2016 Q2 by Dynamic Communities, Inc

Q2 2016

WWW.AXUG.COM

Change Management UNDERSTAND THE LIMITS

PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

Systems Analysis

WHAT TO KEEP, WHAT TO DITCH

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In Every Issue

contents Q2 2016

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Tweet It! What is the most challenging aspect of change? Share your thoughts on Twitter #AXUG.

Q2 2016

WWW.AXUG.COM

Change Management UNDERSTAND THE LIMITS

5 7 8 13 14 21 24 25 34 35 42 43 52 60 71

From the AXUG Chairman Events Meet Your Peers Welcome to Our New Members Chapter News Focus on Education Academy Corner AXUG Bingo What’s New on the AXUG Website Name That Photo Contest Trending Topics Word Find Volunteer of the Quarter: Paul Martin On Topic The AX List, from The Partner Channel

Features 5

16 PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

Systems Analysis

WHAT TO KEEP, WHAT TO DITCH

18 22

Advertiser Index

Altec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

28 32

Arbela Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Avitas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 AXSource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 AXUG Chapter Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . 68 AXUG European Congress . . . . . . . . 51 AXUG Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 AXUG Summit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 70 Client Strategy Group. . . . . . . . . . 46-47

36 38 40 44 48 54

k-eCommerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

58 62

Merit Solutions, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

MetaViewer from Metaﬁle . . . . . . . . . 84

Globe Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Solver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Thomson Reuters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

68 69

Humans of AXUG Aubrey Conrad Systems Analysis Tips & Tricks Using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word to Create Filter Lists Academy Instructor Spotlight Matthew Hill Don’t Forget the End User Training Tips & Tricks Best Practices on Microsoft Dynamics AX Security Implementation Microsoft Showcase Microsoft Dynamics Public Sector Team Change is Good: Principles to Live By Expanded Volunteer Program VAR Partner Solution Showcase Western Computer Understanding the ERP System Limits Regarding Change Management ISV Partner Solution Showcase Merit Solutions Change: What Does it Mean to You Tips & Tricks Sales Trade Agreement Setup Tips Industry Showcase Telecommunications Phased and Focused: Implementing Change with Ease AXUG Member Get a Member Program Tips & Tricks Clean Up Your Inbox Act! Q2 2016 | 3

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G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU X AX A A G G UG U AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU X U G G A G G UG UG XU XU AX AX A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G A UG UG X U G G A X U A X U G G A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G A X U A X U G G XU AX AX A G A G A UG UG XU XU G U G U XU X X A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G A UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X X A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG X G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG

letter

Goingfrom to the the Next Level... axug chairman Sherry Linares

Change: It’s in the Air

Grant Wilson

elcome to the Q2 issue of AXUG® Magazine! The theme for this issue is change management, a very appropriate theme this time of year as spring, in the Northern Hemisphere, is definitely a time of change. Winter has had its last frost, and the warmer weather is making its appearance along with many crocuses and daffodils. Change can be a good thing – it’s the reason for improvements in products and processes and can act as a driver of invention. It just feels good to make things better, either personally or professionally. Change always seems to be best when we are the ones creating or driving the change. But what about those times when change happens, and we have no control over it? For example, changes in an organization either from an acquisition, merger, downsizing, or expanding. We all want our company to succeed, and we would like to be part of that success, but how do we know where we fit in after a major reorganization? What will the new org chart look like? What is my revised career path? Who am I reporting to or who is now reporting to me? While change in organizations can be a very positive experience, it is often times filled with uncertainty and anxiety. This issue focuses on these types of questions that surround change management. How does a company communicate upcoming changes both internally and externally? What analyses are down to review systems – what needs to be upgraded? Sunset? What’s redundant? Or what needs to be changed so new systems can work together? This issue gives you change management takeaways and suggestions from Partners and Users who have been there, done that. You’ll also enjoy feature articles that focus on AXUG Members – that’s you. Hear what it’s like to volunteer and feel the joy of giving back and helping others learn. Read about our featured up-and-coming chapter and chapter leaders. Don’t forgot to check out the Microsoft Showcase article from the public sector team, and be sure to check out AXUG’s Public Sector Special Interest Group (SIG) where Microsoft Dynamics AX Users who share a common role, interest, or industry come together to share ideas, information, and experiences. Spring is on the way, and change is in the air. Let’s embrace it! Best,

Grant Wilson Chairman of the AXUG Advisory Board

Q2 2016 | 5

AX A G G U U X X U XU AX AX A A G G UG AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A U U XU X AX A G A G UG UG G G G UG U XU X AX A A A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G G U U X X A A G XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G XU AX AX A G A G G U U X G U U X X A A G G UG AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG UG AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU X AX A A G G UG U AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A G G U G U XU X A A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G A G A G G U U X X A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G UG UG X U A G G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX A A X U G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U X X A A G G UG UG X G

events sessions meetings courses

The Learn & Engage section on www.axug.com and the weekly AXUG® Event Guide are your best sources for the latest AXUG event information as this list is subject to change. Events are added weekly, so check back often and get registered for the next exciting AXUG event. AXUG European Congress 2016 9-10 May | Stuttgart, Germany www.axugcongress.com

AXUG Focus 2016 June 7-8 | Chicago Metro Area, Illinois www.axugfocus.com

AXUG Academy Pre-Conference Training October 10-11 | Tampa, Florida www.axugsummit.com/event/academy-training

AXUG Summit 2016

October 11-14 | Tampa, Florida www.axugsummit.com

Webinars April 8 Management Reporter and Forecaster Friday – Get Your

Academy Courses April 15 Introduction to Management Reporter April 22 KPIs, SSAS, & Cubes in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 April 22 Managing Your Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Environment

April 29 Advanced Management Reporter May 4 Inventory Costing in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 May 6 Introduction to Management Reporter May 20 Advanced Management Reporter May 27 Upgrading Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 – Data Migration June 1 Microsoft Oﬃce Excel Basic: Moving, Viewing Data, Using Functions 2 Microsoft Oﬃce Excel Intermediate: It’s All about the Pivot 10 Introduction to Management Reporter 17 Advanced Management Reporter 24 Master Planning for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Questions Answered

April 12 Microsoft Dynamics AX Foundation Building Blocks 7 & 8: Outputs & Integrations

April 13 Virtual Conduit LCS Series: Checking the Health of Your ERP through the LCS

April 15 Public Sector SIG Gathering April 19 Summit Survey Says Top 10: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Code Management and Promotion

April 22 Everything Your Grandmother Didn’t Tell You about Microsoft Dynamics AX

April 26 Microsoft Dynamics AX Foundation Building Blocks 9 & 10: Support & Direction

June June June June

April 27 Professional Development Series: Business Lessons from

Chapter Meetings

May 18 SQL 201 – Beginning SQL for Administrators June 10 Management Reporter and Forecaster Friday – Get Your

10 Days Aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard

May 11 Virtual Conduit LCS Series: Monitor Your System May 13 Management Reporter and Forecaster Friday – Get Your Questions Answered

April 1 Denver | Microsoft Dynamics AX Technical Session April 21 Massachusetts | Boston May 11 North Carolina | Charlotte May 12 Wisconsin | Milwaukee

Questions Answered

June 24 Everything Your Grandmother Didn’t Tell You about Microsoft Dynamics AX Q2 2016 | 7

AX A G G U U X X U XU AX AX A A G G UG A G G UG UG XU XU AX AX A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G UG UG G G G UG U XU X AX A A A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G G U U X X A A G XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G XU AX AX A G A G G U U X G U U X X A A G G UG AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG UG AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU X AX A A G G UG U AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A A G G U U X X G UG UG XU XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A A A G G U U X X X G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG AX A A G G U U X X A U U XU X AX A G A G A UG UG G G G U G U XU X X A A A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G G UG U XU XU AX AX G A G XU X AX A G G U U A G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U X X A A G G U U X G

peers meet your axug peers

AXUG® reached out to members of its AXUG Focus planning committee to ﬁnd out what they’re most excited about regarding the spring 2016 event. Read on and make plans to join us!

Brandon George COMPANY Hillstar Business Intelligence TITLE President, America’s Region

Our primary focus at Hillstar is driving Customers towards intelligent action. This means being able to unlock the value trapped in their data assets. I hope that attendees will be able to walk away with a sense of direction in how business intelligence projects should be executed, and further how recent advancement with items like Microsoft Cortana Analytics can fully help them embrace the three perspectives of data: past, present, and future!

Carlos Villasana COMPANY National Oilwell Varco TITLE Global Sr. Business Analyst

Don’t miss the event where you will ﬁnd the way to solve root issues focused on the solutions. For everybody from new Users to experts, this is the once-ayear opportunity to collaborate and learn the best practices and more useful processes to being more successful with Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Catherine McDade COMPANY Stoneridge Software TITLE Director of Technical Consulting

8 | AXUG Magazine

BI and the cloud are moving from buzzwords to concepts, and AXUG Focus is a great opportunity for Microsoft Dynamics AX Users to explore how they can implement these concepts in their ERP implementation. I am excited for attendees to learn from others in these areas and to improve the return on investment they realize from Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Craig Leska COMPANY Logan Consulting TITLE Senior Technical Consultant

AXUG is all about Members collaborating with one another and sharing their knowledge. Focus is no different in that it offers a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills and stay current in recent trends within the AXUG community. I hope attendees take the opportunity to implement new techniques and meet new people in the industry and share knowledge. If you are a regular attendee, please reach out to first-timers to welcome them and show them the ropes.

Danielle Cooke COMPANY RSM TITLE Manager

The alignment of AXUG Focus with the three main tracks will provide a great networking opportunity for Users to collaborate with others in the same area with similar pain points.

Donald Hilton COMPANY InterDyn BMI, A Columbus Company TITLE Microsoft Dynamics AX Practice Manger

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has great potential to meet all the business needs for most companies. I hope that everyone ﬁnds new functionality to activate or conﬁgure that will solve a business requirement and improve their work life.

Gina Pabalan COMPANY Edgewater Fullscope TITLE Director, Customer Support & Optimization Services

My hope for all the Customer attendees is that they are able to bring back at least two to three things that can be applied in their own business to help them achieve greater value in their Microsoft Dynamics AX investment.

Jerry Hart COMPANY Western Computer TITLE Microsoft Dynamics AX Practice Manager

I am hopeful that each of our attendees will have the opportunity to learn and deploy into their organization functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX that will help them improve their business operations.

Q2 2016 | 9

peers meet your axug peers

Joel S. Pietrantozzi COMPANY Client Strategy Group (CSG)

I hope that attendees leave with the opinion that attending Focus was worthwhile and that they share their opinion with others in the Microsoft Dynamics AX community.

TITLE Executive Vice President

Joris de Gruyter COMPANY Microsoft TITLE Senior Solution Architect

Microsoft’s goal to empower people to be more productive is very much complemented by everything AXUG does. AXUG events like Focus are essentially non-stop tips and tricks sessions where Users can learn and share their experiences to get even more value out of their systems and become more productive using them. I hope attendees will not just attend sessions but also connect with their peers and with the experts presenting; sometimes the conversations after sessions are just as valuable as the content during sessions.

Josh Richards COMPANY Merit Solutions TITLE Marketing Director

AXUG Focus provides attendees a great opportunity to dive into the nuts and bolts of Microsoft Dynamics AX and learn real-world ways to improve how they perform their jobs every day. It also oﬀers the unique ability to connect face-to-face with fellow Users and Partners outside of the traditional conference environment where you feel like you’re being sold to around every corner. Organizations and Users looking for ways to get more value out of Microsoft Dynamics AX should deﬁnitely take a hard look at AXUG Focus as a potential investment opportunity.

Michelle Aune COMPANY Stoneridge Software TITLE Client Account Manager

10 | AXUG Magazine

I want Focus 2016 attendees to immerse themselves in two days of relevant, useful training that will help them take full advantage of their Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation and positively impact their organization.

Murray Fife COMPANY Microsoft TITLE Technical Solution Professional

AXUG Focus is a great event for two reasons. The first is that attendees are able to get even deeper training on products and features in Microsoft Dynamics AX than they would be able to get at the other Microsoft Dynamics AX conferences. Because it only focuses on finance, BI and reporting, and technical topics, Users are able to immerse themselves in just the topics that they are interested in without any downtime and learn from product experts within their area of interest. There will be a whole slew of items that they will be able to use right away within their organization. The second is that Focus is an amazing networking event. You are surrounded by colleagues that all share your same product interests, and it will be easier to connect with other people within your field of interest and share ideas and get questions answered. What else do you need in an event?

Noah Moseley COMPANY MSX Group, LLC TITLE Managing Partner & Senior Consultant

A lot of times, people have questions about products that they just can’t seem to get answered. Focus is a chance for them to ask those questions, face-toface, with experts on these products, in an open exchange. Sessions are being led by knowledgeable presenters with years of experience on these tools, and these are presenters who love these products and want the attendees to have the same appreciation for these products. Focus is the venue for that to happen.

Pauletta Kluth COMPANY Montana Silversmiths TITLE Program Manager

This year’s deep dive session format will surely be a rich source of information and training. I hope each person that attends ﬁnds that one “golden nugget” of information that they can bring back and immediately apply to their daily job functions.

Rachel Proﬁtt COMPANY RSM US TITLE Director, RSM Technology Academy

I think we have put together a great variety of sessions for Focus. I am particularly excited for sharing experiences about troubleshooting and security maintenance. I know these were two areas that were huge pain points for me personally when I was a User, and I have learned a lot of tips and tricks over the years. I hope that others are able to take some of those tips and tricks and start putting them to use immediately in their day-to-day jobs.

Sarah Wilhelm COMPANY Kimball Midwest TITLE Lead Microsoft Dynamics AX Business Analyst

I am looking forward to Focus because it is an unlimited opportunity to learn from other Users and Microsoft Partners. Focus provides us the opportunity to learn and share our experiences. With events such as Focus and Summit, we can network at a much larger scale than we could ever coordinate individually.

Q2 2016 | 11

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XU AX AX A G A G G U U X G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A G G U G U XU X A A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G A G A G G U U X X A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G UG UG A X U G G G G U U X X A A A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G G U U X X A A G XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G XU AX AX A G A G G U U X G U U X X A A G G UG AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU X AX A A G G UG UG AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU X U G G A G G UG UG XU XU AX AX A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G A UG UG X U G G A X U A X U G G A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G A X U A X U G G XU AX AX A G A G A UG UG XU XU G U G U XU X X A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G A UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X X A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG X G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG AX A A G G U U X X A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A G G U G U XU X A A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G A G A G G U U X X A U XU AXU AX AX A G A G UG UG A X U G G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX A A X U G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A U

members welcome to our new members

Welcome to the new Members who have invested in AXUG速 User and Partner membership! Each new Member adds value not only to their own organization, but also to the entire AXUG community as they share their knowledge and experiences.

New AXUG User Members

ALT Fabrication Hewlett Packard Enterprise Optimal, Ltd

American Fuji Seal iMFLUX, Inc. Parkland County

Arizona Nutritional Supplements IRRITEC SPA PCL Constructors Inc.

Avfuel Corporation Phenomenex

Bedrock Manufacturing Co, LLC Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc.

Clas Ohlson AB Kayem Foods Inc. Physician Partners of America

Command Alkon Incorporated Kraco Enterprises, LLC PODS Enterprises LLC

Eagle Corporation Lacrosse Footwear Prolong Pharmaceuticals

Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products Laika Inc Saban Brands

Edison Energy Libbey, Inc.

Edmonton Airports LRAD San Francisco County Transportation Authority

Gage Marketing Group Masonite Simmons & Simmons LLP

Gibson Energy Ltd. Mekonomen SM Jaleel and Company Ltd

Greenway Health Mercury Marine Texas Roadhouse

Hargrove, Inc. Moz Winnebago Industries

Harken, Inc. NantKwest ZIPPO MFG

Heery International, Inc.

National Capital Commission

Zones

AXtension bv

Encore Business Solutions

Burco Professional Services, Inc.

NDS Infotech Ltd Phoenix Color

NIDEC ELESYS AMERICAS

New AXUG Partner Members

Q2 2016 | 13

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Chapter to Watch

EDMONTON Kaare Boraas Solution Delivery Manager PCL Constructors, Inc.

Kaare Boraas was determined to form an AXUG® chapter in Edmonton after he started working at PCL Constructors, Inc. last year and got the company to join AXUG. “There has been an AXUG chapter in Calgary for a number of years, but not one in Edmonton,” says Kaare. “I proceeded to send personal emails to every Microsoft Dynamics AX User I had worked with in Edmonton and asked them to join the chapter and sign up for the first meeting. We got a few new AXUG Members out of that marketing!” The chapter had their inaugural meeting in February 2016 at the Microsoft office in Edmonton, where they were overwhelmed by the number of registrants. “At one point we had 48 registrants for the meeting, and the room we had at the Microsoft office only held 40, so they wouldn’t allow more because of fire regulations!” shares Kaare. “I also asked Kerry Koch from Microsoft to do an overview and demo of the new Microsoft Dynamics AX as there was a kick-off planned for Calgary, but nothing in Edmonton.”

Chapter

HIGHLIGHTS 14 | AXUG Magazine

Three more meetings are scheduled for 2016, with the May 2016 meeting set to include an overview of Lifecycle Services, also presented by Kerry. “I’m eager to see if we can get the same interest or more for the rest of the meetings this year,” says Kaare.

» Based on hitting the fire marshall’s capacity for the room – and too small a window to find another venue – the chapter had 35 Members from more than 12 companies at its first meeting. » TransAlta (SunHills Mining), Edmonton Airports, and Parkland Country shared their use of/goals for Daxeam, an enterprise asset management solution. The chapter may take a field trip to SunHills Mining in Q3 to see the product in action.

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Up-and-Coming Leader

DAWN JOHNSON Senior Business Systems Analyst, City of Redmond Seattle Chapter Leader

Dawn Johnson is excited about taking on the Seattle chapter leader role and with good reason: She has a great community around her! “With more than 500 registered AXUG Members in the state of Washington, we want to reach out to the Microsoft Dynamics AX Users and share our excitement with them about opportunities that the Seattle chapter has to offer during the year,” says Dawn.

The most recent meeting included a speed networking activity that matched up Users based on area of expertise and interest. “It was some of the best User-to-User networking I’ve ever seen!” says Dawn. “There was a high level of enthusiasm as we brainstormed ideas to change up our meeting format and content a bit. When it comes to Microsoft Dynamics AX, there’s a lot to talk about, and we are getting the community talking.”

“With more than 500 registered AXUG Members in the state of Washington, we want to reach out to the Microsoft Dynamics AX Users and share our excitement...”

» 25 active Members » This active group hopes to incorporate hands-on training sessions, meetings at User oﬃces, and a visit to their neighboring Portland chapter.

Leader

HIGHLIGHTS Q2 2016 | 15

G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G U G U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G G G U U X X XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG UG XU XU AXU AX XU AX AX A G A G G G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A XU AX AX G A G A UG U G A G G U G U G XU XU U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G U G U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G

MEMBER PROFILE

f o s n a m u H MEMBER Aubrey Conrad COMPANY Swedish Match JOB ROLE Senior Application Specialist MEMBER SINCE 2014

速

How did you hear about AXUG? My supervisor discovered AXUG when we were looking for a Microsoft Dynamics AX conference to attend. When we found out about AXUG Summit, we decided to sign up for a membership with AXUG.

You are active in your local chapter. What value do you get from attending those meetings? At Swedish Match, we have encouraged not only our ERP team to be involved with our local chapters, but also our Users. We feel that there is a lot of value in having our Users interacting with other Users in the AXUG community. These interactions help Users gain insight on how other businesses and industries use Microsoft Dynamics AX to support their unique processes.

What is the number one reason other Microsoft Dynamics AX Users should join AXUG? The number one reason to join AXUG is to build relationships with other Users, both near or far.

What will others in your job role gain from being a Member of AXUG? Being a Member allows you to gain access to all of the discussions on axug.com. These discussions are extremely helpful when trying to resolve issues.

