Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Microsoft Dynamics Connector (Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter) in Master Data Management Scenario

Microsoft Dynamics Connector (Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter) in Master Data Management Scenario
 
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to explain what Master Data Management capabilities are provided by Microsoft Dynamics Connector in particular related to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter. Please note that in the previous articles I described how to implement Master Data Management scenario for Microsoft Dynamics using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Master Data Services.
 
Challenge: There is number of options available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 which have Master Data Management capabilities. The challenge is to understand usage scenarios and how to apply them properly. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter allows you to synchronize data between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations.
 
Solution: The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter, an additional adapter for use with Connector for Microsoft Dynamics, allows you to synchronize data between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations. The adapter supports communication between two endpoints that exist on any authentication/hosting environment (on-premise, online, IFD, etc.) This means that you can leverage this new adapter to move Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 data between test and production servers or from on-premises to the cloud.
 
Scenario
Microsoft Dynamics Connector with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter can be used in some Master Data Management scenarios when Microsoft Dynamics CRM business data has to be synchronized between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations. For the sake of simplicity in this document I’ll consider usual Master Data Management entities such as Customers and Products.
 
Walkthrough
 
For the purposes of this walkthrough I installed Microsoft Dynamics Connector with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter. In this scenario I’ll be using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, so I also subscribed to free trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-free-trial-overview.aspx
 
Now let’s review Adapter Settings required for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter
 
Adapter Settings – Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Destination
 
 
Please note that after you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter you will see the following adapters available:
<![if !supportLists]>-          <![endif]>Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Source
<![if !supportLists]>-          <![endif]>Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Destination
 
Adapter Settings – Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Source
 
 
Please note that you have to provide Integration account credentials which is different from Administrator account credentials, that’s why I created brand-new integration@usmf.onmicrosoft.com user in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
 
Please also note that Online trial allows you to create one organization, that’s why for the sake of demo I’ll set up both Destination and Source to point to the same organization “Microsoft”. But obviously for real synchronization you would set up 2 different organizations, for example, Source = “Microsoft1” and Destination = “Microsoft2”  
 
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter Configuration – Get Organizations
 
 
Here’s a quick diagram which explains how the business data is synchronized between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations  
 
<![if !vml]><![endif]>
 
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Configuration – Entities
 
 
Now we have to select and configure entities which will be enabled for synchronization. In this instance I’ll select Account and Product entities
 
Please see the full list of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 entities available for configuration below  
 
Entity
Description
Account
 
Activity
 
Address
 
Appointment
 
Article
 
Article Template
 
Business Unit
 
Campaign
 
Campaign Activity
 
Campaign Response
 
Case
 
Case Resolution
 
Competitor
 
Competitor Address
 
Connection
 
Connection Role
 
Contact
 
Contract
 
Contract Line
 
Contract Template
 
Currency
 
Data Map
 
Dialog Session
 
Discount
 
Discount List
 
Document Location
 
Duplicate Detection Rule
 
Duplicate Rule Condition
 
E-mail
 
E-mail Attachment
 
E-mail Template
 
ERP System User
 
Facility/Equipment
 
Fax
 
Field Permission
 
Field Security Profile
 
Goal
 
Goal Metric
 
Internal Address
 
Invoice
 
Invoice Product
 
Lead
 
Lead Address
 
Letter
 
Mail Merge Template
 
Marketing List
 
Note
 
Opportunity
 
Opportunity Close
 
Opportunity Product
 
Opportunity Relationship
 
Order
 
Order Close
 
Order Product
 
Organization
 
Phone Call
 
Price List
 
Price List Item
 
Process
 
Product
 
Publisher
 
Queue
 
Queue Item
 
Quick Campaign
 
Quote
 
Quote Close
 
Quote Product
 
Recurring Appointment
 
Report
 
Report Related Category
 
Resource
 
Resource Expansion
 
Rollup Field
 
Rollup Query
 
Sales Literature
 
Saved View
 
Scheduling Group
 
Security Role
 
Service
 
Service Activity
 
SharePoint Site
 
Site
 
Solution
 
Subject
 
System Chart
 
Task
 
Team
 
Territory
 
Unit
 
Unit Group
 
User
 
User Chart
 
View
 
 
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Adapter Configuration – Progress  
 
