Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 CU10 is now available to Synergy Software Systems customers

November 25th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 CU10 is now available to our customers Cumulative Update 10 build number is 6.3.3000.110.
Please note, as happened for AX 2012 R3 CU9, the application version will show a different number of: 6.3.3000.110 if you apply CU10 to an existing install of Ax2012 R3. This is due to all the individual models that are applied to your system through the CU10 install.

The one model indicating all models for CU10 has been applied has version number 6.3.3000.110. Using a slipstream process as detailed in the Installation guide will result in the single full model applied for CU10 with build number 6.3.3000.111. The Slipstream build is only available from the LCS updates tile.

Some enhancements we like:
A new field called Available physical on exact dimensions has been added to the On hand by location form. This field shows the available physical quantity for all the dimensions displayed on the screen.
There have been performance improvements to the on hand stored procedure to use better query plans and make sure it is only called when necessary.
A new clean up job has been added under Inventory management > Periodic > Clean up > Warehouse management on-hand entries cleanup. This job will delete records in the InventSum and WHSInventReserve tables for closed on-hand entries.

It is now possible to overproduce with back-flushing when using a scrap factor on the Bill of Materials line. Any overproduction using warehouse management enabled items will be recalculated to determine the correct raw material consumption quantity. The correct variable scrap will be taken into account and the remainder will be picked if there is enough on-hand in the production input location.

Scheduled routes can now be generated from a route plan, where the segments of the scheduled route correspond to the hub configuration associated with the route plan. A batch job is used to create the scheduled routes depending on date range, particular days of the week and a load template.
The scheduled routes can be used with Load building workbench in order to create optimal loads for the routes.
Retail
Global refund tab on the Register form and the “Global refund check” report on the Retail store transactions and Online store transactions forms have been removed.
Variant specific sales price is shown when a product variant is selected during product search or inventory lookup in POS. Previously the product base price was shown.
Make Infocode groups available for selection in open drawer store operation under AX functionality profile This enhancement lets user select Infocode groups in open drawer store operation under AX functionality profile
Expose Gift Card functionality for customization. Retail POS SDK now allows for customization of the item types that are allowed for return.
Added gift receipt feature at MPOS for:
a. Sales Transactions
b. Show journal, both Gift receipt preview and print
Enable Lookup and search customer through real-time-service The changes in the hotfix enable look up of another store’s customers using real-time service.
POS performance improvement when scanning multiple products with overlapping multi-item discounts.
Introduced alternative algorithm for calculating discounts, which is enforced if predefined max number of calculations steps/loops is exceeded. In this case, point of sale will switch to the marginal value algorithm, which does not guarantee the best discount but provides much better performance characteristics. This feature is configurable in Retail Parameters.
Extending the supported operating systems for MPOS to the following:
a. Windows 8.1 Update 1- Server 2012 R2 Update 1
b. Windows 10- Windows 10 Long Term Service Branch

Many WMS and mobile enhancements
Many bug fixes

Microsoft Dynamics Ax-goodbye Rainer goodbye Ax 7

November 24th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

Dynamics AX delivers a beautiful UI that is modern, touch-enabled and looks and feels like no other ERP system in the market-revolutionary. It anyone to use and to interact with the system easier than ever before democratizing . As millennials enter the workplace, it looks and works like the applications that they are used to, leading to quicker adoption and actual usage.
An elegant, modern, intuitive HTML5 experience brings the principles of highly visual, immersive applications which today’s modern user expects from their consumer apps to their enterprise business application. The user experience eliminates unnecessary clicks and pop-ups – bringing the user all the right information, and where they need it, so they can be more productive.

Dynamics AX is intelligent – more than just visualizing reports (although, Dynamics AX with Power BI does that ). The data in the ERP system is combined in real-time with data from outside the company to help people make more informed decisions.
A solution to proactively predict issues orto provide guidance to help keep you out of trouble.
For example, think of how Cortana on your Windows phone gives you notifications when you need to leave for an appointment to make it on time based on all the traffic/ weather data that it is capturing in the background. Now apply that intelligence to your business, where Cortana has the ability to tell you about a problem in your supply chain, or alert you about the need to increase your inventory of cold drinks because of an upcoming heatwave to ensure that you have the right amount of stock on hand.

