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Initialization checklist | Dynamics AX Training

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Initialization checklist
January 30th, 2015 |

Author: admin

Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Initialization checklist
Before you begin
Compile
Activate application functionality
Configure data
Configure accounts and profiles
3. Partition initialization checklist
4. Summary

Introduction
Installing Dynamics AX is the first step of installation process. Follow the link to refresh the info about this process.
After Dynamics AX is installed, it should be initialized. After the initialization, Dynamics AX should be populated w ith
data (manually or by importing demo data). In this training lesson, w e w ill go through Dynamics AX 2012 Initialization
checklist. It is a common procedure for all versions of Dynamics AX. Lets begin.
A license file is required to complete this lesson. If you have access to the Microsoft Partner or Customer sources,
you can dow nload the license file from here (the Demo Virtual Machine Licenses section). Microsoft has uploaded a
new license file that expires on December 31, 2015.

Initialization checklist
Make sure that the Microsoft Dynamics AX object service is running in W indow s services. Launch the Dynamics AX
client. The Dynamics AX client w ith the Initialization checklist opens.

Before you begin


W hen you expand the Before you begin node, you see the Lifecycle services and Customer feedback menu
items. Click the Lifecycle services menu item. As a result, the node is marked as completed and you are proposed
to join the Microsoft Lifecycle service. The service is more applicable for project management. It is optional and up
to you to use it.
The Customer feedback menu item is also optional. You can click the Mark as complete menu item.
W hen both menu items are marked as complete, the Before you begin node is also marked as complete.

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Compile
Open the Compile node. It contains tw o menu items: Compile application, Compile into .NET Framework CIL.
Both steps are mandatory and by the w ay time consuming.
Click the Compile application menu item. You are prompted that it can take long time. Click Yes. The system
starts compiling the application. On average it takes up to 6 hours.
W hen the compilation process is finished, the Compile application menu item is marked as complete.
Click the Compile into .Net Framework CIL menu item. You are prompted that it can take long time. Click Yes.
The system starts compiling CIL. On average it takes up to 30 minutes.
W hen CIL is compiled, the infolog w ith the information about the started services is show n. Now both menu items
and parent node are marked as complete.

Activate application functionality


Open the Activate application functionality node. It contains tw o menu items: Provide license information,
Configure application functionality.
I have dow nloaded the Dynamics AX license file from the Partner source.
Click the Provide license information menu item. The License information form opens. Click the Load license
file button, select the license file, and click OK.
As a result, the Infolog w ith the messages appears and the License information form looks as follow s:

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On the Feature sets tab, you can find all modules that are enabled.

TIP: If you want to disable some module, the easiest way is to clear the License code field. (You can reload the
license file at any time).
Click the Configure application functionality menu item. The License configuration form opens. You can
enable or disable some module features but you cannot disable the entire module.
Usually it is required to have either all module features or none. Use the tip above for instructions.
Click OK. W e have both menu items and the node marked as complete.

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Configure data
Open the Configure data node. It contains three menu items: Modify data types, Synchronize database,
Create partitions.
The Modify data types is an optional step. The user can change the default length of any data type. For example
(from TechNet): To change the number of decimal values of the Amount data type, enter the number of decimal
values you require in the Decimals field. If you change the number from 2 to 0, the amount that inherits from the
Amount data type appears as 200 instead of 200.00. The change is reflected throughout the system w here the
Amount data type is used.
Each Dynamics AX table field should have a data type assigned.
Note that it is not about how this type is displayed rather how this type is stored in the SQL. So the TechNet
explanation is a bit confusing.
For example the user specifies 20 decimals for the Amount data type. The customer transaction amount field uses
the Amount data type. The customer transaction amount is saved in the SQL as 200.0000000000000000 (note
there are no 20 decimals because the SQL maximum size of decimals is 16) and is show n to the User as 200.00.
Because the display format is set up in W indow s:
Control Panel\Clock, Language, and Region
Change date, time or number format menu button
Additional settings button
of digits after decimal field
Click the Modify data types menu item. The Modify data types form opens.

Leave all values by default and click OK.


On the Synchronize database step, the system creates tables and view s (CustTable, CustTrans, SalesTable etc)

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in the MicrosofDynamicsAX database from the metadata. For the DAX 2012R2 and above versions, the metadata is
stored in the MicrosoftDynamicsAX_model database. For the low er DAX versions, metadata is stored in the same
MicrosoftDynamicsAX database.
Click the Synchronize database menu item. The system starts synchronization. This is a time consuming process
w hich usually takes up to 30 min.
Starting from DAX 2012 R2, the Create partitions menu item is added. For development, test, or education
environments, it is enough to have one Initial partition that is created by default. Partition is a logical split of data.
Data from different partitions is stored in the same database and tables use the same AOS instance. Each data
contains information about its partition. Each user has access to one or many partitions.
Click the Create partitions menu item. The Partitions form opens. The form contains one default partition. Close
the form.
As a result, w e have all three menu items and the node marked as complete.