 
Then the system will go ahead and configure selected entities for Microsoft Dynamics Connector
 
Now let’s set up an integration between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations in Microsoft Dynamics Connector
 
New Integration
 
 
And again I use the same Source and Destination just for the sake of demo
 
As the result new integration will be created
 
Connector for Microsoft Dynamics
 
 
The next step will be to add Maps for Accounts and Products synchronization
 
New Map
 
 
Please note that Accounts and Product entities are available in the list because we configured them earlier. Let’s create and review the details of Account to Account map
 
Account (Source) to Account (Destination) map
 
 
Please note that you will have access to all fields for Account entity in order to set them up for synchronization
 
Map destination field – How do you want to map to Account
 
 
You can map fields directly by “Mapping to source field” or you can apply any kind of data transformation by “Using a function” if necessary
 
Map destination field – Map a source field to Account
 
 
In case you want to map a source field to Account you will select the field from the dialog or type the name of the field in
 
Account (Source) to Account (Destination) map – Result
 
 
As the result, for example, Account field in Destination will be mapped to Account field in Source
 
As you can see Microsoft Dynamics Connector with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter standard can be effectively used to synchronize master data between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations
 
Summary: This document describes how to use Microsoft Dynamics Connector with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter in Master Data Management scenarios for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. In particular I explained how to configure synchronization in Microsoft Dynamics Connector for two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations as well as define a map for particular types of business data which includes Customers and Products. Microsoft Dynamics Connector provides a robust and extensible platform for data synchronization in Master Data Management scenario for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 which allows us to synchronize records, do any kinds of data transformations, etc. as required. Please note that Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Instance Adapter is designed to synchronize business data between two Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 organizations and it doesn’t provide full-fledged Master Data Management capabilities (Content, Relationship, Access, Change, Process), that’s why please review my other articles on how to implement Master Data Management scenario for Microsoft Dynamics using SQL Server Master Data Services.   
 
Tags: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, Dynamics Connector, Instance Adapter, Source, Destination, Master Data Management, Accounts, Products.
 
Note: This document is intended for information purposes only, presented as it is with no warranties from the author. This document may be updated with more content to better outline the issues and describe the solutions.
 
Author: Alex Anikiev, PhD, MCP 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Intelligent Data Management Framework in Master Data Management Scenario

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Intelligent Data Management Framework in Master Data Management Scenario
 
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to explain what Master Data Management capabilities are provided by Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Intelligent Data Management Framework. Please note that in the previous articles I described how to implement Master Data Management scenario for Microsoft Dynamics using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Master Data Services.
 
Challenge: There is number of tools and services available for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 which have Master Data Management capabilities. The challenge is to understand usage scenarios and how to apply them properly. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Intelligent Data Management Framework also has a notion of master data and it allows to replicate master data between production database and archive database. In this walkthrough we will explore how this correlates with Master Data Management scenario.
 
Solution: Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX lets system administrators optimize the performance of Microsoft Dynamics AX installations. The Data Management Framework assesses the health of the Microsoft Dynamics AX application, analyzes current usage patterns, and helps reduce database size. 
 
Scenario
 
Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX provides means for master data synchronization between production database and archive database. Using Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX you can’t truly implement Master Data Management scenario because Intelligent Data Management Framework operates with database tables and not business entities such as Customers and Products, however you can perform some critical administrative tasks related to master data
 
Please find more info about Intelligent Data Management Framework for Microsoft Dynamics AX here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh378082.aspx
 
Please also note that Intelligent Data Management Framework currently doesn’t support Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. This support will be added shortly
 
Walkthrough
 
Let’s provide some core definitions for Intelligent Data Management Framework
 
Master data synchronization is the process of replicating master data tables from the production database to the archive database. This process copies the master data tables from the production database to the archive database to keep them synchronized. These tables are not archived, meaning they retain their data in the production database after the records are copied to the archive database
 
Intelligent Data Management Framework considers all tables which belong to table group Group, Main, Reference or Parameter as master data. Please note that CustTable (Customer data) and EcoResProduct (Product definitions) tables have table group Main
 
