| Posted by Guest Author on 27 May 2022 |
If you are on AX 2009 or 2012, Microsoft is no longer supporting your platform. If you wish to upgrade or extend the life of your current platform, ZAP Data Hub buys you time to transition.
For some time now Microsoft has been advising customers to upgrade to an alternative such as Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365 F&O). Since this was announced, I’ve had requests for advice and recommendations on how to approach this type of upgrade and so have compiled a list of FAQs to provide general guidance.
There are many good reasons why companies have stuck with their Dynamics AX solutions. Many of those who are still using the stack initially required a high level of customization of the tool and it is most likely installed on-premise or at a vendor/partner-hosted site.
From the outside, progressing from Dynamics AX to D365 F&O may appear to be a typical data upgrade – analyze, validate, and execute - however this might not be the case. Requirements will vary by organization, but all will necessitate moving master data (such as customer, vendor, item, etc.), transactional data (for example open orders, opening balances) and in most cases historical data (say, 2 years of GL) along with any add-ons that were installed to the old system. As with any upgrade, the timing will also need to be considered.
One of the more important steps is the need to configure and optimize the data warehouse environment for modern BI reporting - such as Power BI - so products like ZAP Data Hub, with its own pre-built analytical data models, can be utilized at full capacity.
Users of Dynamics AX who require ongoing support will need to migrate to a different ERP or upgrade their on-premises Dynamics AX data to cloud-based D365 F&O. Depending on the level of customization, these options require varying amounts of time and financial investment - typically with an ERP implementation partner.
Happily, we have good news on this front. ZAP Data Hub offers your current ERP a ‘life extension’: a simplified and cost-effective migration process from on-prem to cloud which can get your legacy data ‘report-ready’ within 1 to 2 weeks.
You might also be interested in "The Complete Guide to Mastering your Supply Chain strategy with Dynamics 365 and Power BI"
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, our ELT data warehouse automation software, ZAP Data Hub, is optimized for all versions of Dynamics AX, D365 F&O and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (D365 SCM), and even Dynamics NAV (predecessor to Dynamics 365 Business Central – which we support as well). Not only does ZAP Data Hub automate reporting for multiple D365 products, it also helps when upgrading from one Microsoft ERP to another. ZAP Data Hub will also support historical reporting from decommissioned, legacy systems without the need for a full and complex migration.
The ZAP Data Hub Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) options come with no compromise on the feature-set. SaaS is the fastest, optimal way to access and fully utilize your existing data, scaling with your requirements.
Using a resource-based approach ZAP Data Hub is reusable and highly flexible, working with over 100 connectors for data sources including ERP, CRM, financial systems, HRM, marketing tools, databases, files, and so much more.
We also recommend reading "ZAP Data Hub for Dynamics"
Migration to the cloud will assist in integrating your data with other systems. It also means that your data warehouse will be configured or optimized for modern BI reporting – for example, with Power BI or the BI and Analytics capabilities offered with ZAP Data Hub.
If the old system is not turned off or deleted, you will not lose the data. If the system is off but a backup is still available and /or can be made available to ZAP every now and then when ZAP requires fully loading this data again, then the data is never lost.
ZAP Data Hub comes with its own, pre-built BI reporting tool and pre-configured solutions for SAP B1, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Sage, SYSPRO and more. It will also deliver enhanced financial and operating reporting in Power BI and Tableau without requiring time-consuming, user-based data preparation.
ZAP is a Microsoft Gold Partner and has been working with Microsoft ERPs since 2005, successfully supporting hundreds of customers across a range of industries in over 35 countries around the world.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what others have to say…
"As a Microsoft Gold partner, ZAP offers their customers strong technical solutions and customer service. They have deep experience in working with Microsoft Dynamics, offering fast, cost-effective, and accurate reporting through their ELT and data warehouse automation software. With extensive, cross-border expertise, ZAP is well placed to help organizations across industries make the most of their Microsoft Dynamics investments.”
Lizelle Hughes, ISV & SaaS Partnerships Director, Microsoft Australia.
“ZAP Data Hub can extract data from tables in Dynamics 365 F&O. Let me say that again in a different way in case it’s not clear because for those of us in this space it sounds too good to be true! ZAP can export data directly from Dynamics 365 F&O tables to an Azure AQL-managed instance or SQL Virtual Machine. I wish I had enough time to spend hours letting people from other companies know that there is a readily available solution to the pain they are in the middle of.”
Anthony Retting - IT Manager, Olthof Homes, Indiana
Recommended reading: Olthof Homes case study
“It’s refreshing that ZAP is an application that can be configured and doesn’t have to be customized, meaning anyone can work on it”.
Art Collins, Benefit Cosmetics, San Francisco
More information on the Benefits Cosmetics solution
ZAP Data Hub comes with its own, pre-built BI reporting tool and pre-configured solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 products and more. It will also deliver enhanced financial and operating reporting in Power BI without requiring time-consuming, user-based data preparation.
We want your important business data to remain relevant, stay useful and continue to provide you with strong business insights. Let us show you how ZAP Data Hub can get you there during a free demonstration. Please also enjoy a complimentary copy of our ZAP Data Hub product guide and feature checklist to get the discussion started.
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Guest Author This blog post was written and provided to us by a guest author. View my social profiles: LinkedIn | Twitter |
Microsoft Dynamics UsersAre you looking to upgrade or extend the life of your current platform? ZAP Data Hub buys you time to transition. 
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