D365 Snippets & Power BI

If you are a Dynamics 365 or AX developer primarily focused on delivering time-proven applications, then the books are for you. This book is also ideal for people who want to raise their programming skills above the beginner level, and, at the same time, learn the functional aspects of Dynamics 365 for Financial and Operations. Some X++ coding experience is expected.

If you are a beginner and looking for a career in Dynamics 365 FO, you must read these books. In my experience with D365 F&O learning, I have read many D365 F&O books for developers and consultants. I think that reading a book sometimes it’s better to have a good understanding of how to do things in the best way and not just solve the problem. 

In this article, I will sort my Top 5 D365 F&O books based on my experience. If you are a beginner to D365 F&O it’s also a very good way to understand the basics of D365 F&O.

1. Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Development Cookbook

This book takes you through numerous recipes to help you with daily development tasks. Each recipe contains detailed step-by-step instructions along with application screenshots and in-depth explanations. The recipes cover multiple Dynamics 365 for Financial and Operations modules, so, at the same time, the book provides an overview of the functional aspects of the system for developers.

In my opinion, this is the best book for D365F&O Developers. In this book, you can find everything you need to know from Processing data to Integrations and Improve Development efficiency and performance. This book is very well structured and here you can see many examples that will help you learn more about how to develop a D365F&O application.

Table of Contents

For those moving from Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, this book covers critical changes in how software is adapted, how to use the new extensibility features of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations, and tips on how to use them in a practical way. 

This book also covers the fundamental changes in the physical structure of the application metadata, the application development life cycle, and how we fit in with the new cloud-first development paradigm with Lifecycle Services and Visual Studio Team Services. 

The integration will be a concern to AX developers, and this book covers this in detail with working examples of code that can be adapted to your own needs. In order to facilitate this, the book follows the development of a solution as a means to explain the design and development of tables, classes, forms, BI, menu structures, workflow, and security. 

This book begins at the start of the development process by setting up a Visual Studio Team Services project, integrating Lifecycle services, and explaining new concepts such as Packages, Models, Projects, and what happened to layers. The book progresses with chapters focused on creating the solution in a practical order, but it is written in such a way that each recipe can be used in isolation as a pattern to follow.

Table of Contents

Extending Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations Cookbook Extend the potential of your Dynamics 365 for Operations implementation
Simon Buxton

3. Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Apps

This book covers the entire implementation process of Dynamics 365 Finance and Operation Apps, including post-implementation and business transformation. 

The updated second edition starts with an introduction to Microsoft Dynamics 365, describing different apps and tools under it. You will learn about different implementation methodologies such as Waterfall and Agile, for your projects. This book will cover various application components and architectures of Dynamics such as requirements processing, development, reports and analytics, and integration. With the help of tips, techniques, and best practices, you’ll explore strategies for managing configurations and data migrations. 

As you read further, you’ll discover development tools and processes in Dynamics for building customized solutions in Dynamics. The book will also demonstrate analytics and financial reporting options such as Power BI and Cortana Intelligence. Finally, you’ll learn the importance of testing and explore various automated testing strategies. 

By the end of this book, you will have gained the necessary knowledge to implement Microsoft business solutions with Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Apps.

Key Features

Manage and plan different Dynamics configurations, designs, and products Learn how to manage projects for pre-sales and implementation using Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS). Discover various integration planning techniques, tools, and frameworks such as PowerApps and Power Automate.

If you are working mostly with SCM or Supply chain management this is a very nice book you can read. In this book, you can find the latest features of Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management including Chain of Command (CoC), Acceptance Test Libraries (ATL), and Business Events. 

The book not only features more than 100 tutorials that allow you to create and extend business solutions but also addresses specific problems and offers solutions with insights into how they work. 

This cookbook starts by helping you set up an Azure DevOps project and taking you through the different data types and structures used to create tables. You will then gain an understanding of user interfaces, write extensible code, manage data entities, and even model Dynamics 365 ERP for security. 

As you advance, you’ll learn how to work with various in-built Dynamics frameworks such as SysOperation, SysTest, and Business Events. Finally, you’ll get to grips with automated build management and workflows for better application state management. At the end of this book, I think you will become proficient in packaging and deploying end-to-end solutions with D365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.

Extending Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management Cookbook

Simon Buxton

5. X++ Programming: A 1-Hour Crash Course (Best D365 F&O Book for beginners)

If you are a beginner I think this is the best book for you. In this book, you will find the basic knowledge of the X++ programming language. X++ is a language very similar language with C++ that allows you to easily do some customization capabilities to your Microsoft Dynamics AX environment. So if you are familiar with C++, learning X++ will be easier for you. 

This book describes very well the X++ language, and how you can use it to deploy your own customization on D365 F&O. This book has only 56 pages, and it’s the cheapest book you can find. This book was published in 2014 and for this reason, you can think it’s outdated but it’s not true. The basics of X++ haven’t changed. What has changed is the way of customizing the Dynamics application using X++.

In the previous article, we already discussed The model management in dynamics 365 F&O. In this article I will show how to add a new field to an existing table in dynamics 365 finance and operations. In most dynamics 365 finance and operations development, this is a common scenario.

How do achieve this task? is it possible to change the structure of existing base tables in dynamics 365? Yes,  In dynamics 365 this task is achieved by using the extension method.

An extension is a way to add functionality to an existing object in D365FO without modifying the base code of that object. Your extensions are compiled into their own DLLs, which are separate from the D365 base system libraries. 

Here I am showing you how to add one new field to the already existing CustTable by using Extension methods. A new remarks field to the CustTable.

If you are a beginner or new to dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, you can use Microsoft's Free Virtual Machine. Learn How to Set Up a Free Virtual Machine for Dynamics 365 Development.

How to do it

Create a model

• Under the Dynamics 365 menu, choose Model Management | Create model...

• The Model name is SalesModel and fill all the required fields with your values as shown in the below figure.

• Press the Next button.

• On the Select package page, choose Select Existing package. We are now offered a list of packages that we can refer to, these are listed as the package's name and the models that the package contains, check Application Suite and

• Press the Next button.

• The two checkboxes, Create a new project and Make this my default model for new projects, should both be checked.

• Press the Finish button.

• This opens the New Project dialog. The project name is CustomerModification.

• Then press the OK button.

• Now D365 F&O Project is created.

As we already discussed, adding a new field to an existing table in D365 F&O is achieved through the extension method. so here we are going to extend the existing customer table. In D365FO Customer Master table is named as  CustTable So we are going to extend CustTable.

Extend Table CustTable

• Open Application Object Tree [AOT]. For this go to View->Application Explorer.

• Expand the Data Model node.

• Under Data Model, Expand Tables. 

• Search the CustTable.

• Right Click On CustTable and click Create Extension.

• After a few seconds, one Folder name TableExtensions and table CustTableExtension1 is created under the Project CustomerModification in Solution Explorer Window.

• Double click on CustTable.Extension1.

• A designer window for CustTable.Extension1 opens.

• Expand the fields node.

• Right click on the fields node and select New-->String.

• The new customer remarks fields are String Data type.

• One string field is created name FieldString1.
• Right Click FieldString1 and go to Properties and change the Name Properties to "CustRemarks"
• Change Extended Data Type to the description.
• Change the Label Property to "Remarks".

Now Build the project by right-clicking the Project name from Solution Explorer. Only After the build process, this change is reflected in the Database level. Now table level customization is completed.

In the next article, I will show you how to add a new field in the table and add this field to the form.

if this article is useful, please share it on social media. 

Labels

How do I add a new field in Dynamics 365?
How do I add a field in dynamics?
How do I add a field to a view in Dynamics 365?
How do I add a field in navigation?
How many types of fields are there in Dynamics 365?
How do I change the primary field in Dynamics 365?
How to add a new method in table extension in d365
Adding custom fields in dynamics 365 for finance and operations
Customization in dynamics 365 finance and operations.

In previous articles, we already discussed and created different models which are mandatorily required for customization. In this article, I am going to explain what a model is and why models are used in d365 projects.

As we know, the complete D365 Finance and Operation developments are based on these four terminologies Package, Model, Project, and Element. So as a developer you need to know processes how to create a model, how to update a model, and how to delete a model.

Here’s a table of contents to help you find your way around:

A model is a design-time concept. A particular model can contain multiple Visual Studio projects. Therefore, you can say it is a collection of projects and a single project can have all or subset of elements from originating model. 

However, the association of a project is only with a single model. It is basically a unit of development/customization. Metadata for models is stored locally on an XML file called a descriptor XML. Hence creating a model is a mandatory thing for any sort of customization.

Suppose you have a requirement for developing or customizing a payroll solution, so what you will do? in this case, before starting the project or coding you have to create a model, you need to give a name for the model such as Payroll Model, then further all your customization or anything associated with this payroll solution development means any object you are creating as new such as Tables, Forms, EDT, Reports, etc… or extending already existing objects like CustTable, VendTable or anything will be based on the model  Payroll Model.

But here you don’t confuse the d365 model concept with the dot net c# model concept, that is another concept.

Where is Model Data Stored in D365?

Where is D365 Model Data Stored? In Visual Studio while we are creating a model or updating a model one new folder is created, and some files in the AOSService folder, which contains the files to run Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. In a cloud-hosted developer machine, you can look on the C drive, and find your new model folder under C:\AosService\PackagesLocalDirectory\<Your model Name>

Creating a model in D365

Here I put some basic steps for creating a model in d365 using visual studio, in the next following articles I will show you how to create, update and delete a model. So how to create a model in d365?

To create a new model, follow these steps:

1. Open Visual Studio as admin.

2. On the Dynamics 365 menu, point to Model management and select Create model

3. Give a model, publisher name, and other values

This is the basic way of creating a model in D365.

Update a model in D365

During the creation of a model, if any reference to any package is missed then it can be added through the Update Model parameters wizard. Here, I am trying to add the package Application Suite to the model Sample (created earlier).

Suppose you have created a model, initial time you forgot or not added the reference packaged Ledger, while you are proceeding with project customization, you need to use the EDT object named AccountCategory, so in this case, you must update the model parameters, otherwise what will happen? visual studio will show some errors and you cannot proceed with the project. O in this case you follow these steps, 

Step 1: Launch the Update model parameters wizard (through path Dynamics 365 > Model Management > Update model parameters....).

Step 2: On the Update Model parameters page, select the required model in our example I have chosen the name to be Payroll Model. Click on Next.

Step 3: On the Select referenced packages page, select package in our case Ledger. Click on Next.

Step 4: On the Summary page, provides a brief glimpse of model details like model description, referenced packages, and so on.

Deleting a model in D365

If you no more need a model in d365, you can delete the model. This is an easy process in d365. Before deleting a model, you must stop following services

Stop AOS web service and Stop the Batch Management Service.

you can delete your model easily by deleting the model folder in this path below path "C:\AOSService\PackagesLocalDirectory”. after deleting the model, you need to refresh the models to reflect the changes in your d365 project, for this you go to,

Dynamics 365 menu, point to Model management and select Refresh models,

then finally you must synchronize the database.

In the next following articles, I will explain the above 3 activities create, update & delete operations associated with a model individually with examples. If this article helps you, please try to share your comment.

Happy coding with D365Snippets.

Supply Chain Management is defined as the process of managing the production and distributional flow to ensure flawless delivery and distribution of its products. It is one of the most important business activities to increase profits and customer satisfaction. 

SCM deals with the management of all the processes which are involved from creating raw material to delivering the final product to the consumer. In this article, we have discussed the objectives of supply chain management with a complete illustration and examples. We made it very simple for you to understand SCM objectives.

Simply SCM, or Supply Chain Management, is the set of processes needed to define production requirements, negotiate contracts with suppliers, automate purchases and deliveries from suppliers, and automate the process to receive invoices and make payments. Let’s break it down into 6 steps.

Planning 

The initial stage of the supply chain process is the planning stage. We need to develop a plan or strategy in order to address how the products and services will satisfy the demands and necessities of the customers. 

In this stage, the planning should mainly focus on designing a strategy that yields maximum profit. For managing all the resources required for designing products and providing services, a strategy has to be designed by the companies. Supply chain management mainly focuses on planning and developing a set of metrics.

Enterprises need to plan and manage all resources required to meet customer demand for their product or service. They also need to design their supply chain and then determine which metrics to use to ensure the supply chain is efficient, effective, delivers value to customers, and meets enterprise goals.

Sourcing 

Companies must choose suppliers to provide the goods and services needed to create their products. After suppliers are under contract, supply chain managers use a variety of processes to monitor and manage supplier relationships. Key processes include ordering, receiving, managing inventory, and authorizing supplier payments.

After planning, the next step involves developing or sourcing. In this stage, we mainly concentrate on building a strong relationship with suppliers of the raw materials required for production. This involves not only identifying dependable suppliers but also determining different planning methods for shipping, delivery, and payment of the product. 

Companies need to select suppliers to deliver the items and services they require to develop their products. So in this stage, the supply chain managers need to construct a set of pricing, delivery, and payment processes with suppliers and also create the metrics for controlling and improving the relationships.

Finally, the supply chain managers can combine all these processes for handling their goods and services inventory. This handling comprises receiving and examining shipments, transferring them to the manufacturing facilities, and authorizing supplier payments.

Making

Supply chain managers coordinate the activities required to accept raw materials, manufacture the product, test for quality, the package for shipping, and schedule for delivery. Most enterprises measure quality, production output, and worker productivity to ensure the enterprise creates products that meet quality standards. 

The third step in the supply chain management process is the manufacturing or making of products that were demanded by the customer. In this stage, the products are designed, produced, tested, packaged, and synchronized for delivery. Here, the task of the supply chain manager is to schedule all the activities required for manufacturing, testing, packaging, and preparation for delivery. 

This stage is considered the most metric-intensive unit of the supply chain, where firms can gauge the quality levels, production output, and worker productivity.

Delivering

Often called logistics, this involves coordinating customer orders, scheduling delivery, dispatching loads, invoicing customers, and receiving payments. It relies on a fleet of vehicles to ship products to customers. 