Ocean or mountains? Mountains

For more information regarding membership, please visit axug.com/join. 16 | AXUG Magazine

MAKE DYNAMICS SELL FOR YOU

B2C & B2B eCommerce Customer Service and Sales Rep Portal Mobile Commerce Optimized Extend Your Reach with Facebook Store, eBay and Amazon Built-in CMS and Rich Product Catalog ĬŅƚÚě ±ŸåÚØ BĜčĘĬƼ åÏƚųåÚ ±ĹÚ { F åųƋĜĀåÚ Powered by Microsoft .NET Technology

for Microsoft Dynamics™ sales@k-eCommerce.com | 1-855-k-eCommerce (532-6663)

www.k-eCommerce.com/dynamics-eCommerce

G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G UG U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G G G U U X X XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG UG XU XU AXU AX XU AX AX A G A G G G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A G G UG A X A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G U G G X AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G U U X X A A

feature

story by Brent Hester, Kason Industries, AXUG® User Member

uring system upgrades and most process reviews, you must ask yourself or your team two questions: 1) Do we need to continue this process? And 2) What is its purpose? We frequently get the same response from most team members: We have always done it that way. During the process review, you must be prepared to ask challenging questions and ensure you receive accurate answers. If you get answers that have been filtered correctly through best practice methods, you will be better guaranteed the system or process is required. System analysis is performed during or before a system upgrade. During this process, you will find that new features have been added that could be used to improve business processes. When new features are found, your team must evaluate current business processes to see if the new features can efficiently and smoothly replace current processes. The replacement step is often overlooked. In addition, new processes are implemented that overlap existing processes, and this can result in duplicate work. A prime example of this incident is when a company implements a “paperless” initiative in the receiving area. The new process is to scan the receiving documents. However, instead of the receiving department recycling the documents after they have been scanned, the documents are being filed. Yes, they have successfully implemented their “paperless” initiative but have duplicated processes of filing paperwork away. This step in the process can create a storage problem in the process.

18 | AXUG Magazine

Q2 2016 | 19

Redundant systems seem to be very easy to identify, but they are needed at times to ensure data validity. Redundant systems in your system architecture are standard to ensure network uptime. Redundant processes will increase your labor cost. The increased labor cost has to be justified by the outcome of the process. A good example of this is when the accounting area requires two levels of reviewing of general journal entries. A second level of validation was added after it was shown that accounting was spending more time of tracing journal entry error. An example of redundant process goes back to implementation of the “paperless” initiative from the receiving process through to accounting – also known as “procure to pay”. The receiving clerk scans the receiving documents. Documents are then passed on to the purchasing department to process. After purchasing processes the receiving procedure, their next step in the process is to scan a copy of the purchase order and attach it to the receiving documents. This step creates duplicate work, and it also duplicates storage requirements, possibly causing overtime issues. System analysis should be done on a continual basis. Performing system analysis on a reoccurring basis should be done in key areas to allow for a deep dive into the process. During the system analysis, you must document the requirement of the business process unless you already have it. Using the requirement document as your guide, you can complete your system analysis process and make recommendations to your team. In most cases, you will not find any issues with the system process. However, this is a good practice to have to ensure that business processes are still effective. During system upgrades and changes, we always want to make the process more efficient and cost-effective while looking toward automation. Automation is a great way to lower costs and free up personnel time to perform other tasks, although there can be some drawbacks. The main drawback is that we get set to “autopilot” and forget how to perform the automated process manually. When automating a system process, you also need to have a secondary process that will be used in the event of automatic process failure. This document can also be used to create the automated process, ensuring that the automated process does not miss key steps. Automated processes can be as simple as filling in the Customer preferred shipping method on their sales order to as complicated as posting the vendor’s invoice once product is received. I have always been an advocate for automation. However, before automation can be done, we must understand the manual process. Documentation is a key part of any system analysis project because it ensures the process is fully understood before proceeding. The documentation should be done by the process owner and reviewed by the person performing the system analysis to ensure that there are not any “understood” portions of the process. The “understood” portions of the process are steps that we perform without knowing it. For example, when the driver of a car puts it into gear, the driver always presses the brake before shifting because the driver has always done so. When teaching someone how to drive a car, the instructor may miss communication or demonstrating that step because it has become so involuntary. Documentation should take into account every step – even if you feel like it is common knowledge or “understood.” Performing a successful system analysis is one of the steps to having a healthy system and business process. Your business processes should not create more unneeded work that increases your cost and stress level without adding value. When processes do not add value to your business process, those should be reviewed initially when setting up your system analysis schedule. AXUG

System analysis should be done on a continual basis.

Brent Hester is an IT analyst/developer at Kason Industries. He can be reached at Bhester@kasonind.com.

20 | AXUG Magazine

FOCUS ON

EDUCATION

CAROLEE SCHUCK System Developer Cschuck@forneyind.com

AXUG® reached out to a Member who is taking advantage of the learning beneﬁts that come from AXUG membership. Read on to see if you could beneﬁt from a similar learning opportunity. What have you most enjoyed about your AXUG participation?

I most enjoy the instant connection to a community of interested and active Microsoft Dynamics AX Users who are willing to help and be helped.

What do you enjoy most about this learning experience?

I appreciate learning from people with a variety of backgrounds. The organizers and presenters are always well-organized, and the technology is conﬁgured and ready to go as soon as the attendees are.

How has what you’ve learned helped you in your career?

Surviving a system implementation is, I think, noteworthy in any career. Learning about Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 before we began the implementation was a signiﬁcant help. In particular, webinars on the new data model, basic system setup, and the security model gave me a curiosity-satisfying sneak peek and a foundation for understanding the work to come.

What do you value most about professional development?

Professional development not only helps me remain relevant to my employer, but it also keeps me interested in my ﬁeld and aware of trends and upcoming changes. I recommend any relevant learning opportunity that ﬁts into a person’s schedule!

Q2 2016 | 21

t&t

TIPS & TRICKS

Using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word to Create Filter Lists by Gary Stoll, Anchor Industries, Inc. icrosoft Dynamics AX includes powerful filtering capabilities to generate a grid of items to view/modify/ process/etc. The most basic type of filter criteria is a comma-separated list of records – used in a grid filter or Advanced Filter (Ctrl-F3). Unfortunately, the items you want to use in the filter criteria often exist as a column of data in another table, and creating a comma-separated list is tedious at best. The technique shown here creates a comma-separated list of any size quickly and easily in a few steps using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. It can be used on any record type in any table – I often use it dozens of times a day. The basic steps are: » Open the grid/table that has the desired column of data and export to Excel (Ctrl-T) » Select and copy (Ctrl-C) the column in Excel » Paste (as plain text) into Word » Use the advanced features of Replace (Ctrl-H) to convert to comma-separated list » Copy and paste into the grid or Advanced Filter of the destination table The example shown here checks the inventory for all the items in a BOM in one shot:

22 | AXUG Magazine

Notes and caveats: Beware, this technique can create huge lists; the grid filter has a limit of 250 characters while Advanced Filterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limit is 1,260. Advanced Users will note that often the same list can be created using table joins in Advanced Filter (although not always); however, this approach is usually much faster and easier than choosing and testing table joins. It is also extremely

valuable when using the Excel add-in. I hope you find it as useful as I do. AXUG Gary Stoll is enterprise systems architect and director of product management at Anchor Industries, Inc. He can be reached at Gary_stoll@anchorinc.com or 408-834-9037.

Q2 2016 | 23

G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G UG AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG UG AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A G G U U X A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A G AX A G G U U X X A A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG AX A A G G U U X X A U U XU X AX A G A G A UG UG G G G U G U XU X X A A A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU G G G UG U XU XU AX AX G A G XU X AX A G G U U A G UG U XU X AX A A G G XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX G U U X X A A G G U AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX U XU XU AX AX A G A G A UG U AX G A G A G UG U XU X X A U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG X G AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX G A G A UG

learn academy corner

Certiﬁcate for Microsoft Dynamics AX Administration

n today’s work environments, it is often difficult to keep abreast of the latest administrative releases and requirements for Microsoft Dynamics AX. With more and more organizations looking at business solutions as a strategic investment to drive business, it is imperative that administrative teams continue to enhance their knowledge and increase the level of their deployment’s performance. AXUG® Academy’s Certificate for Microsoft Dynamics AX Administration can provide both newer and more experienced administrators an avenue for better realizing the ins and outs of managing Microsoft Dynamics AX. According to a recent ASAE study, certificate earners or credentialed members tend to be much more active in User groups. Additionally, they are more likely to hold leadership positions, be leaders in their profession or industry, and participate in User group activities. That is why AXUG views this program as a certificate of completion AND contribution. The Certificate for Microsoft Dynamics AX Administration enables Microsoft Dynamics AX professionals to expand their skills, learn industry best practices, and manage their Microsoft Dynamics AX deployments in a professional, secure, and optimized way. The Certificate for Microsoft Dynamics AX Administration program provides: » Ongoing professional and personal development for Microsoft Dynamics AX professionals looking to better manage Microsoft Dynamics AX. » A holistic approach that encompasses not only competence with the software, but also expertise with supporting business processes and tools.

2 Core Classes

2 Elective Classes

» A balanced set of classes around process and technology training. » A mixture of instructional formats to ﬁt each professional’s situation. » A structured approach and opportunity to advance one’s capabilities. With the Certificate for Microsoft Dynamics AX Administration, you have the opportunity to expand not only your Microsoft Dynamics AX knowledge, but also your knowledge of supporting tools, technologies, and processes. You’ll take two core classes, then choose two more classes from a wide variety of electives, with training formats to match your schedule – online, in-person, and/or instructor-led remote classes. To earn this certificate of completion and contribution, you’ll choose an activity to share your new knowledge with other Microsoft Dynamics AX Users, enabling you to contribute to the greater AXUG community. AXUG Academy currently has six professional certificates available: Administration, Business Intelligence, Manufacturing, Trade & Logistics, Projects, and Microsoft Dynamics AX Financials. AXUG

Community Support Activity CERTIFIED

Visit www.axug.com/certiﬁcates for current class listings and additional certiﬁcate information.

24 | AXUG Magazine

AXUG

N G O

Logged in to the AXUG website

Uploaded a proﬁle picture on the website

Registered for an event (webinar, chapter meeting, Academy class) via the website

Started a discussion in the Open Forum

Added biography information to my proﬁle OR connected with LinkedIn

Updated password in the Contact Details area of the website

Viewed or downloaded a webinar recording on the website

Submitted a support ticket via the website (not an email)

Joined a chapter community

Recommended someone else’s post

Posted in a community other than the Open Forum (chapter, SIG, conference)

Registered for a conference on the website

Marked a response to my post as Best Answer

Marked a webinar recording or other document as a favorite

Responded to someone else’s post

Wrote a blog

Added someone as a contact

Earned a Silver Contributor ribbon or higher

Connected at least one of my social media accounts in the Social Links area of my proﬁle

Asked a question via Live Chat on one of the event sites

Read the Frequently Asked Questions page

Sent a fellow AXUG community Member a private message

Submitted a referral on the Member Get a Member page

Updated my community notiﬁcation settings under My Proﬁle > My Settings

We’re changing it up this issue with a game of bingo! Simply mark the functions you’ve participated in within the last calendar year, and then send a photo or scan of your bingo to Contests@axug.com.

Filled out my volunteer proﬁle

Congratulations to our most recent contest winner, Aubrey

Conrad from Swedish Match! Aubrey found the logo on ®

page 33 of the Q1 2016 issue of AXUG Magazine.

STICKLEY FURNITU RE Manlius, New York An incredible vision and ﬁne sense of furniture design and manufact uring led this company from the 25 employee s and the antiquated factory to their current success: Three stateof-the-art manufact uring facilities and more than 1,600 wonderfu l employees. SUTPHEN CORPORATION Dublin, Ohio Sutphen is in its 125th year of operation , making it the oldest continuou sly owne and operated owned ﬁre appar apparatus manufacturer in the country. co A family atmosp re is atmosphe apparent as the company c has never reorgan ed or reorganiz been owned and operated ope by anyone other than th a Sutphen.

SWEDISH MATCH Owensboro, Kentucky Swedish Match develops, manufactures, and sells quality products with market-leading brands in the product areas of snus and moist snuﬀ , other tobacco products (cigars and chewing tobacco), and lights (matches, lighters, and complementary products).

TEMPUR SEALY INC. Lexington, Kentuck y Tempur Sealy International, Inc. is the world’s largest bedding provider. The company develops, manufactures, and markets mattresses, adjustable bases, pillows, and other sleep and relaxation products. Combining a proud history and groundbreaking innovation, the company holds some of the most highly recognize d brands in the industry: Tempur®, Tempur-Pedic®, Sealy®, Sealy Posturepedic®, Optimum™, and Stearns & Foster®.

TIGERCAT INTERNATIONAL INC. Brantford, Canada

THERMON MANUFACTURIN G San Marcos, Texas Thermon holds a unique position as the only international heat tracing company completel y dedicated to its industry. Since 1954, Th ermon has concentrated its eﬀorts exclusively on heat tracing, the external applicatio n of heat to pipes, tanks, and instrumentation.

Tigercat specialize s in the design and manufact uring of premium quality forestry equipment and specialized oﬀ-road industrial equipment. Tigercat forestry systems are designed to provide the lowest cost per ton harvesting solutions.

There’s mo re!

To access a full list of manufactur ing companies in AXUG , visit the Membership Direct ory at www.axug.co engage/member-di m/ rectory/members/ advanced-search

Q2 2016 | 25 Q1 2016 | 33

MEMBER PROFILE

Academy

INSTRUCTOR

SPOTLIGHT INSTRUCTOR Matthew Hill, Director of Business Solutions at Client Strategy Group

nyone who has attended a session at AXUG® Summit and/or class from AXUG Academy knows that the discussion can get heated, and line-of-ﬁre questioning can sometimes turn into a chaotic sharing of knowledge. Matthew Hill, AXUG Academy instructor and director of business solutions at Client Strategy Group, knows this better than anyone. “Sometimes it’s a matter of keeping order of the chaos, but students need to contribute,

and I’m humbled with watching and guiding people through that learning process,” Matt shares. Matt is a true believer that manuals, white papers, and training materials can only take learning so far.

“Sometimes people need to work through a class setting to get the information to sink in. AXUG Academy

ACADEMY CLASSES BY MATT Managing Your Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Environment

is a fantastic conduit for Microsoft Dynamics AX-related information, and I’m lucky to be a part of it.” When Matt began working with Microsoft Dynamics AX, this type of learning wasn’t available for Users; he believes it really makes all the diﬀerence. As a technical person at heart, Matt has learned a big lesson from his interactions as an AXUG instructor over the past four years. “In my position at work, it’s easy to be opinionated. But as a teacher in a classroom setting, you have to be just as much a learner as your students,” Matt says. Matt’s best experience to date involves solving a User’s critical business issue in his Microsoft Dynamics

Understanding the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Security Model Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Performance Optimization

26 | AXUG Magazine

AX 2012 Performance Academy class. Numerous organizations had been brought on to try and resolve the issue. Some improvements were made, but the User’s business was still struggling to gain momentum. The business considered scrapping Microsoft Dynamics AX altogether. The User took the class as a lastditch eﬀort and came prepared with speciﬁc questions on what to look for and how to interpret the results.

Keeping Order of

CHAOS

After working through some conflicting information in the class, the User was able to find the correct combination of environment settings to get the system humming along. “They went from hating Microsoft Dynamics AX to using it effectively for their business,” Matt says. “That was very rewarding to see.” It’s those type of interactions with students that are Matt’s favorite part about teaching. “In addition to getting out of my day job for a bit, meeting and networking with other Microsoft Dynamics AX Users has been a great experience.” Being an instructor has helped Matt over the years, opening up more doors to collaborate with his peers as well as with Microsoft executives. “It’s really helped me become a more well-rounded individual, exploring areas I wouldn’t have had the chance to before” he says. Matt

encourages

anyone

who

considering becoming an instructor to do it. “The biggest mistake is thinking you can’t do it. Don’t ever be afraid to share knowledge, whether it’s in front of a classroom or in the hallway during an event,” he says. In addition to sharing knowledge, Matt encourages Users to speak up on what they want to learn about when it comes to Academy courses. “The main thing that drives the sessions are what Users want to learn. We’re here for you. If there’s a speciﬁc topic you need to know, submit it AND come with questions…lots of them!”

AXUG

Q2 2016 | 27

feature

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G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G UG U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G G G U U X X XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG UG XU XU AXU AX XU AX AX A G A G G G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A G G UG A X A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G U G G X AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G U U X X A A

story by Stewart Curtis, Optimum

mplementing a new Microsoft Dynamics AX system is inevitably seen as an IT project, but forgetting the people factor can undermine its success. Joanne Harrison, sales director of the IT training specialist Optimum, believes that well-timed, job-specific training for end Users on your system build is just as critical as the technology element. Getting it right will maximize the business benefits from your Microsoft Dynamics AX investment. But training isn’t just about making sure staff can use Microsoft Dynamics AX properly; it’s also an opportunity to address the change management issues that will arise. Effective, relevant training will help to paint a broader picture and reinforce the positives from switching to Microsoft Dynamics AX, boosting Users’ buy-in to the system.

End User Training Options There are several different approaches to end User training: Handling it entirely in-house; using a specialist consultancy to design the courses and materials while internal super Users deliver the training; or outsourcing the entire program. Deciding which option is best depends on the people, skills, and resources available within an organization. Whichever one is selected, the key is not to underestimate firstly the importance of tailoring the training to your business processes, and, secondly, the level of input needed to design, develop, and deliver a range of role-specific courses and supporting materials.

In-house Managing the process entirely in-house can be a popular choice, especially where there is a small number of end Users. Automated training products, such as Microsoft Dynamics AX’s built-in Task Recorder, map each step in a workstream process, taking screenshots and generating a corresponding report. This recorded script can be saved as a Microsoft Word document and then used as the basis for a reference guide for end Users to follow. These automated training products, either built-in or add-on systems, can be the most cost-effective option. As a mechanical process that puts the onus on self-learning, they also require much less resource in terms of planning and direct training interaction with end Users. The reference guides, though, will benefit from being customized. Tailoring the workstream documents to reflect your precise business processes will produce more relevant, User-friendly training materials that are clear and concise. Branding and the all-important business change messages will also need to be added in. However, be aware that these edits can be time-consuming, especially during the pre-go-live phase when resources are likely to be stretched.

Hybrid The second common end User training option – part specialist, part in-house – suits organizations that want to take ownership of the process but need support. In a typical example, Optimum created an entire Microsoft Dynamics AX end User training template, with a full suite of supporting materials for the finance, project, and HR suites, for global energy assets firm Amec Foster Wheeler. Optimum drew up a critical training plan, identifying the different User roles, who should be trained and in what, along with the content, duration, support materials, and logistics for each training session. Optimum also created trainer packs and lesson plans for more than 40 specific training sessions to meet the needs of the various roles in the business. A series of quick cards gave light Users a simple guide to common, key processes while detailed reference guides provided core Users with step-by-step instructions on more complex processes and set out exactly how the system should be used.

Q2 2016 | 29

Super Users from Amec Foster Wheeler then trained their peer groups. Most were new to training, and an essential part of Optimum’s brief was to equip them with the knowledge, the soft skills, and the conﬁdence to deliver the training successfully, whether that was to large groups in the classroom, at-desk sessions for smaller teams, or one-to-one help. Optimum has also recently adapted all the training documentation for the Microsoft Dynamics AX rollout to the ﬁrm’s North American and Canadian operations.

Specialist The third end User training option – outsourcing the entire program – suits organizations that have no internal IT training resource. Simmons & Simmons, a world-class international law firm with offices across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, recently implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 to increase its business efficiency and service clients more effectively. The company used Optimum consultants to plan the complex training programs for the finance, HR, matter management (fee billing), and risk work streams. They developed a blended suite of learning materials including course outlines, workflow diagrams, quick cards, detailed reference guides, and video tutorials. All the training documentation was written in an easy-to-understand, non-technical way to suit the audience of finance and HR people, fee-earning lawyers, and administrators. Optimum developed and delivered 30 courses ranging from an hour to four days in length. With more than 1,000 legal staff and half their lawyers based outside London, the Simmons & Simmons training was both face-to-face, classroom style, or via WebEx for the many remote Users. Trainer packs ensured that multiple trainers were delivering the course content in a consistent way. A single trainer then spent seven months embedded with Simmons & Simmons in a support role. This included providing classroom training in the UK, Hong Kong, China, UAE, and Qatar, as well as updating the training documentation as the law firm adapted its work processes and its use of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

5 Successful Training Program Tips Eﬀective, tailored, and timely end User training is critical to a successful Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation. Whichever model is chosen, this basic checklist is a good starting point to avoid some common pitfalls: » Build an internal training capability, identifying super Users who have the skills and Microsoft Dynamics AX knowledge to keep the User training courses and materials up to date as the system evolves. » Make all the training job-speciﬁc and User-focused, based on your system build and business processes. » Build your end User training after User acceptance testing; the inevitable changes here will impact the training content. » A collaboration between your super Users and specialist IT trainers can create a balanced, “best of both world’s” training program. » If you are outsourcing any element of your User training, engage the specialist early to create the optimum program and sustainable training materials. AXUG Optimum is an IT training consultancy, specializing in Microsoft Dynamics AX training for Users, with a mission to bring people and technology together to ensure maximum return on investment from a Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation or upgrade project. Want to chat about your project? Contact Joanne Harrison at Joanne.harrison@optimum.co.uk.

