Balancing Interests in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and Earlier Releases at AXUG Summit 2012

With over 140 sessions planned, AXUG Summit 2012 attendees will have a range of topics to choose from to match their interests.  But with only about 25 percent of members on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 so far, the event has to find a balance between the latest and greatest, including the upcoming AX 2012 R2 release, and offering information that meets the majority of users needs.

But the speed of Dynamics AX 2012 adoption might be deceiving - it is far stronger than past releases, says AXUG director Frank Vukovits, to the point that, in the US at least, upgrades are being hindered by professional services capacity.

"There was not a ton of rush going from AX 3.0 to 4.0," Vukovits recalls. "There was more interest in upgrades to AX 2009, but 2012 is a different story.  So many people are trying to get to it because they are sold on the user experience and technology.  I think more members are upgrading or waiting to upgrade but most partners are backlogged.  Partners are selling a ton of 2012 and trying to balance that with current customers.  Their schedules are getting crazy and they are looking for setting up time in their schedules for the next 12 months to work with their customers."

Vukovits says that new AXUG members are now consistently arriving with Dynamics AX 2012 solutions and strong interest in AX 2012 R2.  The focus this year seems to be more on new implementations than upgrades , he observes.   And by next year's event, he estimates that at least half the event content will be focused on AX 2012.

At this year's Summit, attendees can expect a more condensed set of session tracks - 9 tracks that combine what used to be many more.  For example, the "Financial" track would have ...