Many organizations outsource large parts of the delivery process to specialist organizations, particularly if the product requires special handling or is to be delivered to a consumer’s home. 

The fourth stage is the delivery stage. Here the products are delivered to the customer at the destined location by the supplier. This stage is basically the logistics phase, where customer orders are accepted and delivery of the goods is planned. 

The delivery stage is often referred to as logistics, where firms collaborate for the receipt of orders from customers, establish a network of warehouses, pick carriers to deliver products to customers, and set up an invoicing system to receive payments.

Returning

The supplier needs a responsive and flexible network to take back defective, excess, or unwanted products. If the product is defective it needs to be reworked or scrapped. If the product is simply unwanted or excess it needs to be returned to the warehouse for sale. 

The last and final stage of supply chain management is referred to as the return. In this stage, defective or damaged goods are returned to the supplier by the customer. Here, the companies need to deal with customer queries and respond to their complaints, etc. 

This stage often tends to be a problematic section of the supply chain for many companies. The planners of the supply chain need to discover a responsive and flexible network for accepting damaged, defective and extra products back from their customers and facilitating the return process for customers who have issues with delivered products.

Enabling

To operate efficiently, the supply chain requires a number of support processes to monitor information throughout the supply chain and assure compliance with all regulations. Enabling processes include finance, HR, IT, facilities, portfolio management, product design, sales, and quality assurance.

Objectives of Supply Chain Management 

Price Optimization 

An important objective of Supply Chain Management is to optimize the process of product sales based on the market conditions and stock availability. By carefully analyzing the chain, a company can increase or decrease the prices of its products to match its short-term goals. For example, products such as Air Conditioners, Heaters, are seasonal and their prices have to be set dynamically by observing the market demand during different times of the year. This also applies to all the products which have a limited shelf life such as packaged foods and drinks. Whenever the products are approaching their expiry dates, the company can reduce their prices to boost up the selling process which will save them from suffering a huge loss. 

Improving Efficiency 

All businesses aim to increase their profit to earn higher revenues. To do this, they need to keep track of the cost of labor, production, and distribution. This can be achieved by Supply Chain Management. By analyzing the customer needs and market situations, they can look for opportunities to change their strategy wherever required to cut down costs. Moreover, a business can also keep an eye on the potential risks and problems at different stages on the chain to minimize them and provide quality services to its customers. This helps the companies to gain a competitive advantage over others in the market.

Customer Satisfaction

Another important aspect of a business is improving customer satisfaction. Supply Chain Management helps the managers and business owners to ensure that the products that the customer receives are of good quality. This can be done by keeping standard checks at different stages of SCM to make sure that the product is of high quality. If a product is found to be defective at any stage, it can be replaced with another product to provide the absolute best value for the customer. SCM also ensures that there is a proper return or refund system available, in case a customer receives a defective product. This improves the consumer experience and helps to build trust between him and the company. 

Better Coordination 

Coordination is one of the most important factors to run a successful business. Lack of coordination among different levels of the supply chain can result in huge losses and decreased product quality. Supply Chain Management makes sure that the communication between the employees, customer, and the manager is crystal clear. The customers can inform the managers about their requirements and the managers can then change their product supply according to the need of the customer. This chain also results in better coordination among various transportation channels for faster pickup and delivery of goods from different locations at the perfect time. A well-managed supply chain provides better control and high flexibility to reduce supply time. 

Identifying problems 

No matter how organized a company or business is, mistakes related to products and customer services are bound to happen at some point. A Supply chain helps in identifying the causes of those problems and resolving them as soon as possible. this also allows a customer to share its feedback so that the company can work on the shortcomings and come up with a solution to improve the quality of their services.

What is the difference between SCM and logistics?

In order to satisfy customer expectations, logistics is an element of the supply chain process that plans, implements, and regulates the efficient, effective forward and reverse movement and storage of products, services, and associated information between the point of origin and the site of consumption. 

Collaboration between companies to link suppliers, consumers, and other partners as a way of increasing efficiency and generating value for the end consumer is what Supply Chain Logistics Management is all about. 

Supply chain management operations are viewed as strategic decisions in the textbook, which establishes "the operational framework within which logistics is executed. It's crucial to note that, while the phrases aren't interchangeable, they do complement one another. 

It is impossible for one process to exist without the other. Here are some significant distinctions between the two terms that will assist you avoid conflating the two. Supply chain management is a method of connecting important business operations within and across organisations to create a high-performance business model that generates competitive advantage. 

The transportation, storage, and flow of products, services, and information within and beyond an organisation is referred to as logistics. The primary goal of supply chain is to gain a competitive edge, whereas the primary goal of logistics is to fulfil consumer needs.