Configure accounts and profiles


Open the Configure accounts and profiles node. It contains three menu items: Initialize user profiles, Set up
Application Integration Framework, Configure system accounts.
Click the Initialize user profiles menu item. The Initialize user profiles form opens.

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Dynamics AX suggests creating listed user profiles (user roles) in the system.
For development, test, education environments, the SYSADMIN user role is used. This role is hardcoded and alw ays
exists in Dynamics AX. The user w ith the SYSADMIN role has the maximum permissions in Dynamics AX.
For production environment, user profiles can be used to restrict access to some data. For example, a sales manager
should only see his/her ow n sales orders and not the orders of another sales manager. Or a billing clerk has access
to Invoices but doesnt have access to the company revenue information.
In any case having suggested user profiles does not harm our Dynamics AX application. Click the Select all check
box in the Initialize user profiles form and click OK.
Click the Set up Application Integration Framework menu item. The process takes about 20 minutes. During
this time, some standard services are published to the AOS. Starting from DAX 2012, the W SDL services are hosted
on the AOS.
For example, you can check that the BI service has been deployed:
http://localhost:8102/DynamicsAx/Services/BIServices. Note that in my case, the 8102 port is used (by default it is
8101). The port is configurable in the Dynamics AX Client configuration (can be run from the Control panel).
The Application Integration Framework is used to exchange data in XML format. Third-party applications can
request some data from Dynamics AX or send some data to Dynamics AX.
Note that in AIF data is transferred in XML format only. User cannot change the file structure.
AIF is not about the file format it is about data transfer. So, for example, if it is required to export data to the CSV
format, AIF cannot be used.
Click the Configure system accounts menu item. The System service accounts form opens. It is required to
specify the Business connector account.
Dynamics AX Business connector uses this account to log in to Dynamics AX. (So this user should have access to
DAX).
Business connector is used by a third-party application to access the DAX data or run the DAX business logics. It is
the .Net library w ith a set of classes that can be used in third-party applications.
By the w ay, Business connector is used by SSRS w hen Dynamics AX reports is run.
I specify my domain account as Business connector account.

Click OK.
As a result, w e have all three menu items and nodes marked as complete.

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Partition initialization checklist


Starting from DAX 2012 R2, the Partitions are introduced and the new Partition initialization checklist is added.
Now Dynamics AX has the Companies and the Partitions. Both are a logical split of data. Data from different
partitions and companies is stored in the same database and tables and use the same AOS instance.
A Company is a low level entity w hich contains one-company specific information (for example Sales orders). Some
information is cross company for example Users, i.e. users are shared betw een all companies.
A Partition is a high level entity that has its ow n set of companies. Partition contains multiple-companies specific
information plus cross company information. Cross company information from one partition is not accessible from
another partition.
For development, test, or education environments, it is enough to have one Initial partition that is created by
default.
Lets run Dynamics AX. After you complete the tasks in the Initialization checklist, the Partition initialization
checklist opens automatically w hen you first start the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. You can also open the
Partition initialization checklist by clicking System administration > Setup > Checklists > Partition
initialization checklist.
The Partition initialization checklist has the following view:

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Basically this checklist contains the same steps that w ere in the Initialization checklist of the previous version of
Dynamics AX. You can check it here.
Click the Configure partition accounts menu item. The System service accounts form opens. You are asked
to enter the W orkflow execution account. It is an optional step. If you do not use the W orkflow , you can leave
this account empty. Otherw ise fill it in. Click OK.
Click the Create reference data menu item. The job is run. As a result, all parameters tables are populated w ith
default values (for example, the CustParameters table), and some default data is populated (for example the
Currency and Language tables).
Click the Create legal entities menu item. The Legal entities form opens. The default company is already
created in the previous step. It is the DAT company. In the next training lesson w e w ill load demo data (w ith
companies). Click Close.
Click the Setup system parameters menu item. The System parameters form opens. Populate the System
language field w ith the required language. Note that languages already exist in the Dynamics AX (they w ere
populated on the Create reference data step). The rest parameters are optional. Close the form.

The The Report data clean up job is added to the batch queue message appears. This job runs recursively to
clean up report data. The report data is collected and stored in special tables. W hen the report is printed, the
collected report data can remain in the Dynamics AX tables. Since this data is no longer required, it can be cleaned
up automatically. For this purposes this job is added to the batch queue. You can cancel this and any jobs from the
batch queue later through the User interface: System administration > Inquiries > Batch jobs > Batch jobs.
Click the Import data menu item. The Import options form opens. Microsoft has not prepared the demo data in
the DAT format for this version of Dynamics AX. W e w ill import the demo data in the next training lesson. Close the

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form. Mark this step as complete.


Close the Dynamics AX and run again. The Microsoft Dynamics AX w ith all modules opens.

Summary
Congrats! W e have completed the Initialization checklist.
Compilation and synchronizations are the most time consuming processes. And at last w e did it!
In the next training lesson, w e w ill load demo data for the Dynamics AX.

Posted in Installation & Configuration |

Tags: Dynamics AX configuration, Dynamics AX initialization

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