This predictive nature and intelligence of business applications is the future that is delivered with Dynamics AX. This new solution removes limitations and opens up the ability for businesses to think about the “art of the possible” – and that is very exciting. Dynamics AX, together with Azure SQL and PowerBI, delivers near real time analytics, embedded pervasively across the application. Users don’t need to leave their work to use a separate analytics tool – the business intelligence they need is right in the application. Dynamics AX uses in-memory BI to give people real time operational insights so they can make informed decisions. It enables people to find, sort, visualize, and use information easily with an intuitive user interface that provides contextual insights through Power BI — embedded directly in the application. A user can now create analytics in PowerBI, publish those to Dynamics AX, and embed those directly in the application UI. Dynamics AX users can see those analytics in context, click through to PowerBI to more deeply explore the data, and even drill back to the underlying transactions.

In addition, there are new scenarios, powered by Azure Machine Learning, bringing predictive capabilities built in to the application that, for example, can help a retail seller make more effective product recommendations.

The new Dynamics AX is at the center of Microsoft’s core ambition around the reinvention of productivity and business process. With outstanding Office 365 and Skype interoperability, users have the best productivity and collaboration tools to help them be as effective as they can be. Matching how people need and want to work, scenarios seamlessly flow across Dynamics AX, Office 365 and Skype for Business.

For example, in a Budget Formulation process managed by Dynamics AX, budget requesters and approvers get to work with budget data naturally in Microsoft Excel. The new solution also introduces a powerful new concept called “Workspaces,” where users in various roles not only get a different lens on the data, tasks, and activities tailored to their role in the organization, but also an even more focused experience in the application with additional context bringing together all the data, all the processes and everything they need to get a task done.
The power of the cloud.

Cloud is more than tired buzz word, but when people talk about the cloud, it is usually limited to infrastructure – the ability to host and deliver software as a service. Ax 7 shows what the cloud means for businesses. The cloud powers the intelligence, and enables growth and the ability for people to do business anytime, anywhere, on a global scale.

The cloud enables agility that was never previously possible Microsoft Dynamics AX, no longer has a without any version or year associated with it because what you will have will always be the latest.

Speed – implementing a system quickly, the ability to get people up and running faster, changing business processes without business disruption, getting real-time insights into business to accelerate productivity and ultimately getting the fastest time to value are top of mind for every customer.
An integrated user training mode — Task Guides – helps new users complete business processes with on-screen guidance in the client experience, and that same facility can let users drive the application through voice commands to Cortana. In addition to being great on the Microsoft Edge browser, the new solution is also available on all modern browsers. That same modern HTML5 experience will be available in a Windows 10 Universal App, simplifying deployment. With an adaptive experience through Continuum, we’re enabling Dynamics AX users to get the most out of their phone device. The app will also be available for iOS and Android, reflecting Microsoft’s cross-platform commitment.

The new Microsoft Dynamics AX is expected to be available in public preview for all of our customers and partners in 140 countries by early December and to launch end of first quarter 2016. Building on planned advances to Microsoft’s on-premises technology stack, the new Dynamics AX will also be available to customers that demand on-premises deployment in 2016.

This is a major transformation for Dynamics AX and the beginning of a new era for Dynamics – and for reinventing business process and productivity.

U.A.E. Shows solidarity with France

November 18th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

The recent terrorist actions in France do not seem so far away when we read about the regional troubles in our daily newspapers.
I felt proud of the UAE when I visited the Burj Khalifa yesterday and saw it lit up with the colours of the Tricolore echoing the display at the Eiffel tower.

Congratulations to Sam Tech

November 18th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

As a Dubai based company since 1991 we have formed relationships over the years with other local IT solution providers. We have always enjoyed good working relationships with SamTech. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate them on making it into the Dubai SME top 100 ranking.

On Sunday 15th Samir I. Abdul Hadi Founder & CEO of Sam Tech was honoured by Sheikh Ahmad Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Foundation and President of the UAE National Olympic Committee, as SamTech made it into the Dubai SME100 ranking in its third cycle. It’s quite an achievement to be ranked as one of the top 100 SMEs in Dubai out of the 4,500 nominations for the year 2015.This time, they made it to the TOP 10.

Recent Dynamics Ax Compatibility Updates November 15

November 12th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

Note that Technet pages are not always current.
The system requirements documentation was updated in October 2015 and is available to our customers on request.
Both Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Cumulative Update 8 (and above) and that CU9 update of Dynamics AX 2012 R3 are now compatible with Windows 10.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 Cumulative Update 8 and 9 are now both compatible with SQL Server 2014 SP1, and with .NET 4.6

AX 2009 SP1 is compatible with SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3 since September.

