ERP software: What’s new in Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0
Invest in flexible software system architecture that can grow with your company
Published: June 12, 2006
The new version of Microsoft Dynamics AX can help your people be more productive, your company master change, and your business connect better to global subsidiaries, customers, and business partners. What's more, it's developed to work with widely-familiar Microsoft products, helping you leverage investments in and knowledge of technology many companies already use.
Note
Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 is currently available for North America and Canada. Localized versions will be released for other regions worldwide late throughout calendar year 2006 and early 2007.
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Leverage your existing technologies to boost ROI
Microsoft Dynamics AX works like and with other widely-used Microsoft products, helping your company build on skills and technology that your employees and partners might already have.
| • | Make the most of your current technology
Web services and integration allow you to get more out of your Microsoft technology. For example, develop Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to drive greater return on investment (ROI), and connect online information, people, systems, and devices with Microsoft .NET. |
| • | Work more efficiently with industry-standard technology
Microsoft Dynamics AX uses standard adapters based on SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services. This lets you put ad hoc reporting at the fingertips of business users. As a result, information technology (IT) professionals can spend less time providing support and more time on critical tasks. |
| • | Help people connect and collaborate better with Windows SharePoint Services
Rather than providing a few people with a complex portal system that only works with one product, you can help employees, business partners, vendors, and others across your organization collaborate and communicate more effectively from anywhere, thanks to integration between Microsoft Dynamics AX and Windows Share Point Services. |
| • | Boost productivity with RoleTailored design
An individualized, task-centric interface can be customized according to user preferences, helping each employee focus less on technology, and more on what’s most important to his or her job. |
Work more effectively across borders with new global capabilities
Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 can help you take advantage of global opportunities and work more effectively across borders. Some examples of these capabilities include:
| • | Country consolidation reduces complexity and improves decision-making
You can track geographic information the way your business process requires, helping reduce deployment and customization complexity and enable better decision-making. |
| • | Intercompany functionality helps you operate more efficiently
Out-of-the-box intercompany trading support lets you automate trade processes both within and across borders, helping reduce data reentry and manual errors. |
| • | Application Integration Framework enables better business-to-business (B2B) and application-to-application (A2A) integration and Web-based services
The Application Integration Framework allows you to connect more easily with others in your business circle, such as customers and internal trading companies. Additionally, partners and customers can extend the functionality using a new development wizard to create custom documents. And the Web services interface provides a seamless integration experience for Microsoft .NET and other Web clients. |
| • | Unicode compliance helps you take advantage of new opportunities
Expand your reach into Japan and China with native language support. Unicode compliance allows native support for Chinese and Japanese, and enables a single software product or a single Web site to be targeted across multiple platforms, languages, and countries without re-engineering. |
Get out-of-box functionality and a platform ready for development
When you invest in Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0, you get the latest business features and functionality developed with input from customers, partners, and business experts worldwide. You also get a flexible platform.
| • | Advanced supply chain functionality
New functionality—including radio frequency identification (RFID) support, an inventory closing solution, manufacturing and distribution improvements, and advanced intercompany functionality—can help improve supply chain efficiency. |
| • | Service management capabilities
A new module with service-dispatching and service-subscription functionality can help manufacturing organizations that need to service complex machines and equipment on a periodic or call-initiated basis manage those activities more effectively. |
| • | Industry-specific functionality and thousands of vertical solutions
You can extend Microsoft Dynamics AX functionality with industry-specific applications and customization provided by developers who are backed by Microsoft with the Microsoft Dynamics Industry Solutions initiative. Microsoft requires that developers participating in this initiative update programs for the newest version of Microsoft Dynamics products within 90 days of new version availability. In addition, you’ll have access to thousands of vertical solutions provided by partners that meet your specific needs. |
| • | A platform for development
Microsoft continues to invest significantly in platform tools that allow Microsoft's extensive network of independent software vendor (ISV) partners to develop vertical solutions that work with Microsoft Dynamics AX. For example, Common Language Runtime (CLR) interoperability allows for increased developer productivity and Microsoft .NET support. So you can rest assured that your investment in a Microsoft business solution will be ready to change as your business and industry does. |
Benefit from improved security, scalability, and performance
Investing in the Microsoft platform is a reliable long-term investment.
| • | Enables greater security control with less hassle
Windows authentication and the single sign-on feature of Active Directory help improve security and privacy and offer greater administrative control over sensitive data. The single sign-on feature can also increases efficiency and convenience because users only have to log on once (at the Microsoft Windows log-on) to access Microsoft Dynamics AX. |
| • | Puts the focus on performance
Enhancements across all Microsoft Dynamics AX applications—plus the advancements in database technology of Microsoft SQL Server 2005, such as native data encryption, secure default settings, and password policy enforcement—add up to a platform you can trust to perform the way your business needs it to. |
| • | Adds up to reduced implementation costs
Setup wizards, network configuration tools, and native language support can accelerate setup and reduce deployment errors. |
| • | Includes customizable, up-to-date documentation
Documentation provides end-to-end guidance on Microsoft Dynamics AX automated business processes. An online "continuous-publishing" model helps keep it updated and accurate. In addition, the documentation can be updated by users with company-specific information. |
Next steps
Already using Microsoft Dynamics AX?
| • | If you're on a current service plan, visit CustomerSource for more information about Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0. |
| • | Contact your local Microsoft partner and service provider to find out how to upgrade to the latest version. Need help finding a Microsoft partner? Contact us. |
Not yet using Microsoft Dynamics AX?
Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics AX and how it can help you motivate your people, master change and connect to your business community:
