General quesions about Dynamics Ax - x++

I'm a newbie in Dynamics Ax and have mountains of quesions:
*What computer programmering language do you use to code new functionality in Ax? Is it C#?
*When you do some coding, does it take place in Visual studio 2010?
*If ERP use C# as a coding lanuage, is it C# from winform or Windows presentation foundation?
*What is the main standard of IT architecture that Ax is using when you start implementing it in a company? N-tier with presentation, business and data layer?
*Does Dynamics have build in Microsoft Business Intelligence?
*What object-relational mapping (ORM) framework does it use to retrieve data from data layer to the presentation layer? Entity framework, Nhibernate, Dataset?
*If a customer has three database tool that is SQL server, Oracle and MySQL and these need to be used in Dynamics Ax, does Ax has a tool in order to combine these database and its data into one unit? Maybe you need to use SSIS etc.
// Fullmetalboy

It's not a good idea to ask more than 1 question in SO but there we go:
Language is X++ (propietary language, only available in AX) http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa867122.aspx
Before 2012 version it has it's own editor. In AX 2012 you can code something from VS but mainly you have to work in the native editor.
It's not C#, it's X++ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc967357.aspx
AX has its own architecture. You can find more info about that on MSDN. All layers are integrated and you can't change that behaviour.
It can be integrated natively with Microsoft Analysis Services, and throw SQL server with all other BI systems you want.
AX has it's own framework. All the developer environment is a framework itself.
You can only install AX with SQL Server or Oracle (before 2012 version).
All of those are very basic questions than you can answer easilly in the oficial AX documentation:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa496080.aspx

Reading a general introduction to AX would help. The answers to this question applies.
Very basic facts may be found here. Most of your questions may be answered by Google search.
Sorry, asking more than one question in StackOverflow is not recommended.

Related

Best OLAP option for ASP.NET MVC and Oracle 11g

We're working on a ASP.NET MVC 4 project with Oracle DB (11g). Customer has asked us to add ad-hoc reports (OLAP) to our system, so we're looking at possible options. User interface should be integrated into existing ASP.NET MVC web-site and data source should be Oracle DB. What is the best available options for such configuration?
I guess this is rather late (being well over a year after the post!) but I would strongly recommend the OLAP option that is embedded into the 11g database.
Oracle have wrapped it in all sorts of crud and provided some not very good client tools (e.g. the OLAP worksheet) but the underlying engine, based on a tool originally called Express, has an extremely good pedigree and remains one of the best on the market. Performance is great, it has an excellent and fully-featured language and costs a fraction of Oracle's own Hyperion offering.
Best of all, it is embedded in the Oracle database allowing (relatively) easy transfer of data from one to the other (although they are still surprisingly much at arm's length, given how long the technology has been owned by Oracle).
Having had relatively limited success with the client tools provided by Oracle, we have tended to go back to basics and define/populate objects manually in the OLAP cube - although most of our applications tend to involve modelling/forecasting so require write-back, which is a strength of Oracle OLAP, but not well supported by the client tools as Oracle would rather you used the more expensive Hyperion.

ASP.NET MVC with Postgres; ORM recommendations?