A new version (v 2.0.33.0) of Microsoft Dynamics AX Intelligent Data Management Framework (IDMF) is now available on LCS Tools.

BI4DYNAMICS NAV 5.1 Contact Synergy Software Systems, Dubai.

November 5th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

We are ready to take-off a new version BI4Dynamics NAV 5.1. which brings exciting new features
NEW CONTENT
Multi-Measure Tool (All Cubes)

By adding a new dimension; the “Multi-Measure Tool” to columns, current measure (for example Net Sales) is automatically expanded by 28 new measures.

New measures are based on combinationS of base measure ,and date. It works with every transactional measure, in all cubes!

Purchase Cube Enhancements
• Purchase Delivery
• Days since last Purchase

Datazen Demo
BI4Dynamics now has a standardized connector to a Datazen server and has a set of dashboards for Microsoft Dynamics AX/NAV that can be implemented immediately.
Try it!
Web: https://datazen.bi4dynamics.com:9443
User: bi4user
Password: datazen2015
!Mobile: datazen.bi4dynamics.com:9443 (Use Secure Connection)

APPLICATION FEATURES
Direct NAV metadata access
NAV Metadata are filled automatically without opening Microsoft Dynamics NAV (v2009+).

Virtual cubes
Create Virtual cubes easily from physical cubes (standard and wizard created cubes).

Roles and Permissions Management
Roles and Permission are created within standard Microsoft OLAP cubes (SSAS). BI4Dynamics Roles and Permissions are stored automatically before deployment and revoked by pressing “Apply Roles and Permissions” button.

Automatic license update
License is automatically updated on every process. No need to go to the application and click update license.

Offline License
Offline license process has been redesigned. It requires a server ID that is generated by the BI4Dynamics application.

A new version, with all documentation, is available on the Support portal and on the web page.
Videos that demonstrate new features will be available next week.

SQL Server 2016 – 10 things Synergy Software Systems likes.

October 31st, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

Microsoft announced the release of SQL Server 2016 in May 2015. Since that time a number of Community Technical
It will not be too long until SQL Server 2016 tili ts ready for shipping.

There are many new features , here a few we like:

Always Encrypted
With the Always Encrypted feature enabled SQL Server data will always be encrypted while within SQL Server. Always Encrypted enables client application owners to control who gets access to see their applications confidential data. The client application has the encryption key and that key is never passed to SQL Server.

If you want to store confidential data in a cloud managed database then it can be always encrypted even to your cloud provider.

Dynamic Data Mask
Dynamic data masking can obscure confidential columns of data in a table to SQL Server for users that are not authorized to see the all the data. For instance for define a masking rules so that unauthorized logins can only read the last four digits of a credit card number, whereas authorized logins can see all of the credit card information.

JSON Support
JSON – Java Script Object Notation. SQL Server 2016 can interchange JSON data between applications and the SQL Server database engine. This gives SQL Server the ability to parse JSON formatted data to be stored in a relation format. With JSON support also turn relational data, into JSON formatted data. .

Multiple TempDB Database Files
It has been a best practice to have more than one tempdb data file when running on a multi-core machine. In prior tSQL Server versions , you had to manually add the additional tempdb data files after you installed SQL Server. With SQL Server 2016 you can configure the number of tempdb files while installing SQL Server.

PolyBase
Use PolyBase to write adhoc Transact SQL statements queries to join relational data from SQL Server with semi-structured data stored in Hadoop, or SQL Azure blob storage. Get data from Hadoop without knowing the internals of Hadoop. Leverage SQL Server’s on the fly column store indexing to optimize queries against semi-structured data

Query Store
Prior versions of SQL Server can see existing execution plans by using dynamic management views (DMVs) but, those DMVs only allow you to see the plans that are actively in the plan cache. You can’t see any history for plans once they are rolled out of the plan cache. The Query Store feature, saves historical execution plans. and also saves the query statistics for those historical plans.

Row Level Security
With Row Level Security the SQL database engine can restrict access to row data, based on a SQL Server login. Security policies will ensure the filters get executed for every SELECT or DELETE operation. Implementing row level security at the database layer means application developers will no longer need to maintain code to restrict data from some logins, while allowing other logins to access all the data. With this new feature, when someone queries a tables that contains row level security they will not even know whether or not any rows of data were filtered out.