Now we can install Intelligent Data Management Framework. And as soon as Intelligent Data Management Framework currently doesn’t support Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 (the error during Post-installation tasks execution prevents you from completing the installation) I installed Intelligent Data Management Framework on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 FPK Demo VM (AX2012-A)
 
There’re couple of nuances during the installation which I highlight below
 
Welcome to IDMF (Beta) Setup Wizard
 
 
Checking prerequisites
 
 
Please note that the installer is asking for MSDTC to be installed which can be done by Adding Role Services in Server Manager in Windows Server OS
 
Select Role Services
 
 
Please note that I selected “Distributed Transaction” Role Services for installation
 
Choose a Server Authentication Certificate for SSL Encryption
 
 
For the sake of simplicity I selected “Choose a certificate for SSL encryption later”
 
Confirm Installation Selections
 
 
Installation Results
 
 
Now we can install Intelligent Data Management Framework itself
 
Microsoft Software License Terms
 
 
Setup components
 
 
Select Microsoft Dynamics AX version
 
 
Create new management database
 
 
Please note that brand-new database with name “IDMF” will be created by installer
 
Specify Microsoft Dynamics AX production database
 
 
Specify Microsoft Dynamics AX production replica database
 
 
In this instance in SQL Server Management Studio I simply copied (Copy database function) production database to create a replica of production database with a different name
 
Create new archive database
 
 
Specify e-mail settings
 
 
For the sake of simplicity I left them blank
 
Specify service account
 
 
Ready to install
 
 
Completing DMF (Beta) Setup Wizard
 
 
After installation is complete you will also need to run Post-installation tasks
 
Post-installation tasks
 
 
Post-installation tasks – Error
 
 
Please note that you may face with “XPO import completed with error. Contact the administrator” error. In this instance I had to manually fix compilation error in Classes\DMTVirtualSummaryTrans\Methods\updateVirtuelTransferClosing method due to wrong number of arguments (Catch Weight qty argument specific to FPK build was not provided)
 
Now we can launch Intelligent Data Management Framework
 
Framework checklist
 
 
In the menu bar you will notice number of places where “Master data” is mentioned
 
Schedule – Synchronize Master data
 
 
On Schedule tab Synchronize Master data function will allow you to synchronize Master data between production database and archive database
 
Administer – Configure Master data tables
 
 
On Administer tab you can click Configure Master data tables to decide which tables will be selected as Master tables for Synchronization of master data. By default, all tables in the master data tables list are selected. At run time, the master data synchronization schedule synchronizes all selected tables in this list, using the production database as the source database and the archive database as the target database. Clear the check box for a table to deselect the table. A deselected table is not considered a master data table and is not synchronized when the master data table synchronization schedule runs
 
On Analysis tab you will have access to statistical data for production database which provides important performance-related information about size of tables, fragmentation of indexes, etc.
 
Analysis – Analysis dashboard
 
 
Please note that before you will have access to Analysis dashboard you will have to generate Analysis snapshot of production database
 
On Administer tab when you click on Configure Master data tables you will get access to Data replicator section which lists all Master tables with extended details 
 
Data replicator
 
 
Please note that CustTable and EcoResProduct tables are also listed in Data replicator section
As the result based on information provided by Intelligent Data Management Framework you will be able to analyze the health of the database, prevent performance degradation, do performance optimization, etc.
 
Summary: This document describes how to use Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Intelligent Data Management Framework for database administrative tasks. Intelligent Data Management Framework can’t be used for implementing Master Data Management scenarios per say, however the information provided by Intelligent Data Management Framework about master data tables will definitely help you to fine-tune performance of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 installation. Please review my other articles on how to implement full-fledged Master Data Management scenario for Microsoft Dynamics using SQL Server Master Data Services.   
 
Tags: Dynamics AX 2012, Intelligent Data Management Framework, Master Data Management, Customers, Products.
 
Note: This document is intended for information purposes only, presented as it is with no warranties from the author. This document may be updated with more content to better outline the issues and describe the solutions.
 
Author: Alex Anikiev, PhD, MCP