/
– Warehouse Management in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009
– Cost Accounting in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009
– Costing & Inventory Valuation in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009