I'm project managing an intranet application being developed at work. We're in the early planning stages. I've previously done all my development in Python using Django, but as we're a windows shop we're probably going to go with ASP.NET MVC.
We won't really be able to afford a SQLServer license though, so we were perhaps looking into using Postgresql. However I can't seem to find many examples or guides for people who want to utilise a third party ORM - or at least, an ORM with similar usage as Django - that works with Postgresql.
Ultimately we'd like to handle authentication via Active Directory [including groups], but store actual content within the db.
There have been previous questions of a similar nature, but most of them are over a year old when MVC was stil in Beta.
Any ideas?
NHibernate by a country mile.
It also supports MySql and should you want to change it has the main commmercial ones too. Haven't switched between db vendors but if you don't do much bespoke t-sql and say use fluent nhibernate you could almost plug and play between database platforms.
The support and community behind NHibernate when it comes to Mvc is second to none. It is categorically the ORM of choice.
You can try DataObjects.Net - open source ORM with GPLv3 or commercial licenses. It also supports Postrges.
NHibernate supports PostgreSQL. See http://vampirebasic.blogspot.com/2009/02/nhibernate-with-postgresql.html for some advice on how to integrate the two.
Also worth mentioning is that NHibernate now supports LINQ syntax. See http://ayende.com/Blog/archive/2009/07/26/nhibernate-linq-1.0-released.aspx for more details.
I'd recommend Mindscape LightSpeed. It supports PostgreSQL and has a visual designer baked into Visual Studio with full database round tripping to PostgreSQL.
When there was no add-in for Visual Studio to support PostgreSQL from the Server Explorer the guys wrote a free visual studio add-in for supporting it.
Solid O/R Mapper with LINQ mixed with first class visual model development against PostgreSQL. It is a commercial product however there is a free edition for small databases.
Mindscape LightSpeed O/R Mapper
Try Devart LinqConnect - http://www.devart.com/linqconnect/. This Framework supports PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, SQLIte.
Unfortunately, most answers you get on a question like this are going to be based on the responder's opinion and experience and not based on yours.
Most of the suggestions here are good... however... if you are looking for a lightweight/fast ORM that is similar to Django, JackD has the right solution (LinqConnect)...
I've used most of the solutions listed including Django, and find that I usually pick LinqConnect if I'm looking for fast, lightweight and easy. For heavier (read larger) projects I would use something more robust like NHibernate.
But to answer your question correctly... the closest match and least learning curve for someone using Django would definitely be LinqConnect.

Can I really develop on ASP.NET MVC for free? [closed]

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I'm currently developing a web app on Django/Python, and I consider moving to ASP.NET MVC. I downloaded the Visual Web Developer Express edition, read NerdDinner, and I'm ready to go. I will probably keep working on MySQL.
One of the reasons I chose Django+MySQL in the first place was that it was free of charge. I'm bootstrapping a business and can't afford to pay for expensive software, even for deployment (storage and bandwidth are the exception).
My question is: can I develop on the express edition and get my product to production without having to pay to Microsoft? This is both a legal question and a practicality question (Assume I'll use open source version control, build server, etc).
I'm not experienced in Microsoft's different licenses, I wondered if anyone has any experience in driving a product to the web based solely on the express editions (I know you guys are not lawyers, but some of you are probably working at companies paying lawyers to help with such decisions...)
You've asked two questions here, so let's take a look at both.
From a legal standpoint the answer is pretty straightforward: yes, Visual Web Developer Express is provided free of charge and there is no limitation regarding using it commercially.
Your second question has to do with the practicality of using Express editions commercially. The short answer is: yes. The longer version of the answer sounds a little more like "yes, but...".
Although Visual Studio Express editions are fantastic -- especially when you consider their price -- you should be aware that they do lack functionality. To me, the most important things Express editions lack are --
Extension support. There's a healthy Visual Studio add-in ecosystem out there that you'll be locked out of. Not a fatal flaw, for sure. Just something to keep in mind.
Ability to create setup projects. Again, not fatal. You can do it manually or using some external solution. Also, if you are developing something for use on one customer (or for yourself) this is a complete non-issue.
Native 64-bit support. This is the one I can't work around. If you need to work on 64-bit environments and use some 64-bits controls, you're in a pickle.
Support for test projects. If you are into test-driven development, this is a very cool feature you'll miss on the Express editions.
Also, they have no class designer, some (small) limitations on debugging and most development tools you'll find that work with Visual Studio won't work with the Express editions.
All in all, you can definitely develop with VS Express. Compared to the tools you probably had for Django+Python, Visual Studio Express is a big leap forward anyway IMHO.
Also, you can always go with the Express edition for now and upgrade later if necessary.
Point 7 in the "Express" FAQ probably answers it best:
Can I use Express Editions for commercial use?
Yes, there are no licensing restrictions for applications built using Visual Studio Express Editions.
Other then that, reading the EULA should confirm that there is no "products built with this software is for private use only" clauses.
Not only can you develop ASP.NET MVC for free, you can do it on Linux using Mono, as Miguel points out and Michael explains... so in addition to no license fees for the runtime or IDE, you can host on free operating systems too!
You can also use MonoDevelop on Mac OS-X and although I'm pretty sure Windows users will prefer Visual Web Developer Express, they are getting MonoDevelop running on Windows, too.
When you've made your first million dollars, then you can 'upgrade' to Visual Studio 2010 :)
Yes, the Express editions are really free.
yes, you can develop on the free versions of microsoft software. you will have to pay for the os license of the development and hosting servers though.
for a business you may want to investigate the bizspark program which can give you up to three years of everything, including hosting.
It is absolutely possible to develop and deploy ASP.NET and ASP.NET MVC applications without having to pay to Microsoft. I see no any limitations/differences (both legal and practical) in deployment of ASP.NET applications, developed in express/full versions of VS. Personally I would recommend to buy VS2008 Pro (or maybe wait for VS2010) - it's much more powerful then VWD Express. Yes, It is expensive but I think it is worth its money.
UPDATED:
Reliable Dedicated/VPS hosting is expensive for both Linux/Windows platforms. So if your site will grow quickly - yor main costs will be hosting not tools
in development yes it is free visual studio express is really free but when it comes to deployment you will really need Windows server 2003 or 2008 you might also need another edition of SQL server if express doesn't meet the requirement :)
There is no need to settle for the Express editions or open source. If you are a legitimate startup, you can join Microsoft's relatively new BizSpark program and get a free MSDN subscription, which includes full editions of all the software for development purposes (e.g. Windows Server, SQL Server, etc).
Plus for web apps you get licenses to deploy the software in production, which I think makes BizSpark unique versus other MS partner programs. It doesn't include free hosting however.
Check out the site for eligibility requirements and restrictions.
(sorry Matt I know you mentioned Bizspark, but I wanted to provide more info and emphasize how relevant this is for the question).

