Reasons to Consider Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3: Experts weigh in

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, the next major update to AX 2012, was released yesterday. The application boasts a number of new features aimed at helping businesses become more agile. The updated release has a specialized focus on manufacturing, distribution, retail, service industries, and the public sector.

One key question that customer might be asking now is why they might want to upgrade to Dynamics AX 2012 R3, especially if they are already on AX 2012 or even AX 2012 R2? We talked to several experts who have been watching the product closely, and it is the range of new capabilities that most believe will attract new customers and drive upgrades.

Andrew Snodgrass, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, sees some significant improvements in the retail portions of AX 2012 R3 through the tighter integration of new and existing features that are each responsible for various parts of the retail process.

"The broad concept is that the system should deliver relevant information about a customer's shopping process to the right employee at the appropriate time to help a first contact lead to a completed sale and customer satisfaction," he said.

There are also improvements to warehouse and transportation functionality that are the result of acquiring functionality from Microsoft partner Blue Horseshoe.

"When integrated, the new functionality will include radio frequency ID (RFID) scanning for inventory control, transportation route planning with trip optimization routines, and freight reconciliation to reduce claims and improve cash flow," Snodgrass said.

Tommy Skaue, a systems engineer and Dynamics AX developer at Axdata Norge AS, said one major improvement in R3 is the split of the database holding ...