30 | AXUG Magazine

count me in.

Sven Hayes

Director of IT, Blendtec

Counting On AXUG Summit16 This October, thousands will travel from around the world to Tampa, Florida to attend AXUG Summit 2016 – the leading live event featuring user-produced education on how to maximize the performance of Microsoft Dynamics® AX. Over the course of three days, Dynamics AX Users will immerse themselves in an authentic communitydriven environment that offers credible knowledge exchange, focused learning and curated networking. With high-energy programming around every corner at AXUG Summit, users gain instrumental solutions for their everyday product challenges and larger organizational goals. Sven Haynes is a Dynamics AX User and Director of IT for Utah-based, highspeed commercial and residential blender manufacturer, Blendtec. Haynes ﬁrst attended AXUG Summit 2015 in RenoTahoe, Nevada and discovered that the ability to hone in on one’s product version, industry and role provides a customized conference experience and return on investment year-round.

When Blendtec’s team of 27 employees arrived at AXUG Summit 2015, they had a problem – a Dynamics AX problem. They needed to quickly bring their user-base up to speed on the capabilities of their newly deployed instance of AX 2012 R2 while also generating excitement for the investment. “AXUG Summit solved both problems by providing a concentrated forum that creates opportunities for learning and stimulating discussion, both within our team and with other Dynamics AX users,” said Haynes. “AXUG Summit gave us access to the expertise in the community we needed to return to the ofﬁce with energy and excitement.” The annual conference offers Dynamics AX users a dedicated and organic space to develop professionally within their roles. In his IT role at Blendtec, Haynes strives to bring increasing levels of efﬁciency to his organization by utilizing their systems to the fullest capability. “I encounter underused features and face new issues all the time. AXUG Summit is a great place to gather new insights and discuss problems with others, which inspires me to improve Blendtec’s systems and processes.”

Haynes is eager to attend AXUG Summit 2016 this October 11-14 in Tampa, Florida and looks forward to warmer weather and the new ideas he will discover. Count on Haynes to contribute to the Dynamics AX community this fall!

What advice would you give to someone who has yet to attend AXUG Summit? “Wear comfortable shoes, bring a coworker (or 10), and divide & conquer: there are too many breakout sessions for a single individual to cover.”

Count in. Count On. 10.11-14.16 | www.axugsummit.com

t&t

TIPS & TRICKS

Best Practices on Microsoft Dynamics AX Security Implementation e love to see questions get answered in the AXUG® Open Forum. Below you’ll see a scenario and question from a User, followed by a few comments and support for his approach. You’ll then see he came back with a thank you, plus another question, for which he got an answer. Keep the questions (and answers) coming!

Original Post

Technical Approaches within AX (Dec. 2015) This was quite useful for me. I would advise you to view this as well and maybe some others. Regards, Jeroen Paans, Driscoll Strawberry Associates This is the same approach that we took at our company. Our initial goal was to grant each User of AX ONE role. The exception is System User and Employee. We grant those 2 roles besides their “position” role to every AX User. We did stray someone from our initial goal. Our ﬁnance and accounting team has several cross-overs, so we created functional roles (GL, AP, AR, etc.) and then assigned multiple roles carefully to not cause a segregation of duty issue. As an example, a F&A employee might have GL and AP access. There is a limitation with “cascading roles”, it can only be 3 deep but otherwise should work. I’ve done a couple of presentations at Summit and webinars which can be found in the Security folder: “...Unlocking the Mystery” and “...Tips, Tools, and SOX”. Overall, your approach is solid in my opinion! Best regards, GG Rowe, PMP, Oregon chapter leader IT project manager, Planar, a Leyard company

I am not sure what are the best practices from Microsoft because I can’t find any. But for my current company, I tried following approach, it works for us. » Setup Role base on AX User’s Actual Position and Hired Companies. (we few alliances companies to cater different business across our group) - We call it “Position Role” here. » Copy the Standard Role in AX under the “Position Role” to grant Users access right. (usually, One Position Role have multiple Standard Roles). » Grant the Position Role to the Actually User and then restrict the access Company base on the Position Role. Although this solution work wells in a 30-Users environment; however, I have few questions: » There 2 standard Roles I am not sure whether I should put them under the “Position Role”. (System User, Employee) » Should I just copy all the Privileges and Duties from the standard roles to my Position Role? (since lot of Privileges and Duties are duplicated) » We also create some “Approval Roles” to make the Purchase Request Approval Workflow work, which we found it can’t cascade under the “Position Roles”. Setup Environment: » AX 2012 R2 CU7; » We currently don’t use Human Resource Model; Kelvin Liang, IT supervisor, Dextra China Ltd

We basically did the same thing here. All our Users fit into the different roles nicely with a few exceptions. In a few cases there was a feature that I had to give several Users that were not in the same role. I couldn’t assign it to the role and didn’t want to create an exact copy of the role with the one new feature. For example: The ability to “Change the Date in AX” had to be used by 3 people. One in Purchasing and 2 in Planning. For this I created a role called PowerUser_ChangeDate which I then assigned to the 3 different Users. Hope that helps. Mike Fechter, IIMAK

Replies

Additional Post

I know your struggle with the best practice for security. There is not one clear answer as it diﬀers per situation. For example, what’s the scope of AX usage, how are your departments organized and how many resources do you have to manage security etc. Recently I viewed the following webinar under Learn & Engage -> Access Webinars on Demand -> Security -> Dynamics AX Security –

Hi, Thanks for all the tips and tricks here, Appreciated!!! ^_^ In conclusion of all of you said, Employee and System User Role should assign separately, if a User have multiple roles (functions) cross diﬀerent legal entities, then give him/her multiple role base on what him/her actually does in those entities, which is what I did now. (we have 3 - 4 Users has such situation)

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Additional Reply But I guess if I need to learn more about the security of AX, I might need to subscript Membership here to see some inside materials, am I right? By the way, do anyone here know about “extensible data security policy” in AX, anyone have practical cases in using this? Thank! Kelvin Liang, IT supervisor, Dextra China Ltd

The extensible data security framework replaces the deprecated record level security. Basically it allows you to control what records a User can access in a table using a query. For example you can only see the sales orders you created. You can get a white paper on this from here https://technet. microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272862.aspx. Best regards, Luis X. B. Mourão founder & technical specialist, AXLLENCE AXUG

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Q2 2016 | 33

What’s New AXUG Website ON THE

We were thrilled to roll out new features and enhancements to the AXUG® website during Q1. Released on January 26, we hope these updates have improved your User experience when visiting www.axug.com.

Public or Member Only Webinars Something we’ve heard from the community is you’d like an easy way to see which webinars are open to everyone (public) and which ones are only available to paid AXUG Members. We’ve added a filter on the webinars page that allows filtering in three categories: All (default view), Public, or Member Only.

Find Your Add-On Activities When you register for a conference, often times there are additional registration activities you can choose (like Pre-Conference Academy classes prior to AXUG Summit). Previously when you looked at your registration in the My Registrations area of your proﬁle, you would not see those additional registration activities. Now when you look at your registrations, you can see those details.

Registrations for You and Your Team Many of our Member companies have asked to see all the registration activity happening for their company. This helps when determining to move from subscriber to paid Member or when looking at annual renewals. Account administrators and the primary contact will see a new button in their proﬁle area – Company Registrations. This gives an all-up view of all registration activities for your company.

Am I Logged In? You may have noticed when registering for an event that you are sometimes prompted to log in (again), even though you can see your proﬁle picture in the upper right of the site. We’re releasing a ﬁx that will address this discrepancy and eliminate the need for multiple logins.

Are We There Yet? We’ve heard (and experienced) some poor performance issues when registering for events on the site – specifically the loading speed. This release includes fixes to help with the screens loading during the registration process. We will continue to improve this process with additional fixes in future 2016 releases.

Keep helping us help you by letting us know your thoughts and feedback about your experiences on www.axug.com. We are always looking to improve the content and performance of the site and will continue to share additional updates. 34 | AXUG Magazine

NAME THAT PHOTO

CONTEST

These two gentlemen were hard at work during an AXUG® class. What information do you think they were sharing back and forth?

Q1 CONTEST WINNER: Chip Thiel of Ohio Gratings, Inc. “The Tao of AX – Happiness in Master Planning”

Simply email your submission to Captioncontest@axug.com. The winning submission will be printed in the magazine’s next issue.

Q2 2016 | 35

U R U RM CR G C G MU M C G U M R C G U G C G U M R M RM C G U M CR C U U U RM CR G C G MU G R C G U M R C G M R C G U M R U M R C G U M C G C UG MU RM CR G U R G M C G MU RM CR C UG U R C G UG M RM C G R C U R C U MU R C R G U G M R G U G M M C M CR C UG U RM CR G U M R C G U M G U M R C G U R CR G UG M RM C G M M C U R C U C UG UG RM R G C G M M R C M R C UG U RM CR G UG M RM C G U M U C U R C G U RM CR G C G MU RM C G U M R C G U G C G U M R M RM C G U M CR U R C G U M

microsoft member showcase “The most successful public organizations and governments are powered by passionate individuals who are fully empowered to make a difference.” – Microsoft Brandon Potter Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Dynamics R&D Leads the team responsible for public sector functionality that sits on top of Microsoft Dynamics AX

David Walsh Interim Director Leads the public sector team with go-tomarket initiatives across federal, state and local government, education, and healthcare.

Doug Bell Technology Solutions Professional Helps to identify opportunities where Microsoft Dynamics AX would be a viable solution for public sector organizations

Herb Quinde Public Sector Director for the US Dynamics Industry Sales Team Serves as a government SME and market strategist for User and Partner ecosystems

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XUG® sat down with the Microsoft Dynamics public sector team to talk about what Microsoft has to offer Users who work in this industry, scenarios that Users often face, and the teams’ advice for improving implementations. AXUG: Thank you for sitting down with us to talk about the public sector industry. Can you tell me a little about what each of you focuses on, since we have representation from a couple of different teams here? Brandon Potter (BP): My team puts together our product roadmap and agenda, meeting with Customers and prospects and working with our sales team to understand the future and where we need to go with the product. We’re also responsible for the conversations with ISVs that work in this space, looking toward a more holistic solution for Customers in the public sector industry. We do a lot of analysis to see where Microsoft Dynamics AX fits a need, where ISVs fit a need, and where VAR Partners should extend the solution to fit the need. It’s more about selling the complete solution. Doug Bell (DB): I have conversations with Customers to understand their needs and help them understand the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX. I guess you could say I’m the “demo guy”. I also help to identify our niche vertical strategies and then focus on those as strategic areas for further expansion. Herb Quinde (HQ): Let me first say that those two are being way too modest. Brandon is the one that conceptualizes how the product is supported and positioned in the public sector space, and Doug is the leading architect in the public sector space and shares his expertise in almost every deal. As for me, I support the overall expansion of Microsoft Dynamics into the public sector space. I find myself increasingly speaking about it in terms of “Dynamics” instead of “AX vs CRM”, as now that Microsoft Dynamics AX is in the cloud, we really are uniquely positioned to address challenges in a post-modern ERP era. And I see Microsoft as being the premier provider of post-modern ERP.

David Walsh (DW): I work with our internal public sector solution specialists, account teams, and Partners to execute across our core segments of federal, state and local government, education, and healthcare. Over the past three years, our team has focused on executing the launch of multiple micro-verticals that are the foundation of our public sector business. Examples of those include work with Partners focusing on towns, cities, counties, lotteries, airport and transit authorities, state liquor control, higher education, retail in federal, and multiple healthcare initiatives, including behavioral health and acute/post-acute care. We are now focusing on helping our existing and new Partner recruits get ready for the new Microsoft Dynamics AX and cloud deployments. AXUG: In your experience, does a Customer organization know what they’re looking for when you first talk to them? Are they able to get very specific with their needs and requirements or are they just looking for a solution? HQ: They’re looking for something very specific and in most cases, it doesn’t exist. The government has unique processes in that they have legislativelymandated programs, and then they need to find some IT to take care of the program, whether it is foreign policy, an economic initiative, or something else. When we find these opportunities, it’s because people have been looking for a very specific solution, and it doesn’t exist. In a previous role (CIO for the Illinois Department of Corrections), I investigated 28 different solutions for managing prisons – many of which were millions of dollars beyond what I could afford – and they didn’t address even 30 percent of what I needed. When I came to the Microsoft Dynamics team, I recognized that the product presented a solution that allowed me to “modify off the shelf ” and solve a problem that no piece of software could do. For example, when a grant is released to a state, the state releases that to communities, and there is no way to roll that grant distribution back up to the federal government as you have financial and case management systems that are not directly tied.

The new Microsoft Dynamics AX and Lifecycle Services (LCS) provide the ability for institutions to focus on the integration and aggregation of data, bringing their business processes together in a holistic way. AXUG: Those are excellent examples. Doug, when a User brings these or similar scenarios to you, how do you move from there? DB: Sometimes the objectives are clear: How do you use this as an opportunity to administer government with ERP and make it a transformational experience? That’s where the value comes from, but also the risk. It’s an opportunity to make material change to an organization’s ability to administer government. AXUG: Brandon, when does the R&D team come in during the solution architecture? BP: We have conversations weekly with Doug’s team where we’re discussing gaps and creative ways to drive functionality back to the product. We definitely want to be involved in those conversations while leaving time to build the product, so it’s a balance. Public sector is relatively new to Microsoft Dynamics AX, coming onboard in 2012. Manufacturing was there from the start, so we’re coming at this industry from an angle of being able to openly brainstorm solutions for Customers and prospects. DB: Brandon’s right; I’ve been on this team for four and a half years now, and we have always had a stronger feedback loop than other industries. We’re also the only industry – besides retail – to have an industry-focused sales team. I get to focus exclusively on public sector, making it a unique collaboration between the teams. HQ: And this is so important moving forward as we’re beginning to address the totally broken approach to the way finance is done in this industry. There are scores of government stories about failed ERP projects (including the U.S. Air Force, which spent more than $1 billion on a failed implementation), and it’s so important that the finances of the government become more agile and connected to the content of what government does – providing food, water, safety, etc. – every day. Microsoft Dynamics AX, LCS, and the entire Azure suite of capabilities are a nirvana that everybody is looking for…and it has finally arrived. (DW): This is especially crucial timing, as industry consultants estimate that nearly 70 percent of all ERP projects fail outright or do not meet original expectations for ROI and business value back to the organization. AXUG: That’s a tough statistic! And you’re right, the timing is great. What are Users most excited about regarding the new Microsoft Dynamics AX? DW: Definitely the User interface. They’re also excited that the business logic is consistent, about the implementation tools available to them in LCS, and how the configuration is tailored to what they want to see. All of this can help reduce risk and complexity around deployment, lower costs, and help with User adoption. DB: I would agree with all of that. LCS is a big part. The whole “better than SaaS” model in which Microsoft Dynamics AX has been designed will be really appealing to people who like certain cloud

concepts but maybe are not ready to jump into the SaaS model based on their org’s complexity. Also, the User interface being the HTML 5 client makes it naturally native within the primary client, and inherent mobility comes with that. For example, the screen reorganizes itself based on the device you’re working on. People are also enjoying the easy-to-use workspaces as opposed to role centers. Personalization will be huge as a lot of these workspaces were not designed for specific industries, but being able to suit the needs to government is magnified based on the challenges these organizations typically have had in embracing new technologies. We’re making that easier for them without forcing them into a model that they may not be comfortable with. BP: I would say that the data integration story is much more robust and thorough in this new release as well. There are a lot of other systems where people need data, and being able to integrate with other systems and government counterparts will be huge. AXUG: What’s your advice for a User in the public sector industry who is looking at improving on their implementation or business processes in general? DB: Of course, we want our Customers on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 to plan a move to the new Microsoft Dynamics AX. Short of that, I would encourage them to not look at their implementation day as the completion of their ERP project but instead as the beginning of the project. Think of a mother giving birth; that is just the end of one part of her journey. Continue to learn and look for opportunities to expand how you’re using your solution. Go back and look at your notes to see what you originally wanted your ERP to be. What were your objectives? Now that you’ve gone through an implementation, have you met your objectives? Revisit that and see if there are ways to improve what you have in place. BP: And as you do that, don’t be set in your ways. We have a lot of Customers who say, “we have to do it this way”, and the reason is because they’ve always done it that way. In government, there are a lot of things in a box, and somebody put you in that box. Because of that, look at everything, and see if you can change just one thing that will improve the way your system works. Also, keep up on patches and cumulative releases, even if you don’t make the jump to the new Microsoft Dynamics AX. We’re always releasing bug fixes, and ERP is a big investment. Think of these updates as you would think about changing the oil in your car; you need to keep up with it, especially if you want to see ROI. I would also say to stay involved with the AXUG community. Microsoft Dynamics AX is a cross-industry solution, and understanding how other Users handle things, even if they’re in another industry, can be very helpful. On the collaboration side, please use tools like Connect as we want to hear the pains and issues our Customers face. Without that kind of feedback, we can’t improve the solution to meet their needs. We’d also like to have a pool of Users to choose from who are in the various persona roles so that we can take the feedback we receive and go to a person who is actually in that role to see if it would help satisfy a need. AXUG Q2 2016 | 37

story by David M. Erickson, Elevate HR, Inc., AXUG® Partner Member

RPs always promise increased productivity. The irony is that productivity always drops during times of change. There are two dimensions to this so-called “productivity dip”: How deep it is, and how long it lasts. If people don’t adopt the new ERP processes, that productivity dip may never end. “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?” “One, but it has to really want to change.”

Swap the psychiatrist for a change agent, and the same joke could apply to your Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation: Do your Users really want to change? Very few individuals adapt well to change, and your Microsoft Dynamics AX project may be at risk if your people don’t embrace the new system right out of the gate.

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G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G X U G G AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G UG UG XU XU AX AX XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG U XU X AX A XU AX AX G A G A UG UG X G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A G G UG A X A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G U G G X AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G U U X X A A

Change leadership must lead the charge. A designated change agent will help get your implementation heading in the right direction – forward – from the moment Microsoft Dynamics AX is selected as your new ERP. A change agent is someone engaged with your implementation team whose job it is to ensure that the productivity dip is shallow and of short duration. He or she is responsible for the change – not of the system, but of the people whose lives are affected by it. A change agent can be someone with a formal role or an informal one, but the role cannot be delegated, and its importance cannot be ignored. Specialists and consultants in the area of change management can be of tremendous help in planning and execution, but actual change must be led from inside your organization. You may already have an experienced change agent in your company today, and he/she might not be who you think. Management guru Dave Ulrich cites “managing transformation and change” as one of the four key agendas of contemporary human resources (HR) organizations within companies. HR professionals, in the role of change agent, are “both cultural guardians and cultural catalysts.”1 HR accelerates change by driving it from within the firm’s mission, values, and culture. So it’s no wonder that a growing number of Microsoft Dynamics AX implementations lead with human capital management (HCM), even before finance. HR records are required by other Microsoft Dynamics AX modules, so leading with strong HCM processes and a solid HR foundation promotes the overall efficiency of the suite. Many companies also find that HCM can serve as an “early win” that makes change in other functions easier – and for those companies that move forward with self-service, nowhere is broad change within a company more evident. Starting with HCM allows companies to tap an organizational capability and to start change at the beginning. How else do companies manage change with respect to their ERP? These five principles are key: » Know what the real change is. Implementing a new system like Microsoft Dynamics AX is usually a response to a broader business-driven transformation – a merger, divestiture, industry downturn, reinvention, newly opened market, or innovation. The real story of the change is not the system; it’s your business. » Communicate the story early, and often. In the absence of information, people make it up, and “it” is usually the most provocative of scenarios. So market the change – make the story clear, informed, truthful. People will get on board with change fairly quickly if they understand the real business purpose for it. Change is a daily activity – it is the present and the future, not the past. People need to see it coming, not only that it’s here. » Change must be personally embraced, not commanded. This applies not only to leadership – the simple “lead by example” – but for everyone confronting change. There is a process to change, often compared to the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). We get through these stages, but it takes a personal commitment to the vision of a new world. It also takes time, and leaders must adapt first. » Ground change in the familiar. Even radical change comes from or goes to somewhere, or it has an outside context that is already familiar to people. Connect the dots between the past and the future, between the internal changes and the outside world. Give change context, and the productivity gap will shorten. » Have fun with it. Microsoft Dynamics AX implementations take commitment, engagement, tremendous energy, long hours – what motivates your people? Encourage connection to their counterparts at other companies in the Microsoft Dynamics AX community. Recognize their achievements. Throw a party or two. Have a contest. Give out t-shirts or other swag. Market the change with humor. These projects don’t happen every day – enjoy them! The Microsoft Dynamics AX Partner channel knows how to implement ERPs – we know how to screw in the light bulb. But people are not light bulbs, and change is about people – nothing will change unless people do. If not managed, change is the hardest of things. And think about starting your Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation with HCM, or at least make it part of an early phase. Bring your change agent(s) in early. AXUG

feature

David M. Erickson is the CEO of Elevate HR, Inc. Want to talk with him more about change agents? You can reach him at david.m.erickson@elevate-hr.com. 1

Ulrich, Dave, Human Resource Champions (Harvard Business School Press, Boston MA), p. 30

Q2 2016 | 39

Expanded Volunteer Program Brings You More Ways to

Get Engaged in AXUG

s a community built by Users for Users, AXUG® relies strictly on Members’ volunteer efforts to help us grow and flourish. Everyone has different reasons for volunteering, usually some combination of intrinsic and extrinsic benefits including personal and professional development, service to others, developing a deeper network within the community, and more. We are pleased to launch an expanded program to provide our growing, diverse community of volunteers with more support to get engaged by sharing their time and talents while developing personally and professionally, making a meaningful impact in the User Group community, and being recognized for their valuable efforts in helping grow quality programming and experiences across AXUG.

Your Community Needs You. It’s Easy to Get Started! It’s simple to get involved as a volunteer with the User Group. Log into www.axug. com/volunteer for details today! You’ll take a few minutes to review the four ways to volunteer and submit your volunteer profile, sharing how you’d like to volunteer your time, any specialty focus areas, and some general information about your expertise in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Then we will follow up with you to discuss opportunities matching your areas of interest. You’ll also be invited to join the virtual AXUG volunteer community, where you’ll learn about new opportunities, network, and access training and development resources.

4 WAYS TO VOLUNTEER: » PRESENT virtually in webinars or in person at conferences or local chapter meetings » INSTRUCT an Academy course online or at conferences » SERVE on a User Group board or committee, lead a Special Interest Group (SIG), or join a chapter leadership team » WRITE a blog, magazine article, or tech tip

What’s In It for You? Givers Gain! As a AXUG volunteer, you join an incredible network of peers and subject matter experts dedicated to helping the User Group community. Our volunteers share that through their experiences, they receive much more than they give: They are challenged, encouraged, and supported as they develop deeper product knowledge, grow their skills, and expand their personal and professional network. Take the leap: You’ll be glad you did! As a member of the AXUG volunteer community, you’ll receive resources to connect you with opportunities of interest and develop you in your role. This will include access to the virtual volunteer community, library of training resources and events, dedicated communication and interaction with User Group team members regarding your volunteer experiences and opportunities, and more.

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VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION:

Volunteer Recognition and Rewards

» First annual Volunteer Rewards to be announced at Summit 2016

In September 2015, we launched the recognition and rewards facet of the volunteer program. Working with a group of User Group volunteers, we created a plan to recognize the vital role volunteers have in building a strong and valuable User Group community. Volunteers will receive recognition of contributions and earn points for each volunteer activity contributed to the User Group. Points accrued during each program year (Sep. 1 through Aug. 31) will go toward annual volunteer appreciation rewards, the ﬁrst of which will be announced at AXUG Summit 2016 in Tampa, Florida. We are excited for this enhancement to the volunteer program, which strives to show appreciation for volunteers’ contributions and provide meaningful rewards of value. Log into www.axug.com/volunteer for details!

» Recognition in the User Group Magazine, website, and social media » User Group apparel » Volunteer certiﬁcate/plaque » VIP experience at Summit » Discounts to User Group Academy training » And more!

Stay Tuned for Updates! We will continue to build the AXUG volunteer program to enable Members to share their knowledge and experiences as passionate volunteer leaders who are actively supported in helping the User Group grow and flourish. This is your User Group – get involved today: visit www.axug.com/volunteer to fill out your volunteer profile and get connected. We’ll invite you to share your experiences, and you’ll keep up to date on what’s new with the AXUG volunteer program. We look forward to involving you as a AXUG volunteer, honoring our tradition of “for Users, by Users” and helping grow quality programming and experiences across your User Group! AXUG

Q2 2016 | 41

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U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G G U U X X AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G UG UG U XU XU AX AX A G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A X U G AX A G A G G U U X X A A G G UG UG XU G A A G G U U X X A A X G UG UG XU XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX G AX A G G UG U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG A A X G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G A G G U U XU X AX A G G U U X X A A G G G UG U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A XU X X A A G G U U X X U G G U G G G G U U A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G G G UG U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX A G XU X AX A G G U U X X A A G G A G UG U XU X AX A A G G UG UG XU XU AX AX XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G UG G U U X X A A G G UG UG XU XU AX AX A AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G UG UG U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A AX G A G A G UG U XU X AX A A G G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G G G U U X X AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G UG UG U XU XU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A X U G G AX A A G G U U X X A A G G UG UG XU G G U U X X A A G A X G UG UG XU XU AXU AX AX G A G A UG UG XU XU AX AX G AX A G G UG U XU XU AX AX G A G A UG UG A A X G G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G U U XU X AX A G G U U X X A A G G G UG U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A A X U G G G G U U X X AX A G A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A A G G UG U X U G G U U X X A A A X A

TRENDING TOPICS

he AXUG® Open Forum is a great place on the AXUG website for sharing best practices, tips and tricks, and general knowledge with others. It’s also a place to post questions and get answers from other Microsoft Dynamics AX users. The AXUG online community has more than 9,900 discussion posts. Below are two recent topics that garnered much discussion. Check them out and then take a moment to share your opinion, answer someone’s question, and/or post your own question (or quick tip that helps you be more eﬃcient).

How to Restrict the Sale of an Item by Customer in Microsoft Dynamics AX

Visit www.axug.com/trend1 to view the full thread and read all comments.

Batch Job and Date Time Issue

Visit www.axug.com/trend2 to view the full thread and read all comments.

IT’S EASY TO POST A QUESTION OR A RESPONSE...

Visit www.axug.com, log in, and click on Learn & Engage Î Open Forum. You can start a new topic or use the Search feature to join an existing discussion.

Congratulations to Michael Grams of Northern Tool + Equipment for winning the Q1 2016

Academy

Word Find. Your prize is in the mail! Below are 25 words that relate to the topics and theme

Aubrey Conrad

in this issue of AXUG Magazine. These words can be found in the grid horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backwards, and forwards. Submit your completed Word Find for a chance to win a

AXUG Bingo

gift certiﬁcate; simply scan and email your entry to Wordﬁnd@axug.com.

Change is Good

N W I L S O N G G R S E T U P T I P S A N T T E L

A S C M L E N E R P S Y S T E M L I M I T S V O L

H E O E I R T A A S S E R G N O C E U R O P E A N

C C N T M S R E N A C S N O I T U L O S T I R E M

G U G S I S O P T C H A N G E I S G O O E R S O F

N R R Y T G A O W L M F A S C I L B U P U E O S I

I I E S N Y P R I I E I C R E B M E M S R T L T L

N T S I S E M U L M R L A L I S T S E S O U U I V

I Y B A C A D E S I I T D A C A D R C Y P P T R O

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Culture End User Training ERP System Limits European Congress Filter Lists Focus Grant Wilson Members Merit Solutions Microsoft Dynamics AX Partners Paul Martin Public Sector Security Setup Tips Summit Telecommunications Users Volunteers Western Computer

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VAR Partner Solution Showcase

KELLY HOLWAGNER

JERRY HART

COMPANY Western Computer INTERVIEWEES Kelly Holwagner, Vice President of Operations, and Jerry Hart, Microsoft Dynamics AX Practice Manager WEBSITE www.westerncomputer.com PHONE 805-581-5020 EMAIL Kelly.holwagner@ westerncomputer.com; Jerry.hart@westerncomputer.com HEADQUARTERS Oxnard, California INTERESTING FACT Western is currently deploying Microsoft Dynamics AX for an international company in 37 countries with 200 facilities worldwide. VAR PARTNER MEMBER SINCE 2009

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AXUG: How long has Western Computer been in business? Kelly Holwagner (KH): Western Computer is in its 29th year. We started offering Navision (now Microsoft Dynamics NAV) before Microsoft’s acquisition and then moved into Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. I think the longevity of our company breaks down to how we treat our Customers. We’re about more than implementing solutions. We’re bringing value to our clients by supporting them through the entire process. Jerry Hart (JH): Western has a rich history of providing expertise for both Microsoft Dynamics AX and Microsoft Dynamics NAV Customers. By offering and supporting both solutions, we can provide our Customers with expertise, future growth, and a long-term roadmap. Western has expanded with global businesses to support their international requirements. AXUG: Tell us more about what you offer and how you support your clients. JH: We offer our Customers the ability to understand their complex business requirements with solid industry and in-depth Microsoft Dynamics AX knowledge. As a Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics AX, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Partner, we’re able to provide end-to-end services to our Customer base. We’re invested in understanding their needs and requirements from the very beginning. Western works in both small business and large enterprise, and that gives our Customers the flexibility to grow and know there is a roadmap into the future for them with Microsoft and Western Computer solutions. KH: We’re their Partner in change management

from the first time we meet them, through the sale, implementation, and support of that Customer. We have an extensive process, communicating with our Customers every step of the way so that they can transform their business with a new solution. JH: By providing a full range of business solutions, we can provide a complete solution. We support our Customers by understanding their business goals, needs, and priorities. Our change management starts the first day we meet our clients, through the implementation and with dedicated Customer account managers that are available to ensure we are meeting their needs and helping to provide continuous improvement for their business. AXUG: Do you work in any vertical markets? JH: With our Microsoft Dynamics AX business, we focus and have in-depth knowledge and experience from a business and functionality perspective for project-based construction and engineering companies. This includes providing complex manufacturing and mixed-mode capabilities for make to order, configure to order, engineer to order, heavy estimating requirements, discrete manufacturing, advanced distribution, and any combination of the above both nationally and globally. AXUG: What’s on the horizon for your Microsoft Dynamics AX clients? JH: We are very excited about the new opportunities that Microsoft Dynamics AX will provide in regards to cloud or on-premises solutions, the ability to extend with mobile applications, utilizing Power BI for business intelligence, and for providing our Customers with the complete solution today and into the future.

KH: Western is also engaged with the TAP program for the new release of Microsoft Dynamics AX with one of our Customers, and we are really excited about that. AXUG: Tell me more about the TAP program. KH: It’s a beta-type program where Microsoft works with Customers on the new release through what’s called TAP (technical adoption program). We’re excited about the added capabilities of the new Microsoft Dynamics AX with cloud and on-premises hybrid options. JH: I am on the AXUG Focus committee to provide deep-dive educational programs for Microsoft Dynamics AX Users across the world. Western has a TAP program for Customers that puts us at the forefront of technology and in helping them to implement the new Microsoft Dynamics AX. Through the TAP program, we work closely with Microsoft and our Customers to provide clear communications on the needs of our Customers as well as ﬁne-tuning Microsoft Dynamics AX functionality in the new release and providing a roadmap for the future. We are actively involved in the Microsoft Dynamics AX focus groups in addition to the TAP program. Western is a leader in educating the AXUG base in regard to Lifecycle Services (LCS) by partnering with Microsoft and providing hands-on assistance.

AXUG: How would you describe the culture of your business? KH: I worked at Microsoft for many years and have always been very passionate for driving change that helps Customers with their businesses. I also worked closely with Andy Hafer and Frank Vukovits at the beginning of AXUG and love how it pulls people together to share knowledge and leverage diﬀerent tools. I think the AXUG culture is very similar to the culture here at Western Computer and is a big reason I chose to work here. We help our Customers be self-sufficient and encourage them to get involved in AXUG to get the best value out of their solution. We’re strong believers in trust being the foundation to a good relationship, and that’s a key fundamental that has made our business a success. JH: Western cares deeply about working with our Customers, Partners, and employees to provide real value to businesses we work with in a respectful and honest way. We strive to empower and to develop our expertise in the industries we serve so that we can achieve our goals and continue to improve and provide Customer satisfaction. Our first priority is to partner with our Customers to achieve their business solution goals and priorities. AXUG

“The strategy Western Computer showed us in their RFP response and presentation demonstrated that they know how to do this right. Their knowledge and experience were impressive, far and away the best of everyone we considered. They delivered on time, on budget, and there were no problems after the go-live date.” Richard Hannah, VP of Information Services for Gibsons

Q2 2016 | 45

feature

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G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G UG U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G G G U U X X XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG UG XU XU AXU AX XU AX AX A G A G G G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A G G UG A X A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G U G G X AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G U U X X A A

story by Don Riggs, enVista, AXUG® Partner Member

t is hard to argue with successful entrepreneurs that their processes are not the primary reason for their company’s success. Not only are they supportive of the process, but they also may have actually authored it. Companies, whether they perform well or poorly, will hang onto their processes for dear life. They have been institutionalized and are almost unchangeable. The question is, does the process drive success? How can two companies using exactly the same process get wildly different results? I believe that it is the execution of the process and the focus on the results that truly make the difference. In short, it is the people that affect the results, not the process. The process only affects the results if it is a bad process. This means there can be many processes that can achieve the desired result. It also means that the biggest obstacle to adapting different processes is the people executing them. That in a nutshell is what this article is about.

Every Company is Special One thing that is true of virtually every company I’ve spoken with is that they feel they are unique. This can be their philosophy, culture, price, delivery, or their dedication to good Customer service. They feel there are specific characteristics that give them their competitive advantage. And I agree! What we have to determine is if this is a perceived difference or an actual difference. In the case of an actual difference, it is important to give it special consideration as this may create the company’s strategic advantage. In the case of a perceived difference, however, it mainly just needs to be understood as both are important to the individual company. Another way to look at it is to look at the percentage one company may differ from one company to another in the same space. It would be fair to say that two manufacturing companies are at least 80 percent the same. Therefore, it is really important to focus on the 20 percent and accept the 80 percent. This in no way diminishes the pride and belief people have in their company. On the contrary, I am merely saying it is because of them and the execution of the process that makes it successful. Too much credit or blame is given to the process.

Is it the Process or the Outcome That is Important? Let’s take a minute to take a closer look at this. Is it the process or the proper execution of the process that gives us the desired results? I would submit that the proper execution of the process is much more important than the process itself. The other more important aspect is whether or not the process achieves the desired results. Without measurement, we have no way to compare one process to the other. How do we know a particular process is superior? It could be argued that the achieving of the correct result is the most important. If this is so, then whatever process we use to get the desired result is only defined by its efficiency. It is like blaming a baseball manager that his team is not hitting. Managing a baseball team is a process. Winning of baseball games is a desired result. No matter how good or bad your process is, if it is not being executed effectively, it will not get the desired result. (Oh, if it only was that easy!)

Understanding the Constraint I would like to now take this and frame it around an ERP implementation process. No matter how skillful we allow flexibility to be configured in a specific process, we are constrained by that process. This means that we do not have an infinite amount of choices when it comes to business mapping within the ERP system. Although there are other choices, the best decision path is to generally use the processes the system gives you. The single biggest challenge to the success or failure of an ERP implementation is not understanding and accepting this constraint. A company’s resistance to change can doom a project, and it is vital to look at a process in two ways. The first is, does it meet the desired goal? The second is, how efficient is it in getting to that desired goal? The process itself is unimportant provided it achieves the goals and efficiencies required. Q2 2016 | 49

People Within the Process We must give people space to allow them to identify the needs and the goals of a process. It is amazing, but by simply doing this we may find the need is not as important as first identified. It is important to understand that we must give people space and not attack their position. If we do, they will hang on to that in spite of any attempts to change their opinion. It also takes a very special management and a huge amount of trust to change an organization’s processes. Support of upper level management is vital, and they must support the change management process from the beginning, or it cannot occur. I have seen a project team work diligently and come up with a good acceptable decision. I have then seen it overridden by upper level management. This is one of the most disruptive things that can happen in a project. The team loses all hope, momentum, and confidence at that point. Sometimes this override is with cause, and in that case, we better define their responsibilities to the project. In some cases it is without cause, and can even be a statement of authority. For whatever reason, it is destructive and needs to be dealt with as uninformed, egotistical, upper level management can doom a project from the start.

We Can Just Change It A typical way of dealing with reluctance to change is to change the process and the ERP system. Sounds simple; just make it do this. Here is the reality of that situation. In my experience in taking over failed implementations, the single biggest reason for failure has been changing the ERP processes. This is typically called customization. Ask yourself something, would you buy a car that there was only one of in the universe? What do you think this would mean to maintenance reliability and risk? If you consider it in that way, why are you so convinced that this is the right way to do it with your ERP system? Customization is the single biggest reason for failure, cost overruns, and continuing cost. What drives customization is the inability for companies to change. In speaking with people on upgrades, I have never had one wish they had done more customizations. This opposite is true; they wish they had done fewer. The biggest problems and continuing cost had come from customizations. In an upgrade, we typically remove 65 percent or greater customizations from the previous version.

The Best Approach Now that we’ve established the considerations and risks associated with this process, let’s talk about an approach to this problem. The first principle is that no system-level change will be made until every other option is exhausted. This means that the differences between the two processes must be quantified. People will need to be openminded because we cannot make a business decision based on likes and dislikes. It is almost guaranteed that people will not like the new processes, even if they are superior. It is important that the company truly understands the process. They need to commit the time before rejecting it out of hand. Unfortunately, many process decisions are based on alarmingly little effort. The second principle is to focus on the processes that are unique to the industry, and most specifically, your company. In this area, the system must prove it can in fact address this need. The processes need to be identified, clearly understood by all parties, and have a clear identification of the expectations. We need to make sure any true company need is addressed. The third principle is that any processes that are not unique to the company are looked at differently. The ERP system should be looked at as the new process. This means that it becomes the standard until proven that it cannot address specific company needs. The difference being the system needs to prove it cannot do something. This allows us to focus on the second principle. The fourth principle is that any customization must meet the following criteria to even be considered: » The business need is clearly not addressed within the framework of the ERP system. » Any other changes are made to improve efficiency and accuracy. » The change must be cost-justified. The offset to efficiency is scale. It is hard to justify the change to a process that occurs 10 times a day unless this process takes in an inordinate amount of time and can be vastly improved. Otherwise there is no justification for the change. This gets people to really think about their process when they have to put it in terms of savings and dollars. The fifth principle is that the business owner of the processes needs to be actively involved in the ERP implementation. How many of you would send the IT department out to buy a car for you? Why would a 50 | AXUG Magazine

business think that IT can represent all the business needs of a company? IT is a support function to the project; IT should not be forced to make decisions on behalf of the company. If the business is not involved in the process, they are simply not doing their jobs. Outside of customization, this is the second biggest reason why implementations fail. The sixth principle is that everyone is responsible for scope. Scope creep is the biggest single threat to timeline and budgets. There must be a formal process for deﬁning changes to scope, and it must be enforced. If you allow anyone to direct change, you cannot in any way hope to control outcome.

Conclusion It is not enough to say that change is inevitable. It is important to understand the change, and expectations must be managed. It is important to understand that the ERP system puts a constraint on creativity. It is understanding and effectively dealing with these constraints that define success or failure. The process reminds me of a story I once read. In that story, a young man was complaining about having the same thing in the lunch line three days in a row. The old man he was speaking with looked at him with sad eyes and said, “You know, Mr. Davis, your problem is that you cannot understand the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you have nothing to eat, that is a problem. If your house is burning down, that is a problem. Having the same thing for lunch three days in a row is an inconvenience.” Make sure you are addressing the problems and accepting the inconveniences. AXUG Don Riggs is a senior director AX applications architect for enVista. He can be reached at Driggs@envistacorp.com.

Broaden your Dynamics® AX knowledge with hands-on training, prepared by users for users. www.axugcongress.com

9 – 1 0 M AY 2 0 1 6 | I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O N G R E S S C E N T E R |

S T U T T G A R T, G E R M A N Y

Q2 2016 | 51

MINUTES WITH AXUG’S VOLUNTEER OF THE QUARTER

Who I’m following on social media right now… It’s hard to narrow down to one single person, but I’m always interested in people who are in the same career path and that I can learn from. I always want to learn something new. On my desk right now… Preparations for a go-live, data load validations, testing for some modiﬁcations, and supporting documentation for our end-to-end testing. My three goals for 2016… » A successful go-live » Continue volunteering and participating in AXUG » Gain more knowledge in the ﬁnancial areas of Microsoft Dynamics AX What I do when I’m not at work… Spend time with my grandson and read a good book.

Paul Martin Expert ERP Analyst TempurSealy International, Inc.

