Microsoft recently released Life Cycle Services. LCS is built around a collaborative work space that customers and partners can both access to use online tools that can assist in managing a Dynamics Ax 2012 project from license estimation to system diagnostics.
Microsoft have published a series of videos giving an overview and detailed look at the LCS features.
License estimator – License sizing estimator helps you estimate the number of licenses required for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. It provides a shared workspace that enables you to model default and customized roles, and then automatically calculate required client access licenses (CALs).
Usage Profiler – In Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services, Usage profiler (beta) is a data-gathering tool that can help you describe your projected or current usage of a Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 implementation. You can use the data from the Usage profiler (beta) for a variety of purposes, such as estimating hardware sizing and helping to troubleshoot issues with support. You can enter data directly into the Usage profiler (beta), or you can import information from Business process modeler.
Business Process Modeler – Business process modeler lets you create, view, and modify standard process flows inside Microsoft Dynamics AX. By using Business process modeler, you can do the following:
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Standardize process flows.
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Align Microsoft Dynamics AX processes with industry standard processes as described by APQC.
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Identify fit and gaps between users’ needs and the functionality that Microsoft Dynamics AX provides by default.
System diagnostic service – The System diagnostic service helps administrators monitor Microsoft Dynamics AX environments. It will analyse system configuration and diagnose potential issues.
Customization Analysis – Customization analysis validates model files against best practices and provides a report of potential areas for improvement.
Upgrade Analysis – Upgrade analysis helps you plan your upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 by analyzing code artifacts (AOD files) from Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 or Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. We also provide a Rapid Data Collector (RDC) tool that analyzes existing environment information to help estimate the scale of the upgrade project.
Issue search – Issue search helps you find existing solutions and workarounds for known issues in Microsoft Dynamics AX. You can see which issues have been fixed, which issues remain open, and which issues have been resolved as “won’t fix.”
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