R Comes to SQL Server
Revolution Analytics is now available inside of SQL Server to support advance analytics against big data. This will eliminate the need to export your SQL server data to perform R processing

Stretch Database
Stretch the storage of your On-Premise database to Azure SQL Database. The stretch database feature allows you to have your most frequently accessed data stored On-Premise, while your less accessed data is off-site in an Azure SQL databases.
When you enable a database to “stretch”, the older data starts moving over to the Azure SQL database behind the scenes. When you run a query that might access active and historical information in a “stretched” database the database engine seamlessly queries both the On-Premise database as well as Azure SQL database and returns the results to you as though the data comes from a single source. This feature will make it easy for DBA’s to archive information to a cheaper storage media without having to change any actual application code. Maximize performance on those active On-Premise queries.

Temporal Table
A temporal table is table holds old versions of rows within a base table. Use temporal tables in SQL Server to automatically move old row versions to the temporal table every time a row in the base table is updated. The temporal table is physically a different table then the base table, but is linked to the base table. This simplifies the management of row versioning.

Where to find Additional Informationabout SQL Server 2016.

SQL Server 2016 data sheet: http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/D/3/FD33C34D-3B65-4DA9-8A9F-0B456656DE3B/SQL_Server_2016_datasheet.pdf

SQL Server 2016 release notes: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/dn876712.aspx

What’s new in SQL Server, September Update: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/bb500435.aspx

Summary

Synergy Software Systems at Inforum Dubai 2015

October 31st, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

At ‪#‎InforNext15‬ Dubai last week, Infor’s CEO, Charles Phillips, delivered the keynote address . He highlighted how running critical operations and providing real-time analytics in the cloud has reached a tipping point that has driven 18% growth for Infor in this region.

He also discussed Infor’s disruptive approach to business software :allowing customers to take their technology for granted, ensuring out of office does not mean out of touch, and recognizing the potential of systems without borders.

Prior to Infor, Charles was president of Oracle Corporation and a member of its board of directors. During his seven and a half year tenure, the company tripled in size and successfully acquired 70 companies. Earlier, Charles was a Managing Director in the Technology Group at Morgan Stanley, where he was an Institutional Investor All Star for ten consecutive years.

Infor has earned a reputation for ‘beautiful software’ and for delivering the ‘last mile’ with industry niche solutions.

Synergy Software Systems, a specialist in financial solutions, is one of the oldest SunSystems partners for Infor SunSystems and has an impressive portfolio of Sunsystems clients across the Middle East in many verticals, from real estate to distribution, and particularly in Financial Services and Hospitality.

Holo lens – augmented reality

October 24th, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

Both Microsoft and Google are trying to replace your computer, your tablet, and your smartphone with the next step in personal computing: augmented reality.

In the future — so the idea goes — you’ll interact with your digital life seamlessly in reality. Everything from email to video games to navigation will simply be overlaid into the world around you using sunglass-like shades that provide the functionality of your computer/smartphone/tablet/etc.

But that’s still in “the future.” What we’ve got right now is Microsoft’s HoloLens and Google-backed Magic Leap. Here’s the incredible Microsoft augmented reality set that turns your hand into a laser gun. This is HoloLens:

There are many ways to apply the technology – visualising BIM models -or collaborating on design across geographies.

Synergy Software Systems at Gitex 2015 – Microsoft and IOT

October 22nd, 2015 by Stephen Jones No comments »

It was good to catch up with old friends at Gitex and to meet so many new faces looking for our solutions.

Windows 10 IoT will power a range of intelligent, connected IoT devices. From small devices like gateways, to mobile point- of- sale to powerful industry devices like robotics and specialty medical devices, Windows 10 IoT offers a converged platform for devices with enterprise-grade security from the device to the cloud, and native connectivity for machine-to-machine and machine-to-cloud scenarios with Azure IoT Services. The newly released Azure IoT Suite offers preconfigured solutions built on Microsoft’s cloud platform.

Azure IoT Suite integrates with the device assets and IoT systems that customers already have. This lets businesses quickly pull together a more complete view of what’s happening. With the Azure IoT Suite, immediately see when a business asset or device needs attention. This allows a business to move from reactive to proactive maintenance—and then to full automation.

The Microsoft stand was as busy as ever – Jennifer Vaz, Synergy Software Systems, Executive Director, added a touch of glamour during her visit.