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The best advice I ever received… Two things: The ﬁrst, “You will test it, one way or the other might be in production, but it will get tested.” The second, “Everything hard is just something simple you don’t understand yet, because once you understand it, it is simple.”

ISV Partner Solution Showcase

COMPANY Merit Solutions INTERVIEWEE Josh Richards, Marketing Director EMAIL Jrichards@meritsolutions.com PHONE 630-614-7133 WEBSITE www.meritsolutions.com ISV PARTNER MEMBER SINCE 2011

AXUG®: How did Merit Solutions get its start? Josh Richards (JR): Merit Solutions was founded in 1999 as a Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner with deep experience in the manufacturing industry and with supply chain processes. Most of our growth and success in those early years came through client referrals and strong community relationships. In fact, in the early 2000s, we were asked to help one of the Big 4 build out a life sciences consulting practice. Shortly thereafter, we began developing our own IP as well as performing OEM work directly for Microsoft. We received a lot of awards from Microsoft early on due to the success our clients were having with Microsoft Dynamics GP. However, that same success and growth led to challenges with Microsoft Dynamics GP, and our clients began outgrowing the capabilities of the platform. As they grew, they needed a solution that was more scalable, supported global operations, and had more robust capabilities. That’s when we started looking at Microsoft Dynamics AX for our client base, and around 2008, we formally made the strategic move to providing end-to-end services around Microsoft Dynamics AX. While we still support some of our matured Microsoft Dynamics GP ISV solutions and clients, we now work exclusively with medium to large global enterprises that want to invest in the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform. AXUG: How does Microsoft Dynamics AX better scale for your clients? JR: While Microsoft Dynamics GP will always ﬁt in with smaller, earlier-stage organizations, today our clients are rapidly growing, value-generating global organizations. They have complex supply chains, rely on distributed networks of suppliers and partners, and need to comply with a variety of global and local compliance requirements. Microsoft Dynamics GP is not intended to support the operational and process needs of these types of organizations. AXUG: What services do you oﬀer for Microsoft Dynamics AX?

54 | AXUG Magazine

JR: Merit provides end-to-end consulting and development services for evaluating, implementing, extending, and supporting Microsoft Dynamics AX. Specifically, our mobile team works with Microsoft Dynamics AX Users to develop mobility strategies and design crossplatform, scalable applications that maintain integration with critical back-end business systems and external/online data sources. Our MeritCare offering provides clients with ongoing support and Azure/cloud-managed services. This team also manages a lot of the Microsoft Dynamics AX rescue work we’ve performed over the past couple of years. Our MeritCare team is U.S.-based and isn’t a traditional “help desk” approach. Most often, when clients call in with requests, our team can resolve them immediately on the phone. Our AXcelerate offering is a pre-configured, cloud-based rapid deployment offering that reduces the time and cost to implement Microsoft Dynamics AX by up to 40 percent. In fact, we had two clients go live on January 1 this year whose projects were shorter than three months! And MAXLife is our validation-ready offering of Microsoft Dynamics AX for pharma, medical device, and biotech organizations. Like AXcelerate, MAXLife can be rapidly deployed and includes additional quality and compliance functionality needed by FDA-regulated organizations. AXUG: Have your mobile and cloud development services been in high demand lately? JR: There has definitely been an increase in demand. With the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 7, or Microsoft Dynamics AX as it’s now called, I think the push for mobile will be even greater than before. And what’s positive is that we’re seeing demand increase across a number of industries. Field services organizations have long been adopters of mobile solutions, so it should not be surprising to learn that we’ve developed a mobile field services application for one of our Microsoft Dynamics AX

clients, Stanley Steemer. The life sciences industry, on the other hand, has traditionally avoided mobile technologies due to compliance and security requirements. But we’re now working with numerous FDAregulated organizations to design and implement mobile solutions and strategies – including voice-activated Microsoft Dynamics AX mobile solutions. We’re even doing mobile development work for Microsoft right now. AXUG: What kind of concerns do your clients have around a mobile strategy? JR: We recently conducted our own research on mobile strategies and what most concerns executives today. As has been the case for years, “controlling data security” was the main concern cited by a large majority of our respondents. However, there are a number of very strong mobile device management and data security tools available today that should make security less of a risk. Such so that security threats should no longer prevent any company from mobilizing business processes. Corporate data needs to be stored, monitored, and secured somewhere by someone. Organizations need to compare the costs, quality, and benefits of building out the capacity to do so internally versus trusting an external partner to be held accountable. We also saw a large percentage of respondents concerned about the expected costs to develop and support User-friendly mobile solutions – on multiple platforms. However, with development tools and platforms like Xamarin, companies can build high-quality, high-performance, cross-platform native apps for iOS, Android, and Windows in a fraction of the time. AXUG: This magazine issue focuses on change management. How do you help Microsoft Dynamics AX Users deal with change? JR: Oh man; change is hard. There are so many different levels and types of change, whether it’s the way a particular process is completed or a change in the people performing those processes. A lot of companies struggle when trying to address change because it is more conceptual and deals with predicting behaviors and responses to change. It is very difficult to understand what impact even minor changes will have on people – for some, simply moving one button or changing the color of text can cause major stress. Microsoft Dynamics AX projects are business transformations that require organizations to proactively plan for and invest in change

management strategies. One of the most critical components of those change management plans should be communication; it is imperative that communication flows early and often up and down the entire organization. Every change and phase of the project needs to be communicated with ample feedback opportunities for end Users, giving them enough notice about incoming changes, providing the business context for why the change is occurring, and encouraging them to more easily accept and buy into change. AXUG: Why do Microsoft Dynamics AX Users love working with Merit Solutions? JR: It may be cliché to say it, but the heart of everything that we do is in our core values. At Merit Solutions, we are deeply committed to: Providing the highest quality, operating with integrity, earning and maintaining trust, and providing our team members with an outstanding work environment and organizational culture. Our clients repeatedly refer to these core values as the reasons they continue to work with us. And they tell us that we are unmatched in our drive to exceed the results they seek. AXUG: What do you have coming up for Microsoft Dynamics AX Users in 2016? JR: We’re excited for the big release of Microsoft Dynamics AX, so we’re in the process of making all our offerings true cloud solutions. We’re also looking at further investments into our offerings to provide more cost-effective and complete solutions for our clients. We expect to see more and more Microsoft Dynamics AX clients that want to extend their data to mobile devices via cloud services. We expect this to be especially true within the life sciences industry, where you’ll start seeing mobile options for requirements around clinical trials, manufacturing execution, medical device service and repair, medical records management, and more. With the new Microsoft Dynamics AX, clients will want to implement faster and cheaper than ever before. However, it will be important to speed up the implementation and reduce the costs without sacrificing quality and value. Our clients will benefit from this shift to the cloud because we are continuously defining and refining our implementation methodology and looking for ways to make Microsoft Dynamics AX implementations more standardized, repeatable, and cost-effective. AXUG

“Merit hires seasoned, knowledgeable, and collegial ERP experts who genuinely care about providing superior value at a reasonable cost. They seem at all times to have our best, long-term interests at heart, even when that might detract from their short-term revenue prospects, understanding that this is key to their excellent reputation and successful business model.” Erik Nelson, VP of IT, Volcano Corporation

Q2 2016 | 55

Setting Sights on AXUG Focus 2016 2 0 1 6

A DynamicsÂŽ AX Userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point of View: Q&A with Pauletta Kluth, Montana Silversmiths

In June, Microsoft Dynamics AX Users will gather in the Chicago Metro Area (Schaumberg, IL) to dig deeper into educational topics focusing on roles, industries, and product versions. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference will feature three primary tracks: Finance, BI & Reporting, and Technical. Each track will offer intensive, 90-minute sessions where Users can get their questions answered and gain new skills to add to their Dynamics AX toolbox. Pauletta Kluth is a Program Manager at Montana Silversmiths, a Montana-based western buckles and jewelry manufacturer. Kluth is also a member of the AXUG Focus 2016 Programming Committee, and like her peers Kluth believes $;8* )RFXV ZLOO IXOĂ&#x20AC; OO WKH XVHUÂˇV GHVLUH WR OHDUQ about topics important to the AX community. We were able to ask Kluth a few questions about this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference: AXUG: What are you looking forward to the most about AXUG Focus? Pauletta Kluth (PK): Personally, I love the networking. The most valuable takeaway for me has been the connections with other AX Users. Plus, I am looking forward to strengthening my Ă&#x20AC; QDQFH DQDO\WLFDO NQRZOHGJH DQG OHDUQLQJ how to use AX better within that role. AXUG: How will AXUG Focus help solve a problem an organization is facing? PK: If an organization is resisting Dynamics training, it may be because they are facing an obstacle

such as time and money. AXUG Focus is a costeffective, time-condensed way for a company to equip a team member with necessary skills through a series of sessions that most applies to their job role. AXUG: How will AXUG Focus help solve a problem an individual might face in their role? PK: 1RW DOO MRE UROHV DUH ZHOO GHĂ&#x20AC; QHG 2IWHQ ZH wear many hats in our daily job functions. AXUG Focus 2016 is a multi-track conference, allowing participants to pick and choose sessions across three tracks that most apply to what they do on a daily basis. This format allows participants to customize their learning and interact with peers that face the same issues and are in a similar job role. By making those connections with other Users at AXUG Focus, participants will always have someone they can send a quick email to and ask a question. Participants may also feel more comfortable posting to the online discussion ERDUGV DQG VD\ Â´+H\ , NQRZ WKDW SHUVRQ , PHW WKHP DW $;8* )RFXV Âľ $;8* )RFXV FRQQHFWLRQV make later interactions much more personal and as a user, they will have a new level of FRQĂ&#x20AC; GHQFH WR UHDFK RXW DQG SDUWLFLSDWH LQ $;8* AXUG: How do you expect AXUG Focus to help elevate Users professionally? PK: It is inevitable that a user gains professional skills during AXUG Focus, where they will be able to bring knowledge back to their organization WKDW EHQHĂ&#x20AC; WV DQG KHOSV WUDLQ WKH QH[W OHYHO RI $; Users. As an individual, if you can become the AX expert in your organization and pass that knowledge onto others, you will reap what you sow. AXUG: What advice would you give to someone considering attending AXUG Focus? PK: -XVW JR 7KH UHWXUQ RQ LQYHVWPHQW LQ WHUPV of gained knowledge you can bring back and immediately apply to your organization, far outweighs the conference expense and WLPH FRPPLWPHQW DZD\ IURP WKH RIĂ&#x20AC; FH

Chicago Metro Area | June 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 56 | AXUG Magazine

axugfocus.com

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viewpoint f r o m

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CHANGE what does it mean to you?

story by GG Rowe, Planar, a Leyard company, AXUG® User Member

oes change bring fear of the unknown – or is it an exciting challenge that you want to be in on, or do you feel something in between: Apprehension, but you’re willing to give it some attention? Thoughts like this swirl in everyone’s minds whenever a new project, system implementation, or company change is in the works. I’ve seen too much of this in my years as a project manager, especially when implementing a new application – such as Microsoft Dynamics AX – that has broad reaches into the company. People are wondering about what processes will change, whether their jobs will be affected or possibly even eliminated, or whether there will be no affect to their jobs at all. There is talk in the hallways – guessing, wondering, pre-supposing…etc. From my perspective as a project manager, change management is something that should be top of mind when a new project or initiative is being discussed. It should be tackled proactively. Change should be considered just as important as gathering requirements. Without buy-in and adoption, there is NO project – at least not a successful one! In the planning phase, consider the change it will have to the organization. Will it just affect one department, or are there cross-functional impacts? Talking it over with HR may be helpful as they may see a human component that you may not have recognized. Here are some important items to include:

» Create a project steering committee – Included should be your key sponsor who is funding the effort along with other affected department managers. For an ERP implementation, this is typically toplevel management. On smaller efforts, it might be middle management or a specific department head. This group should be able to provide insight on their organization and attitude toward any perceived changes. » Build a communication plan – Define a schedule of when to communicate and what the content of each message should be. It may start fairly high-level and then get more specific as the project progresses. » Develop a strong core team – Sometimes your loudest naysayer can be your best advocate and team member! The core team is an important component of a project. Select the right people to work on the project – ones that are open to change, willing to experiment, can think outside of the box. This team will help define the processes and ensure that what is important remains and that what can be changed to fit the system is indeed changed. They will become your best communicators for the project and for any changes that will be implemented. During project execution, it is important to have periodic communications. Consider brown bag events to respond to open questions and answers. Focus group meetings is another idea for getting in front of a particular group that is thought to be impacted or has concerns. Whatever avenues are chosen, concerns can be aired and hopefully any issues can be alleviated before they become problems and a roadblock to success. At a minimum, this provides opportunities for people to voice their thoughts. Two key factors here are LISTENING and following through! Every project team member should be actively listening to conversations around them. And then they should be making sure there is a communication feedback loop. This can be difficult since you may hear things you didn’t want to know, but it is best to be open, honest, and tackle them head on. Even saying, “I don’t know right now” or, “I’ll have to get back to you” is better than no response. Provide an opportunity for people to get involved, if possible. Maybe they will volunteer to be a tester! At project roll-out, be sure to have adequate training and documentation coverage. One area easily missed is training for the casual or inquiry Users. These people are important for adoption since they are typically your data analysts that need to understand the information to make recommendations and decisions. Here’s an idea from a past project: Have the core team wear team shirts and roam around so that they can be easily spotted to answer questions and resolve any start-up questions. A daily stand-up at the beginning or end of the day to review issues is a good way to ensure nothing is dropped, and it keeps the core team in sync with issues. This is especially important if you have multiple regions affected. Each steering committee member should have the project regularly on their staff meeting agenda as well as in 1:1 discussions. Conveying status, impact, and implications is important as well as showing management involvement, support, and buy-in. For an ERP project, it should also be a topic for executive staff so that an overall understanding of the effect on the company as a whole as well as the cross-functional concerns and issues are discussed. The management team will need to help make decisions to resolve issues related to resources, priorities, and cross-functional impacts. A key factor here is SUPPORT! In summary, embrace change – life never stands still. And again, coming from a project manager, it is always about change! AXUG GG Rowe is the IT applications manager and project manager for Planar, a Leyard company. Want to talk about what change means to you? Contact GG at GG.rowe@planar.com.

Q2 2016 | 59

topic on

...with AXUG Members AXUG速 reached out to Members on the AXUG Open Forum to ask their best advice for someone whose company is currently going through an acquisition or merger.

60 | AXUG Magazine

Kerry L. Hughes Director, Financial Applications Zones, Inc.

At my previous job, I experienced many acquisitions and one merger; all where my company was the acquirer. The last deal was one where our largest competitor acquired us, while calling it a “merger”, so I’ve been on both sides of things! The advice I extended to everyone I was involved with, on every deal, was to stay calm and try not to make any rash decisions. That has always worked out for me. There can be a lot of fear amongst the folks being acquired or merged. As humans, it seems our default concern is, “What does this mean for me?” Usually, when the deal is new, there are no clear answers to such questions. If we keep our heads about us, continue to be our best selves (meaning having no regrets for bad/poor behavior and judgement), then we can assess the situation as it unfolds, both professionally and personally. Because of my last deal, one where an inaccurate label was placed on the situation (“merger”), where anything related to our company was deemed inferior by the other company, I have even more empathy for the acquirees. In the future, I will take additional eﬀort to keep in mind that the folks I’m working with may be feeling extreme distress. At the end of our lives, most of us won’t consider events in our professional careers as extremely important. We will value our relationships with people. And having self-respect and few or no regrets!

Seth Derevensky Director RSM US LLP

I have some good experience in this area as I was leading a project for one of the country’s largest online retailers of licensed sports apparel. A few years ago, they had gone through a fairly substantial acquisition (and just announced another one) and there were a lot of unknowns that required some key decision making in order to effectively upgrade them to the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics AX and centralize or consolidate their new business. Partner Selection It would be wise to bring in your trusted advisors, those with experience in this area, sooner than later so that they can provide the insights as well as help facilitate and steer the future direction and identify some of the key business decisions that need to be made. ERP Strategy First and foremost, there needs to be an evaluation of core ERP systems and ultimately, a strategic ERP course of action would need to be defined. With the resulting increased size, volumes, transactions, employees, etc., are their respective, current ERP systems and infrastructure scalable to meet the needs of the combined business and their five- to 10-year growth plans. This should include any other relevant systems that may integrate with their ERP, such as e-commerce and Point-of-Sale (POS) solutions. At the risk of oversimplifying, the underlying decision should consist of either onboarding one of the businesses onto the other’s ERP

system/framework or maintain distinct, separate systems and build respective integrations to allow for at minimum, financial reporting consolidation. Business Processes After the ERP strategic direction is solidified, it would be a worthwhile investment to identify and marry up key business processes within the respective organizations. It would be wise to consider one company’s core competency or competitive advantage when determining a future-state business process for the combined company. For instance, does one company excel at purchasing and inventory control, while the other knows how to better market the product or provide superior customer service. Logistics/Responsibilities An added output of this exercise will also be whether to factor in any form of geographical and/or logistical restructure. For example, as a result of the merger/acquisition, there are now two A/R or A/P departments. In this scenario, does it make sense to the business to keep both locations or centralize the departments? Will they govern their existing accounts or are they now responsible for a different subset of customers or vendors? Additionally, as part of the acquisition, a strategic decision should be made on the fulfillment centers, specifically as they pertain to geographical representations and product lines. In other words, with the combined product assortments, which SKUs should be housed where? Should each warehouse carry all products or should we designate specific products or assortments in specific strategic locations? Data Depending on the size of each respective business, specifically as it pertains to data elements, more times than not, the biggest challenge is the consolidation of data collection and determining commonalities amongst them. In the event the companies share the same customers, vendors, and products, a strategy should be defined as to how best reconcile and merge said data. There are means and tools to help facilitate this process, but it can be tricky because at the end of the day, your customers and products are typically the lifeline of any business. This data, however, spans across vendors, chart of accounts, invoices, open POs, fixed assets, etc., and can be a very laborious and lengthy process. In my specific example, it took a considerable amount of time given the SKU count (i.e. millions). IT can most definitely assist the business in this area and there are means by which common or duplicate data can be identified and merged; however there are times where the process may have to be manual. Additionally, in the event the decision to keep disparate systems in place, it will be very important to clearly define the “system of record” for each pertinent data entity. In turn, this should help ease some confusion and help drive the appropriate integration and data migration strategies. Positive Attitude Lastly, try and remain positive and have a positive outlook throughout the process. Acquisitions and mergers can be difficult for many people; especially surrounding the uncertainty around job security. Thus, be considerate of that and continue to demonstrate that change can be good and that each employee plays an integral part to the future success of the new company. AXUG Q2 2016 | 61

t&t

TIPS & TRICKS

Sales Trade Agreement Setup Tips by Brent Hester, Kason Industries, AXUG® User Member

Key Terms » Relation: This is the type of price or discount. This can be Price » »

» »

» » » »

(Sales) or Line discount (Sales) depending on what type of trade agreement line is listed. Currency: This is the currency code used in the trade agreement. Account Code: This can be All, Group, and Table depending on the trade agreement line. In most cases you will use Group when adding discount groups, and you will use Group/Table when adding contract pricing. Table will be used if you are specifying the Customer, and you will use group if you are using a price group from the Customer setup. Account Selection: This will either be the Customer price group, Customer number, or the discount group from the Customer master. Item Code: This can be All, Group, and Table depending on the trade agreement line. In most cases you will use “All” or “Table”. All will be used when you are wanting to apply the discount or price to all items no matter what the item number or item price/ discount group is in released products. Table will be used for contract pricing because you are normally specifying pricing for a speciﬁc item. Item Selection: This will be left blank if the item code is set to All, but if it is set to Table or Group, you must ﬁll this in. If you select Table, you will need to specify the item number, but if you select Group, you will need to either select the item price group or the item discount group depending on the trade agreement line. From/To Dates: These can be set to either blank or a start and end date depending on the expiration of the trade agreement line. From/To Quantities: These can be either set to zero or a range that you would like the trade agreement applied. Find Next: This tells the trade agreement line to continue looking for the next discount/price in the trade agreement. Disregard Lead Time: If this is checked, the sales order will use the lead time setup in the company setup or on the item setup.