ASP.NET MVC is now "open source". Is this a good thing? [closed]

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This question is only looking for feedback on the direction of ASP.NET MVC as a platform. I truly am not posting it as flame-bait. My company is planning a major web application investment and we need to decide if ASP.NET MVC is the right direction.
===
Update Microsoft Answers
Scott Guthrie, head of ASP.NET development, posted this on his blog:
ASP.NET MVC is a free, fully supported, Microsoft product that
enables developers to easily build web
applications using a
model-view-controller pattern
So as long as the above statement is true then ASP.NET MVC is safe to deploy on.
ASP.NET MVC is released under the Microsoft Public License (MS-PL). MS-PL is an OSI-approved open source license. The MS-PL contains no platform restrictions and provides broad rights to modify and redistribute the source code.
===
When Microsoft released ASP.NET MVC under open source (MS-PL) licensing my first thought was that MS might soon drop support for it. And with that thought I wouldn't want to invest in mastering it for obvious reasons.
I could be wrong, so I wanted to get some feedback before making any solid decisions.
Is this a good thing?
Update:
A friend asked a compelling question about this subject: Is ASP.NET MVC Open Source or Shared Source? That got me thinking about the difference between Microsoft's open source-like initiatives and the open source community's "true", if you will, open source. And this difference really gets at the niggling concern over Microsoft open sourcing an important product. It's not that having access to the source is unappreciated. That is GREAT. I wish we had access to Win32 source, or even the entire source code for Windows. Talk about solving problems quickly! The concern is over whether MS will now take a hands -off posture towards ASP.NET MVC. In that case I don't know if we should use it as it could take awhile for robust community support to build around a source collection originally owned by a company not generally known for giving away source code.
Open source is always a good thing. Now, If MS drops support for it, the community will continue to develop it. Before, if MS had dropped it, it would never be updated.
The question you should ask is "Is this a bad thing?" Of course not.
Microsoft's choice to release MVC as open source is an example of their changing views on open source and free software. I extremely doubt they've done this so they could drop support of it.
Why on earth would anyone think that open source is a bad thing?
I would be SHOCKED if MS dropped support for it just because it was open source.
When MS made the announcement that they are shipping jQuery, it went along with a statement that they would start supporting jQuery as a product.
So, if they will be supporting open source products that they don't maintain, I would be shocked if they stopped supporting open source products that they DO maintain.
Microsoft making asp.net MVC open source has no relation with not supporting it. Remember the way it was released as open source, means MS will be the one making the changes along the way. Note that for the moment they won't be accepting submit of patches, which is another clear indication they are in total control of the project.
We just last night had an MS Presentation for our local .net users group on MVC. There was discussion about the open source aspect of it. Within 24h of the source release, the Mono folks had adopted MVC. This is all good stuff!
I am hearing tremendous interest within the dev community for MVC. Microsoft seems firmly behind the pattern and framework. I hightly doubt they will be dropping official support for it any time soon.
it REALLY DOES NOT MATTER even if MS drops support for it. because since its open source, community would continue working on it
thats the power of open source communities - even a software giant like MS was forced to change its views and embrace it. they are doing more and more of open source these days. and its good for all of us (developer community) ;-)
You can get source for the entire .NET Framework -- I don't think MS will be dropping it anytime soon. I think that open sourcing MVC is reflective of the stance that MS is taking toward being more transparent with their source and cooperative with the open source movement, not that they are expecting to cut it loose soon. Regardless, its a tremendous framework and I fully expect that MVC will continue to support it as it allows them to compete with Ruby/Python/Java in the MVC space.
It would be worth the time of every project which intends to use MVC to consider if MVC is seriously supported by Microsoft and the community, and what the risks of using MVC are to a project (against the benefits).
Will MVC last for the expected lifespan of the project, once deployed?
If the best guess is unsure or no, potentially consider not using MVC.
Microsoft's commitment to support any product is based on market acceptance, competitive considerations, and product positioning. Their track record is inconsistent no matter whether they open-source it. Think IE and Frontpage. Opening the source code can only increase your chances for stability in the long run, IMHO.

