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Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail Looks for Strength as Complete Offering

by Jason Gumpert
Editor, MSDynamicsWorld.com

Microsoft may have wrapped up its formal launch activities the Dynamics AX for Retail 2012 release, but Dynamics AX director of product management Kees Hertogh wants people to know that AX for Retail intends to differentiate itself from more specialized retail solutions with an integrated vision for the modern retail organization. Will that approach be enough to win business away from existing players who focus on the retail supply chain like JDA, Island Pacific, and others?

In a new blog post, Hertogh touches on some of the advances Microsoft has made to help retail organizations that are enabled by the improvements to the core architecture of Dynamics AX 2012. "By utilizing the core concepts introduced in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 we've created a more powerful solution for customers that are managing larger assortments across different channels," he writes.

Specific examples of core capabilities in AX 2012 for Retail that Hertogh cites include:

  • Extending the Organizational model with Channels - Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail includes a new Organizational unit type named "Channel," which can be a physical retail store, an online web store or an online market place (e.g. eBay, Buy.com, Amazon). When you set up stores, you can add them to an organization hierarchy. The stores then share data that is used for assortments, replenishment, and reporting.
  • More powerful assortment planning - By using the new core concepts in Dynamics AX 2012 like the "global" product model, effective date and (category) hierarchies, managing and planning an assortment with 1,000s of SKU across the different channels has become even more powerful. ...

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Commerce Customer Relationship Mgmt Dynamics AX E-Commerce Inventory Management Mobile Applications Retail Social ERP Supply Chain Management
About Jason Gumpert

As the editor of MSDynamicsWorld.com, Jason oversees all editorial content on the site and at our events, as well as providing site management and strategy. He can be reached at jgumpert@msdynamicsworld.com.

Prior to co-founding MSDynamicsWorld.com, Jason was a Principal Software Consultant at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), where he implemented solutions, trained customers, managed software development, and spent some time in the pre-sales engineering organization. He has also held consulting positions at CSC Consulting and Monitor Group.

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