New Mobile Warehouse App for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Highlights Benefits of Model Driven Architecture

Kurt Hatlevik is a true warehouse management and distribution veteran in the Microsoft Dynamics AX community.  Now an executive consultant for Columbus based in Norway and a newly awarded Microsoft MVP, Hatlevik focuses on vertical solutions and strategic development around Dynamics AX with Columbus customers, partners, and Microsoft.  You may also known Hatlevik for his role as "founding father" of  To-Increase's warehouse management and distribution offering.

Hatlevik appears to have struck a chord recently on his blog, where he has been detailing the capabilities of Columbus's new warehouse worker application for PDAs, which Hatlevik developed for Dynamics AX 2012.  While warehouse management apps, both custom and commercial, for PDAs have been around for past versions of Dynamics AX (many of which Hatlevik has been involved in developing), what makes this generation of solutions unique, he explains, is their robust integration to the AX 2012 architecture.  The integral connection to the ERP system means less time and energy required for integrating with the ERP system and more time building out the features and interfaces that warehouse workers can best utilize from AX 2012. 

We talked to Kurt to learn more about Columbus's new PDA solution, the impact of the AX 2012 model-driven architecture on its rapid development, and the response from clients, as well as the solution architect and developer community.

MSDW: What is the origin of this PDA interface?  

Hatlevik: I have been implementing rich client based AX-PDA forms and functions for many customers originating all the way back to Damgaard Axapta 2.0.  The ability to only ...