Microsoft Dynamics AX Axapta 4.0 Project Green advancement notes

By Andrew Karasev

Microsoft Business Solutions owns and promotes several Microsoft Dynamics family ERP applications: Axapta, Solomon, Navision, Great Plains, Microsoft CRM.  All of these inherit some legacy and have obligations to the existing clientele: Great Plains has large number of clients in USA, Canada and English speaking countries, Navision has strong legacy positions in Europe, Solomon has Project Accounting clientele base, Microsoft CRM or now Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 is probably the only one new product, which has good chances to become CRM front end for all the back-end MRP systems in Microsoft Dynamics family.  We would like to share with you, potential or current Microsoft Dynamics AX customer some analytics on Microsoft Project Green, however these can not be considered MBS official point of view

• Initial Phase of Project Green.  Well, obviously things are changing, but we were given the impression of some so-called Microsoft Business Suites: Financials, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Project, Logistics, Supply Chain, etc.  These suites will or should be built based on the best functionalities of MBS purchased ERPs: Great Plains, Axapta, Navision, Solomon
• Microsoft Office & Sharepoint integration emphasize.  The trend itself is great, plus it helps in-house Microsoft-oriented development team to take initiative over, however this trend might be the way to shift away the attention from Microsoft Business Suites integration and four ERPs merge conception
• Axapta move.  Initially, and this is again our opinion Axapta was purchased as the bundled addition to Navision, we should remind that Navision had excellent accounting/MRP market place in Europe: Germany, France, UK, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Spain, later on it was localized for Poland, Russia, etc.  Axapta had advanced ERP functionality and was purchased by Navision Software (prior to its acquisition by Microsoft) to compete with major ERP brands: SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards, etc.
• Microsoft Dynamics AX or GP.  This is probably the most confusing and compelling question in the USA and Canada.  Well, lets look at the history.  Great Plains Software had at the end of XX century its major competitor Solomon, to give you long story short – GPS mastered to acquire Solomon and made it auxiliary option, prior to be in turn acquired by stronger player – Microsoft Corporation.  Now Axapta/Dynamics AX is localized for Europe, Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador.  Axapta supports Unicode (China, Japan, Burma), at the same time Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains is Great Plains Dexterity application. To give you some background facts – Dexterity was designed in the beginning of 1990^th – MorphX/X++ is definitely a step forward, but we would like to wait more signals from MBS
• Large, Mid-size and Small Business.  We expect that Microsoft Dynamics is the answer for “all of us”.  However the “answer” might depend on the world place and the legacy ERP scenario, which is understood and respected
• XML Web Service.  This seems to be the “troyan horse of Microsoft Business Portal and Microsoft .Net”.  Even if we are in MS partners program to facilitate Microsoft Dynamics sales, we are not sure what is the future interrelations between AX and GP.

Please do not hesitate to call or email us: USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com  http://www.ronix-systems.de ) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally.

We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN, Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Bahrain), Asia: China, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South & Central America: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico