Archive for December, 2018

End of mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2

December 29th, 2018

Reminder – End of mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2 was ‎10‎/‎05‎/‎2018

Upgrade is not trivial especially when you have lots of customisations and bespoke reports and interfaces. Plan plenty of time for conversion and for testing and contingency. There is backlog of companies who need to migrate and only a limited number of skilled consultant available.

Decide as soon as possible whether on-premise or on cloud. If on-premise then consider what extra hardware you will need and whether you also need to upgrade SQL server. Don’t forget that SQL license costs have also changed.

It is not too early to start budgeting – find out what you get and don’t get on the cloud, there are both hidden costs, (e.g. extra back up storage space) and hidden savings (e.g. electricity). What extra environments or storage will you need e.g for dev and test over those used by Microsoft. How have license types and costs changed, understand the Modern Lifecycle Support update policy, .

Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1 (SP1), Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2:
Mainstream support fends on October 9, 2018 after that date, only security hotfixes will be provided for these three versions through the extended support period that continues until October 12, 2021.

Dynamics AX 2012 R3
Mainstream support for continues through October 12, 2021. Microsoft will provide security hotfixes, non-security hotfixes, and regulatory updates for Dynamics AX 2012 R3 throughout that mainstream support period. The source code for these non-binary, non-security hotfixes and regulatory updates will continue to be available for customers active on the Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance.

Can customers on Premier Extended Hotfix Support or on Unified Support Advanced and Performance Levels get a non-security hotfix or regulatory update?

No. Neither non-security hotfixes nor regulatory updates will be available for Dynamics AX 2009 SP1, Dynamics AX 2012, or Dynamics AX 2012 R2 during the Extended Support phase of the product lifecycle.

While the ability to request a non-security hotfix for select products is included with Unified Support Advanced and Performance Levels, Microsoft has determined that non-security hotfixes cannot be provided with a commercially reasonable effort for these products. As a result, no requests for non-security hotfixes or regulatory updates will be accepted.

However, Microsoft will continue making security hotfixes, non-security hotfixes, and regulatory updates for Dynamics AX 2012 R3 throughout that mainstream support period. The source code for these non-binary, non-security hotfixes and regulatory updates will continue to be available for customers, and their partners, active on the Enhancement Plan or Software Assurance. Dynamics AX 2009 SP1, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2 customers can selectively integrate those changes as required. Customers and partners can get the source code from packages attached to relevant Dynamics AX 2012 R3 KB articles published on LCS and discoverable through LCS Issue Search.

Will I still get a regulatory update for Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2?

No, Microsft will only provide regulatory updates for Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2 for regulatory changes with the law enforcement dates on or earlier than October 9, 2018.

What happens if a new bug is found by a customer in Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1, Dynamics AX 2012, or Dynamics AX 2012 R2?

The bug must be reproducible in Dynamics AX 2012 R3. If it is reproducible and accepted, then a hotfix will be provided for Dynamics AX 2012 R3 and the customers can elect to integrate this hotfix in their version themselves, or work with their partners to integrate the changes.

How are binary hotfixes handled for Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1, Dynamics AX 2012, and Dynamics AX 2012 R2?

If a hotfix is needed for a part of the system where Microsoft does not provide the source code and it is not a security bug, then a hotfix will not be provided.

To discuss a move to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations call Synergy Software Systems your Dynamics Partner for over 15 years : 009714 3365589

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Posted in Dynamics 365, Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Security and Compliance, Technology

Buisness Central

December 23rd, 2018


An all-in-one business management solution that helps your business connect financials, sales, service and operations.

Business Central for SME Companies
Many businesses start on small, low-featured finance packages due to the low cost and ease of use. However, as the business grows you will start to suffer from:
• Limited or no functionality for managing areas of your business
• Lack of intuitive reporting
• No integration between departments

If you started with a basic finance package and need something more to run your business, then Dynamics 365 Business Central could be the solution for you.
• Familiar Microsoft look and feel for ease of learning and use
• Implement just the areas that you need to use
• Security and Permissions based on job roles

If you use an external accountant, then the good news is that Business Central comes complete with a free accountant license., which gives access to just the areas of the system they need to manager your finances.
Manually inputting data into spreadsheets is both timely and open to a lot of risks. Reporting is also very limited and often the data is disparate between work books. Building new areas of the business can be complex and requires huge amount of management time to create the processes.
Business Central comes with in-built functionality for every area of business, all integrated with a centralised chart of accounts. This means that you only enter the data once and can spend time focused on strategy based on meaningful insights from the in-built reporting and integrated Power BI.

Fro more information contact Synergy Software Systems 0097143365589

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Posted in Dynamics 365

Get ready for year-end close in Dynamics AX and Dynamics 365 with Synergy Software Systems, Dubai.

December 20th, 2018

There many tasks to be done for the Fiscal year-end closing process.
Those include task for all functions not just finance.
For over 10 years Synergy has conducted Year end training courses to help prepare Dynamics users for their fiscal close.
Our 2 day workshop encompasses:
Key tasks and sequence
Tips and trick
Key reports,
Use of MR and Power Bi
Sales, Supply chain, HR, IT tasks
Hands on practice
The course content applies to almost all versions and will be run in Dynamics Ax 2012 R3. it will however will also introduce the Dynamics 365 Financial closing workspace.

Date: 2 day course: 09.00 – 17.00 8th and 9th Jan 2019
Venue: SYNERGY SOFTWARE SYSTEMS. Al Karama, Dubai.
Ample parking and bus stops and metro nearby.
For a trouble-free and timely, year-end close, book today.
Experienced, expert instructors.

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Posted in Corporate Perfomance Management, Dubai and regional news, Dynamics 365, Education, Events, General Synergy News, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Security and Compliance

Prophix user conference May 2019 Birmingham, U.K.

December 19th, 2018

Just an early note for your diaries that the Prophix EMEA user conference next year will be held in Birmingham in the U,K, 22-23 May.
Meet and socialise with senior Prophix management, and other Prophix users.
Learn about the product road map and new features.
Learn useful tips and tricks.
Make product suggestions.
See the U.K. at the best time of the year – the central location is served by its own International airport with fast rail links to Oxford, Wales London, Bath and the picture postcard villages of the Cotswolds ( se the award winning gardens)

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Posted in Corporate Perfomance Management, Events

Dynamics Finance and Operations Dv-2 CPU upgrades for Development and Test environments

December 18th, 2018

In October 2018, Microsoft adjusted the configuration of the Finance and Operations Develop and Test environments for better performance. All new deployments have moved to Managed premium disks, optimized for DS12v2 VMs. because of updates to code and metadata, development and testing requires extensive disk access operations. Memory optimized VM sizes offer a high memory-to-CPU ratio that are best for relational database servers, with medium to large caches, and in-memory analytics. The M series is the highest spec.

(The Dv2-series is a follow-on to the original D-series, and features a more powerful CPU. The Dv2-series CPU is about 35% faster than the D-series CPU. It is based on the latest generation 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon® E5-2673 v3 2.4 GHz (Haswell) or E5-2673 v4 2.3 GHz (Broadwell) processors, and with the Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, can go up to 3.1 GHz. The Dv2-series has the same memory and disk configurations as the D-series. Moving to Managed premium disks will provide a much better performance experience for these operations.)

Synergy recommends that you deallocate, delete, and re-deploy new Develop and Test environments to take advantage of this new topology. Before you delete your Development or Test environment, make sure that you save all of your work, check your code into Azure DevOps (formerly known as VSTS), and make a local backup of any test database that you would like to preserve.

Allow up to 48 hours for a redeployment request to be processed by Microsoft.

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Posted in Dynamics 365, Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Technology

Dynamics 365 One Version – April 2019 is fast approaching

December 16th, 2018

If you are running Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and you are on version 7.3 or below, then be aware that the product will be considered as end of service after March 31, 2019. Note however that other Dynamics 365 Apps are also impacted e.g. Customer Engagement and Field Service.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/get-started/faq-update-policy

From April 2019, all Microsoft Dynamics 365 customers for all Dynamics solutions, will run on the same version and code base. This means from Microsoft point of view that it is still possible to have own customizations and ISV solutions in your own environment. The standard application will be the same for all customers.

As of April 2019, the product version number will be 10.0. From then expect major releases every April and October.
In between there will be continuous updates for platform, application and financial reporting fixes as well as smaller functional features and regulatory requirements. Version number ‘9’ will be skipped for Finance and Operations. Customer engagement is on version 9 so to have a single product range on the same vision, Microsoft has to align the version numbering to be the same across all of the Dynamics apps.

The service will also end for version 8.0. We advise to move to version 8.1 as soon as possible. If you are already on version 8.1, then you are already enrolled in the continuous update plan. The 10.0 version will then be an update when coming from this latest version; not an upgrade.

If you are running on version 7.3, then in general you also have to be on version 10.0 starting April 2019. If you have submitted extension requests, then you are expected to have no issues for upgrading and your 7.3 environment will be considered as end of service starting April 2019. That also means you need to move all over-layered coding into extensions. If you use an ISV module then check with the ISV vendor whether is ahs issues with over-layered code to resolve.

There is limited time to prepare and test, (and limited D365 technical skills, in the market to move all customers at the last minute, and it does not happen in a day.) Starting with the April 2019 update, you can validate major updates in a sandbox environment in advance of the update release. This will help you assess productivity and efficiency gains of the new capabilities, as well as train your end users about new capabilities

It’s important to do this sooner than later. The move from 7.3 is a significant exercise i.e. it’s an upgrade. Thereafter the advantage of the new platform is that in future it will be updates. The ongoing April and October updates will be backward compatible.

There are many enhancements both technical, and functional in 8.0/B.1. So plan time for some additional end user training and testing days.

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Posted in Dynamics 365, Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Technology

Sql 2014 Sp2 Update 15

December 15th, 2018

The 15th cumulative update release for SQL Server 2014 SP2 is available for download at the Microsoft Downloads site.
Registration is no longer required to download Cumulative updates.

CU15 KB Article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4469137

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2014 SP2 Latest Cumulative Update: https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=53592

Update Center for Microsoft SQL Server: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/sqlserver/ff803383.aspx

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Posted in HR and Payroll, Infor Financial solutions, Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SQL, Sunsystems and Vision, Technology

Micorsft is to discontinue its Azure Container Service in Jan 2020

December 15th, 2018

On December 5, Microsoft officials said in a blog post that ACS will no longer be supported as of January 31, 2020. Beginning on that date, all ACS application programming interfaces (APIs) will be blocked. Users will no longer be able to create new clusters, or update or scale existing clusters. They will be able to list and delete existing clusters.

Microsoft’s recommendations for existing ACS users are to migrate to AKS or the ask-engine open-source project if they use Kubernetes.

If they use ACS with Docker, then Microsoft suggests moving to the Basic or Standard/Advanced Docker Enterprise Edition for Azure solution template.

If they use ACS with DC/OS, then they advocate that users move to the Mesosphere DC/OS Enterprise or Mesosphere DC/OS Open Source solution template

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Posted in Microsoft, Technology

Hitec Dubai 2018- Synergy Software Systems, Deyafa Systems showcase ‘Inigma’.

December 6th, 2018

Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) CEO Issam Kazim officially inaugurated the second HITEC 2018 Dubai, the Middle East’s largest, hospitality technology, exhibition and conference.

This year’s event took place yesterday and today at the Madinat Jumeirah Dubai ( December 5- 6) and showcased a wide range of innovative solutions from the world’s leading hospitality technology providers. Synergy Software Systems together with Deyafa Systems presented the Inigma software solution.

Inigma task management system and collaboration platform offers a smoother and more efficient way to run operations for any hotel.

Synergy and Inigma stand with John M. Clark Vice President – SynergyMMS Division. Systems Associates

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Posted in Dubai and regional news, Events, General Synergy News, Hospitality, Technology

Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations on-premise v 8.1 – ask Synergy Software Systems

December 3rd, 2018

Microsoft published last month that version 8.1 was released for on-premise version of D365FO.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/migration-upgrade/on-prem-version-update-policy?toc=/fin-and-ops/toc.json#dynamics-365-for-finance-and-operations-on-premises-release-dates.

Synergy has completed the upgrade, and also upgraded its D365 Payroll and HR admin modules for this new release and for the latest kernel..

Note: All customers must be on the latest version of Finance and Operations by April 30, 2019. However, Microsoft will make an exception for customers who have unfulfilled extension requests that have been submitted to Microsoft. Those customers can be on version 7.3 until April 2020.

Layered code is not supported after version 7.3

See:
docs.microsoft.com/…/apply-updates-on-premises
docs.microsoft.com/…/redeploy-on-prem
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/unified-operations/dev-itpro/migration-upgrade/upgrade-latest-update

If you need proven expertise toupdate your D365 from v 7 then contact U.A.E. Dynamics partner Synergy Software Systems 0097143365589.

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Posted in Dynamics 365, Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Technology