62 | AXUG Magazine

Discount Pricing » » » » » » » » » » » »

Relation: Line Discount (Sales) Currency: Use company currency Account Code: Group Account Selection: Line discount group Item Code: All Item Selection: (Blank) From Date: Blank or the start date of the discount To Date: Blank or the end date of the discount From: Minimum quantity you want the discount to be applied To: Maximum quantity you want the discount to be applied Find Next: Checked Percent 1: Discount percent that needs to be initially applied to the trade agreement » Percent 2: Blank or zero » Disregard Lead Time: Checked Example Discount Trade Agreement (image has been reduced to ﬁt):

Contract Pricing » » » »

Relation: Price (Sales) Currency: Use company currency Account Code: Table/Group Account Relation: Customer number or Customer price group » Item Code: Table » Item Relation: Item from released products » Unit: Standard sales unit of measure » From Date: The start date of the contract » To Date: The end date of the contract » From: Minimum quantity that you want the price to apply to » To: Maximum quantity that you want the price to apply to » Amount: Contract price amount value in the trade agreement currency » Find Next: Not checked » Disregard Lead Time: Checked Example Contract Trade Agreement (image has been reduced to ﬁt):

Example Quantity Break Trade Agreement (image has been reduced to ﬁt):

AR Pricing Parameters

Quantity Breaks » » » » » » » » » » »

Relation: Line Discount (Sales) Currency: Use company currency Account Code: All Account Selection: (Blank) Item Code: Table Item Relation: Item from released products Unit: Default sales unit of measure From/To Date: Date range you want the discount applied From: Minimum quantity you want the discount applied To: Maximum quantity you want the discount applied Percent 2: The additional discount that needs to be applied after the initial discount from the Customer setup » Percent 1: Blank or zero » Disregard Lead Time: Checked

AXUG Brent Hester is an IT analyst/developer at Kason Industries. He can be reached at Bhester@kasonind.com.

Q2 2016 | 63

industry showcase

Telecommunications Broadcasting Waves of Power and Communication Around the World

obile communications, television, leading-edge technical solutions, radio services, and more. From Virginia to Chile to Afghanistan, these AXUG® Members broadcast waves of power and communication on a global spectrum.

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE CORP. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Their experience in ﬁber optic technology and exceptional service to the customer – then and now – have positioned Sumitomo Electric Lightwave as a recognized leader in the innovation, design, development, and manufacturing of advanced and integrated end-to-end solutions for data center, enterprise, and communication network customers.

64 | AXUG Magazine

GRUPO GTD. Santiago, Chile Since 1979, Grupo Gtd. has strived to be a telecommunications company that delivers the best service to its customers through a personalized service and the delivery of leading-edge technical solutions adjusted to their requirements.

TALKTALK COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED Warrington, England TalkTalk Communications Limited is a company that provides pay television, telecommunications, Internet access, and mobile network services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). They serve 73 Members in 56 countries that run more than 780 television and 1,040 radio services and broadcast in 123 languages to a potential audience of 1.03 billion people.

STRALFORS Malmo, Sweden Stralfors oﬀers smart communication tools that give their clients full control of the entire communication process. With extensive distribution expertise and insight, they do business in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, France, and the United Kingdom.

SHENTEL Edinburg, Virginia For more than 100 years, Shentel has been connecting communities like yours to other towns, cities, and communities across the world through its high-speed Internet, television, and home phone services.

SHORETEL Sunnyvale, California ShoreTel is a leading provider of cloud, onsite, and hybrid business telephony as well as uniﬁed communications (UC) solutions. ShoreTel has re-invented a better way to communicate and collaborate in business with ShoreTel Connect, its common platform based on a single software code.

ETISALAT Kabul, Afghanistan Etisalat oﬀers simple, aﬀordable, good quality mobile communication services, allowing Afghans to reach their family and friends.

SEFNCO COMMUNICATIONS Sumner, Washington Since 1998, SEFNCO Communications has specialized in the design, construction, and maintenance of modern communication networks and infrastructure for public and private sectors.

ARROW SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, INC. (ARROW SI) Irving, Texas Arrow SI is a uniquelycapable total-solutions provider specializing in uniﬁed communications, voice and data technologies, contact center, and network security all while providing their customers with legendary service and support. Founded in 1974, Arrow SI was formed with a vision to deliver an unmatched customer experience based on integrity, honesty, and customer excellence.

Q2 2016 | 65

feature

PHASED AND FOCUSED

Implementing Change with Ease

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G G U XU AXU AX AX A G A G G G G UG U XU X A U XU AXU AX AX G A G A U G G G U U X X XU AX AX A G A G UG U G UG UG XU XU AXU AX XU AX AX A G A G G G U U X X A A AX A G A G UG UG XU X U XU XU AX AX A G A AX G A G A G UG U XU U XU XU AX AX G A G A G AX A G A G UG UG XU U XU XU AX AX A G AX G A G A G UG U XU G G X A G UG UG XU XU AXU AX G AX A G G UG A X A G UG UG XU XU AX AX A G G U U U XU AXU AX AX A G A G U G G X AX A G A G UG UG XU A X U G U U X X A A

hat’s more overwhelming than implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX at a company accustomed to a green-screen environment? Doing that while finalizing a company acquisition! Pam Lehmann, director of applications for TricorBraun, and her implementation team of 30 people, which included members of IT, the business, and an implementation Partner, achieved this with relative ease by keeping their heads down and focusing on the task at hand: Taking a phased approach to rolling out Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 across their 28 locations. Pam shares, “We had just purchased Microsoft Dynamics AX at the time of acquisition, and that actually worked out well. We were already in a phase of discovery, going through and seeing what processes to change internally and how to communicate that to the Users of the system.” As many other companies know from experience, transitioning a large company like this away from a green-screen environment they’ve used for 30+ years is like pulling teeth. Users have their way of getting things done and don’t have time to implement a complete overhaul of their daily operations. Pam adds, “Our Users were not accepting of Microsoft Dynamics AX at first, but we made modifications so they could see and realize the benefits right away.” TricorBraun implemented a phased roll-out approach, which included 15 members of their implementation team travelling all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to get each branch up to speed with the new system. During that intensive nine-month span, the implementation team gathered Users’ pain points and developed a list of “heavy hitter” modifications that Users could see immediate value from. The out-of-the-box order/copy functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 didn’t work when they first implemented Microsoft Dynamics AX due to other customizations. TricorBraun identified this early on and made the modifications necessary to get this feature available again so that if they have a reoccurring sales order or purchase order, they can copy that order and go. “This saves a ton of time for our Users, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do. I can’t tell you exactly how much, but on average, I would estimate at least an hour a week per User,” Pam explains. System performance was another area of improvement. Users reported it took a while for forms to load, so Pam’s team worked to tune the performance up to where Users were happy. Pam shares, “In addition to saving our Users time, we’re trying to reduce their frustration. Microsoft Dynamics AX should make things easier, not harder.” In addition to these modifications, Pam’s team created a number of custom reports for different Customers so Users wouldn’t have to manually create them in Microsoft Excel anymore. All the information needed is at their fingertips in Microsoft Dynamics AX; they just needed the data formatted based on Customer preferences. System modifications and custom reports all eased the transition for TricorBraun’s Users, but the level of support provided by the implementation team was second to none. The implementation team created training videos along with tips and tricks documents for their Users. “The implementation team made a point to ask Users what their biggest pain points were so we could reduce their frustrations and ease their use of the newly implemented system,” Pam recalls. TricorBraun made sure to assign a subject matter expert (SME) or a champion of change from beginning to end, who worked with developers on the design and testing of the solution. Although TricorBraun didn’t heavily involve Users outside of that SME circle, Pam does recommend getting Users more involved from the very beginning. “It’s so helpful to give your Users a sneak peek along the way so they can get familiar with what they’ll be working with day in and day out,” she concludes. “Make it monthly or even quarterly just to get them more prepared for what to expect.” AXUG

“Our Users were not accepting of Microsoft

Dynamics AX at first, but we made modifications so they could see and realize the benefits right away.”

Pam Lehmann is director of applications at TricorBraun. She can be reached at Plehmann@tricorbraun.com.

Q2 2016 | 67

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SAVE every time you make a referral that results in a new paid AXUG membership. The more contacts you refer, the more your savings will add up! Visit www.axug.com/membership/mgam for complete details and to refer someone! 68 | AXUG Magazine

t&t

TIPS & TRICKS

Clean Up Your Inbox Act! Tips to Being More Efﬁcient and Less Stressed About Your Inbox f you’re like many people, you may need some inspiration to clean up your inbox act! To help counter this problem with productivity, Ginny Ferguson presented a session called Inbox Overflowing? Take Back Control! based on the popular book, “The 15-Minute Inbox”.

This content is part of the OneSource Microsoft Tools webinar series, the goal of which is to spread education regarding Microsoft technologies to AXUG Members. Here’s a quick summary of this webinar; be sure to check it out at www.axug.com/inboxcontrol.

First and foremost, identify the types of email you’re receiving: » Critical and Urgent – Needs to be addressed immediately. » Critical and Not Urgent – Helps you to advance your goals, project, or business, and/or required action is part of your job. » Not Critical and Urgent – Everything else that enters your inbox and is not critical, but carries a sense of urgency. » Not Critical and Not Urgent – Even if you don’t have to act on it, it’s still in your inbox. Delete! Ginny urges you to think of your inbox as a busy airport terminal. You need to organize it so you can quickly process the emails and move on. Prepare your terminals and deﬁne a strategy to keep that inbox clean! » Action Today – Emails that require your action as quickly as possible. » Follow-Up – You are either waiting on someone else’s input, or you need to check progress on an action. » Read Later – Emails that don’t require action, but you do need or want to read content. There’s nothing like a fun word equation when trying to change your email habits. Try to implement The 4+1 Action Ds strategy, and you’ll be well on your way to a cleaner inbox! » Delete It – Ask yourself, do I really need this? Is it part of my job? » Deal with It – If you can deal with it in less than two minutes, just do it immediately. When you are done with the message, put it in an ARCHIVE folder or FOLLOW-UP folder if it needs follow-up by you or delete it. » Defer It – If it will take longer than two minutes but less than one hour and is part of your job, move it to your ACTION TODAY folder. If it’s longer than an hour, plan it into your calendar. » Delegate It – If it requires another’s action, include clear instruction (what, by when, how, next action, answer to be sent, etc.) and follow-up and archive it. » Done – Keep moving when you’re processing your inbox. You can’t get distracted by links, attachments, or even new emails. AXUG

Bonus tip from Ginny! Schedule 30 minutes per month on ﬁling maintenance, making sure ﬁles are still relevant. This helps a ton in easy placement of emails and access to information. Q2 2016 | 69

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The List MOBILE Solutions at your fingertips

thelistmobile.com Search for the products and services you need with the Mobile version of The List!

Table of Contents Industry.......................Page 72 Horizontal....................Page 75 Services.......................Page 82

The List from The Partner Channel® is your tool for finding the solutions available from Microsoft Dynamics® Partners. Review the various industry, horizontal, and service offerings available and you may just find exactly what you’ve been looking for! The List is unique in that it shares only those solutions and services that work with the Microsoft Dynamics product line. We want you to spend time using the solution, not looking for it. If you have a product or service that you would like included on The List, please contact Jane@thepartnerchannel.com. NOTE: The Partner Channel and Dynamic Communities offers no expressed or implied warranty or guarantee for any of the products included in this directory. Support and quality assurance of these software products and services are solely the responsibility of each Microsoft Dynamics Partner. *Due to the nature of the “classified” format used for The List, Microsoft Dynamics brand guidelines may not have been followed. We encourage Partners NOT to follow the example we are setting!

Industry Greenshades Software

Chemicals

INDUSTRY

Ariett http://www.ariett.com â&#x20AC;˘ 781-826-1120 Cloud AP Invoice, Requisition, PO, Contract & Expense Reporting Solution One spend management platform for generating savings from any device. AssureSign LLC http://www.assuresign.com â&#x20AC;˘ 407-670-0400 AssureSign Electronic Signature Software Integrated cloud or on-premise enterprise class Electronic Signatures.

Construction

IPM Global Pty Ltd

Business Systems Integrators

http://www.ipmglobal.net â&#x20AC;˘ 321-368-2489 IPM Project Management IPM Project Management is a purpose built XRM Solution that delivers a fresh approach to Project Management in the Construction / Engineering sectors. Incorporating Comprehensive Contract and Cost Control.

http://www.BusinessSysInteg.com 866-871-2097 EDI BSI provides superior EDI solutions for AX & GP, both on-premise & SaaS.

Consumer Packaged Goods

CALUMO, Inc.

Business Systems Integrators http://www.BusinessSysInteg.com 866-871-2097 EDI BSI provides superior EDI solutions for AX & GP, both on-premise & SaaS.

Data Masons Software http://www.datamasons.com/thelist 866-575-1631 Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics EDI Made Simple for Dynamics: ERP integration without customization.

http://www.calumo.com â&#x20AC;˘ 214-387-6030 CALUMO - Reporting, Budgeting & Forecasting CALUMO is THE single tool for reporting, budgeting & forecasting all Accountants love. CALUMO combines web/mobile/ Excel/Word/PowerPoint to create & distribute ad-hoc analysis, reports, dashboards & planning templetes Datahaven for Dynamics http://www.datahaven4dynamics.com 757-222-2000 Datahaven for Dynamics Datahaven is the only scanning, OCR, and workflow solution natively embeddedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not simply integratedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;throughout the Microsoft Dynamics user experience and available to non-Dynamics users from Microsoft Outlook.

Cross Industry Solution Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link, Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics. Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Master Data Centralization For Dynamics AX Arbela's Master Data Centralization for Dynamics AX manages product, customer, vendor, employees, and COA master data and their fields across multiple companies for better shared services. Gain from our experience!

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

72 | AXUG Magazine

http://www.greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Year End Forms Electronic distribution, print to blank paper, and fully automated mailing services help thousands of Greenshades clients create, distribute and electronically file their 1099, W-2 and 1095-C forms.

eRequester by Paperless Business Systems http://spendwise.ly/eRequester-2015 206-256-0771 ext. 123 eRequester Industry leading web procurement, expense management, inventory & receiving, and business intelligence. Top rated & trusted for over 16 years.

Navision

Solomon

Higher Logic http://www.higherlogic.com â&#x20AC;˘ 202-360-4402 Higher Logic The leading cloud-based community platform used by organizations worldwide to bring people together in secure communities designed to ignite knowledge sharing, drive content creation and solve problems. Nexonia http://www.nexonia.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-291-4829 Nexonia Highly-configurable cloud-based expense reports and timesheets solutions, seamlessly integrated with MS Dynamics, incl. VAT & multi-currency. With mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 & Windows Mobile phones.

ReQlogic http://www.reqlogic.com â&#x20AC;˘ 734-302-2316 ReQlogic ReQlogic is a browser-based employee productivity suite providing solutions for eProcurement, requisitions, vendor invoices, time & expense, and advanced workflow.

Equipment Rental and Leasing

SYCOR GmbH http://www.sycor-group.com/rental +49 551 490 2491 Sycor.Rental AX 2012 solution for individual & bulk rentals, trade of mobile goods. Full rental lifecycle with key features: graphical scheduling, transport mgmt., service & maintenance, fleet mgmt., flexible billing methods, BI.

Finance/Banking AssureSign LLC http://www.assuresign.com â&#x20AC;˘ 407-670-0400 AssureSign Electronic Signature Software Integrated cloud or on-premise enterprise class Electronic Signatures.

Fleet Management

SYCOR GmbH http://www.sycor-group.com/fleet +49 551 490 2491 Sycor.Fleet AX 2012 solution for fleet management. Key features: graph. scheduling, transport mgmt., service & maintenance, vehicle data mgmt., vehicle history (costs, repairs, damage), BI & reporting, flexible billing methods.

Food and Beverage Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics.

ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable Warehouse Management Solutions (WMS) designed for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations of any type. Over 25 years of experience in the Food/Beverage industry.

Solver http://www.solverglobal.com â&#x20AC;˘ 310-691-5300 Solver - BI360 Suite Both Excel & Web-based Financial & Operational Reporting, Budgeting, Dashboards, & a pre-configured Data Warehouse w/ direct integration to Microsoft Dynamics.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Government Contracting

Business Systems Integrators

IPM Global Pty Ltd http://www.ipmglobal.net â&#x20AC;˘ 321-368-2489 IPM Project Management IPM Project Management is a purpose built XRM Solution that delivers a fresh approach to Project Management in the Construction / Engineering sectors. Incorporating Comprehensive Contract and Cost Control.

Healthcare

http://www.BusinessSysInteg.com â&#x20AC;˘ 866-871-2097 EDI BSI provides superior EDI solutions for AX & GP, both on-premise & SaaS.

COGEP Inc. http://www.cogep.com â&#x20AC;˘ 418-626-2503 ext. 144 GUIDE TI Powerful and user-friendly maintenance software. Control budget and reduce maintenance and unit cost. Increase efficiency and reduce downtime.

Horizons International http://www.qualityessentialssuite.com 866-949-9504 ext. 811 Quality Essentials Suite Quality Management System integrates to all Dynamics products. Used in chemicals, food and other regulated industries. Control layouts for certificates of analysis, comply with ISO standards, manage lot holds. Metafile Information Systems, Inc. http://www.metaviewer.com â&#x20AC;˘ 507-286-9232 MetaViewer Paperless ERP for Microsoft Dynamics Enhance your AX, GP, NAV & SL solutions by adding integrated scanning, OCR, eInvoicing, workflow, and AP/AR Automation.

WithoutWire www.withoutwire.com â&#x20AC;˘ 612-343-0404 WithoutWireâ&#x201E;˘ Warehouse WMS Barcode mobile traceable lot serial tracked inventory for Process Discrete MO Manufacture Distributor Food Beverage Supply Chain ship EDI.

DocuPhase http://www.DocuPhase.com 727-441-8228 ext. 626 DocuPhase DocuPhase is a powerful business process automation, document management, intelligent capture, analytics, and web forms platform. We provide packaged AP, Purchase Requisition, time/expense processes and more.

InterDyn BMI http://www.erp4health.com â&#x20AC;˘ 866-264-3249 ERP4HealthÂŽ Financial Management Software powered by Microsoft Dynamics. Kronos Incorporated http://www.kronos.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-225-1561 Workforce CentralÂŽ Suite Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to completely automate the essential timekeeping, human resources and financial processes. Paramount Technologies http://www.paramounttechnologies.com 800-725-4408 WorkPlace for Healthcare Requisition, approval, budget checking and integration to Binary Stream for Materials Management.

High Tech and Electronics QBD Systems http://www.qbdsys.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-743-9003 Universal PLM Integration Integration w/ PLM s/w incl. Agile, Arena, Aras, Solidworks EPDM & more. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Trade and Pricing Adv Trade extends pricing capabilities to include complex pricing structures, extends billing, billing schedules and revenue recognition of complex transactions. Contracts can be generated and managed easily.

Insurance

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

Bond Consulting Services

AxSource http://www.AXOQCS.com â&#x20AC;˘ 404-902-9218 Quality & Compliance for Life Science Integrated ERP solution for compliance to meet FDA, Health Canada, EU and cGMP requirements for Life Sciences.

http://www.BondConsultingServices.com 562-988-3451 Microsoft Dynamics ERP Solutions for Manufacturing & Distribution We are a Gold ERP/Silver CRM Partner and the go-to multilingual consulting team for Process & Discrete Manufacturers and CPG and F&B Distributors from SMB to Enterprise.

Maintenance Management Data Masons Software COGEP Inc. http://www.cogep.com â&#x20AC;˘ 418-626-2503 ext. 144 GUIDE TI Powerful and user-friendly maintenance software. Control budget and reduce maintenance and unit cost. Increase efficiency and reduce downtime.

http://www.datamasons.com/thelist 866-575-1631 Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics EDI Made Simple for Dynamics: ERP integration without customization.

Manufacturing Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics.

eNSYNC Solutions, Inc. http://www.ScanWorkX.com â&#x20AC;˘ 913-647-8640 ScanWorkX for Dynamics AX Extend Dynamics AX to nearly any mobile device. More than 75 standard DAX functions with and without barcoding. Custom transactions available. Kronos Incorporated http://www.kronos.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-225-1561 Workforce CentralÂŽ Suite Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to completely automate the essential timekeeping, human resources and financial processes.

AssureSign LLC

Metafile Information Systems, Inc.

http://www.assuresign.com â&#x20AC;˘ 407-670-0400 AssureSign Electronic Signature Software Integrated cloud or on-premise enterprise class Electronic Signatures.

Navision

Solomon

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Q2 2016 | 73

INDUSTRY

Blue Horseshoe http://www.bhsolutions.com â&#x20AC;˘ 317-573-2583 Supply Chain Suite for Dynamics AX Gold Certified ERP Partner providing Tier-1 end-to-end implementation services as well as Industry Leading software to fully optimize your Supply Chain. See what's new in the Supply Chain Suite for Dynamics AX.

Life Sciences

INDUSTRY

Sana Commerce http://www.sana-commerce.com â&#x20AC;˘ 646-362-0432 Sana Commerce Truly integrated B2B e-commerce that leverages existing ERP business logic to deliver a rich product catalog & automate web orders.

Thomson Reuters http://tax.thomsonreuters.com/ DynamicsTax â&#x20AC;˘ 888-885-0206 Sales Tax Automation for Microsoft Dynamics Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Indirect Tax is a cloud-based sales and use calculation, document management, filing and remittance solution that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to simplify the sales tax process.

Pharmaceuticals

AxSource http://www.AXOQCS.com â&#x20AC;˘ 404-902-9218 Quality & Compliance for Pharma Complete control of GMP records from raw material thru to finished packaging complete with e-signatures. Easy paperless recall management & CAPA. ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable Warehouse Management Solutions (WMS) designed for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations of any type. Over 25 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical & Medical industries. Horizons International

WithoutWire www.withoutwire.com â&#x20AC;˘ 612-343-0404 WithoutWireâ&#x201E;˘ Warehouse WMS Barcode mobile traceable lot serial tracked inventory for Process Manufacture MO Distributor Food Beverage Pharma Chemical CPG ship EDI.

http://www.qualityessentialssuite.com 866-949-9504 ext. 811 Quality Essentials Suite Quality Management System integrates to all Dynamics products. Used in chemicals, food and other regulated industries. Control layouts for certificates of analysis, comply with ISO standards, manage lot holds.

Non-Profit Organizations

Professional Services

ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikTag KwikTag by ImageTag is ONE SYSTEM you need for document management and business process automation - without harming trees or your budget.

Globe Software http://www.globesoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 701-235-4084 Atlas - Real-time Reporting & Upload into AX from Microsoft Office Using Atlas, you'll see how real-time two way data validation integrates between Office, Dynamics AX & CRM. From data migration to production, register on our web site for a free trial.

Paramount Technologies http://www.paramounttechnologies.com 800-725-4408 WorkPlace for Non-Profits Requisition & Expense with GL Distribution, Encumbrance & Audit Trails.

Oil and Gas

Nexonia http://www.nexonia.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-291-4829 Nexonia Highly-configurable cloud-based expense reports and timesheets solutions, seamlessly integrated with MS Dynamics, incl. VAT & multi-currency. With mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 & Windows Mobile phones.

Retail

Thomson Reuters http://tax.thomsonreuters.com/DynamicsTax 888-885-0206 Sales Tax Automation for Microsoft Dynamics Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Indirect Tax is a cloud-based sales and use calculation, document management, filing and remittance solution that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to simplify the sales tax process.

Axapta

Metafile Information Systems, Inc. http://www.metaviewer.com â&#x20AC;˘ 507-286-9232 MetaViewer Paperless ERP for Microsoft Dynamics Enhance your AX, GP, NAV & SL solutions by adding integrated scanning, OCR, eInvoicing, workflow, and AP/AR Automation. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Credit Cards for Retail Adv. CC for Retail allows you to process credit cards in retail environments and directly integrate into AX. PCI validated CC solution native to AX. Red Maple has many processor options for CC for Retail. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Credit Cards PCI validated CC solution native to AX and Retail for AX. We integrate to 13+ processors. Take payments in SO, AR or Projects. Tokenization is available. Process CC in multiple countries. Handle complex transactions.

Software

IPM Global Pty Ltd

KEY:

Kronos Incorporated http://www.kronos.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-225-1561 Workforce CentralÂŽ Suite Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to completely automate the essential timekeeping, human resources and financial processes.

Great Plains

74 | AXUG Magazine

Navision

Solomon

Software Manufacturers

Warehouse Management

ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable & highly configurable WMS designed for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations of any type. Over 25 years of experience in advanced distribution solutions. eNSYNC Solutions, Inc. http://www.ScanWorkX.com â&#x20AC;˘ 913-647-8640 ScanWorkX for Dynamics AX Extend Dynamics AX to nearly any mobile device. More than 75 standard DAX functions with and without barcoding. Custom transactions available.

Tasklet Factory http://www.taskletfactory.com â&#x20AC;˘ +45 96 354 500 Mobile WMS for Microsoft Dynamics AX/NAV Mobile WMS is a user-friendly Mobile Warehouse Management solution with on/offline mode that integrates with standard Microsoft Dynamics AX/NAV.

WithoutWire www.withoutwire.com â&#x20AC;˘ 612-343-0404 WithoutWireTM Warehouse WMS Barcode mobile traceable lot serial tracked inventory for Manufacture Distributor Pharma Chemical CPG Food Field Service tech job ship EDI.

Wholesale Trade: Durable Goods Globe Software http://www.globesoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 701-235-4084 Atlas - Real-time Reporting & Upload into AX from Microsoft Office Using Atlas, you'll see how real-time two way data validation integrates between Office, Dynamics AX & CRM. From data migration to production, register on our web site for a free trial. Sana Commerce http://www.sana-commerce.com â&#x20AC;˘ 646-362-0432 Sana Commerce Truly integrated B2B e-commerce that leverages existing ERP business logic to deliver a rich product catalog & automate web orders.

Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Trade and Pricing Adv Trade extends pricing capabilities to include complex pricing structures, extends billing, billing schedules and revenue recognition of complex transactions. Contracts can be generated and managed easily.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Horizontal Accounting Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 BALANCER - Balance Sheet Reconciliation Software BALANCER allows you to replace cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual tasks with a full real-time overview of the entire balance sheet reconciliation process. Free up time and close faster with BALANCER. Adra http://www.adra.com/ â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 TASK MANAGER - Financial Task Management Software TASK MANAGER is purpose built for finance teams and recurring processes. It streamlines the Financial Close and other administrational tasks and allows you to enforce and manage Internal Control. Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 ACCOUNTSTM Transaction Matching Software ACCOUNTS is a software solution that replaces cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual reconciliations with a rules driven, automated solution for all types of transaction matching.

Analytics Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Arbela Technologies Our specialties can align with all your industry-specific and evolving business needs. With minimum customizations, we tailor AX and CRM to effectively reduce costs and improve efficiency. Gain from our experience!

DataSelf http://www.dataself.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-910-9802 DataSelf Analytics 5000+templates, Tableau, data drivetrain means SMB value out of the box. Kronos Incorporated http://www.kronos.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-225-1561 Workforce CentralÂŽ Suite Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to completely automate the essential timekeeping, human resources and financial processes.

Asset Maintenance/MRO /EAM

Adra http://www.adra.com/ â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 TASK MANAGER - Financial Task Management Software TASK MANAGER is purpose built for finance teams and recurring processes. It streamlines the Financial Close and other administrational tasks and allows you to enforce and manage Internal Control. Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 ACCOUNTSTM Transaction Matching Software ACCOUNTS is a software solution that replaces cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual reconciliations with a rules driven, automated solution for all types of transaction matching.

BlackLine https://www.blackline.com/financecontrols-and-automation â&#x20AC;˘ 818-223-9008 NEW: BlackLine BlackLine's Finance Automation and Controls platform integrates with and complements Microsoft Dynamics (GP, AX, NAV) and enables fast growing companies to close the gaps left in financial close accounting processes. ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikPayables KwikPayables automates the process of invoice transactions being captured, coded, routed, approved, stored and audited.

Barcode Data Collection

Affordable Care Act Reporting

Automation

Budgeting Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com/landing-aca. php?source=TheList â&#x20AC;˘ 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Affordable Care Act From tracking eligibility and enrollment requirements to producing and filing 1095-C returns, Greenshades has Affordable Care Act requirements under control. Request a demo today and take the pain out of ACA.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 BALANCER - Balance Sheet Reconciliation Software BALANCER allows you to replace cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual tasks with a full real-time overview of the entire balance sheet reconciliation process. Free up time and close faster with BALANCER.

Navision

Solomon

CALUMO, Inc. http://www.calumo.com â&#x20AC;˘ 214-387-6030 CALUMO - Reporting, Budgeting & Forecasting CALUMO is THE single tool for reporting, budgeting & forecasting all Accountants love. CALUMO combines web/mobile/ Excel/Word/PowerPoint to create & distribute ad-hoc analysis, reports, dashboards & planning templetes

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Corporate Renaissance Group http://www.crgroup.com/budgeting 613-232-4295 Budgeting & Costing CRGroup provides consulting expertise and leading solutions to streamline and improve budgeting, planning and costing. (Adaptive Insights, BOARD Software, CRG Cost Allocator, CRG FlexABM). Contact us to learn more.

deFacto Global, Inc. http://www.deFactoGlobal.com 203-894-1789 ext. 221 deFacto Performance Management Premier â&#x20AC;&#x153;All-in-Oneâ&#x20AC;? Dynamics Financial & Operational Budgeting, Forecasting, Consolidation, Analysis and Reporting, Excel/Web-based. Powerful, Affordable.

Business Intelligence

Client Strategy Group http://www.csgax.com â&#x20AC;˘ 216-524-2574 Dynamics AX Done Right! CSG has proven expertise in: AX Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and AX 2012 Upgrades.

DataSelf http://www.dataself.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-910-9802 DataSelf Analytics 5000+templates, Tableau, data drivetrain means SMB value out of the box.

Point of Sale

Q2 2016 | 75

HORIZONTAL

Integrity Data http://www.integrity-data.com/software/ aca-compliance/ â&#x20AC;˘ 888-786-6162 Integrity Data ACA Compliance Solution A 360Â° reporting & tracking engine that makes ACA compliance a non-issue with deep BI capabilities, this tool automatically tracks eligibility and tests affordability, and generates and prints Form 1095-C.

docSTAR http://www.docstar.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-docSTAR docSTAR eclipse Smart AP Automation docSTAR is the premier AP automation solution provider. SaaS or on-premises deployment options. Mobile access. Intelligent data capture. Advanced workflow. Microsoft Dynamics ERP integration. DocuPhase http://www.DocuPhase.com 727-441-8228 ext. 626 DocuPhase DocuPhase is a powerful business process automation, document management, intelligent capture, analytics, and web forms platform. We provide packaged AP, Purchase Requisition, time/expense processes and more. Metafile Information Systems, Inc. http://www.metaviewer.com â&#x20AC;˘ 507-286-9232 MetaViewer Paperless ERP for Microsoft Dynamics Enhance your AX, GP, NAV & SL solutions by adding integrated scanning, OCR, eInvoicing, workflow, and AP/AR Automation.

HORIZONTAL

Check Printing Halo BI http://www.halobi.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-300-0219 Halo BI Analytics and BI platform for self-service supply chain planning and data discovery. Enterprise scaled, rapidly implemented, data secured. Analyze, decide and plan faster than ever before. See demo live on halobi.com Solver http://www.solverglobal.com â&#x20AC;˘ 310-691-5300 Solver - BI360 Suite Both Excel & Web-based Financial & Operational Reporting, Budgeting, Dashboards, & a pre-configured Data Warehouse w/ direct integration to Microsoft Dynamics.

ZAP http://www.zapbi.com â&#x20AC;˘ 415-889-5740 ZAP Business Intelligence ZAP provides 'Buy, Not Build' business intelligence for organizations using Microsoft Dynamics. ZAP's Trusted Analytics ensure your company is aligned through best practice metrics that deliver real business results.

Business Process Management Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

76 | AXUG Magazine

MHC Software, Inc. http://www.mhcsoftwareinc.com 952-882-3341 Document Express Accounts Payable & Payroll MICR Check Printing MICR checks print to blank stock from standard Dynamics output. Ideal for unique customizations- print virtually any data available in Dynamics on checks. Digitized signatures, positive pay, secure remote printing.

Collaboration Platform

Commissions Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Commissions Adv Commissions is flexible and handles complex commissions. Commissions can be calculated based on many criteria and can be paid at invoice, upon payment or periodically. It can be used in SO, Projects, AR & AP.

Navision

Solomon

Credit Card/Check Processing

Compliance

Adra http://www.adra.com/ â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 TASK MANAGER - Financial Task Management Software TASK MANAGER is purpose built for finance teams and recurring processes. It streamlines the Financial Close and other administrational tasks and allows you to enforce and manage Internal Control. Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management doc-link electronic document solutions support compliance mandates.

Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Credit Cards for Retail Adv. CC for Retail allows you to process credit cards in retail environments and directly integrate into AX. PCI validated CC solution native to AX. Red Maple has many processor options for CC for Retail. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Credit Cards PCI validated CC solution native to AX and Retail for AX. We integrate to 13+ processors. Take payments in SO, AR or Projects. Tokenization is available. Process CC in multiple countries. Handle complex transactions.

Credit Management Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Arbela Security Manager Arbela Security Manager addresses security creation & mgmt, risk & compliancy requirements, & audit preparation with inquires & reports. Focus on your business not your technology needs. Gain from our experience! Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Year End Forms Electronic distribution, print to blank paper, and fully automated mailing services help thousands of Greenshades clients create, distribute and electronically file their 1099, W-2 and 1095-C forms. Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com/landing-aca. php?source=TheList â&#x20AC;˘ 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Affordable Care Act From tracking eligibility and enrollment requirements to producing and filing 1095-C returns, Greenshades has Affordable Care Act requirements under control. Request a demo today and take the pain out of ACA. Integrity Data http://www.integrity-data.com/software/ aca-compliance/ â&#x20AC;˘ 888-786-6162 Integrity Data ACA Compliance Solution A 360Â° reporting & tracking engine that makes ACA compliance a non-issue with deep BI capabilities, this tool automatically tracks eligibility and tests affordability, and generates and prints Form 1095-C.

Contract/Project Management Ariett http://www.ariett.com â&#x20AC;˘ 781-826-1120 Cloud Contract Management for Vendors, Capital Projects and Budgeting with Requisition/ Invoice Tracking on Any Device Manage contracts/capital projects, commitments, dates & change orders.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Sable37 http://www.sable37.com/ax-add-ons/ 336-207-6800 NEW: Advanced Credit Control Pro-active credit control activities and new account risk scoring. 1-stop screen for Credit Officers. Automatic block orders at multiple points with multiple Credit Hold types. Dynamic release of Holds.

Customer Relationship Management eBridge Connections http://www.ebridgeconnections.com 800-755-6921 eBridge for CRM Cloud solution for seamless integration of customer & opportunity data.

Data Integration eBridge Connections http://www.ebridgeconnections.com 800-755-6921 eBridge Integration Solution The leading cloud integration platform for EDI, eCommerce & CRM systems.

Data Management

Point of Sale

MHC Software, Inc.

Distribution

ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable WMS for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations. Over 25 years of features & functions built-in.

http://www.mhcsoftwareinc.com 952-882-3341 MHC Image Express Electronically archive vendor invoices,HRdocs, POs & more. Automated document entry. Retrieve documents from Dynamics screens or web browser. Retrieve related documents with a single click. Workflow & Report imaging.

Vertex SMB http://www.VertexSMB.com/TheList 855-221-5885 Vertex SMB Sales & use tax automation with payas-you-go pricing and PDF returns.

EDI AIM Computer Solutions, Inc.

E-commerce

http://www.aimcom.com â&#x20AC;˘ 586-439-0300 AIM Vision AutoSys EDI, AIAG barcode labels, Demand Mgmt, Release Acctg., MMOG-LE/TS16949. Business Systems Integrators http://www.BusinessSysInteg.com 866-871-2097 EDI BSI provides superior EDI solutions for AX & GP, both on-premise & SaaS.

Clarity Ventures

Document Management

Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics. Datahaven for Dynamics http://www.datahaven4dynamics.com 757-222-2000 Datahaven for Dynamics Datahaven is the only scanning, OCR, and workflow solution natively embedded â&#x20AC;&#x153;not simply integratedâ&#x20AC;? throughout the Microsoft Dynamics user experience and available to non-Dynamics users from Microsoft Outlook.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

http://www.partnerchannelclarity.com 800-928-8160 Clarity eCommerce Fully custom, scalable enterprise eCommerce integrated with Dynamics for the best possible digital experience. Built in customized reporting, SEO, business intelligence and comprehensive administration features.

Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Online Employee Services Streamline your HR processes. Our Employee Services module makes benefit sign-up easy and our web based portal eliminates the need to print employee documents and paystubs.

eBridge Connections

Navision

Solomon

http://www.ebridgeconnections.com 800-755-6921 eBridge for eCommerce Cloud integration with 20+ eCommerce platforms eg. Magento, Amazon, eBay.

k-eCommerce http://www.k-eCommerce.com 855-k-eCommerce k-eCommerce A versatile, integrated B2B, B2C and Sales Portal eCommerce solution deployed in our PCI DSS certified cloud or on premise. Built-in CMS with SEO, responsive design, multilingual/ multicurrency. Sana Commerce http://www.sana-commerce.com â&#x20AC;˘ 646-362-0432 Sana Commerce Truly integrated B2B e-commerce that leverages existing ERP business logic to deliver a rich product catalog & automate web orders. Thomson Reuters http://tax.thomsonreuters.com/ DynamicsTax â&#x20AC;˘ 888-885-0206 Sales Tax Automation for Microsoft Dynamics Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Indirect Tax is a cloud-based sales and use calculation, document management, filing and remittance solution that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to simplify the sales tax process.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Data Masons Software http://www.datamasons.com/thelist 866-575-1631 Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics EDI Made Simple for Dynamics: ERP integration without customization. eBridge Connections http://www.ebridgeconnections.com 800-755-6921 eBridge for EDI Cloud EDI solution, no transaction fees, 1000+ trading partners.

Electronic Document Delivery (Email)/Faxing Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics. Datahaven for Dynamics http://www.datahaven4dynamics.com 757-222-2000 Datahaven for Dynamics Datahaven is the only scanning, OCR, and workflow solution natively embedded â&#x20AC;&#x153;not simply integratedâ&#x20AC;? throughout the Microsoft Dynamics user experience and available to non-Dynamics users from Microsoft Outlook.

Electronic Signatures AssureSign LLC http://www.assuresign.com â&#x20AC;˘ 407-670-0400 AssureSign Electronic Signature Software Integrated cloud or on-premise enterprise class Electronic Signatures.

Point of Sale

Q2 2016 | 77

HORIZONTAL

Esker Inc http://www.esker.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-368-5283 Document Process Automation Addressing processes like accounts payable, accounts receivable, and sales order processing, Esker solutions enable companies to automate the reception, processing and sending of documents with one platform.

Equipment Maintenance

Field Service Management

FieldConnect, Inc.

Expense Solutions Ariett http://www.ariett.com â&#x20AC;˘ 781-826-1120 Cloud Expense Reporting Solution with Corporate Credit Cards, Travel Approval, Receipt Capture and Mileage Calculator on Any Device Empowers employees to submit expenses on the go & stay within policy.

HORIZONTAL

eRequester by Paperless Business Systems http://spendwise.ly/eRequester-EM 206-256-0771 ext. 123 eRequester | EM Use eRequester Travel & Expense Management to automate and expedite expense processing. Improve visibility over discretionary spending. ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikExpense KwikExpense automates and accelerates expense reporting, receipt capture and the report approval process, while making credit card reconciliation a breeze! Nexonia http://www.nexonia.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-291-4829 Nexonia Highly-configurable cloud-based expense reports and timesheets solutions, seamlessly integrated with MS Dynamics, incl. VAT & multi-currency. With mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 & Windows Mobile phones.

http://www.fieldconnect.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-428-1540 FieldConnect Mobile Workforce Solutions FieldConnect is an end-to-end solution for workforce mobilization. Electronic work orders & timesheets, dispatch software, and customer portals are directly integrated with Microsoft Dynamics for maximum efficiency.

WithoutWire www.withoutwire.com â&#x20AC;˘ 612-343-0404 WithoutWireTM Field Service Field Service WMS Barcode mobile phone tablet lot serial tracked inventory Job Work Order part return depot tech install telecom oilfield inspect.

http://www.paramounttechnologies.com 800-725-4408 WorkPlace Expense Web-based Travel Request and Expense entry. Mobile expense and receipt capture with integration to AP and Projects.

ReQlogic http://www.reqlogic.com â&#x20AC;˘ 734-302-2316 ReQlogic Expense Management ReQlogicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expense Management module enables employees to enter expense reports using a browser or phone interface, or Import expense transactions from a bank or credit card account. Real time integration.

Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com/landing-aca. php?source=TheList â&#x20AC;˘ 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Affordable Care Act From tracking eligibility and enrollment requirements to producing and filing 1095-C returns, Greenshades has Affordable Care Act requirements under control. Request a demo today and take the pain out of ACA. ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikTag KwikApps KwikApps automate any document, any department and any process with ONE SYSTEM that integrates directly with your Dynamics ERP.

Financial Services

BlackLine https://www.blackline.com/financecontrols-and-automation â&#x20AC;˘ 818-223-9008 NEW: BlackLine BlackLine's Finance Automation and Controls platform integrates with and complements Microsoft Dynamics (GP, AX, NAV) and enables fast growing companies to close the gaps left in financial close accounting processes. Nexonia http://www.nexonia.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-291-4829 Nexonia Highly-configurable cloud-based expense reports and timesheets solutions, seamlessly integrated with MS Dynamics, incl. VAT & multi-currency. With mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 & Windows Mobile phones.