ASP.NET MVC Development tool

Following on from my previous question, If I am beginning to learn asp.net MVC, will the express edition of visual studio web developer be enough, or should I consider the expensive full version of Visual studio. What are the limitation of such express version I may run into? or am I better using an Expression tool? (or is this something I can progress to later.) Any advice anyone? Thank you.
Re-sharper (everyones favourite add in ;-)) requires the full version of VS. It's worth getting for that reason alone in my view.
One thing that comes to mind is lack of the SQL tools in the express versions, such as the Server Explorer (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cd2cz7yy.aspx). I am not sure if you can effectively do LINQ to SQL or LINQ to Entities without it.
On that note, I strongly encourage the full version of Visual Studio 2008 Professional.
I know that since you are using the express versions, you qualify for the upgrade price for Visual Studio 2008 Professional.
On a side note: the Expression products are more geared for designers, not coders.
Express is definetly a good start, and if you're just learning you shouldn't miss some of the features from the full version too much. For SQL management, Microsoft now offers SQL Management Studio Express as well (along with SQL Server Express, of course).
The major things that I personally miss when I'm using Express rather than a full version are:
Class Diagrams - these are pretty useful when you're starting off a project and want to map out the classes you'll want to create. With a simple MVC application there probably won't be a huge need for them, however.
Attaching to a process for debugging - Express editions include the full debugger, but you can't attach to an already running process. This is particularly useful if you're using NUnit and you run into a problem and want to debug. There's some workarounds, but they aren't particularly elegant or simple.
Integrated testing - I'm actually surprised this wasn't included - Microsoft should realize that getting new developers to learn good habits like Unit Testing should be encouraged.
The Expression suite is targeted towards designers more than developers. I don't think it's a good fit for what you are looking for.
SharpDevelop is another free option. It's good if you find Express lacking, but I personally don't find the experience as "smooth", and it's particularly short on features relating to web development.
"Full versions" of Visual Studio are not free! If you are beginning to learn asp.net MVC, you shoud try Visual Web Developer first. Yes, it does not support integrated testing but you can use any 3d-party tool (xUnit is the best) for testing.

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