Getting Maximum Value from Business Intelligence in Dynamics AX

The real value of business intelligence (BI) comes from crafting actionable activities based on an organisation’s data. Rich, embedded BI is at the core of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

The Microsoft Dynamics AX Reporting and BI Framework is made up of tools and services enabling the implementation, integration, deployment, and use of performance management features in Microsoft Dynamics AX; adding significant knowledge and value to an organisation.

Microsoft Dynamics AX is an adaptable, integrated and cost-effective solution which is built to work with the latest Microsoft applications (Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint), and has the ability to run with the Microsoft Application Platform and IT Infrastructure products (Microsoft SQL Server); delivering extensible reporting tools and a BI platform providing applicable, real-time data across your organisation.

With pre-built industry capabilities for manufacturing, distribution, services, retail, and public sector; Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 helps you meet your business requirements by deploying your solution quickly; delivering results immediately.

The Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 consists of the following built-in features:

• Analysis cubes: Rich ad hoc Reporting and Analysis tools (Microsoft Office Excel and SQL Report Builder) helps you analyse important factors (including finance, supply chain, manufacturing, professional services, and business processes) that affect your bottom line. There are 11 cubes in total.
• Role Centres (dashboards): and KPI scorecards are used to monitor the overall health of an organisation and analyse business trends and drivers. There are 32 default role centres and over 60 KPIs tailored to each process and role based on those cubes; evaluating the success of business activities.
• Analytic reports: More than 150 analytic reports provide insight into business data; allowing for significant information about the organisation, the external environment and future trends (OLAP); allowing an organisation to make better decisions.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 delivers value faster by supporting industry-specific and operational business processes across global enterprises. It is with this highly adaptable and easy-to-scale solution that organisations can identify new opportunities while at the same time reduce risk and gain a competitive advantage. Organisation can gain significant value by:

• Viewing all business data at a glance: Monitor and analyse business performance using actionable business intelligence, such as KPI’s, charts, and reports. This helps provide significant understanding into business activities, identifies actionable insight; resulting in better control.
• Boosting Productivity and Improving Effectiveness: Provide a single, integrated view of the job-specific information and tasks employees need to make informed business decisions.
• Adaptable User Experience: Employees can easily personalise Role Centres to fit their own unique work style and individual information needs, therefore, gaining precise information leading to productive decision making.
• Saving Resources: Using the BI functionality in Dynamics AX; particularly its multi-dimensional database and reporting facilities; saves organisations significant time and money in relation to data replication and external reporting tools.
• Turn raw data into useful business knowledge in real-time: using relational (SQL Server) and multi-dimensional database engines (SQL Server Analysis Services); allowing for rapid change management, availing of new opportunities in the market and overall success.
• Designed to work with SQL Server Business Intelligence: The Microsoft BI Stack contains an integrated suite of platform products, technologies, and applications used to implement, deploy and manage rich Business Performance Management features to add value, knowledge and enhanced decision making from business intelligence. The stack is made up of the following components:
  • Data Integration Services: Platform services (SQL Server Integration Services) supporting the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of data from multiple data sources facilitating consolidated Reporting and Analysis.
  • Reporting Platform (SQL Server Reporting Services) consisting of tools that enable designing, deployment, integration and management of reports.
  • Ad Hoc Reporting and Analysis tools (Microsoft Office Excel and SQL report Builder) facilitating self-service reporting and analysis.
  • Scorecard, Analytics, and Forecasting Platform (Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server)
  • Portal and Collaboration Platform (Microsoft Office SharePoint Server) enabling Web portals to present, access, and share information.

In today’s constantly changing environments, a sufficient business intelligence tool is crucial. The Microsoft Dynamics AX Reporting and BI framework plays a significant role in enabling a wide variety of Business Performance Management scenarios in Microsoft Dynamics AX; providing significant vital insight in terms of business intelligence; allowing organisations to gain from valuable data. Microsoft  Dynamics AX integrates tightly with the Microsoft BI Platform Stack to take advantage of related technology advancements and enable richer platform integrated Business Performance Management solutions, enhancing value and organisational decision making.