AXUG Members Get Update on Latest AX 2009 Features, Preview of AX 6

AXUG members really do influence the direction of Microsoft Dynamics AX.

That was the message from speakers at the AXUG dayOne event's General  Session held at the New Orleans Marriott on Monday.  During the session, Microsoft officials discussed AX product features - present and future - and the influence users can have on the product's future direction.

"AXUG is a tremendous value to us in terms of the direction we take the product," Hal Howard, General Manager for Dynamics ERP, told the audience.  "We really do listen to what you have to say about what we're doing with the product". 

Howard's presentation focused on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 topics and plans for the next release of Microsoft Dynamics AX, referred to in the interim as AX 6.  Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 topics included  upgrades from Microsoft Dynamics AX 3.0 and 4.0, BI, financial reporting, documentation improvements, and new features.

In an open invitation for questions, Howard discussed everything from Chinese localization (available since Service Pack 1 in November), to documentation (they need to produce more of it and keep it coming through the life of a product release), to the plans for dealing with the changes to the roadmap of PerformancePoint Server, which will be rolled into SharePoint Server. 

Upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 is, in Howard's words, "a lot easier than most people think," and he even called on customers who have been through the process to confirm his claims.   In this audience of quite vocal and opinionated users, no one disagreed.

The latest 2009 features are the newly available Project Time Reporting capability, which is an enhancement on top of existing project accounting capabilities, and a new Lean Manufacturing ...