HR Management

Paramount Technologies

Corporate Renaissance Group http://www.employee-performance.com 877-711-0367 CRG emPerform Award-winning employee performance management for Microsoft Dynamics GP & AX. Online performance reviews, 360Â° assessments, goal management, succession planning, pay-for-performance, reporting & social feedback.

Axapta

Great Plains

78 | AXUG Magazine

Navision

Solomon

Nodus Technologies, Inc. http://www.nodus.com/epay_ advantage.html â&#x20AC;˘ 909-482-4701 ePay Advantage with PayFabric Automate A/R, improve cash flow, and provide security and convenience to your customers with an online bill pay portal. Optional recurring/subscription billing, AutoPay, payment plans and remote order entry. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Trade and Pricing Adv Trade extends pricing capabilities to include complex pricing structures, extends billing, billing schedules and revenue recognition of complex transactions. Contracts can be generated and managed easily.

Manufacturing Enhancement eNSYNC Solutions, Inc. http://www.ScanWorkX.com â&#x20AC;˘ 913-647-8640 ScanWorkX for Dynamics AX Extend Dynamics AX to nearly any mobile device. More than 75 standard DAX functions with and without barcoding. Custom transactions available.

Human Resource Applicant Tracking System Elevate HR, Inc. http://elevate-hr.com/solutions/ â&#x20AC;˘ 877-968-4440 Elevate HR Solutions for AX HCM Applicant Portal, HCM Wizards, Online Benefits, Global Payroll, etc.

Inventory Management ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable WMS for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations. Over 25 years of features & functions built-in. eNSYNC Solutions, Inc. http://www.ScanWorkX.com â&#x20AC;˘ 913-647-8640 ScanWorkX for Dynamics AX Extend Dynamics AX to nearly any mobile device. More than 75 standard DAX functions with and without barcoding. Custom transactions available.

Customer Relationship Management

Mobility

Folio3 Software Inc., http://dynamics.folio3.com/ â&#x20AC;˘ 408-365-4638 NEW: Folio3 Dynamics AX Services DynAX is a fully customizable mobile solution for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009/2012 CRM that provides on the go access and editing of AX CRM data.

Multi-Entity Management Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Master Data Centralization For Dynamics AX Arbela's Master Data Centralization for Dynamics AX manages product, customer, vendor, employees, and COA master data and their fields across multiple companies for better shared services. Gain from our experience!

Elevate HR, Inc. http://elevate-hr.com/solutions/ â&#x20AC;˘ 877-968-4440 Elevate HR Solutions for AX HCM Applicant Portal, HCM Wizards, Online Benefits, Global Payroll, etc. KEY:

Invoicing Enhancement

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Payables Enhancement

Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics. Ariett http://www.ariett.com â&#x20AC;˘ 781-826-1120 Cloud AP Invoice Solution with Document Automation, Budget Checking, GL Distributions, Intercompany, Tax Allocations, Multicurrency and 1099 One-step, paperless AP processing with approval workflow, on any device. DocuPhase http://www.DocuPhase.com 727-441-8228 ext. 626 DocuPhase DocuPhase is a powerful business process automation, document management, intelligent capture, analytics, and web forms platform. We provide packaged AP, Purchase Requisition, time/expense processes and more.

ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikPayables KwikPayables automates the process of invoice transactions being captured, coded, routed, approved, stored and audited. MHC Software, Inc. http://www.mhcsoftwareinc.com 952-882-3341 Electronic Payment Notifications Email and/or fax remittance advices to vendors rather than printing and mailing. System also can be used for employee reimbursements. Huge cost and time savings. Fast ROI. Paramount Technologies http://www.paramounttechnologies. com/Solution_InvoiceAutomation.aspx 800-725-4408 WorkPlace AP Invoice Automation Enforce spend management and approvals for PO and non-PO Invoices.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

Payroll Enhancement Elevate HR, Inc. http://elevate-hr.com/solutions/ â&#x20AC;˘ 877-968-4440 Elevate HR Solutions for AX HCM Applicant Portal, HCM Wizards, Online Benefits, Global Payroll, etc.

Procurement Management Ariett http://www.ariett.com â&#x20AC;˘ 781-826-1120 Cloud Requisition, PO, Invoice and Contract Solution with Catalogs, cXML Punch-out and Budget Checking on Any Device Empowers employees to generate savings from any phone/tablet/laptop.

Product Lifecycle Management QBD Systems http://www.qbdsys.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-743-9003 Universal PLM Integration Integration w/ PLM s/w incl. Agile, Arena, Aras, Solidworks EPDM & more. Sable37 http://www.sable37.com/ax-add-ons/ 336-207-6800 NEW: Product Lifecycle Management Wizards/templates manage Item creation in AX. Workflow controls activities. Advanced Item inquiry, Item creation templates, Catalog creation. Costing sheet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; determine feasibility, pricing, margin review.

Project Accounting Greenshades Software http://www.Greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Payroll Tax Service Let us handle the hassle of your payroll tax filings. Greenshades helps facilitate payroll tax returns, deadline management, tax payments, and other reporting requirements.

eRequester by Paperless Business Systems http://spendwise.ly/eRequestereProcurement â&#x20AC;˘ 206-256-0771 ext. 123 eRequester eRequester e-procurement is top rated for ease-of-use & time-to-value. Top features: Approval Workflow Engine, PO, RFQ, Punchout, Inventory, & Expense Management. Trusted for over 16 years.

Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Year End Forms Electronic distribution, print to blank paper, and fully automated mailing services help thousands of Greenshades clients create, distribute and electronically file their 1099, W-2 and 1095-C forms. Integrity Data http://www.integrity-data.com/software/ aca-compliance/ â&#x20AC;˘ 888-786-6162 Integrity Data ACA Compliance Solution A 360Â° reporting & tracking engine that makes ACA compliance a non-issue with deep BI capabilities, this tool automatically tracks eligibility and tests affordability, and generates and prints Form 1095-C. MHC Software, Inc. http://www.mhcsoftwareinc.com 952-882-3341 Electronic Direct Deposit Delivery Email direct deposits to employees rather than printing/distributing. Password protected PDF attachments are emailed to employee. Fast ROI.

Portals Greenshades Software http://www.greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Online Employee Services Streamline your HR processes. Our Employee Services module makes benefit sign-up easy and our web based portal eliminates the need to print employee documents and paystubs.

Navision

Solomon

Journyx http://www.journyx.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-755-9878 NEW: Journyx Inc. Time and expense tracking and resource management solution that enhances Microsoft Dynamics project accounting functionality with data validations, multi-approval levels, accrual calculations & more.

Purchase Order Processing Enhancement

Paramount Technologies http://www.paramounttechnologies.com 800-725-4408 WorkPlace Requisition and Procurement Requisition, PunchOut, Check Request, Budget Compliance, RFQ, PO Generation, Receiving, Invoice Matching & Vendor Contract Compliance. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Purchase Rebates Purchase Rebates tracks your rebates receivable. Rebates can be triggered and calculated on many criteria. Rebates can be calculated per invoice or over time. Promotional rebates can be calculated as well.

Customer Relationship Management

Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics.

eRequester by Paperless Business Systems http://spendwise.ly/eRequester-PO 206-256-0771 ext. 123 eRequester | PO Web requisitions, approvals, POs, Punchout, budget tracking and more. Powerful spend management tools for improving efficiency & visibility.

Point of Sale

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HORIZONTAL

Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Purchase Rebates Purchase Rebates tracks your rebates receivable. Rebates can be triggered and calculated on many criteria. Rebates can be calculated per invoice or over time. Promotional rebates can be calculated as well.

Quality Control

HORIZONTAL

Rebates Sable37 http://www.sable37.com/ax-add-ons/ 336-207-6800 NEW: Rebates, Royalties and Deductions Complex customer rebates, vendor rebates, royalties. Multiple concurrent and overlapping rebate/royalty agreements for the same vendor/customer; dissimilar time periods for accrual and claims. Product group rebates.

Receivables Enhancement

Sales Tax

Reporting

Data Masons Software deFacto Global, Inc. http://www.deFactoGlobal.com 203-894-1789 ext. 221 deFacto Performance Management Premier â&#x20AC;&#x153;All-in-Oneâ&#x20AC;? Dynamics Financial & Operational Budgeting, Forecasting, Consolidation, Analysis and Reporting, Excel/Web-based. Powerful, Affordable.

Nodus Technologies, Inc. http://www.nodus.com/epay_advantage.html 909-482-4701 ePay Advantage with PayFabric Automate A/R, improve cash flow, and provide security and convenience to your customers with an online bill pay portal. Optional recurring/subscription billing, AutoPay, payment plans and remote order entry.

Reconciliation Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 BALANCER - Balance Sheet Reconciliation Software BALANCER allows you to replace cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual tasks with a full real-time overview of the entire balance sheet reconciliation process. Free up time and close faster with BALANCER.

Adra http://www.adra.com â&#x20AC;˘ +44 207 868 5171 ACCOUNTSTM Transaction Matching Software ACCOUNTS is a software solution that replaces cumbersome spreadsheets and error-prone manual reconciliations with a rules driven, automated solution for all types of transaction matching.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

80 | AXUG Magazine

Sales Order Processing Enhancement Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Trade and Pricing Adv Trade extends pricing capabilities to include complex pricing structures, extends billing, billing schedules and revenue recognition of complex transactions. Contracts can be generated and managed easily.

Navision

Solomon

Vertex SMB http://www.VertexSMB.com/TheList 855-221-5885 Vertex SMB Sales & use tax automation with payas-you-go pricing and PDF returns.

http://www.datamasons.com/thelist 866-575-1631 Vantage Point EDI for Dynamics EDI Made Simple for Dynamics: ERP integration without customization.

Scheduled Maintenance COGEP Inc. http://www.cogep.com â&#x20AC;˘ 418-626-2503 ext. 144 GUIDE TI Powerful and user-friendly maintenance software. Control budget and reduce maintenance and unit cost. Increase efficiency and reduce downtime.

Security

Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Arbela Security Manager Arbela Security Manager addresses security creation & mgmt, risk & compliancy requirements, & audit preparation with inquires & reports. Focus on your business not your technology needs. Gain from our experience!

Shipping/Manifesting

Halo BI http://www.halobi.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-300-0219 Halo BI Analytics and BI platform for self-service supply chain planning and data discovery. Enterprise scaled, rapidly implemented, data secured. Analyze, decide and plan faster than ever before. See demo live on halobi.com Sable37 http://www.sable37.com/ax-add-ons/ 336-207-6800 NEW: Demand Forecaster Create an initial Statistical best fit Forecast from AX sales data or imported data. Create collaborative Demand Plan with top-down or bottom up adjustments. Stores multiple Forecasts. Feed into AX-MRP

Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Master Data Centralization For Dynamics AX Arbela's Master Data Centralization for Dynamics AX manages product, customer, vendor, employees, and COA master data and their fields across multiple companies for better shared services. Gain from our experience!

Sable37 http://www.sable37.com/ax-add-ons/ 336-207-6800 NEW: Inbound Transportation Management & Landed Cost Inbound shipment status, Multiple/Part PO/Multi Vendor shipments. Transfer Orders, all AX costing methods, Receiving by container, Multiple cost calc and allocation methods, Multi-modal, Complex routing.

Supply Chain Management

Tax

Arbela Technologies http://www.arbelatech.com â&#x20AC;˘ 949-291-4777 Arbela Technologies Our specialties can align with all your industry-specific and evolving business needs. With minimum customizations, we tailor AX and CRM to effectively reduce costs and improve efficiency. Gain from our experience! ASC Software http://www.ascsoftware.com â&#x20AC;˘ 937-429-1428 ASCTrac Award winning, scalable WMS for Distribution, Manufacturing & 3PL operations. Over 25 years of features & functions built-in.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

Greenshades Software http://www.Greenshades.com 888-255-3815 ext. 2 Greenshades Payroll Tax Service Let us handle the hassle of your payroll tax filings. Greenshades helps facilitate payroll tax returns, deadline management, tax payments, and other reporting requirements.

Point of Sale

Datahaven for Dynamics http://www.datahaven4dynamics.com 757-222-2000 Datahaven for Dynamics Datahaven is the only scanning, OCR, and workflow solution natively embedded â&#x20AC;&#x153;not simply integratedâ&#x20AC;? throughout the Microsoft Dynamics user experience and available to non-Dynamics users from Microsoft Outlook.

Travel Expense Management Thomson Reuters http://tax.thomsonreuters.com/DynamicsTax 888-885-0206 Sales Tax Automation for Microsoft Dynamics Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Indirect Tax is a cloud-based sales and use calculation, document management, filing and remittance solution that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics to simplify the sales tax process.

Vertex SMB http://www.VertexSMB.com/TheList 855-221-5885 Vertex SMB Sales & use tax automation with payas-you-go pricing and PDF returns.

Time and Attendance

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

Warranty and Claims Management Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Warranty Management Red Maple Warranty Management allows companies to automatically track the purchase and sales of items from vendor to distributor to end user. Generated claims can be tracked and managed.

Workflow / Notifications Altec http://www.altec-inc.com 800-997-9921 ext. 1255 doc-link Integrated Document Management Capture, workflow, output & archive w/doc-link, Doc. Mgmt. for Dynamics.

Navision

Solomon

ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikTag KwikApps KwikApps automate any document, any department and any process with ONE SYSTEM that integrates directly with your Dynamics ERP.

Customer Relationship Management

Retail Management System

http://www.metaviewer.com â&#x20AC;˘ 507-286-9232 MetaViewer Paperless ERP for Microsoft Dynamics Enhance your AX, GP, NAV & SL solutions by adding integrated scanning, OCR, eInvoicing, workflow, and AP/AR Automation. MHC Software, Inc. http://www.mhcsoftwareinc.com 952-882-3341 MHC Workflow Easily route documents needing approval- invoices, HR docs, etc. electronically. Ensures they are not lost, stalled or misplaced.

PaperSave http://www.PaperSave.com â&#x20AC;˘ 877-727-3799 PaperSave PaperSave is a complete document management, electronic workflow and invoice automation solution, Certified for Microsoft Dynamics GP, SL, AX, & CRM. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Workflow Email Client Adv. Workflow Email Client allows you to approve, reject or redirect workflows from mobile devices that use Microsoft Exchange Server without having to launch AX. Red Maple's Adv. Workflow is required. Red Maple http://www.redmaple.com â&#x20AC;˘ 972-980-6963 Red Maple's Advanced Workflow Adv Workflow enables workflows to launch automatically on defined criteria or events. Includes 50+ predefined Types (2012)/Templates (2009) to expedite rollouts. New records can be locked during approval process.

Point of Sale

Q2 2016 | 81

HORIZONTAL

ImageTag, Inc. http://www.kwiktag.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-KWIK-TAG KwikExpense KwikExpense automates and accelerates expense reporting, receipt capture and the report approval process, while making credit card reconciliation a breeze!

Metafile Information Systems, Inc.

Services Application Service Provider/Hosting

OnDemand Trials

RoseASP http://www.roseasp.com â&#x20AC;˘ 858-794-9403 RoseASP Hosted Microsoft Dynamics on Azure/ Private/Hybrid Cloud Solutions. Comprehensive pricing model for SPLA/Subscription Licensing - financially backed uptime guarantee. SSAE-16 data centers, SOX, HIPAA, FDA Compliancy.

WatServ http://www.watserv.com 866-531-2598 ext. 2311 Global leader of Hosted MS Dynamics ERP & CRM Offering Private, Hybrid, and Azure managed services with world class 24/7/365 global support for LE and SMB clients. Any Time, Anywhere, Any Reason â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Guaranteed!

Azure Managed Cloud Services

Myappsanywhere http://www.myappsanywhere.com 888-636-HOST Premier Cloud Computing Provider Myappsanywhere delivers an integrated suite of cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics and ISV applications, including 99.999% uptime, customizations and secure storage in its privately owned, SSAE 16 data center facilities.

Custom Development

Client Strategy Group http://www.csgax.com â&#x20AC;˘ 216-524-2574 Dynamics AX Done Right! CSG has proven expertise in: AX Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and AX 2012 Upgrades.

HR & Payroll Implementation & Consulting WatServ http://www.watserv.com 866-531-2598 ext. 2311 Global leader of Hosted MS Dynamics ERP & CRM Offering Private, Hybrid, and Azure managed services with world class 24/7/365 global support for LE and SMB clients. Any Time, Anywhere, Any Reason â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Guaranteed!

Cloud Computing

Client Strategy Group http://www.csgax.com â&#x20AC;˘ 216-524-2574 Dynamics AX Done Right! CSG has proven expertise in: AX Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and AX 2012 Upgrades. Journyx http://www.journyx.com â&#x20AC;˘ 800-755-9878 NEW: Journyx Inc. Time and expense tracking and resource management solution that enhances Microsoft Dynamics project accounting functionality with data validations, multi-approval levels, accrual calculations & more.

Marketing Planning & Services

Implementation Services Bond Consulting Services

Looking Glass Marketing http://www.lookingglassmarketing.com 614-453-5927 Cost-effective Marketing Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics Partners Award-winning outsourced marketing services including lead generation, nurture marketing, email marketing, web design/SEO, content development.

The Partner Marketing Group http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com 605-574-9432 Microsoft Approved Vendor for Dynamics Marketing Consulting From strategic marketing plan development to the critical daily execution, this Microsoft experienced team can help fill your sales pipeline.

http://www.tornado-marketing.com 608-213-0377 Marketing Consulting Tornado Marketing offers high-impact, highly effective marketing consulting. 10+ years in the channel. Websites. SEO. Copywriting.

Member Organizations ERP Software Blog

SERVICES

Data Resolution, LLC http://www.dataresolution.net â&#x20AC;˘ 877-878-9108 ERP Clouds Data Resolution is dedicated to delivering private ERP & CRM cloud services branded as the partners brand. We keep all of our cloud customers optimized & working 24 hours a day, worldwide for the last 15 years.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

82 | AXUG Magazine

http://www.BondConsultingServices.com 562-988-3451 Custom ERP & CRM Solutions That Streamline Your Business Processes We provide end to end ERP/CRM solutions which includes implementation, customization, integration, training and ongoing support. We work closely with ISVs to focus on multiple industries in SMB and Enterprise.

Navision

Solomon

http://www.groupbloggers.com â&#x20AC;˘ 888-800-0999 ERP Software Blog/ CRM Software Blog Group blog sites for VAR/ISV partners to increase SEO, web traffic,leads

Customer Relationship Management

Partner Support Service

Plumbline Consulting, LLC.

Tornado Marketing, Inc. Elevate HR, Inc. http://elevate-hr.com/solutions/ â&#x20AC;˘ 877-968-4440 Elevate HR Solutions for AX HCM Applicant Portal, HCM Wizards, Online Benefits, Global Payroll, etc.

RoseASP http://www.goERPcloud.com â&#x20AC;˘ 855-ERP-CLOUD ERP Cloud Trials Test drive preconfigured Microsoft Dynamics industry specific demo environments with integrated ISV solutions built for the web. goERPcloud trials help users understand the power of Dynamics and the cloud.

http://www.PlumblineConsulting.com 419-581-2300 Partner Support Services Leverage our Partner Support Services, including Support, Custom Development & Implementation Assistance toexpand your offerings. 25+ yrs.

Sales Tax Management Service

Vertex SMB http://www.VertexSMB.com/TheList 855-221-5885 Vertex SMB Sales & use tax automation with payas-you-go pricing and PDF returns.

Upgrades

Client Strategy Group http://www.csgax.com â&#x20AC;˘ 216-524-2574 Dynamics AX Done Right! CSG has proven expertise in: AX Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and AX 2012 Upgrades.

InterDyn BMI http://www.interdynbmi.com â&#x20AC;˘ 866-264-3249 InterDyn BMI Microsoft Gold Certified provider of innovative solutions for over 30 years.

Writing/Documentation Services The Partner Marketing Group http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com 605-574-9432 Blogs, Case Studies, Infographics, Websites Use 'content marketing' to build your brand and drive prospects into your sales pipeline.

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Narrow Your Search for Microsoft Dynamics Add-Ons With The List: Mobile! Visit www.thelistmobile.com on your mobile device and access an up-to-date list of Microsoft Dynamics products and services in your pocket anywhere you go.

KEY:

Axapta

Great Plains

Navision

Solomon

Customer Relationship Management

Search by company name, keyword, or filter by Microsoft Dynamics product line to find the products you need.

Retail Management System

Point of Sale

Q2 2016 | 83

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