AX 2012 Upgrade Decisions

Analysis – Code upgrades

There are a few important components to the analysis phase of determining your upgrade path, but one of the biggest ones is the current state of enhancements in the ERP. Custom code is almost inevitable, even if it is just a few extra data fields on tables, almost every enterprise is going to need at least a few enhancements in their system.

With Dynamics 365 the way enhancements are built and handle changed drastically. No longer are VARs or ISVs allowed to just overlayer code on top of Dynamics 365 base code. Microsoft introduced extension points to safely hook code into the system to ensure greater system reliability and make future d365 upgrades a much smoother process than in the past. While these are welcome changes that have lead to faster iterations on bug fixes, cleaner code bases for customers, and smoother upgrades, the process of upgrading Dynamics Ax and getting that code ready for the new system may be a fairly complicated process.

For the business case we previously outlined with just new custom data fields this process is quite simple and straightforward. When there are large modifications to base flows more analysis will be required. Microsoft includes a tool inside LCS to generate a report showing all the current custom code in the erp. This will help make the determination of how long moving this custom code into the modern extension framework will take.

Analysis – Data and Functionality

While there is a data upgrade tool built directly into the upgrade process, there is some analysis and consideration that needs to happen before running this. Many of our customers, especially those running Microsoft Dynamics AX for many years want to take this opportunity to purge unwanted data and clean up their database. Big ERP apps have a lot of functionality that creates a lot of data over time. While it is important to have some type of data cleanup automation going on in your current system, not everyone has that.

We’ve had some customers, especially those running Dynamics AX 2009 decide it was going to be faster and more efficient data wise for them to just reimplement Dynamics 365. They had years of unwanted data and felt like spending time purging this data was going to take longer than just moving forward with a new implementation. While this may sound like a daunting task, the data management framework makes it a fairly smooth process to complete data migration between the two systems.

Another important factor to consider is what’s new within Dynamics 365 versus what functionality your current version of Microsoft Dynamics AX has. The supply chain management module in particular received huge functionality boosts in later releases. If you are looking to improve warehouse efficiencies like using warehouse mobile devices moving to Dynamics 365 is the perfect time to start this. During the evaluation phase, Strabo finds it critical to evaluate all your business processes and ensure you are able to get the most out of your new Dynamics instance.

Making the Move

While this may all feel a bit daunting, Strabo is here to help make this process of deciding the best path to upgrading Dynamics AX as smooth as possible. With mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics AX over, it is important to make these decisions sooner rather than later. With an upgrade like this, it is a great time to evaluate business needs to see what new functionality exists to fill existing gaps and bring even greater optimization to your organization.

Strabo has a proven methodology for upgrades that ensures proper validation and a smooth move from an older version of Microsoft Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365. Be sure to contact us today to learn more about Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and how to have a successful go-live!