Incremental Learning of Supply Chain Management Capabilities In The New Microsoft Dynamics AX and AX 2012 R3

Editor's Note: The following article is drawn from Dr. Hamilton's new book about Supply Chain Management using Microsoft Dynamics AX. The book focuses on supply chain management in manufacturing and distribution businesses, and covers the software capabilities within the new Dynamics AX as well as AX 2012 R3.

The two major options currently available for using Dynamics AX can be labeled the "new Dynamics AX" and "Dynamics AX 2012 R3", where both options share the same embedded conceptual models and business processes. The new Dynamics AX is now in public preview. Stated another way, the functionality within the new Dynamics AX is based on the proven business logic of AX 2012 R3, but there are some substantive differences.

Many AX professionals familiar with previous software versions need to learn the incrementally new functionality, which can be gleaned from the Microsoft documentation about "What's New". However, it is difficult to gauge the relative amount of functionality and incremental learning. For some, the starting point for incremental learning consists of the older version of AX 2012, while others may start from AX 2012 R3.

This article quantifies the incremental learning and the relative amount of change between these previous versions and the new Dynamics AX, and focuses on supply chain management topics for manufacturing and distribution. It starts with some metrics about the amount of incremental learning, and then provides a summarized description of changes in AX functionality. ...